New York - July 17, 2002

Off the Cuff

Cuff Bracelets

So you didn’t get your baby shoes bronzed as a child?

You poor, poor, unloved, neglected thing. (Insert violin music here.)

Get over it. Whether you were born into a Waltons family is beside the point. We recently spotted a trend that blew any nickel-plated pair of Mary Janes away.

The napkin ring as cuff bracelet.

It was just the other eve that we started oohing and aahing over a wrist adorned with a simple silver cuff. Closer inspection revealed it was a napkin holder. The owner explained that her mum had found the antique napkin ring and engraved it with her daughter’s initials and birth date.

So buy your own: old, new, gold, silver, Lucite, plastic…and have it personalized. (You can even fudge your birthdate! Create a new identity!) Or keep it simple, and have a word or phrase engraved.

Remember now, it doesn’t always have to be all about you.

Available online at tiffany.com and marthastewart.com. Any jeweler or silversmith can cut and size your napkin ring so that it can be worn as a cuff. For an antique option, try Jean’s Silversmith, 16 West 45th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues (212-575-0723).