Article: Holiday sparkle for handsets; Suburban firm hopes to cash in on craze.(News)

Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON

Bling is the thing for cellular phones this Christmas. A Chicago-area company hopes to cash in as fashion-minded consumers slather their handsets with rhinestones and Swarovski crystals or attach collectible charms.

Aries Manufacturing Inc., a Libertyville supplier of accessories for wireless devices, says it has sold 4,000 do-it-yourself Bling Phone kits over the past two weeks. For $19.99 to $24.99, consumers receive 300 crystals, heavy-duty tape and patterns-like lightning bolts-for their phones.

It's another sign of how far mobile devices have come as fashion accessories. The craze started in the hip-hop world and ...

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