Sophie Gardner dog tags show your pooch he's worth his weight in gold

Jewelry designer Sophie Gardner has always been inspired by lucky and protective symbols, incorporating them into her silver and gold jewelry. But it was Oprah who inspired Gardner's new charms for your furry best friend. "After I heard that Oprah's dog choked on a ball, I figured that dogs need a little good luck too," says Gardner.

Her bone-shaped pet charms with studded borders are about 2 inches by 3/4 of an inch. The bone features four lucky and playful symbols in bas-relief: a four-leaf clover, a horseshoe, a lucky star and a pair of tennis balls. Choose from solid brass ($16), sterling silver ($120) or 14k gold ($685 -- now that's a lucky dog!).

For an extra $25, Gardner will engrave the back of the bone with your pet's name and phone number. Allow three to five days for engraving, one to two weeks for silver and gold tags. The tags are available at Essenza in Fremont and online at www.sophiegardner.net.

If you could use a little charm for yourself, check out Gardner's four-leaf clover pendants and other amulets, available on her Web site. Her latest designs include "Kisses," a ring of shapely linked lips ($165 for a sterling silver set of three; $850 for 14k-gold set of three or $310 each). And while it may not be lucky, her new sterling silver corset ring sure is sexy ($190).

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