Napkin rings serve as jewelry for the table

The hottest fashion accessory for the holidays may be worn by your dinner napkins. And sometimes those little rings do more than look good. Michelle Anderson, for instance, has napkin rings that ring. They're made of jingle bells, and they're a best seller at La Dentelliere in Scarsdale. Anderson, the store's owner, was captivated when she found them.

"The red, it's such a beautiful red," she says. "And it rings. It's a conversation piece." They're $20 for a set of four.

They are clearly a seasonal choice, but Anderson's stock of rings includes year-round options that make perfect holiday gifts.

Elegant rings sport glass beads that are interspersed with Swarovski crystals ($30 each), while a more traditional choice are simple rings in pewter.

These, Anderson says, are often bought for entertaining, while a silver-plated pair engraved with "Monsieur" and "Madame" are a popular shower gift at $12.

These days, napkins never looked so stylish, dressed up with rings that appeal to myriad tastes. On the Neiman Marcus Web site alone, there are 27 different ring styles, and just about every retailer from Target to Crate and Barrel is stocking these baubles of metal, crystal, beaded glass, horn, feathers, velvet, paper and even rattan.

From skinny bands to wide cuffs that look like wrist bangles, napkin rings can be bold or understated. Many resemble stylish earrings, sparkling rings or sassy bracelets, so you might consider them jewelry for the table.

Handbag diva Kate Spade has added sleek napkin rings to her tabletop attire. Fashion designer Vera Wang has translated the look of grosgrain ribbon to her silver rings. And former jewelry designer Jay Strongwater, now known for exquisite picture frames and gift items dotted with Swarovski crystals, has expanded his line with magnificent napkin rings.

Just why napkin rings have taken off is not really a mystery.

"It comes down to personalizing the table," says Rebecca Thuss, style director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. "Napkin rings can be a simple way to embellish a table setting."

At a recent New York gift show, Thuss says, napkin rings of beads and resin were almost identical to bracelets made of the same materials. Like jewelry, she says, napkin rings make the table "feel polished and complete."

With a wide range of price tags from less than $1 to $175 apiece, there are plenty of options. And clearly it's easier to change napkin rings than china to update a table setting.

"You can switch them out for a totally different look," Thuss says. "They're so wonderful, so versatile."

In Katrina hide-and-seek, let's add amnesty rule

Once upon a time, a forgiving Greek general declared to his battlefield enemies "a-mnasthai," or something similar to that.

I bare no witness to the authenticity of this story, or to the date of its happening, likely the 4th century. Stories get twisted through the telling of time, especially when they involve centuries and people like me who insert new chapters.

The common version is that in a fit of niceness, this Greek general told his enemies he would "not remember" their misdeeds. He would forget, he would forgive, and they'd go about their merry way.

"A" is Greek for "not" and "mnasthai" is for "remember." From that "not remember" sprang a word we use today, "amnesty." Also from it comes "amnesia."

Isn't amnesty just an attack of amnesia? If this is getting too complicated for a Sunday morning at the tail end of a holiday weekend, let's cut to the chase.

The neighbors grant you amnesty. The churches grant you amnesty. The museums grant you amnesty. I grant you amnesty.

Let's all declare Katrina amnesty. Katrina a-mnasthai.

Did you, or did someone you know, sift through wreckage of the Hurricane of All Hurricanes and find something interesting that wasn't yours but too good to leave behind? Most of us are not normally the sort to take something that doesn't belong to us, but Hurricane Katrina set different rules.

In many cases, ownership is unknown. Katrina, after all, scattered personal possessions, buildings and houses over blocks, maybe miles. But in some cases, ownership is obvious. So what's wrong with keeping a little piece of stained glass? Full Story