Valentine's Day Shopping Guide By Janet Bennett washingtonpost.com Staff Writer Wednesday, January 29, 2003

	A rose is a rose is a rose. (Photo by Craig Herndon/The Washington Post)
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Jewelry:

A gift that sparkles is certain to win hearts. If you're in love and have the deep pockets to match, choose something in a little blue box with a white ribbon from Tiffany. The sterling silver heart tag charm bracelet ($145) is an extremely popular choice, as are men's cuff links ($100) that say "Return to Tiffany." The sterling silver heart tag key ring ($85) is also quite fetching.

The Tiny Jewel Box carries exquisite antique and estate jewelry on the first floor of its townhouse. That's where the fine designer jewelry is, too. The second floor features designs by the likes of David Yurman, Georg Jensen and John Hardy. But less-pricey items can be found on the third floor: men's cuff links (about $125), decoupage jewelry boxes and picture frames.

Gold-plated (24K) pewter dove pins (based on a Matisse design) are popular gift items any time of year at Cecile Jeanne. The small ones are $69; the larger, $79. The new sterling silver and vermeil collection of cut-outs, including doves, fish, leaves and human figures, come in rings, pins, necklaces, earrings and braclets. Prices start at $48 and go up to $400 and more.

For jewelry with art, head to Jewelers' Werk. Choose among silver rings with gold hearts ($85), heart-shaped gold earrings ($400 to $500) and bracelets and pendants with quirky interpretations of a heart.

Sweets:

Chocolates from Laderach and lip-smacking French truffles from Guyeaux are elegantly diplayed under glass at Periwinkle. Something less fattening? A package of little red and white candles that spell "I Love You" is $3.50, among many other Valentine-related items for good prices. How heartwarming!

Ann Amernick is famous for her caramels for $1.10 each, packaged in special gold little boxes. For Valentine's Day, look for Amernick's signature chocolate torte (6 inches, $25) adorned with hearts and flowers; cookies in the shape of lips and hearts with arrows; as well as little individual buttery heart cakes glazed in lemon for $3 to $3.50 each.

At the Alexandria Pastry Shop in Old Town, the chocoholic specialty for the day is a heart-shaped chocolate box filled with truffles. Alternatively, sweet tooths rave over the apricot passion fruit bavarian for $25.

At Pastry Designs, chef Karen Corazzini will be whipping up her own special truffles in dark chocolate, rum, espresso and white chocolate with citrus ($23 per pound). Large chocolate-dipped strawberries are $1.50 each, and Corazzini's regular customers, 80 percent of whom she says are chocoholics, can't resist her intense Chocolate Seduction. Neither should you. The cake serves six to eight for $25 and 10 to 12 for $35.

St. Valentin ($47.50) is a heart-shaped chocolate box filled with nine to 10 different types of chocolate: espresso, Earl Grey tea, caramel and pear, to name a few. Or for $29, try a little "Romance," an eight-inch cake of milk chocolate mousse, passion fruit mousse and sacher torte, at Patisserie Poupon.

Flowers:

A single French tulip in blushing pink, exotic orchids and roses in tones of rich red wine are among the offerings at Ultraviolet. If you dare to be different, designer Rance Goff suggests fresh flowers in beguiling greens.

Roses may be the symbol of romance, but practically speaking, some varieties of orchids will last a lot longer and require minimum maintenance. American Plant Food, which has recently opened an entire area devoted to the display of orchids, has the biggest selection in the area, including the longest-living moth or phalenopsis orchids, which can survive for a couple of months, go dormant and then keep going for several years. The nursery always has a full-color range of phalenopsis and gets shipments every week which, depending on the time of the year, include include catylea, oncidiums, lady slipper and dendrobiums. Prices start at $29.99 and go to $49.99.

Peach is a popular new color for roses at Gray Matter Florist, which go for $85.95 an arrangement and $65.95 in a box. French tulips come in at $6 each and will survive a few weeks.

ROSExpress, which imports it roses (choose from red, white, yellow, pink and peach) from South America, is charging $74.99 for a dozen in a box. The shop can't guarantee the service on Valentine's Day, but for another symbolic occasion, you can choose to have a tuxedo-clad courier transport the top-quality long-stemmed roses to an address of your choice.

Gordon Sheridan, manager of Johnson's Flower & Garden Centers in D.C., offers roses for all budgets. You can buy sweetheart roses or roses by the stem, which will set you back less than the $54.99 for a dozen long-stemmed roses in a box (available in at least 25 colors). As an alternative, Sheridan suggests exotic flowers like ginger and anthurium or cut orchids. And he reminds, "Guys like to get flowers, too."

Finally, 25 stems of yellow or cream roses box-wrapped in a profusion of fuschia paper go for $98 at marthastewart.com. By the way, yellow is Martha's favorite color for roses.