People now wear their hearts on their wrists

When Americans shop for today's most popular bracelet, they don't go to Tiffany's. Instead, they head online or to the mall for colored wristbands - more like rubber bands than tennis bracelets.

Unlike most jewelry, though, these bands are often associated with a charitable cause.

In the past week, online jewelry and gift store Shanrene, Inc. introduced three blue and white bands to support hurricane Katrina relief efforts. And at the US Open, tennis star Andy Roddick modeled his blue charity band that generates funds for underprivileged children.

Although the wristbands-with-a-message concept is not new - Vietnam POW/MIA bracelets were popular in the 1970s - the latest craze started when Nike debuted the LIVESTRONG band in May 2004. Designed to celebrate Lance Armstrong's attempt at a sixth Tour de France cycling victory (he retired in July with seven), the yellow silicone rubber bands have raised over $41 million for cancer research.

They sell for $1, with about 77 cents from each sale going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, says spokeswoman Michelle Milford. The foundation's website continues to sell 50,000 to 100,000 bands a day. To date, she say, some 54 million bands have been sold in more than 60 countries.

That success has inspired dozens of charities to jump on the "wristband-wagon."

"It's not unusual in the fundraising world to have charities take ideas from other organizations and have that help them as well," says Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance.

He's not surprised that the marketplace has been quickly inundated with charity bracelets trying to duplicate the LIVESTRONG band's success.

But not all wristbands benefit charities, and unfortunately some wristbands have been sold under false pretenses.

People also buy wristbands purely for fashion. Some NFL teams, sportswear companies like Adidas, and even a few stores have created their own wristbands.

Endless Names, a boutique in Boston, sells flip-flop key chains, fruit-scented markers, coasters, and now wristbands with children's names on them for $4.50 each. The store sells the personalized bands because "they were really popular with kids," says manager Joanne Taylor. The company bought a few just to try, and sales took off.

Some nonprofit organizations have developed wristbands simply to raise awareness. This spring, the free-speech advocacy group J-Ideas handed out white "Live Free, First Amendment Awareness" wristbands, to high schoolers attending workshops for journalists. (J-Ideas is the Ball State Journalism Institute for Digital Education, Activities, and Scholarship in Muncie, Ind.)

"We weren't sure if it was still cool to wear them," says Warren Watson, director of J-Ideas, "but we found out quickly, yeah it is." The group has distributed more than 7,000 free wristbands.

Today, rubber bracelets come in almost every color and have wide appeal. Ten-year-olds wear them, so do corporate executives. Whether for profit or for charity, they usually sell for $5 or less.

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