What was up with the celebrities' accessories -- or lack of -- at Sunday's Academy Awards show?

There was Amy Adams who presented her fringed gold mesh purse to the cameras during a red-carpet interview.

But it was clearly empty.

Details, schmetails. What really mattered was the chance to get the little bag and its brand name in front of hundreds of cameras and millions of viewers around the world.

Crass commercialism aside, jewelry provided the event's most interesting accessory moments.

There were a few dramatic necklaces, but most stars (Renee Zellweger, Tilda Swinton, Anne Hathaway and Helen Mirren to name a few) eschewed them for a clean decollete. When you wear a dress with heavy jeweled or beaded embellishment at the neckline or straps, as many did, a necklace becomes redundant.

Others opted for statement-making bracelets -- sometimes stacked in multiples -- and sparkling hair clips.

Kimora Lee Simmons, who did some red-carpet commentary for E!, boasted of wearing the world's most expensive hair thingee, a diamond creation she said was worth $1 million.

Earrings are a mainstay for women because they frame the face and, depending upon their sparkle factor, reflect light in a skin-flattering way. Sunday night's looks were a lesson in scale: The less bling from the bosom up, the bigger the earrings; the more embellishment up high, the smaller the earrings.

Men who wear earrings, however, don't have that same proportion issue. Balance is another story, which guys such as Sean Combs and Best Actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis achieved by wearing an earring in each ear. Combs rocked diamond studs and Day-Lewis sported small gold hoops. It's a hip, streetwise look that requires confidence to pull off well.

Generally, women went for a clean, spare look when it came to jewelry. Style expert Finola Hughes applauded them for avoiding the mistake of over-accessorizing, a practice she said ordinary women should imitate.

"It can't be said often enough that women should always remember to take one piece of jewelry off when they leave the house," she said. "Keep it light and spare whether on the red carpet or heading to the supermarket."