FASHION : A Gem of a Bag : Judith Leiber Doesn’t Make Ordinary Purses--Not With Those Rhinestones, Beads . . . and Prices

To the women who treasure them, they’re real gems--evening bags that sparkle like diamonds and often come with price tags to match.

These beaded velvet pouches, rhinestone-covered sculpted bags and satin-covered clutches with faux jewel clasps add the crowning touch to ball gowns or beaded cocktail dresses.

The handbags’ designer, Judith Leiber, has been compared to famed Russian jeweler Faberge. Her coveted minaudieres have gone to inaugurations and galas with Mamie Eisenhower, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton. The purses have been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Those lucky enough to afford a bag--prices start in the thousands--tend to show it off.

“Our customers collect them like artwork. A lot of socialites display them in their homes,” says Billur Wallerich, spokeswoman for Neiman Marcus in Newport Beach. “They are the ultimate accessory to add to any outfit.”

Leiber studied her craft in Budapest, Hungary, her birthplace. She joined the Hungarian Handbag Guild as an apprentice at age 18 and achieved the rank of master after learning each step of making a handbag, from tanning the skins to engineering the clasps.

Now in her 70s and a U.S. resident for 30 years, Leiber still participates in every aspect of her handbag production. She began creating her trademark rhinestone-studded metal purses in 1967.

“They hadn’t existed before,” she says. “They were something I felt ladies would love.”

They did. Women began coveting and collecting the bags.

“I have a few customers who have two or three hundred bags,” Leiber says. “When you see a lady carrying a little dog bag or a little cat bag or an egg, it makes you happy.”

Among Leiber’s latest styles, sold in such stores as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and I. Magnin, include a mailbox-shaped purse with a crazy-quilt pattern in multicolored rhinestones ($1,535), a panda bear in a gold and red jacket ($3,400) and a gold heart covered with red stones ($1,400).

She also creates soft bags with jeweled frames. One satin bag has an Art Deco-inspired clasp with marcasite ($1,000); another comes in black alligator skin with a bar clasp set with semi-precious stones ($3,725).

Leiber finds ideas for her creations everywhere. She’s been inspired by museum exhibits, Japanese bronzes, “a knot on a hairdo or a button on a jacket,” she says.

“I have a good sense of humor. I think everything we do should have whimsy in it.”

When a friend gave her a sculpture of a sleeping cat to put by the fireplace, it led to one of her more famous designs.

“We must have made 1,000 cat bags by now. Of course, none of them (is) the same--some have stripes, some have flowers, some are solid.”

In addition to the Leiber minaudieres, women are toting soft vintage-looking bags to galas, says Jessica Morrell, handbags and accessories manager for Saks at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

“Everything has a definite vintage flair. It’s part of the romantic look--the long vests, the cameos, the ruffled blouses brought them in,” Morrell says.

Small drawstring bags and framed clutches with jeweled top handles that open like coin purses are strong for night and come in every price point. Saks has pouches of crinkled gold or silver lame or black or navy satin for $40.

One thing these varied evening bags have in common: their size. Most bags are so tiny that a woman can carry only the barest of necessities. In Morrell’s opinion, that comes down to just two crucial items:

“Lipstick and a credit card.”