The list reads less like a court document than a catalogue of the trappings of Park Avenue privilege: diamond Cartier and Tiffany watches, a diamond bracelet, four diamond brooches, a jade necklace, a gold watch and other assorted jewellery.

The money manager, who is accused of perpetrating a $50bn (pound(s)33bn) “Ponzi” scheme, sent the items in an apparent violation of a court order and should be jailed pending trial, US prosecutors claimed in a court document made public yesterday.

One package contained about 13 watches, one diamond necklace, an emerald ring and two sets of earrings and could exceed $1m. At least two packages were sent by Mr Madoff and his wife to his brother and an unidentified couple in Florida.

Mr Madoff’s sons alerted prosecutors last week that they had received jewellery in the mail from their father. Mr Madoff’s alleged fraud came to light last month when his sons turned him in. Ira Sorkin, Mr Madoff’s attorney, had said that the packages contained heirlooms innocently sent to Mr Madoff’s children and brother, Peter.

Under a $10m bail agreement struck by prosecutors and his lawyers following the charge of security fraud, Mr Madoff is under 24-hour house arrest and electronic surveillance in his Manhattan apartment. Whitecollar defendants are rarely jailed pending trial.

But his continued release presented “a danger to the community of additional economic harm and further obstruction of justice”, Marc Litt, the assistant US attorney, wrote, adding that “no condition short of remand will suffice to protect the safety of the community”.

There was no practical way “to prevent the dissipation” of Madoff’s assets, and asset transfers made it more difficult, “if not impossible”, to recover all available assets to recompense victims, Mr Litt wrote.

Mr Madoff’s attorney said yesterday that a response would be filed in court by the end of key rings. Prosecutors may then submit additional papers today and Ronald Ellis, a federal magistrate judge, is expected to rule by the end of the week.

Comment, Page 11 Madoff scandal, Page 23

“We will see what we can do and seek continuation of support where it is absolutely necessary,” he said, adding valentines day jewelry that labour-intensive sectors such as handicraft, leather, and gems and jewellery continue to be in trouble.

“Sectoral reviews have been completed. I am soon going to work on the recommendations. They will also get reflected on our budget proposals,” Sharma told reporters at the sidelines of a conference organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, or Ficci.

The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the ministry carried out the performance review of key export sectors.

It also examined if any sector might need additional incentives due to the slump in external demand for Indian earrings goods.

Asked if the finance ministry would withdraw some of the incentives provided to the exporters, Sharma said any such move will be a considered pull-back. “The finance minister will dispassionately examine the sectoral performance and do what is judicious,” he said.

Merchandise exports rose in November for the first time this fiscal to $13.2 billion (Rs61,512 crore) from $11.16 billion earlier, up 18.28%. However, exports in the April-November period were lower than in the year-ago period, having dropped 22.32% to $104.25 billion.

Sectors that saw significant growth are gems and jewellery (40.4%), petroleum products (83.6%), iron ore (47.2%), and plastic and linoleum (28%).

The sectors that lagged behind are textiles (6%), drugs and fine chemicals (8.7%), tobacco (5.6%), carpet (5.8%), and engineering goods (6.8%).

Earlier on Wednesday, commerce secretary Rahul Khullar said: “I am not in favour of providing incentives if it key rings cannot be sustained.”

Khullar also called for “some degree of stability”, expressing apprehension that there could be a tendency to “claw back some of the incentives” already provided to exporters.

“No one was looking for platinum anything – there was zero market for it,” said Bondanza, vice president of Michael Bondanza Inc. in New York. “People thought we were crazy to go near the stuff.”

Today, Bondanza laughs about those days, especially as platinum makes a fierce comeback after a 50-year absence. Sales have jumped over 30 percent in the last three years.

Prior to World War II, platinum was considered the premier metal for jewelry-making. The finest jewelry and most bridal pieces – engagement rings and wedding bands – were exclusively platinum.

Consumers flocked to platinum for its look and feel. It’s rich, silvery tone was styled in either a matte or polished fashion. It was also considered the heaviest and purest precious metal, enabling more detailed jewelry designs.

But platinum’s reign came to an abrupt halt during WWII when the U.S. government temporarily restricted its use to military purposes.

“Platinum went from being the ultimate to being virtually unknown in a blink of the eye,” said Laurie Hudson, president of the U.S. office of the Platinum Guild International, a trade group based in Newport Beach, Calif.

When the ban was lifted after the war, platinum was unable to regain its place. Consumers, instead, turned to white gold, which mimicked platinum’s silvery luster but cost less.

It wasn’t until the early 1990s that platinum again found its niche, mostly due to an intensive 10-year drive by the Platinum Guild to educate the public, jewelry designers and retailers about the metal.

“We put ads in magazines, held sales training seminars and we really pushed platinum at every trade show we could,” said Hudson, who opened the U.S. office of the guild in 1992. “There was a whole generation out there that had never even seen platinum.”

During the same period of time, the availability of platinum increased as more mines opened and more sophisticated mining processes were developed.

“It’s still rare, but it wasn’t as hard to get anymore,” said Carl Denney, a spokesman for Johnson Matthey, one of the world’s largest platinum suppliers. “That helped expand the market.”

There are only 133 tons of platinum produced annually, compared to 1,782 tons of gold, the guild said.

Interest eventually caught on, and a generation of consumers _ namely young working women between the ages of 18 and 35 _ started purchasing platinum.

“Platinum is for the ’90s woman who wants something that is elegant but understated,” said Rudolf Erdel of OE Design, a New York jewelry maker that specializes in platinum.

Such was true for Andrea Wiesel, a 26-year-old financial analyst, who fell in love with platinum after she got an engagement ring in the metal last year, and has since bought two pins.

“My grandma always said platinum was the best,” she said. “Once I started wearing it, I felt the difference.”

Retailers from major department stores to small jewelers are expanding their platinum collections to reflect the growing demand.

In the last year, tiffany Co. introduced two new lines of platinum jewelry, while continuing its tradition of setting all its diamonds in the metal.

“There is a coolness of platinum that you can’t find in other precious metals,” said Jeanne Daniel, vice president of merchandising at Tiffany’s. “Many people want it because its quality without the flash.”

And there has been a boom of U.S. designers and manufacturers working in platinum. There are over 250 companies working with the metal today, up from 50 in 1980, the guild said.

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi promoted his new platinum and diamond necklace – called “Angel Rings” – during this spring’s New York fashion shows. And jewelry designer Paloma Picasso mixes platinum and gold in her “Little Secrets” collection.

As the number of manufacturers using the metal has grown, so has the consumption level. More than 60,000 ounces of platinum was used in the United States last year for jewelry making, up from 20,000 ounces in 1991, according to Johnson Matthey.

That number is expected to rise in the coming years, with estimates reaching as high as 190,000 ounces by 1999. That would nearly double what consumption was in the 1920s, the height of the platinum era.

Still, the cost of platinum exceeds all other precious metals, making it pricey for some. On the current commodity markets, platinum is about $430 an ounce, compared to $385 for gold. And many designers are just starting to make smaller, affordable pieces for the general market, said Erdel of OE Design.

“It is expensive,” he said. “We’ve gotten people to notice platinum again, so I guess as the demand goes up (and more platinum is on the market), the price will start to fall.”

“Collectors are drawn by the fire in yellow, pink and blue diamonds and love their color,” noted Doyle’s Jewelry Specialist Susan D. Sullivan. An Edwardian, natural pearl and diamond collar from the estate of Marian Dickerman, the last surviving great grandchild of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt sold for $28,000. Also from the Dickerman estate, a fancy, yellow diamond ring centered by a square cut diamond (approx. 18 cts.), sold for $110,000. Other pieces came from the estate of Sylvia and Samuel Marco, who had an abiding passion for fine jewelry during their 50year marriage. A stunning emerald and diamond ring centered by a rectangular– cut emerald (approx. 20.81 cts.) and flanked by two diamond trillions set in platinum sold for $17,500. In addition, a gold, sapphire and diamond snowflake pin by Tiffany & Co. sold for $3,000.

During the auction, Doyle hosted the GIA Alumni Assoc. at an event benefiting the Eunice Miles Scholarship find

Time is running out for your chance to savor the most innovative dishes from 40 of the area’s top restaurants at South Jersey’s premier black-tie fundraising event. Tickets are on sale now for the 25th Anniversary The Press of Atlantic City Restaurant Gala, Reflections: The Gala Turns 25, Thursday, April 3, at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

The event includes music, dancing and a dessert extravaganza. The Gala has raised about $1.7 million since 1984 for student scholarships at the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College. The event, presented by Commerce Bank, raised a record-breaking $240,000 at the sold-out 2007 event.

Beginning with a sumptuous cocktail reception featuring a raw bar and hot and cold hors d’oeuvres prepared and served by ACA students at 6:30 p.m., the evening will progress to a dining extravaganza at 8 p.m. Live music by the Melanie Rice Orchestra and an elegant dessert reception, headed by Master Pastry Chef Eugen Ess of Trump Taj Mahal, will complete the night’s events.

This year Gala attendees can purchase keys giving them the chance to win one of 13 pieces of tiffany & Co. jewelry with a value of $250 or greater. Up to 500 keys will be sold for $100 each or three for $250, and 13 keys will unlock a tiffany jewelry case. Proceeds from the “Keys for A Causesm” promotion benefit ACCC scholarships.

Tickets to the Gala are $200 a person and can be ordered online at www.atlantic.edu/gala or by calling (609) 343-5674.

The raging tyrants in tulle have been felled by a falling Dow and a lousy line of credit.

According to a recent survey by wedding Web site TheKnot.com, 40 percent of brides have reduced budgets, as opposed to brides of years past.

And the National Association of Catering reported serious bridal belt-tightening, too. More than half of the caterers surveyed said couples were cutting costs by getting married on Fridays or Sundays and 62 perfect said customers were icing ice sculptures, dessert stations and other luxury wedding perks.

Which means fewer insufferable women in white, brandishing 3-carat cushion-cut solitaires, fighting over Vera Wang strapless Shantung gowns and $200-a-head seated dinners.

And bridesmaids can breathe a sigh of relief. The days of having to tap your dwindling 401(k)s for a dress, makeover and bachelorette party are over (for now).

Martini bars and five-tiered ganache tortes — out. Miller Lite and a tower of Twinkies — in.

Even better, budgets are making brides behave.

“People are a little calmer,” said Gabrielle Stone, president of Stone Event Planning Inc. “Part of that includes the attitude shift. Brides used to think they were princesses and they walk on water. But I think now they’re concerned with jobs and homes. And those who can afford it don’t want to be overly showy.”

Though bad for her bottom line, the trend is good for Stone’s state of mind.

“If someone is less stressed out, it’s always a good thing,” she said.

Not only are big-budget weddings winding down, bling has also taken a beating.

Sales at jewelry stores from tiffany & Co. to Zales are down and about 20 percent more American jewelers will close their doors this year after last, according to the Jewelry Industry Research Association.

“The half-carat is the new 3 carat,” designer sales blogger Hayley Corwick told The New York Times on Tuesday.

“God, I hope not,” said Sevag Zargarian, owner of Boston Ring & Gem , located in the Jewelers Exchange Building in Downtown Crossing. “I’d say 2 carat is the new 3 carat. Or a carat and a half is the new 3 carat. Couples aren’t going for ostentatious. Maybe the can’t afford it. Or maybe they feel guilty.”

As they should. The wedding scene’s been nuts for a good five years. Multiple gown changes? Thousand-dollar Jimmy Choo shoes? A 20-piece orchestra? The Hummer limo? Individual cakes for guests? Custom logos for the couple? Theatrical lighting?

Yes, it’s fun to go to a wedding with a booze luge and a raw bar, but really, we’re fine with a glass of chardonnay and scallops wrapped in bacon.

Kendra Hajjar, 27, who is getting married on a Friday night in September, is just happy to finally be part of a trend.

“I’ve always been the one to look at price tags,” said the producer for WXKS-FM’s (Kiss-108) “Matty in the Morning” show. “This recession is making everyone look, too.”

SOUTHEAST “At Valentine’s Day, we sold more necklaces and earrings than engagement rings. Sales are down, but I’m still selling my three-quarter to one-carat stones,” says Rick Santackas, Rees Jewelers, Glen Allen, Va. * “Recently, we’ve been selling some engagement solitaires of less than a carat, and overall sales are down about 20 percent this year,” says Lamar Merle, Selman’s Jewelers, McComb, Miss. * “Nobody wants VSi or higher anymore once they see the price and see that SI looks just as good to the naked eye,” says Joshua Strickland, Faith Jewelers, Jacksonville, Fla.

MIDWEST “We sell to retailers, and our Christmas sales were down 30 percent, but they’re up 25 percent for February. Rounds and princess cuts always sell best, and consumers seem to be asking for more expensive bridal jewelry,” says Bradley Gross, Diamond Designs, Akron, Ohio. * “Diamond sales are off, but rounds still are the best sellers, and I haven’t noticed any change in price points,” says Rick Kaiser, Ferley Jewelers, Pierre, S.D.

SOUTH CENTRAL “I haven’t noticed a big change in what people are paying, but there’s more demand for princess cuts, and I try to talk customers out of them because that’s a fad,” says Shannon Carmichael, Carmichael’s Jewelry, Texarkana, Texas. * Our diamond sales are down about 20 percent, but I’m not noticing a difference in what people are buying, or in price points,” says Kurt Eskew, EskeVs Fine Jewelers, Lee’s Summit, Mo.

WEST “Customers usually have budgets, but the girls want big stones, and what they want, they will find a way to get,” says Pat Gibson, Van’s Jewelry, Kent, Wash. 8 “Diamond sales are down. [Price] point varies, but they almost always are shopping for price,” says Val Hayes, Capital Jewelers, Carson City, Nev.