The essence of glamour: Judith Leiber has come out with the Wavy Curve clutch, a gorgeous bag that shines from silver to pink with the cerium finish.

What is cerium, you ask? It’s a rare Earth element and a silvery metal — you’ll find it in the Periodic Table. (Just when you thought chemistry had nothing to do with fashion!)

Pure cerium has traces of radioactive material and will catch fire if scratched, so I’m guessing that the materials used for this particular bag have been toned down. Everyone wants to look hot, but not literally ignited, after all!

The dimensions are 6″L x 2″W x 3″H, and comes with a drop-in chain strap, so you can decide whether you want to use it.

I have been poking around Bag Borrow or Steal to see what bags they offer, and this is one of the standouts I found. You can rent this for $95 per week as a member ($120 for nonmembers), or $275 per month ($315 for nonmembers).

I usually believe in buying bags, because I like that sense of ownership. However, if there are more bags that you’d like to wear than dollars (or euros, or whichever currency) in your wallet, this really does make sense. Plus, they have an outlet where you can buy “retired” bags in unused or gently used condition. What better way to use your money in a tough economy, right? Carrie’s assistant did it, and look where she ended up: married to the love of her life, working for a well-known writer, and the proud owner of a $5600+ Louis Vuitton bag! Well, maybe it’s fiction, but it’s a fun story.

This post is tagged business trends, Judith Leiber