Columnist Muriel Stevens: In Vegas, shoppers are gifted

Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001 | 8:34 a.m.

Las Vegas visitors and locals don't appear to be edgy about shopping. At last Wednesday night's InCircle party at Neiman Marcus at the Fashion Show mall, there was no sign that the store's best customers were cutting back. Double InCircle points for special cardholders may have been the draw, but whatever the reason, every department from jewelry to couture was packed.

Christmas is a prime time for luxury sales. Bulgari and Fred jewelers at the Forum Shops at Caesars, Cartier at Caesars Palace, Tiffany's and Fred Leighton at Bellagio and other upscale jewelers appear to be holding their own.

Each of these stores has holiday items priced $500 and less, along with those rare, precious baubles fit for royalty.

Tiffany's: Tiffany's has a large selection of sterling-silver key rings, pocket knives, key chains, pens and paper goods priced under $150. There's a beautiful sterling silver mezuza (a special Hebrew symbol) for $250, a perfect Hanukkah gift for the new homeowner. Crystal bowls make a handsome gift. Check out the bamboo pattern bowls. A good-size bowl is $100.

Stores in every mall I visited this past week had unadvertised sales. Hugo Boss men's store at the Forum Shops was giving deep discounts, as much as 40 percent, and some were higher.

Neiman Marcus: NM always has boxed holiday gifts for moderate prices. Look in the handbag and accessories department for these. They're placed throughout the department. Jeweled eyeglass holders, pill boxes, gloves, lipstick holders and more were spotted during a recent visit. In the jewelry department a small Steven Lagos silver Las Vegas heart is $100. Check out the epicure department for special holiday packages. And don't forget the cosmetic section for fragrance and cosmetic gift assortments.

Saks Fifth Avenue: The price range is vast at Saks Fifth Avenue, too. There are many little and big teddy bears, with candy, priced from $8-$46. SFA exclusive cosmetics gifts include a 48-color eye shadow pallette ($16), a nail kit ($30) and a grooming kit or shoe shine kit for $28. A New York City snow globe (with the World Trade Center towers) is $75. Exclusive to SFA are private-label journals for listing hotels, restaurants, addresses and more. A set of two is $50. A Corneliani teddy bear dressed for business ($1,295) carries a gift certificate for a custom-made Corneliani suit for a special male.

Hammacher Schlemmer: Of course, I had to include one of my favorite mail-order sources for unusual gifts. Especially for those fans of the old Patrick McGoohan TV show, "The Prisoner," the complete series on DVD. The boxed set, all 17 episodes, is $149.95. Call (800) 543-3366 for a catalog or to order.