"Now there's a way a pet owner can really show their pet how much they love them," said Patricia Henderson.

Hmmm. Let's guess what that could be. Allowing the dog to sleep with her head next to yours on the pillow?

No, the answer is pet earrings.

"I was designing jewelry and I sold an ear cuff," explains Henderson, of Chicago, and the store owner "calls me and says, 'Mrs. Henderson, we just love them, but do you mind if I sell them to men?' I said, 'I don't care if you sell them to dogs.' Then it hit me -- that there is no dog jewelry!"

Thus began development of PetGem, which she believes is going to be one of the all-time big sellers in pet accessory history.

The earrings -- $7 each -- are available in 28 designs from her company, Cygany Inc., Henderson says, including seasonal items like spiders for Halloween and snowmen for Christmas. they are not for pierced pet ears. They clip on.

Pub Date: 7/20/98