Design Art and Photography

By Mary Wisniewski

New York—Geographical barriers may physically divide fashion lovers, but it’s a gap that’s easily mended in cyberspace.

There, fashion Web sites grant any shopaholic’s wish, whimsical or not, without the need to bippity-boppity-boo them to fruition. These sites provide forums and blogs for shoppers to chat amongst themselves, as well as virtual maps that reveal critical shopping destinations.

In this land without boundaries, there is a lack of consistency concerning jewelry trends; that is, unless “cute” counts as a category. All the same, the sites inform shoppers on what these online style mavens consider to be the “in” pieces.

Among the most buzz-worthy sites is Style Hive, a social shopping community geared to alerting shoppers on where, what and who are the latest hot hits. Lately, Style Hive focuses more on jeans than jewelry, but recent hot picks include a pop-out earrings kit by Melissa Borrell Design that allows consumers to design their own jewelry. The site also showcases a litany of bracelet cuffs in its blogs, urging readers to “cuff on.”

Glam is also dedicated to fashionistas. The fast-rising site is part of Glam Media and focuses on women’s fashion, beauty, entertainment, health, wellness and more. Making the site’s recent “GlamSpree” blogs are cocktail rings.

“My favorite kind of cocktail rings are always, without a question, obscene,” writes one site user, Nicole Sargent. “It makes a statement.”

The trend site also touches on layered necklaces, labeling them as versatile pieces.

“Rumble” earrings in sterling silver and 18-karat gold by Aesa Jewelry; suggested retail price ranges from $168 to $185. Dailycandy.com provides jewelry insight and an insider’s guide to what’s new and hot, ranging from fashion and style to gadgets and travel. For New York fans of the site, initial charms in 14-karat gold by Guy Rozenstrich were a recent feature, as were laser-cut jewelry mixed with sterling silver and 18-karat gold charms on gold chains by Aesa Jewelry.

For those seeking the sort of pieces that celebrities wear, Seen On reveals instant gratification in forums such as “Steal the Style” or “TV Fashion Rerun.”

In the accessories category, Seen On mostly plugs costume jewelry, but sometimes fine jewelry makes the cut too. The site recently featured such pieces as a Sydney Evan necklace in 14-karat yellow gold with 0.08 carats of pavé diamonds that was seen on The Hills, a David Yurman diamond napkin-ring cuff with matching silver and pavé diamond hoop earrings worn by Hillary Duff at the 2007 Fox Teen Choice Awards and a Kenneth Jay Lane bangle in gold featured in The Fashionista Diaries.