Bridge between what is fashion and what is fine
Earlier this year, nearly two-thirds of respondents to a Luxury Institute survey, agreed that pricing of exclusive brands is too high for the value they deliver.
Then last month, the institute released research confirming that jewellery is the category on which wealthy consumers are most likely to say they will reduce their spending, followed by home furnishings, watches and gifts.
Against this backdrop, many jewellers on both sides of the Atlantic have been quietly pricing down.
"Many luxury companies have increased their offer of less expensive products, made from less expensive materials, but which still generate attractive margins," says Andrea Gerst, luxury brands fund manager at Julius Baer in Zurich.
"Brands aren't saying items are on sale or making a to-do about it, but everybody is re-pricing now," says Milton Pedraza, chief executive of the New York-based Luxury Institute. "They are pricing down in a stealthy manner."
A prime example of a jeweller who had the foresight to appeal to a wider audience and increase profits by introducing silver jewellery is British designer Stephen Webster, who, with 22 stores worldwide says his sales are up 20 per cent this year. Mr Webster began creating silver jewellery in 2007. He partially attributes his aggressive expansion plans to the success of this diversification.
With slow store traffic and sales up to 50 per cent down, according to Mr Pedraza, many jewellers can only aspire to Mr Webster's growth rate.
Tiffany & Co recently brought out its Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the Yard jewellery in silver and is pleased with the response. Another big operator, Roberto Coin, has introduced the Capri Plus range incorporating wood, silver and precious stones.
Following calls for silver from her customers, Lara Bohinc introduced the silver Coco collection at her Sloane Street, London, store last November. It sold out within two days.
One customer from Geneva learnt about Coco from an e-mail newsletter, rang the next day and purchased the entire collection. Two weeks later, she phoned again ordering another five rings for her girlfriends. "Silver is a bridge between fashion jewellery and fine jewellery price points," says Ms Bohinc. "In the current economic climate, people want to be more discreet and may choose silver because it is less flashy than yellow gold, a colour that dominated the boom era."
Nathalie Kabiri, owner of London's edgiest jewellery gallery, Kabiri, stocks, among others, Gurhan, Sho and Nina Basharova. She has noticed increased interest in jewellery priced between 80 ($130) and 300.
She thinks people are "cheating the recession" by focusing on design-led jewellery that makes a statement, but which is often available at a lower price.
Paris-based Dominique Aurientis who has designed for Dior, Givenchy and Ferragamo, has taken to designing in recycled wood from Thailand's ancient railways, "in keeping with the economic landscape ... without losing the class and distinction of her infamous designs", says her spokesperson.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles-based Dara Dubinet, who usually targets celebrities with her gold and diamond designs, is increasingly appealing to fans of celebrities.
Her Dara Healing black onyx ring worn by Madonna costs $5,100. But Ms Dubinet has been negotiating hard with vendors and cutting margins. Earlier this year she revealed the tiger's eye and silver version for $275.
Mr Pedraza is quick to point out that there is a distinction between the highest end luxury jewellers and premium jewellers, which he refers to as "luxury for the middle and affluent masses".
He warns that anyone who wants to preserve their reputation for luxury in the long term "can't afford to cheapen their brand". But the success in the US of Rarities, started by former Harry Winston communications director, Carol Brodie, and a sell-out on the Home Shopping Network - perhaps suggests a positive future for premium brands.
Mr Pedraza says, however, that "many are lowering prices and it is killing margins ... The best companies are now managing cash flow as surgically as possible because the light at the end of the tunnel is a bit far away".
New York socialite Debbie Bancroft searches out bargains
Debbie Bancroft's closets are crammed. Sometimes she puts two dresses on a hanger. "I try to get the thinnest hangers I can so I can fit more," she said.
Ms. Bancroft, who has managed to become a fixture at fashion shows, movie premieres and fund raisers without being mega-wealthy, maximizes her closets, which are modest by socialite standards. Her 1,600-square-foot Upper East Side Manhattan apartment, the top half of a duplex that once housed George and Ira Gershwin, includes three closets for her wardrobe, one 10 feet by 4 feet, the others 4 feet by 5 feet and 8 feet by 6. The three closets hold only her go-to, in-season items; everything else is stored in her Southampton home. Ms. Bancroft, 55 years old, lives with her husband, William Woodward Bancroft Jr., an investment manager, and their daughter, Serena, 13. Their son, 19-year-old Will, is away at college.
Ms. Bancroft, who writes a society column for Avenue magazine, gets a lot of her clothing as gifts from designer friends such as Vera Wang. "With this social life, I go out a lot and have a good shot at getting photographed," she said. The rest are mostly presents from friends or deals she scored at sample sales. "For me to go and outright and buy something is unusual for me," she said. "There are very few pieces I'll pay full price for without blinking."
Wearing a custom, short, strapless, feathered dress given to her by Calypso, Ms. Bancroft said she has no intention of retreating to older, perhaps more matronly styles of clothing. "The legs are holding up. I've got plenty of time to wear conservative suits," she said. She pulled out a funky ensemble by her friend designer Nicole Miller: a black coat decorated with Art Deco and vaguely ethnic prints with a matching sheath dress and skirt.
"She's fearless," said Ms. Miller. "I've never heard her say 'I'm too old for it.' Not that you want to go out and look foolish, but she's a very confident person."
Ms. Bancroft's bedroom closet is hung with 100 dresses in the front; in the back are skirts and blouses on a bottom rung and 30 suits on the top. Her attic, an unusual feature in New York, has the two other closets, the first bearing spring summer clothing and the other containing long, evening dresses and skirts, including a grey silk dress by Carolina Herrera decorated with hand-painted flower motifs, crystals and silver threads. "There are traces of the last party on it," she said, pointing to liquid stains.
The Carolina Herrera was purchased at a sample sale. Ms. Bancroft said she sticks to a budget whenever she shops, often buying on discount. She said she thinks her least expensive purchase is a $60 Kate Moss Topshop dress, bought on sale last month while she was shopping with her daughter and since worn at an art-crowd party. "I was kind of hip in my Topshop," she said, holding the black and silver metallic three-quarter-length sheath. She also bought a pair of $100 silver high-heel shoes to go with the dress.
Occasionally, however, she will splurge, like the time, four years ago, when she spent $1,500 on a vintage Chanel dress. The torso of this sleeveless piece, which was made in the late 1980s, is made of black plastic that resembles the quilted pattern on Chanel's classic quilted handbag.
She recalled the day she purchased the item from a trunk show for Decades, a Los Angeles boutique that specializes in 20th century vintage couture. "I was at my thinnest. I was feeling at my most physically optimal moment. I put it on and it was an enchanted moment. There's always a piece you put on and when you come out and in the whole room there's a collective sigh. So I bought it." She hasn't worn it recently. A size 2, "it's a little tight," she said.
The only child of a doctor father and a nurse-turned-homemaker mom, Ms. Bancroft grew up on Long Island. After attending Finch College, a women's college in Manhattan, she embarked on a career working for magazines such as Elle Decor.
"There's nothing boring in her closet," said another friend, Tiffany Dubin, a decorative-arts appraiser, auction coordinator and stepdaughter of A. Alfred Taubman, a former chairman of Sotheby's. "Everything's unique. It reflects her personality. It's creative, but it's got an edge and it's got a little conservatism. It's also kind of ageless in a way."
Ms. Bancroft's bedroom is also packed with shoes -- she estimated owning roughly 150 pairs in total. One favorite is a pair of black satin Manolo Blahnik shoes with crystal-studded heels that she holds up like jewelry. "I wear [them] often, but judiciously, as they are satin," she said of the shoes, which were given to her for her 50th birthday by Lisa Jackson, an interior designer. "I know there will be a day when the satin has frayed around those beautiful, hard crystals, and am already planning on how I'll revive them." Ms. Bancroft keeps her 60 bags or so in cabinets built inside her closet.
She got a tan silk wrap dress patterned with orange, pink, black and white ovals and semi-ovals of various sizes by Pucci merely by showing up to a lunch hosted by the label. "At the end of the lunch, [a senior public-relations person] held a little picture of four different dresses and said, 'Tell me which dress you like and you'll get it on the way out,' and I'm like, 'Yeah!' " she recalled, still awestruck. "That's my best goody bag ever in the history of my life."
Jewelry stores dressing up downtown Portland
If downtown Portland is a diamond in the rough, then retail jewelers are preparing to cut and polish.
Local jewelers Dave and Rick Rogaway are preparing to open a diamond-only store at 534 S.W. Broadway. They'll open the doors to the downtown LaRog Jewelers on Dec. 1, two weeks after the Portland debut of Tiffany & Co. and three months after Ben Bridge Jewelers opened its downtown location.
The new openings mean more competition for downtown's existing jewelers. While the industry's party line seems to be "the more, the merrier," the new stores are taking steps to differentiate themselves.
"We will be the only store in the state that is 100 percent dedicated to diamonds-no watches, no pearls, no colored stones-just diamond jewelry, a lot of bridal sets and a lot of loose, certified diamonds," Rogaway said.
"We looked at the competition downtown and it's so overdriven in watches, and watches are not our forte anyway, diamonds are our thing," he said.
The diamond-only theme extends the approach the Rogaways took with their Washington Square store. That LaRog location stopped carrying watches a year ago, and Rogaway said it, too, will carry only diamonds within another year. Meanwhile, the Rogaways are looking for a site for a new east-side store, he said. When they find it, they'll close both their landmark location at Southeast 82nd Avenue and Foster Road and their store in Clackamas Town Center.
Rogaway said the 855-square-foot downtown LaRog (the founders chose the LaRog name to avoid confusion with jewelry stores run by relatives under the Rogaway name) will target a slightly younger customer, generally the engagement market, than those sought by most other downtown jewelers.
The arrival of Tiffany "is great because it makes our prices seem so affordable," he quipped.
New York-based Tiffany is certainly known for high prices and high style, but executive vice president Beth Canavan said the 160-yearold chain carries a broad range of products, extending from exceptional, special-occasion wear to pieces more suitable for everyday wear.
Caravan said Tiffany entered Portland "because we have a solid base of preexisting customers, and there will be dynamic growth to support the store in the future." Those pre-existing customers either shopped at one of the other Tiffany stores around the globe or availed themselves of Tiffany's direct marketing services.
Tiffany's 7,000-square-foot store on the ground floor of the Pioneer Place parking garage will open Nov. 17. Industry insiders say an adjoining space in the same building was almost leased by Mayor's, an upscale Florida jewelry chain intent on establishing a national franchise. At one point this year Mayor's let it be known it was coming to Portland, but a spokesman said no such plans now exist.
Publicly traded Tiffany also carries an extensive selection of silver, china and crystal tableware.
That inventory puts Tiffany in direct competition with Portland's Carl Greve Jewelers, a 77-year-old establishment at 731 S.W. Morrison St.
Still, Tiffany has its own niche, particularly on the jewelry side, in that it carries products designed by a select but small group of in-house designers, including Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso and the late Parisian designer Jean Schlumberger, said Carl Greve III, CEO of the local store.
In contrast, the 10,000-square-foot Carl Greve Jewelers represents award-winning designers from around the world, Greve said. In short, the quality of design and craftsmanship at Greve is on the same level as a Tiffany, but the selection is broader, he said.
The selection offered by the new Ben Bridge store falls between that of diamond-specialist LaRog and large competitors Tiffany and Carl Greve. The 2,500-square-foot store at Southwest Fifth Avenue and Yamhill Street carries jewelry and watches, but no tableware.
"More jewelry stores in an area is more positive for consumers from the standpoint of comparison shopping," said Jonathan Bridge, coCEO of Seattle-based Ben Bridge, a unit of Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.
A greater concentration of stores will prompt people to come downtown specifically for buying jewelry and will increase the size of the pie, he said.
"The jewelry slice of the luxury pie is minuscule compared to travel and hospitality," Bridge said. "If we can just shift a few of those dollars into something that people will be able to keep forever rather than for just a few days and some memories, that will put us in a better position."
Before Bling: Americans And Jewelry
''We felt American jewelry was a subject that hadn't been done before in a museum,'' said Ralph Esmerian, the curator of ''Masterpieces of American Jewelry,'' a new show at the American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan. ''We were trying to be a little more creative than just taking a chronological or historical look. We're examining the American character, our way of life and our style. We are not bland.''
Mr. Esmerian, chairman of the Folk Art Museum, knows a lot about jewelry. He is a collector and fourth-generation wholesale dealer in colored precious stones and vintage jewelry. He is also the founder of Gemcore, a nonprofit lab that authenticates gemstones.
He selected about 200 pieces of jewelry manufactured and distributed in America from 1760 to 1987 for the inaugural exhibition of the National Jewelry Institute, a nonprofit foundation formed two years ago to educate the public about fine jewelry. The show closes on Jan. 25 and travels to Somerset House in London.
''We asked, 'What is it about American jewelry that is reflective of us?' '' Mr. Esmerian said. ''We look for that in paintings; why not jewelry? Here, we've made an attempt to break it down into themes like nature, humor, patriotism, pastimes and high style.''
For example, the show includes the magnificent gold and enameled orchid brooches designed by Paulding Farnham at Tiffany & Company in 1889 and Raymond C. Yard's whimsical bunny pins from the 1930's, in which diamond-encrusted rabbits mimic human activities like sailing, fishing and serving martinis.
''In Europe, only the upper class hunted, fished or sailed,'' Judith Price, the president of the National Jewelry Institute, writes in the show's companion book, ''Masterpieces of American Jewelry'' (Running Press, $29.95). ''In America hunting and fishing were the pastimes of nearly every man.''
Historical jewels include a War of 1812 pin depicting a parade of American soldiers, painted on ivory, and a gold watch commemorating Wilbur Wright's 1909 flight over Manhattan.
One purpose of the show, whose pieces are mostly loans from private individuals, not jewelry companies, is to draw attention to jewelry as an American decorative art. Enterprising American jewelers set up businesses as early as 1814 (Samuel Kirk & Sons in Baltimore and Galt & Brothers in Washington). Others followed in the 1820's (Charles Tiffany and John Young in New York, Louis Jacquard in St. Louis), the 1830's (C. D. Peacock in Chicago) and the 1840's (Gorham Company in Rhode Island and Shreve, Crump & Low in Boston).
''Jewelers came to America from Europe, bringing with them designs and a jewelry-making tradition,'' Ms. Price writes. ''The spirit of the New World, and the immediate growth of a middle class, inspired them to adapt and simplify the old jewelry traditions.''
In America precious jewelry has often been associated with the movie stars photographed wearing it. ''In Europe and the Middle East, it was the ruling class and the aristocrats you would see wearing jewelry,'' Mr. Esmerian said. ''In this country, it is the movie stars. In the 30's, 40's and 50's movie stars liked to wear their own jewelry -- even in their movies. They didn't borrow jewelry like the stars today.''
Mary Pickford, the silent film star, for example, amassed an enormous private jewelry collection that included the 200-karat Star of India and the 60-karat Star of Bombay. ''Often she wore them at the same time,'' Ms. Price writes.
Loretta Young, who won an Oscar in 1947 for ''The Farmer's Daughter,'' also loved jewelry, especially that by William Ruser, a favorite Hollywood jeweler after World War II. Ruser was known for his whimsical animal cuff links.
Joan Crawford, who won an Oscar for ''Mildred Pierce'' in 1945, favored the designs of Raymond C. Yard, a jeweler who went into business in New York with the backing of John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1922. Yard made her a wide diamond bracelet punctuated with three giant star sapphires, which earned her the nickname Joan Blue.
Some of the most original designs in the show are from American jewelers who are not household names. For example, Cole Porter commissioned pieces for his wife, Linda, from Paul Flato, a Manhattan jeweler. Mrs. Porter's unique 1940 Flato necklace is in the form of a belt made of row upon row of pale aquamarines accented by a ruby ''buckle.'' It is one of the knockouts in the show.
''Flato's humor and charm found expression in a personalized 'say-it-in-jewelry' style: gold boxes, pins, rings, clips and earrings with the wearer's initials or the expression of a sentiment as their theme,'' Penny Proddow and Debra Healy write in ''American Jewelry, Glamour and Tradition'' (Rizzoli, 1987). They include a photo of the opera and film star Lily Pons in a Flato necklace from the 1930's that dangles the golden letters of her husband's name, Andre Kostelanetz.
American society ladies like Countess Mona Bismark and Babe Paley always loved precious jewelry. Millicent Rogers, the Standard Oil heiress, liked pieces that imitated nature. The show has a brooch that Schlumberger designed for her in 1957 at Tiffany in the form of a string bean plant, complete with jade beans and leaves studded with demantoid garnets. The Duchess of Windsor patronized, among others, two New York jewelry firms that are still in business and are represented in the show: Seaman Schepps and David Webb. (The Museum of Art and Design in Manhattan will open an exhibition on Seaman Schepps next month.)
''The criteria for inclusion in this show were creative design and consistency of quality in terms of stones and manufacturing,'' Mr. Esmerian said. ''I'm trying to make jewelry much friendlier to all Americans, which is why I put in mass-produced examples from Newark, N.J., and Providence, R.I. -- things made with 14-karat gold and enameling. We are not an elitist society.''
There is nothing for sale in the show, but jewelry lovers, take note: on Oct. 12 Christie's will auction jewelry from the personal collection of Fred Leighton, owner of an estate jewelry shop of the same name on Madison Avenue. The sale includes a pair of Gloria Swanson's diamond ear clips by Paul Flato (estimated at $25,000 to $30,000); Lauren Bacall's amethyst, turquoise and diamond earrings by Schlumberger (estimated at $15,000 to $20,000) and Diana Vreeland's suite of enameled and diamond zebra jewelry, with bangle bracelet, pair of earrings and ring by David Webb (estimated at $50,000 to $70,000).
And on Sept. 14 Doyle New York will sell estate jewelry and fine pocket watches by American makers like David Webb, Tiffany and Abraham Lincoln's favorite, the American Waltham Watch Company. The viewing begins Sept. 11.
Jewelry Trend Stacked Bracelets
Who says less is more? Not the stars whose arm accents speak tiffany and co volumes. From a pair of oversize cuffs to more bangles than we can count, rocking this look is all in the wrist
NELLY FURTADO double-wristed bold stacks of Ted Rossi bracelets at the MTV Video Music Awards.
JENNIFER LOPEZ wore a bonanza of Lorraine Schwartz bangles during a performance in Manhattan.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER unveiled her latest fragrance in N.Y.C., wearing an array of colorful baubles.
HILARY DUFF donned a healthy dose of arm candy when tiffany accessories she hosted the Teen Choice Awards in L.A.
EVA MENDES layered two De Grisogono cuffs at a f锚te in Rome celebrating Valentino.
ALICIA KEYS walked tffany keys the red carpet at the VMAs with loads of heavy metal by Russell Jones.
Jeweler robbed of $40,000 in gold bracelets
Two men made off with $40,000 worth of gold bracelets tiffany jewellery Friday during a "smash and grab" robbery of a Chinatown jewelry store.
Police said the robbery happened about 1:30 p.m. at Phung Jewelry in the 800 block of Franklin Street.
Two men with guns entered the store, where the owner and an employee were working, police said. One robber smashed a display counter with a hammer, grabbing at least 15 gold bracelets worth an estimated $40,000 before the men fled, police reported.
The men were last seen driving north in a blue car on Franklin necklaces Street. No one was hurt.
Police and Crime Stoppers in Oakland are offering up to
$2,000 in reward money for information leading to the suspects' arrests. Anyone with information can call police at 510-238-3326 or Crime Stoppers at 510-238-6946.
Credit: The Oakland Tribune,tiffany accessories Calif.
Bracelets give Pokes a road map to success
When Oklahoma State tailback Keith Toston doesn't feel tiffany jewellery like he can run another wind sprint or lift another weight or go through another drill in practice, he looks down at his left wrist.
That's where he has his rubber orange bracelet with black lettering that reads: "Big 12 Champs, Dec. 8, 2008."
"Every day, when we get tired, we can look down at our wrist and see that we're all working toward something," said Toston, a junior. "It helps you push that extra yard."
The bracelets represent a unified goal. Something specific. Something big. And something each player believes is attainable.
Nearly every member of the team wears one of the bracelets, which were produced as a combined effort of the players and the campus chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
But the goal goes beyond the bracelets. tiffany accessories A large sign on the wall of the main meeting room lists the team qualities necessary to win a Big 12 title. And it carries onto the practice field.
"Every time we break the huddle, we all say, 'Big 12 championship,'" sophomore William Cole said. "We know that Washington State is the first team we've got to play. We look at one game at a time, but each one is another piece of us getting to the big goal."
Taking a look at history, the goal might seem to lack substance.
OSU has won one conference crown since 1960 when it joined the Big Eight Conference, that being a three-way shared title with Colorado and Oklahoma. The Cowboys own nine Missouri Valley Conference titles, either outright or shared, but they never played more than four games to win one.
Is winning a Big 12 championship an unfounded goal for the Cowboys? Maybe.
But that's exactly why they have made it their focus this year.
"We don't talk enough around here about winning championships," tffany keys coach Mike Gundy said. "I think that's something that evolved over 50 years around here. Our players felt like they needed to talk more about winning a championship.
"(The bracelets are) more of a commitment to team and to a goal."
And the goal is a vision toward the future, rather than a frustrated look into the past. There's plenty of positive growth within OSU football: the goals, the talent, the stadium, the budget.
And along with that, fan expectations are rising as well.
"We're gonna have to do something better than 7-6," said Debi Golden, a longtime fan who came out early to watch Saturday morning's practice prior to the Fan Appreciation Day festivities. "We're gonna have to get up around nine-plus wins. I think the team's capable of that."
A few close losses were demoralizing last season, but OSU players have turned those near-misses into hope for this year.
"We know if we do what we have to do and win the Big 12 championship, we have a good chance silver bangles of playing for the national championship," Cole said. "Last year showed a lot of our players that we were closer than we thought.
"If we would've beat Texas instead of letting them come back, and beat Texas A&M, we might have been playing for the Big 12."
Easton tree takes bough for Christmas in Rockefeller Center
The 76-foot-tall Norway spruce that was set up early Thursday morning in tiffany and co New York City's Rockefeller Center has hometown roots.
The towering tree, which will be the centerpiece for the midtown Manhattan landmark's Christmas festivities, was cut down Wednesday on the North Park Avenue property of Maria Corti.
About 160 neighbors, relatives and the curious turned out for the operation, joined by dozens of staffers from Rockefeller Center, who were handing out green sweatshirts, red scarves and breakfast treats. The activity turned usually placid North Park Avenue into a beehive of activity, with about 60 cars parked on the street and police officers directing traffic.
"I called Rockefeller Center last spring, thinking that I had a possible tree for tiffany pendants Christmas," Corti said, adding that she moved into the ranch home only about a year ago. "They suggested that I send in a picture of the tree with someone in the picture for proportion. So, that's what I did."
"I thought: 'That would be the end of that,' so to speak, because I'm sure a lot of people write in thinking that they have a tree worthy enough for Rockefeller Center."
Corti, a fifth-grade teacher at Cider Mill School in Wilton, said that within a few days she was contacted by David Murbach, Rockefeller Center's gardens manager.
"Actually, it is a tough job," Murbach said when asked how he goes about finding the perfect tree. "It's one in a million. You think that there are
a lot of good trees around, but they're not perfect like the ones that we need tiffany earrings. We look for perfection."
Murbach said that he goes aloft in a helicopter to find trees. From the chopper, Murbach said that he spotted the Corti spruce from miles away.
"I was hoping that it was someone else's tree, because then I'd have one for next year," he said.
About 10 a.m. Wednesday, the lumberjacks' buzz saws fell silent and the tree was lifted off its stump and lashed onto a 115-foot tractor-trailer flatbed for the trip to New York City.
A flock of grade school children immediately descended on the stump to count the rings.
"Forty-three!" confidently announced Kate McKinnon, an 11-year-old student at West Rock Middle School in Norwalk. "I counted twice." She was with her 6-year-old sister, Claire, and both said that they would be sure to see the tree after it's decorated.
The next step is to decorate it with 30,000 lights. The tree-lighting ceremony will take tiffany key rings place at 7 p.m. Dec. 2, and it will be broadcast live on WNBC-TV, Channel 4.
The tree is the second from the region in two years to be chosen. In 2007, a Norway spruce from Shelton got the distinction.
Tree timeline Historical milestones for Rockefeller Center tree: 1931: Workmen on a muddy construction site put up the first Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. At the time of the Depression, the workmen placed the tree in the middle of a construction site. 1933: First formal Rockefeller Center tree-lighting ceremony takes place. Tree is decked with 700 lights in front of the 8-month-old RCA Building. 1936: Two trees, each 70 feet tall, were erected. For the first time, the lighting ceremony included a skating pageant on the newly opened Rockefeller Plaza outdoor ice skating rink. 1942: Three trees were placed on Rockefeller Plaza, one decorated in red, one in white and the other in blue to show support for troops in World War II. 1949: Tree was painted silver to look like snow. 1951: The center's tree lighted for the first time on national television on the Kate Smith Show. 1966: The first tree from outside the United States was erected. It was given by Canada, in honor of the centennial of its confederation. 1980: For 50th anniversary of tree lighting, a 70-foot-tall Norway spruce came from the grounds of the Immaculate Conception Seminary of Mahwah, N.J. Bob Hope participated in the lighting. 1999: The largest tree in tiffany necklaces Rockefeller Center history, 100 feet high, from Killingworth, Conn. 2007: For the first time, the tree is lit with 30,000 energy-efficient LEDs. Hundreds of solar panels atop one of the Rockefeller Center buildings help power the new LEDs.
BARRY’S CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR
ROCKETTES AND SONNENFELD: PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRIAN FINKE
ALTHOUGH THIS is the sixth time I've done a Christmas guide silver jewellery, Sweetie (the wife) has yet to buy me the Citation X, Burger yacht, or turbocharged Bobcat earth mover I so desperately need. I choose to believe this is due to a lack of the boatloads of cash she'd need to buy these fine gifts, not a lack of love. Or maybe she's decided that my being Jewish means she can get away with skimping on the Christmas presents. Either way, this year I've made it easier for her to show her affection by keeping my wish list a little more reasonable. And even if she gives me nothing (not that that's an option, Sweetie), I already got at least one pretty great gift. (See below.)
KINDLE DX
Hollywood could save the rain forest if every actor and director got a Kindle DX ($489; amazon.com). Although it's heavier than the six-inch Kindle, I prefer it. The bigger screen lets you get a ton of text on the page, even with a large font. More important, the DX is the first Kindle that can receive PDF files in their original format. For the last four months, all my scripts have arrived at my DX via Amazon's cellular Whispernet, making me responsible for not using a single piece of paper.
PETZL TIKKA PLUS[sup] 2 JOBY GORILLATORCH
The Petzl Tikka Plus[sup] 2 ($35; petzl.com) is a superbright lightweight flashlight that you pendants wear on your head, which is great for hiking or illuminating the back of a gadget while you've got some version of a USB cable in your hands. It also has a red LED that will blink or remain constant to alert drivers to your presence when you're walking back from the bar on a dark road in Telluride, Colorado. Another helpful flashlight is the Joby Gorillatorch ($30; joby.com), which hooks on to practically anything and complements Joby's line of flexible little tripods (which are perfect for placing your camera in unusual places for self-portraits).
MIFI 2200 and NETWORK EXTENDER
Verizon Wireless makes two great nonphone products. The pocket-sized MiFi 2200 ($99 after mail-in rebate with two-year service agreement; verizonwireless.com), pictured, converts a Verizon cellular signal to WiFi, allowing up to five computers to use it at once. Perfect for airports, hotels, or car rides, it lets the entire family be online at the same time. The equally brilliant Network Extender ($250) plugs into your Internet and -- even if your location has zero bars -- as long as the antenna sees the sky and you live in a ZIP code where Verizon provides service, gives your home its own mini cell tower.
CASIO EXILIM EX-H10, PANASONIC LUMIX FZ35, CANON REBEL T1I
The Casio Exilim EX-H10 ($250; casio.com) has a 10x zoom, which is amazing for its size, and a earrings very wide-angle 24mm lens. It also has an excellent long-life battery, shoots 720p video, and has one of the best user menus. Sweetie wants the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 ($400; panasonic.com). Non-shirt-pocketable but still quite light, the FZ35 uses a very sharp Leica lens and has a manly 18x optical zoom. It shoots high-def video, but most important, along with a large LCD screen, it has an electronic eyepiece, giving her the option to hold the camera up to her eye. If you want to transition from point-and-shoot to DSLR, the perfect camera is the Canon EOS Rebel T1i ($900; canonusa.com). The Rebel uses the large selection of quality Canon lenses, has really quick focusing, shoots excellent video, and is the right price. Although it's a bit heavy, go ahead and get the 18-to-200 zoom lens (28-to-320 35mm equivalent).
SONOS CR200, ZONEPLAYER S5, and VTECH IS9181 WIFI INTERNET RADIO
Sonos is a home-music-distribution system that wirelessly streams up to thirty-two zones of music from your computer, MP3 player, online subscription service, or twenty-five thousand Internet radio stations. It's been around for a few years, but it's upped the ante in a huge way with a much better touch-screen controller, the CR200 ($349; sonos.com), and stand-alone system, the ZonePlayer S5 ($399), both pictured above. The S5 produces fantastic sound and finally lets you install a zone where you don't have prewired speakers, like your backyard. A less expensive (and more limited) alternative is the VTech IS9181 WiFi Internet radio ($175; vtechphones.com). It has decent speakers for an alarm clock and, along with hooking up to an MP3 player, lets you tune in to more than eleven thousand Internet radio stations over your home's wireless network.
ZUNE HD and IPOD NANO
Microsoft's new Zune HD ($220 for 16GB; zune.net) has a brilliant OLED screen and is very small and light. key rings Along with songs, it can download 720p video, and, with an optional accessory, play it back on your television. The great thing about the Zune is that it also offers a subscription service. For fifteen bucks a month, you get access to more than six million songs and can choose ten each month to own forever. This would be a real challenger to Apple, but the Zune Web site is a bit of a mess. Apple's newest Nano ($179 for 16GB; apple.com) works with the perfect iTunes Web site and now comes with an impressive video camera. I'm sure it's only a matter of days before we see nude video of some famous movie star showering at the gym.
ALTEC LANSING ORBIT MP3 SPEAKER
Most laptop speakers don't play loudly enough for watching a video or listening to music. With the small and packable Altec Lansing Orbit MP3 speaker ($40; alteclansing.com), I can get great sound from my laptop (or MP3 player) and not worry about the built-in speakers being blocked when I set my computer on my gut. And unlike many other portable speakers, Altec doesn't overdo the base. The sound is bright and realistic.
LENOVO S12, TOSHIBA NB205-N325,and LENOVO T400S
Since most of your time on a computer is spent typing, you want a good keyboard. The best are on Lenovos, and necklaces that includes the new twelve-inch IdeaPad S12 netbook ($429; lenovo.com), pictured, although it's missing the eraser mouse I love dearly. If you're used to a Mac keyboard, the ten-inch Toshiba NB205-N325 ($400; toshiba.com) is also an excellent choice. Anything smaller than these two netbooks, I'd rather just use my BlackBerry or iPhone. My favorite full-sized laptop is the touch-screen Lenovo ThinkPad T400s ($1,999), which runs on the new Windows 7. Use either the track pad or the screen to zoom in, out, or double click -- whatever you'd do with a mouse. The T400s also has a powered USB port that will charge your USB devices even when the computer is off. The built-in speakers are much louder and the built-in camera even better than on previous Lenovos.
KODAK ZI8
Unlike its competition, the pocket-sized Kodak Zi8 HD video camera ($180; kodak.com) has electronic image stabilization and records to SD cards. I carry one of these with me 24/7, since it's only a matter of time before I have the alien encounter I so desperately fear.
HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER BUG VACUUM
Anyone with a squeamish daughter or son (or in Sweetie's case, husband) will be a hero if he gives his kid a Hammacher Tiffany Accessories Schlemmer Bug Vacuum ($50; skymall.com). The handheld vacuum has a long tube for sucking up spiders, moths, flies, and other critters. Once they're in there, an electrical grid makes sure they don't get back out.
TOMTOM'S GPS APP FOR THE IPHONE and NAVIGON
I really like TomTom's GPS app for the iPhone ($100; itunes.com), pictured. It's nearly as good as a stand-alone system. The graphics are excellent, and entering addresses is easy. Along with having the sexiest voice in nav systems, the TomTom shows the road's speed limit, your speed, and graphic street signs, and it will work in the vertical or horizontal position (although I've always thought GPS devices should display vertically). Its optional windshield mount gives you Bluetooth access for hands-free phone calls and lets you stream music from your iPhone to your Bluetooth-enabled car stereo. Another good option is the MobileNavigator app from Navigon ($90; navigon.com). It has a helpful pedestrian mode, and for an additional twenty-five dollars, it will receive live traffic updates from a million other GPS units on the road and pair it with historical information to give you the best route.
MOXI HD DVR AND MOXI MATE
Everyone should replace their cable boxes with the Moxi HD DVR ($799; moxi.com). It has a great user interface and three tuners (most DVRs have only two), so you can record Men in Black I and II while watching old episodes of Pushing Daisies at the same time. The Moxi also connects to Netflix. Plug in the Moxi Mate ($399) in another room and you can instantly watch everything you've recorded on the main box on a second television.
NIKEID SNEAKERS
When strangers are not complimenting me on my stingray or goat-and-boa cowboy boots, they're usually asking me where I got my cool Nikes. At NikeID.com you can design your own one-of-a-kind sneakers (starting at about $100). Sweetie, Chloe (the kid), and I go to the Nike store every year to do it. Somehow mine always tend to be the most colorful.
JAWBONE PRIME, PLANTRONICS DISCOVERY 975,and NOVERO THEFIRSTONE
If you aren't too embarrassed to wear a Bluetooth headset, there are three that I really like: The Jawbone Prime ($130; jawbone.com) continues to have excellent noise cancellation and now comes in new colors. (Mine is green.) The Plantronics Discovery 975 ($130; plantronics.com) also cancels unwanted noise, and its boom mic extends a little farther toward your mouth for better sound transmission. The case has a rechargeable battery built in, so if you run out of juice in the middle of the day, just put it in the case and a few minutes later you have a fully charged headset. And then there's the well-thought-out Novero TheFirstOne ($149; novero.com). The sound quality on the wearer's end is quite good. I also love that it comes with a lanyard: When you're not using the headset, you can hang it around your neck instead of keeping it in your ear, making you look less like a Hollywood agent and more like a geek.
JOSE CUERVO RESERVA DE LA FAMILIA
Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia ($100; cuervo.com) is considered a sipping tequila, so don't use it for your margaritas. It's like fine cognac, but in many ways more complex. Since I'm a big believer in sticking with one kind of booze a night, I start off with less-expensive tequila martinis and then move on to de la Familia neat after dinner.
IGO CHARGE ANYWHERE and ECOSOL POWERSTICK
Chloe is always running out of juice on her iPhone, usually about the time she's supposed to be calling me. The iGo Charge Tiffany Keys Anywhere ($50; igo.com) uses interchangeable tips to work with most portable electronics. She can plug it into the wall, or, since the charger itself is also a battery, she can take that with her. It'll charge a dead phone within fifteen minutes. For extra backup, Chloe can also pack the Ecosol Powerstick ($50; powerstick.com). About the size of a thumb drive, it charges in a computer USB port. If Chloe throws it in her bag, she'll have a reserve battery that weighs practically nothing -- and no more excuses.
AIR DANCER
I know it's indulgent, but the Air Dancer ($599; 800-759-6255) is also really fun. It made Sweetie and me stare in amazement for hours. You normally only see something like this bending, leaning, and flipping in front of a used-car lot or a beef-jerky stand. With the exception of sitting on our deck watching the weather, I can't imagine anything I'd rather do with my time.
[Photograph]: Barry reads to a rapt audience.
[Photograph]: Kindle DX Hollywood could
[Photograph]: 1 Petzl Tikka Plus2
[Photograph]: 2 Joby Gorillatorch
[Photograph]: MiFi 2200
[Photograph]: Barry, content.
[Photograph]: 1 Casio Exilim EX-H10
[Photograph]: 2 Panasonic Lumix FZ35
[Photograph]: 3 Canon EOS Rebel T1i
[Photograph]: sonos cr200, ZonePlayer S5, and VTech IS9181 WiFi Internet radio
[Photograph]: 1 Zune HD and 2 Nano
[Photograph]: Altec Lansing Orbit MP3 speaker
[Photograph]: Lenovo s12, Toshiba NB205-N325, and Lenovo T400s
[Photograph]: Kodak Zi8 HD video camera
[Photograph]: Barry, regaling. (For behind-the-scenes footage from the Rockettes' shoot, go to esquire. com/rockettes.)
[Photograph]: Hammacher Schlemmer Bug Vacuum
[Photograph]: TomTom's GPS app for the iPhone
[Photograph]: MOXI HD DVR and MOXI MATE
[Photograph]: Nikes
[Photograph]: 1 Jawbone Prime
[Photograph]: 2 Plantronics Discovery 975
[Photograph]: 3 Novero TheFirstOne
[Photograph]: Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia
[Photograph]: 1 iGo Charge Anywhere
[Photograph]: 2 Ecosol Powerstick
World Series ring found; janitor charged
A Phillies World Series ring that disappeared after it was left in a ballpark bathroom tiffany jewelry this week has been recovered, police said yesterday.
A stadium janitor was arrested yesterday and charged with theft, accused of pocketing the ring after finding it Monday in the restroom, said Capt. Laurence Nodiff of the South Detective Division.
Police said Anthony Mobley, 53, of Yeadon, who works for a subcontractor that cleans Citizens Bank Park, took officers to where he had hidden the ring: in a closet in another stadium bathroom.
Police did not release the name of the custodial company or comment on how necklaces long Mobley has worked for it.
The ring is studded with more than 100 diamonds and said to be worth $10,500. Players, coaches, managers, and other Phillies employees each received one after the team's championship last year.
A member of the Phillies' marketing team left the ring in a bathroom on the executive-suite level Monday morning, police said. He noticed it was gone after 1 p.m.
That day, surveillance cameras showed Mobley entering the bathroom to clean it.
He was one of a few people interviewed by police, Nodiff said. Since there Tiffany Accessories was no game Monday, access to the bathroom was limited.
When police met with Mobley yesterday morning, Nodiff said, he acknowledged finding the ring and went with police to retrieve it in a restroom in the Hall of Fame area. Mobley had wrapped it in a paper towel, police said.
Nodiff would not comment on what Mobley might have intended to do with the ring or why it was still in the stadium.
He said police had charged Mobley because the ring clearly was valuable and belonged Tiffany Keys to someone else (the owner's name was engraved on the inside), and because Mobley had decided to hide it rather than turn it in.
The ring was returned to its owner, who Nodiff said was "elated."
Contact staff writer Allison Steele at 215-854-2641 or asteele@phillynews.com.