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When Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign last month mailed 250 checks to refund contributions to donors associated with jailed fund-raiser Norman Hsu, the campaign said it was open to having them contribute again directly. As of the end of September, only 10 had decided to do so, according to the campaign's most recent campaign- finance discount tiffany.

Judith Kaplan of Stuart, Fla., used the $1,000 check that the campaign sent back to her to buy a bracelet.

Mr. Hsu, one of the top fund-raisers for Mrs. Clinton, is under investigation for reimbursing associates for political donations after The Wall Street Journal wrote about the suspicious correlation in donations made by both Mr. Hsu and a California family of modest means.

Mrs. Kaplan said she made her contribution so her granddaughter could attend a New York fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton organized by Mr. Hsu. Mrs. Kaplan said her granddaughter was eager to attend, because she had just written a school paper on the candidate and wanted to meet her in person.

That didn't mean Mrs. Kaplan felt obligated to send the contribution Bead bracelet.

"I bought myself something because, I figured, if all this is going to happen, I might as well take care of myself," she said. "And my son had a hard time with that -- he said, 'You're going to give it back, aren't you?'"

Her son, Andrew Kaplan, an analyst with Lehman Brothers, and Katherine Erwin, who lives at the same address in Bronxville, N.Y., were two of the 10 donors to decide to give the money back to the campaign. Mr. Kaplan declined to comment.

Mr. Hsu "bundled" more than $800,000 in donations for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign, from 248 individuals. Only $34,200 was again donated to the campaign after it was returned.

"These are not individuals we're soliciting," said Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for the campaign. "If anyone chooses to give again, we will scrutinize their donations very carefully."

Mrs. Clinton announced the campaign's intentions to accept more donations from Mr. Hsu's contributors on a conference call shortly after the revelations about Mr. Hsu's past.

"We're not asking that that be Return to Tiffany Heart tag bracelet," she said. "But I believe that the vast majority of those 200-plus donors are perfectly capable of making up their own minds about what they will or won't do going forward."

LEAD: A few years ago, the discreet diamond stud was the all-purpose earring for fashionable women. Now the pendulum has swung. Big bold buttons are the earrings of choice for daytime, and shoulder-grazing drops are the way to go for evening. With the new short hairdos, something has to fill in the space between head and Tiffany Red heart lock charm and bracelet.

A few years ago, the discreet diamond stud was the all-purpose earring for fashionable women. Now the pendulum has swung. Big bold buttons are the earrings of choice for daytime, and shoulder-grazing drops are the way to go for evening. With the new short hairdos, something has to fill in the space between head and shoulder.

There have always been drop earrings, but the newest versions are going to new Party charm bracelet - from four to six and sometimes even eight inches. These shoulder dusters might be delicate cascades of pearls or tiny gems, or they might be a jumble of oversize stones, but they are definitely long. And frankly fake. Real jewels that big would be vulgar, unless, of course, you're the Queen of England.

''Romeo Gigli started it,'' said Joan Kaner, the fashion director of Neiman-Marcus. ''He showed earrings that were three or four strands of tiny drops of jet or hammered silver. Paris couturiers then picked up on it for the shows in July. It's made a big impact, and we see it going into holiday and spring.'' Jane Tiffany Blue heart lock charm and bracelet, the fashion director for accessories at Saks Fifth Avenue, likes the movement these exaggerated drops add to the long, lean lines of the new evening dresses and expects to see lots of them in stores.

Thad Starner first started wearing his computer in 1993. He would strap a shoe box of electronics to his waist and a small keyboard to his wrist and don a bulky headset with a small display monitor suspended in front of his left eye. After a while the other students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology stopped gawking and accepted him as just another Return to Tiffany Round tag drop earrings. Nowadays, however, Starner is looking much more fashionable. He's a professor at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, for one thing, and his wearable computer looks just like a pair of ordinary black-rimmed glasses--except for the thumb-size gadget on the frame that beams a tiny, bright image onto the lens. "The goal," says Starner, "is to have the computer disappear into your clothes so that no one knows you have it."

Starner is a living history of wearable computers. What used to be clunky contraptions only a nerd could love have now gotten closer than they've ever been to disappearing into your clothes. High-tech companies such as IBM and Philips, and also clothing firms such as Levi Strauss and Nike, are putting miniature computers into everything from wristwatches to running shoes. These are not stand- alone devices: they're linked to each other and wirelessly to the Internet.

Many high-tech firms were testing the waters at last week's CeBIT, the giant technology trade fair in Hanover, Germany. IBM showed wearable computer peripherals such as a silver necklace with a hidden microphone, a woman's display watch, earrings with speakers, and a ring whose elegant turquoise stone doubles as a nifty scroll-point mouse. Equipped with tiny, wireless Bluetooth transmitters, these are unobtrusive interfaces for a computer or a phone. "If you have something with you all the time, you might as well be able to wear it," says Cameron Miner, lead scientist at IBM's design lab in San Jose, California.

IBM isn't saying when products will come out. But Philips and partner Levi Strauss, the bluejeans maker, are bringing out a summer collection of "wearable electronic garments"--jackets with a GSM mobile and an MP3 player in special pockets, with a remote control on the front flap of the jacket and a microphone in the collar. The wires are sewn in. The two devices work together, with the music turning off when you talk on the phone. (The winter collection, available only in Europe, has already sold out.) Hitachi confirmed it was bringing out a wearable, wireless Internet device in Japan this summer with a lightweight Shimadzu headset to let you walk, talk and surf the Web at the same time.

What exactly are we supposed to do with all this technology? "The introduction of always-on, next-generation wireless devices will let us communicate, interact, get information and entertainment wherever we go, all the time," says analyst Jackie Fenn of Gartner Group in Lowell, Massachusetts. She envisions always-on e-mail, "buddy alerts" that sense if your friends are Elsa Peretti Round earrings, plus downloadable music and video wherever you go. "Proactive" computers will remind you to do things, tell you if you're about to forget your keys at home and guide you through a world in which everything is "smart" and gives out information. Staying in tune with all that requires more than a handheld in your briefcase. That's why Gartner estimates that by 2010, 40 percent of adults and 75 percent of teenagers will wear always-on gadgets. For every hour they spend in the real world, they'll spend 10 in the "e-world."

Nike is targeting today's kids as early adopters of wearable technology. Last year the firm set up a new Techlab division to develop such products as a running shoe with a built-in wireless pedometer that tracks speed and distance. Rival Adidas has joined a consortium that's developing high-tech fabrics that turn clothes into sensors, data networks and walking antennas. Medicine is also conducive to wearables. One firm is developing a wristwatch that beams data to your doctor. Another is working on sensors with wireless transmitters for diabetics.

Before wearables become commonplace, engineers will have to resolve a few technical issues. First, third-generation wireless technology will have to be made reliable enough to support always-on gadgets. Bluetooth--a wireless technology made for small, personal area networks that link wearable devices to each other--is only starting to come out after big development delays. The wearable devices themselves are also costly: Hitachi's new wearables will cost $1,700, and others can run to $7,000. And making our environment "smart" so that every shop or product can send out information will take a new kind of infrastructure--big servers that direct the flow of information behind the scenes. That's not likely to be up and running any time Elsa Peretti Apple earrings.

And besides, do we really want to be always connected everywhere we go? "The only alternative I see is that we're not the information and communications junkies that I think we are," says Gartner's Fenn. And that's not likely.

How could the Internet, jewelry and good value be connected in one Elsa Peretti Open Heart Necklace?

Hampel/Stefanides' first ad for Net startup OrbitGems.com may have the answer.

The print effort for the New York-based discount estate and contemporary jewelry e-- tailer breaks nationwide early this month.

The ad has a tongue-- in-chic tone; it shows a well-heeled woman in a huge feathered hat wearing a computer mouse as an earring.

The copy: "You no longer have to be wealthy to buy one-of-a-- kind estate jewelry. Just well-Heart tag charm necklace."

Hampel/Stefanides won the business a couple of months ago, said Robert Ireland, vice president, account director of the New York shop, adding it was a challenge to link all the clients aspects.

"You can't rely just on, 'Hey, you can buy jewelry on the Internet,' because that's become point-of-entry," Ireland said. "You need to try and differentiate the Elsa Peretti Open Heart necklacenecklace."

Spending is about $1-1.5 million. The ad will run through Christmas in such magazines as The New Yorker, and Vanity Fair and in newspapers.

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Jan. 18, 2001--First lady- to-be Laura Bush today selected Austin-based jewelry designer Anthony- Nak to be one of her inaugural accessory providers of choice.

The two-year-old company also has been enlisted to design necklaces, earrings and bracelets to be worn by Bush Return to Tiffany Round tag necklace, Barbara and Jenna, during the inaugural events Jan. 20 in Washington.

Anthony-Nak designers Anthony Camargo and David Nakard Armstrong developed two separate necklace designs from which the incoming first lady will select. One is a spinel and scarlet tourmaline necklace set in 18-carat gold. The second is a multi-strand spinel and Burmese ruby necklace set in 18-carat gold. The designers also crafted a set of Burmese ruby earrings to accompany the necklace.

The former Texas first lady also will wear a triple strand of champagne freshwater pearls set in sterling silver along with matching earrings during an unofficial inaugural dinner Friday.

"Designing the inaugural jewelry for the new first family is a tremendous honor for us," said Camargo. "To know that we're playing a small part in this historic event is extremely meaningful to us -- both professionally as jewelry designers and personally as fellow Texans."

Camargo and Armstrong design jewelry for a number of Tiffany 1837 I.D. lanyardlanyard, from Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bullock to Cher and Sarah MacLachlan.

According to Armstrong, Anthony-Nak designers draw their creative inspiration from past periods when jewelry was more than just an accessory, but an integral part of women's dress. In designing their collection, the self-taught style of Camargo and Armstrong integrates antiquity and art nouveau by drawing on these past elements in a modern representation.

"Our goal is to create jewelry that is modern and sensual and conforms to the body like a bias-cut fabric," Armstrong said. "Each piece combines precious and semi-precious stones that are woven together with silver and gold in a lace-like fashion, giving the jewelry fluidity and movement."

About Anthony-Nak

Formed in November 1998 and based in Austin, Texas, Anthony-Nak Inc., designs fresh, unique and individual jewelry for a diverse list of clients. The company's client list includes a number of well- known actresses and musicians, including Cameron Diaz, Cher, Jewel, Sarah MacLachlan, Sandra Bullock, Lucy Liu, Venetian Link necklace Tilly and Geri Halliwell. The company distributes its jewelry to Neiman Marcus stores in 21 U.S. cities, including Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle; Dallas-based Stanley Korshak, Henri Bendel of New York; and Fred Segal of Santa Monica, Calif.

JACKI LYDEN, HOST: This has been a big week for Harrison Ford. His new movie, "Air Force One," is number one at the box office. It's already pulled in more than $37 million. And his picture graces the cover of People Magazine.

If you look closely at that picture, you'll notice something a little different about him.

Commentator Karen Grigsby Bates did. And it's left her feeling like she has lost her innocence Starfish.

KAREN GRIGSBY BATES, COMMENTATOR: Maybe you didn't know this. But you can lose your innocence in all kinds of ways, and more than once. I'm not talking about those -- "the first time in the back seat of a '57 Chevy" ways. I'm talking about the theft of your cherished assumptions, the ineluctable knowledge that things that look one way often really are another.

John Kennedy's marital indiscretions are a good example. I have no idea that they existed when I was in the seventh grade in 1963. When I found out years later, when people began to talk openly about his fooling around, it was disappointing. But I could handle it.

Same for the discovery that Cary Grant sometimes liked to wear women's underwear -- different strokes, I guess. I know boys who were traumatized for years when they found out Roy Rogers' real name is Elmer Sly and that John Wayne's first name was really Marion.

The realization that the Duke of Windsor was a stylish ninny, fretfully hen-pecked to the end of his days by the woman he loved, or that the fairy-tale marriage of his great nephew to Diana Spencer had more in common with horror stories than romance novels was sad, but life goes on.

I thought I was immune to those kinds of disappointments. But yesterday, the final straw fell on this camel's back. It was the revelation that Harrison Paloma Picasso Loving Heart lariat, Mr. Un-Hollywood, has pierced his ear. I am, to borrow my favorite line from "Men in Black" -- just tryin' to get a handle on the moment -- an earring. Why this so profoundly vexed me I don't know.

Maybe it's because Ford is so resolutely the antithesis of everything that is modern Hollywood. He never wore a pony tail. He has scars on his face, and a plastic surgeon hasn't touched them. He's been married to the same woman for several years, although this is his second marriage. He's polite, well-spoken, keeps most of his political opinions to himself.

He started out as a carpenter and, in fact, built much of his home in Wyoming -- a rugged, manly state where they don't much wear earrings. And he lived there before it became Hollywood chic. He seemed like the best part of normal guyhood -- the part that fixed the kid's bikes without calling in an engineer, thank you -- threw meat on the grill when company came, drank liquor neat, and splashed on Old Spice before taking the wife out to dinner -- a throwback to a less complicated time.

Then he put the damn earring in. He says it's something he had wanted to do for a long time. And after he finished playing the most macho president the United States won't ever have, he had his ear pierced.

Well, I hope it hurt when he did it. I hope he didn't flinch when it hurt. I hope he knocked back a slug of Jack and went on about his I Love You Lock charm necklacenecklace. I hope he doesn't pierce the other one.

LYDEN: Writer Karen Grigsby Bates lives in Los Angeles.

JACKI LYDEN, HOST: This has been a big week for Harrison Ford. His new movie, "Air Force One," is number one at the box office. It's already pulled in more than $37 million. And his picture graces the cover of People Magazine.

If you look closely at that Atlas cuff links, you'll notice something a little different about him.

Commentator Karen Grigsby Bates did. And it's left her feeling like she has lost her innocence again.

KAREN GRIGSBY BATES, COMMENTATOR: Maybe you didn't know this. But you can lose your innocence in all kinds of ways, and more than once. I'm not talking about those -- "the first time in the back seat of a '57 Chevy" ways. I'm talking about the theft of your cherished assumptions, the ineluctable knowledge that things that look one way often really are another.

John Kennedy's marital indiscretions are a good example. I have no idea that they existed when I was in the seventh grade in 1963. When I found out years later, when people began to talk openly about his fooling around, it was disappointing. But I could handle it.

Same for the discovery that Cary Grant sometimes liked to wear women's underwear -- different strokes, I guess. I know boys who were traumatized for years when they found out Roy Rogers' real name is Elmer Sly and that John Wayne's first name was really Marion.

The realization that the Duke of Windsor was a stylish ninny, fretfully hen-pecked to the end of his days by the woman he loved, or that the fairy-tale marriage of his great nephew to Diana Spencer had more in common with horror stories than romance novels was sad, but life goes on.

I thought I was immune to those kinds of disappointments. But yesterday, the final straw fell on this camel's back. It was the revelation that Harrison Ford, Mr. Un-Hollywood, has pierced his ear. I am, to borrow my favorite line from "Men in Black" -- just tryin' to get a handle on the moment -- an Elsa Peretti Eternal Circle cuff links. Why this so profoundly vexed me I don't know.

Maybe it's because Ford is so resolutely the antithesis of everything that is modern Hollywood. He never wore a pony tail. He has scars on his face, and a plastic surgeon hasn't touched them. He's been married to the same woman for several years, although this is his second marriage. He's polite, well-spoken, keeps most of his political opinions to himself.

He started out as a carpenter and, in fact, built much of his home in Wyoming -- a rugged, manly state where they don't much wear earrings. And he lived there before it became Hollywood chic. He seemed like the best part of normal guyhood -- the part that fixed the kid's bikes without calling in an engineer, thank you -- threw meat on the grill when company came, drank liquor neat, and splashed on Old Spice before taking the wife out to dinner -- a throwback to a less complicated time.

Then he put the damn earring in. He says it's something he had wanted to do for a long time. And after he finished playing the most macho president the United States won't ever have, he had his ear pierced.

Well, I hope it hurt when he did it. I hope he didn't flinch when it Return to Tiffany Cuff links. I hope he knocked back a slug of Jack and went on about his business. I hope he doesn't pierce the other one.

LYDEN: Writer Karen Grigsby Bates lives in Los Angeles.

As fashion retreats gradually from its emphasis on Tiffany Metropolis Cuff links, jewelry is coming back into focus. For summer, that may mean a strand of beads or just a pair of small earrings.

Several stores say that among the best-selling jewelry for summer are those small silver hoop earrings known as huggies. Designed for pierced ears, the earrings seem to hug the lobe, because the posts fit invisibly into the other side of the hoop.

Neiman Marcus has sterling silver hoops by David Yurman ($190), hoops with a basket-weave texture by John Hardy ($170) and several styles by Steven Square cuff links, including some with gold accents ($170 to $295).

Henri Bendel has silver hoops in several widths and sizes, from tiny to about half an inch in diameter ($88 to $128).

Lord & Taylor has a range of styles and Tiffany 1837 Cuff links, including some by Designs on Sterling that are different on each side so they can be worn back to front ($20 to $35).

VideoCorner: Techniques of Beading Earrings Video.

by Deon DeLange. Produced by Bosworth Tiffany 1837 Charm bracelet; distributed by Eagles' View Publishing Co, 1993. VHS, color, approx 76 minutes. $29.95.

Techniques of Beading Earrings is one of the most complete beading lessons that anyone could hope to view. It was wonderful to have the video narrated by the author of so many successful and informative beading books. Not only is Deon DeLange a very talented designer, she is an easy to understand and follow Tiffany 1837 Lock bracelet.

Introductory parts deal with the basic supplies that one would need to bead. DeLange takes her time to carefully explain and show why certain materials are essential. The section on "Tips and Tricks of the Trade" is a treasure trove for any level of beader.

Through the mechanism of start and completion of one pair of beaded earrings, DeLange covers the whole process with close-ups of one part or another adding greatly to the reader's understanding. One of the most interesting parts of the presentation is DeLange's inclusion of natural materials such as porcupine quills. The total impact is that Elsa Peretti Open Heart bracelet of Beading Earrings is a highly motivational video that this reviewer highly recommends for any level of beader.

AN APPLE A DAY: Earrings and tattoos for men now part of city's novel scene

JADED New Yorker as I am, I just can't fathom men with earnings and tattooed bodies, though I know that the early Filipinos were called "Elsa Peretti Teardrop bracelet" by the Western invaders because of their tattooed bodies.

Well, now that New York's mayor finally signed a bill eliminating a long-standing ban on city tattoo shops, pierced and tattooed bodied will have to be part of the Big Apple's novelty scene.

All over the Lower East Side, tattoo shops are sprouting like mushrooms. I visited Inide Ink Shop Tattoo, one of the new shops on Avenue A. Eric Rignall was busily tattooing a grim-vis-aged pit bull onto Cesar Castaneda's arm the other day. The pit bull wore a spike collar and cost Castaneda $100.

"It's a great thing, and it's about time," Regnall said, referring to the recent legislation of tattooing. After decades of laboring illicitly in apartments and underground studios, tattooists are now playing their craft openly in retail shops such as Rignall's, whose wide windows and neon lights proclaim their new, lawful status. Prices may rise slightly with legislation - small tattoos now cost about $50 to $100, larger ones, $300 and up.

The Health Department introduced the ban in 1961 after a hepatitis scare. City officials, though, never enforced the ban, with tattooists operating underground - unregulated but illicit.

But now that the ban is lifted, tattooists are opening storefront shops with unabashed brio. If Avenue A is on its way to becoming tattoo alley, St. Mark's Place, with four tattoo shops within four blocks, is a mecca. Fun City Tattoo and Almost Tattoos not only have been around for years but have distinguished themselves by being the only tow shops in the city to have operated above ground during the ban.

Piercing may be more than just painful.

A pair of dentists have released a warming that may be unwelcome in the East Village: pierced Pierced charm bracelet, cheeks and lips can lead to infection, speech impairment, chipped teeth and even lung damage.

"We're not condemning or condoning," said Dr. Sheila Price, a professor at West Virginia University, whose data was released in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. "However, we want to make sure people are informed about the consequences," Dr. Price said.

Dr. Price and her colleague, Dr. Maurice Lewis, came up with a short list of potential dangers after meeting a young rock musician who swallowed a ring from the pierced uvula in the back of his mouth. Rings pierced deep inside the mouth can puncture a lung if they are swallowed, after falling out, Dr. Price warned.

Cheek pierces can cause tooth damage if bitten. And breathing problems and speech impediments can arise if a pierced tongue gets infected.

Of course, none of this is news in the East Village, where the study seemed to have little impact.

Julie Schneider, a flyer distributor at Andromeda Body Piercing on St. Mark's Place near Second Avenue, said piercing "is fine as long as you take care of Venetian Link bracelet. You have to clean them and take responsibility for them," Schneider, 19, who is pierced in 15 places on her body. "If you don't want to do that, you shouldn't get them in the first place."

Picture Beaded Earrings For Beginners: With Easy, Simple Step by Step, Follow-Along Tiffany 1837 Cuff links.

There is adequate instruction for the two-needle, brick stitch technique, which is used to create the popular diamond shaped earrings and pins often seen at craft shows and powwows. There are over sixty, black and white designs for use with this stitch, with over half receiving colored photographs of the finished projects. Examples of the most interesting designs include snakes, Tiffany 1837 Cuff links, dream catcher, pirate and turtle. And some more simplistic designs cover such motifs as anchor, cherries and ducks. The author writes that the complexity of the design is directly related to the base row's length. Each project relates how much skill would be required to complete the item.

Although my choice of designs might have been different, this book offers the beginning beadworker a relatively inexpensive, how-to manual. The patterns receive excellent illustrations. It would be time well spent for the beadworker to carefully color in the beads in the presented Elsa Peretti Almond cuff links. This is because some more subtle bead shades of color are difficult to easily identify from patterns in any book.

Picture Beaded Earrings For Beginners: With Easy, Simple Step by Step, Follow-Along Tiffany 1837 Cuff links.

There is adequate instruction for the two-needle, brick stitch technique, which is used to create the popular diamond shaped earrings and pins often seen at craft shows and powwows. There are over sixty, black and white designs for use with this stitch, with over half receiving colored photographs of the finished projects. Examples of the most interesting designs include snakes, Tiffany 1837 Cuff links, dream catcher, pirate and turtle. And some more simplistic designs cover such motifs as anchor, cherries and ducks. The author writes that the complexity of the design is directly related to the base row's length. Each project relates how much skill would be required to complete the item.

Although my choice of designs might have been different, this book offers the beginning beadworker a relatively inexpensive, how-to manual. The patterns receive excellent illustrations. It would be time well spent for the beadworker to carefully color in the beads in the presented Elsa Peretti Almond cuff links. This is because some more subtle bead shades of color are difficult to easily identify from patterns in any book.

PearlParadise.com was very pleased to provide black Tahitian pearl earrings to all the winners of the 2004 Emmys. These earrings are glamorous and elegant. Perfect for a night at the Somerset basic hoop earrings, the Academy Awards or just that special romantic evening for the two of you. Each flawless AAA quality black Tahitian pearl is a luxurious 10.0-10.5 mm in size. The posts are solid 14 karat white gold. A perfect holiday gift, the earrings are available on PearlParadise.com for $425.00.

"We were thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the 2004 Emmys Gift Basket," said Jeremy Shepherd, CEO of PearlParadise.com. "I knew when I saw these pearls that they were meant for some special people. They are some of the most beautiful pearls that I have discovered in my travels throughout the South Seas and Asia. As thrilled as I am to have been able to participate in the official Emmys gift bag, I'm even more thrilled to make them available on our website for all the men out there looking for a very special gift for the women who are the stars in their Elsa Peretti Butterfly Earrings."

About PearlParadise.com:

In business since 1997, PearlParadise.com sells all types of pearls from Tahitians and South Sea pearls, to Akoya and round freshwater pearls at 14 websites around the world, including the USA, Germany, France, the UK, Austria, and Italy. Jeremy Shepherd, GIA, travels personally to pearl farms throughout Asia several times a year to supervise both the nucleation (monitoring the quality of the process) and harvest. He then selects the top two percent of the harvested pearls for sale on PearlParadise.com websites. Because they buy directly from the farms, and because they've eliminated costly retail outlets, PearlParadise.com is able to offer superior quality pearls at prices up to 90% below retail Atlas Cube Earrings.

Creating a Selection of Moissanite Earrings

PearlParadise.com was very pleased to provide black Tahitian pearl earrings to all the winners of the 2004 Emmys. These earrings are glamorous and elegant. Perfect for a night at the Somerset basic hoop earrings, the Academy Awards or just that special romantic evening for the two of you. Each flawless AAA quality black Tahitian pearl is a luxurious 10.0-10.5 mm in size. The posts are solid 14 karat white gold. A perfect holiday gift, the earrings are available on PearlParadise.com for $425.00.

"We were thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the 2004 Emmys Gift Basket," said Jeremy Shepherd, CEO of PearlParadise.com. "I knew when I saw these pearls that they were meant for some special people. They are some of the most beautiful pearls that I have discovered in my travels throughout the South Seas and Asia. As thrilled as I am to have been able to participate in the official Emmys gift bag, I'm even more thrilled to make them available on our website for all the men out there looking for a very special gift for the women who are the stars in their Elsa Peretti Butterfly Earrings."

About PearlParadise.com:

In business since 1997, PearlParadise.com sells all types of pearls from Tahitians and South Sea pearls, to Akoya and round freshwater pearls at 14 websites around the world, including the USA, Germany, France, the UK, Austria, and Italy. Jeremy Shepherd, GIA, travels personally to pearl farms throughout Asia several times a year to supervise both the nucleation (monitoring the quality of the process) and harvest. He then selects the top two percent of the harvested pearls for sale on PearlParadise.com websites. Because they buy directly from the farms, and because they've eliminated costly retail outlets, PearlParadise.com is able to offer superior quality pearls at prices up to 90% below retail Atlas Cube Earrings.

Creating a Selection of Moissanite Earrings

Scarlett Johansson is no longer to be considered a budding actress; she is now officially a muse.

In "Lost in Translation," Johansson performed a mind-meld with Bill Murray's distracted, depressed film necklace, awakening him to the possibility of ephemeral (and chaste) intimacy during a weeklong jag in Tokyo.

Johansson plays a more traditional source of inspiration in "Girl With a Pearl Earring." In this somber little drama adapted from Tracey Chevalier novel, she plays Griet, a peasant girl in 17th- century Holland sent to be a maid in the home of the famed painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth), and who ultimately becomes the subject of one of his most famous works.

The artist's infatuation with the serving girl breeds all manner of domestic strife: Griet is one point in an ugly quadrangle involving Vermeer, his perpetually pregnant wife, Catharina (Essie Davis), and his domineering mother-in-law, Maria (Judy Parfitt), who doubles as business manager for the talented but unprolific portraitist.

The whiny Catharina is tormented by paranoia about the true nature of Griet's relationship with her necklace; conniving Maria views him as the family meal ticket, and frets and fumes when he's slow to complete his latest commission.

Vermeer's seduction of Griet is not a physical one. Instead, he introduces her to a wonderful if forbidden world, where he teaches her to mix his paints and lets her linger in his studio. Soon, it's apparent Griet has an artist's eye so acute, Vermeer heeds her tacit suggestion to remove a chair from the foreground of his latest work because it "traps" the woman pictured on the canvas.

The reality of Griet's existence is that she likely will never paint a picture, and the men in her life will never tap her soul the way Vermeer can. She's awkwardly wooed by the local butcher's son, Pieter (Cillian Murphy), and fends off the lecherous advances of Vermeer's seemy patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson).

Van Ruijven commissions Vermeer to paint Griet (for what purpose, we're loath to imagine), and artist and model share several charged exchanges ignited by the slightest of glances, the shifting of a position on a stool, the sudden release of Griet's red hair from beneath its cloth covering.

English majors everywhere will revel in the metaphorical underpinnings (no pun intended) of Vermeer piercing Griet's earlobe so it can bear the pearl.

Johansson builds empathy for Griet from the moment we set eyes on her.

She's as trapped as the woman in the picture; her expressive eyes and mouth speak volumes even when forced into silence by the repressive manipulations of Catharina and Maria.

Firth's Vermeer is too remote a figure to get a handle on. We sense the hostility he feels about his personal circumstances, but not the passion he experiences in his painting. His relationship with his art is ambiguous; the connection to Griet, perhaps, is transcendent for him because his canvases have become their own source of imprisonment.

"Girl With a Pearl Earring" is dressed in somber tones by cinematographer Eduardo Serra, who makes the screen a movable feast of images plucked from the paintings of the Dutch master. It's no wonder the vibrant blues, reds and yellows Griet mixes for Vermeer's palette are an exhilarating -- though woefully temporary -- escape.

Movie Review

GOOD JOB

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING; produced by Andy Paterson and Anand Tucker, directed by Peter choker, written by Olivia Hetreed. A Lions Gate Films release.

Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Essie Davis and Cillian Murphy. Rated PG-13 for some sexual content; 1 hour, 35 minutes.s