Pendant

Dutch designer Inke Heiland may be best known for playful animal-silhouette wall decor for kids, but her new line of whimsical pendant lamps will charm more than a few parents.   The new Inke pendant lights are made from the same floral vintage wallpapers as the popular assemble-it-yourself animal and tree silhouettes. The lamps are about $115 and come ready to install, complete with fitting, ceiling cap and a woven electrical cord in several color combinations. Because they are made from vintage wallpaper, they are limited editions with irregularities that add to their charm.

LAS VEGAS -- Falls happen, even to the most balanced of us. But what if no one is around to help?  As our parents, grandparents and maybe even some of us age, it's becoming increasingly important and desirable to go about life without limitations but feel like there's a safety net if we should need it. And several tech companies have recognized the need. At the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, a couple of the many items focused on continued independence, mobility and security.

LAS VEGAS -- Falls happen, even to the most balanced of us. But what if no one is around to help?  As our parents, grandparents and maybe even some of us age, it's becoming increasingly important and desirable to go about life without limitations but feel like there's a safety net if we should need it. And several tech companies have recognized the need. At the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, a couple of the many items focused on continued independence, mobility and security.

Vanessa Hudgens, the star of the Disney "High School Musical" films, is tackling more adult roles in the upcoming "Machete Kills" and "The Frozen Ground. " But the 23-year-old has retained her youthful, slightly punk edge when it comes to her personal style -- she's more likely to don a pair of combat boots on the red carpet than a pair of sparkly stilettos. When she participated in "The 24 Hour Plays,"  Montblanc's creative fundraiser for the Urban Arts Project, in New York City on Monday,  the actress opted for a sleeveless white top, simple black pants and lace-up boots.

Vanessa Hudgens, the star of the Disney "High School Musical" films, is tackling more adult roles in the upcoming "Machete Kills" and "The Frozen Ground. " But the 23-year-old has retained her youthful, slightly punk edge when it comes to her personal style -- she's more likely to don a pair of combat boots on the red carpet than a pair of sparkly stilettos. When she participated in "The 24 Hour Plays,"  Montblanc's creative fundraiser for the Urban Arts Project, in New York City on Monday,  the actress opted for a sleeveless white top, simple black pants and lace-up boots.

Killing time in a mall recently, I wandered into an upscale jewelry store. My gaze quickly settled on a pretty sterling silver pendant, which I thought might make a nice gift for my granddaughter's birthday. Because it bore no apparent price tag, I had to violate J.P. Morgan's famous maxim and ask. Old J.P. was right: I couldn't afford it. Not at $1,195. Later that day, I was in a Wal-Mart, and out of curiosity I stopped by its jewelry counter. I saw another sterling silver pendant, which, to my untrained eye, was remarkably similar to the first one, and every bit as pretty.

Cadmium likely isn't the first thing on your mind when you buy a cheap little bracelet or necklace for your child. But maybe it should be. A new study finds that children who wear, mouth or swallow inexpensive  jewelry items could be exposed to high levels of the metal. Researchers tested charms, bracelets and necklaces, mostly imported from China, to determine the levels of cadmium in each.  "Of 92 pieces of jewelry tested under ingestion conditions, two pieces (a football pendant and a heart charm)

A few weeks ago, the chairman of online auction site Bidz.com forecast good news ahead. The company was headed for another blowout quarter, David Zinberg said, with sales topping the already-rosy projections made in November. The announcement was designed partly to quell questions that had been swirling around the Culver City-based company for months.

Malibu Barbie never had it so good. A Paul Smith rug, curtains sewn from Missoni fabric, LED sconces strung with Swarovski crystals, even a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona daybed cluttered with Rodeo Drive shopping bags - all small enough to fit in your pocket. These are but a few of the over-the-top luxuries decorating 10 couture play pads created for the 2013 Designer Dollhouse Showcase. The Los Angeles firm Richard Manion Architecture has constructed scale-model dream houses - Italianate, brownstone, beach house contemporary and other styles - that will be auctioned April 17 to benefit the UCLA Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute , part of Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.

While most of the world's opals are mined in the Australian outback, price-conscious Australians buy most of theirs in Hong Kong. Why? The reason is because this bustling city is the world's leading opal market, with prices per karat of opal about 30% to 40% less than in Australia, 50% less than in the United States. Some superstitious people think that opals are unlucky--unless they're your birthstone (October) or are given to you as a gift.

Dutch designer Inke Heiland may be best known for playful animal-silhouette wall decor for kids, but her new line of whimsical pendant lamps will charm more than a few parents.   The new Inke pendant lights are made from the same floral vintage wallpapers as the popular assemble-it-yourself animal and tree silhouettes. The lamps are about $115 and come ready to install, complete with fitting, ceiling cap and a woven electrical cord in several color combinations. Because they are made from vintage wallpaper, they are limited editions with irregularities that add to their charm.

Susan Braig has turned to selling drugs to pay her medical bills. The 61-year-old Altadena cancer survivor takes old pharmaceutical pills and tablets and mounts them on costume jewelry to create colorful necklaces, pendants, earrings and tiaras that she sells. She got the idea for her unusual artwork after being diagnosed with breast cancer and starting chemotherapy in 2004. "I bought my first round of medicine and it cost $500 out of my own pocket," she said. "I looked at the drugstore receipt and then at the little pills and wondered if they were precious gems.

Cadmium likely isn't the first thing on your mind when you buy a cheap little bracelet or necklace for your child. But maybe it should be. A new study finds that children who wear, mouth or swallow inexpensive  jewelry items could be exposed to high levels of the metal. Researchers tested charms, bracelets and necklaces, mostly imported from China, to determine the levels of cadmium in each.  "Of 92 pieces of jewelry tested under ingestion conditions, two pieces (a football pendant and a heart charm)

In the sacred Shiite city of Najaf, where women hide themselves behind dark robes and head scarves, 15-year-old Ban wears the wrong kind of black. She likes dark, ripped gloves, silver butterfly shirts and white dice on a chain. She paints her nails black and brushes on matching eye shadow. Ban is an emo, belonging to a subculture that may have gone mainstream in the rest of the world, but sure hasn't here. She pronounces it "emu. " Either way, it means she's a goth with a fondness for sparkle.

Killing time in a mall recently, I wandered into an upscale jewelry store. My gaze quickly settled on a pretty sterling silver pendant, which I thought might make a nice gift for my granddaughter's birthday. Because it bore no apparent price tag, I had to violate J.P. Morgan's famous maxim and ask. Old J.P. was right: I couldn't afford it. Not at $1,195. Later that day, I was in a Wal-Mart, and out of curiosity I stopped by its jewelry counter. I saw another sterling silver pendant, which, to my untrained eye, was remarkably similar to the first one, and every bit as pretty.

Industrial pendant lights got a modern makeover at the Las Vegas show courtesy of the Canadian design house Nuevo. Cast in acrylic, the firm's clear fixtures had the luxe look of cut glass for the price of plastic. The lights run from $100 to $150 each, affordable enough for consumers to install multiples over a kitchen counter or cluster several at staggered heights to create a bolder statement. The shades also are available in glossy black and reflective chrome finishes.

Elizabeth Taylor, the glamorous queen of American movie stardom, whose achievements as an actress were often overshadowed by her rapturous looks and real-life dramas, has died. She was 79. Hospitalized six weeks ago for congestive heart failure, Taylor died early Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with her four children at her side, publicist Sally Morrison said. FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this article said Mickey Rooney played Elizabeth Taylor's trainer in "Lassie Come Home.

Baz Luhrmann's big-screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel "The Great Gatsby" isn't set to hit theaters until May 10, but long before the first flapper has flapped, it's become one of the most name-checked, on-trend, fashion-influencing films in recent memory. West Egg wannabes can already step into a nearby Brooks Bros. and step out wearing a pink-striped linen ensemble inspired by the one Leonardo DiCaprio's Jay Gatsby wears on the silver screen. They can also break the bank at Tiffany & Co. on the kind of tasseled pendant necklaces and bejeweled diamond-and-pearl headpieces that bedeck Carey Mulligan's Daisy Buchanan.

First he raided your grooming products. Then he usurped your aesthetician. And now, ladies, not even your jewelry box is safe. Today, men are buying themselves bracelets, rings and pendant necklaces with increasing frequency and wearing their bling with a confidence and flair heretofore unseen in the Western world, according to fashion experts and industry observers.

Just when you thought L.A. style was disappearing into a sea of uniform low-rise jeans and snug-fit sweatsuits, pendants come to the rescue. This summer, women are adding a bit of bohemian chic to their casual ensembles with sculptural ornaments worn 'round the neck. Some of the most striking pieces are inspired by nature--crosses and medallions crafted from seashells and bone chips, intricately hand-painted and decorated with pave crystals.