Accessories are popular in Hong Kong, but there was one in particular that stood out more than I remember from previous trips to the city: the cell phone ornament. It consists of a delicate trinket that’s intricately knotted onto silk thread and looped onto your cell phone. It’s not only decorative, but is also supposed to bring you good fortune.

This is not a new idea – these ornaments have been around almost as long as cell phones themselves. The trinket can represent anything from the sign of your Chinese Zodiac, to Hello Kitty. There’s probably a science devoted to the selection of the most desirable cell phone ornaments, but to me, the offerings seemed random. You name it and we saw it dangling off the end of a cell phone.

The prices are just as varied. All the way from diamond encrusted status symbols that are available from high-end jewelery stores, to playful street market versions that are as cheap as chips. I decided I wanted one of the latter because they looked so cute. My Chinese Zodiac sign is “the dog”, so that’s the ornament I chose. It’s tiny and the detail is impressive. It cost just over a dollar and makes me smile whenever I haul out my phone. I hope I’m a little luckier too.