By Miribelle
Turquoise water, golden sunsets and soft white waves (I’m not anxiously awaiting the new Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or anything) always inspire me to wear, or rather give me an excuse to buy new, exotic jewelry to match my new brightly colored summer dresses (If you happen to be traveling to basically any country outside of the US, go to Bershka! All my favorite frocks are from Bershka…more colors and patterns than my suitcase can hold!) In the past few years, I’ve learned that I’ll get a lot more wear out of my clothes if I super-accessorize simple outfits. After months of searching (literally! It’s already August…how sad), I finally found my go-to treasure chests.
The Pangea Collection (www.pangea-collection.com) has pieces inspired by different cultures, satisfying my thirst for world travel. The name itself defines the company—Pangea was a super-continent believed to be in existence over 250 million years ago. Similarly, the Pangea Collection brings all countries together in a one-stop-shop website. The website is like a “virtual vacation,” telling the story of each piece, including its origin and artisan. My fave of the week, the Blue Camel Bone Cascading Necklace from the Mumbai Mystique collection (remember those daydreams of India little Sara had in A Little Princess? That’s EXACTLY what these pieces look like to me) went perfectly with my white-almost-Greek-goddess-perfect dress last Friday. I looked just like the Greek goddess Christabelliki. The other collections include jewelry from Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, Thailand, Bali, The Baltics, Ecuador, Uganda, Bangladesh, Mexico, Nepal, Chile and Kenya. Whew. ADDED BONUS: (Don’t you love when that happens?) Founder Patricia Pinkey only works with Fair Trade Organizations from around the world, and strives to help better the lives of local artisans struggling to make a living.
Devon Leigh’s designs first caught my eye in last November’s InStyle with gorgeous amber drop earrings. I rediscovered this jewel-infested site just last week and fell in love all over again. Each piece is hand-crafted, using a wide array of materials, including raw semi-precious stones (even tiger’s eye…my fave!), gold foils, pearls and silver, just to name a few. The jewels look like they could have been part of a lavish chandelier in Buckingham Palace (maybe shedding some light on Prince William while doing…homework?) in a past life. BTW—she plans on conquering fashion accessories and home décor in the coming months. View her whole collection at www.devonleighdesign.com 
In order to compliment my neck bling, I obviously had to find a matching piece for my wrists. As I said before, I’ve tried to move away from plain-Jane jewelry, so I’ve finally branched out to (gasp!) different colors and shapes! I came across www.rimistyle.com , an all inclusive accessory motherland. With affordable prices and a wide range of trendy items, I was in web-surfing heaven. My new favorite piece is the Caribbean Cruise Cuff in Natural. The bracelet makes a statement, so make sure you don’t wear it with too many other crazy jewels. If it’s too much flower power for your liking, they have TONS of other super-cute accessories for you to oooo and ahhh at—rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, wallets and even handbags. Happy Shopping!
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