Cool Hunting

Lanyard Necklaces
Neon plastic lanyard evokes a summer camp nostalgia when counselors schooled us in the art of kitsch key-chains and friendship bracelets. But in the hands of Philip O'Sullivan, the designer of an innovative new jewelry line, these notions of yesteryear are all but a memory. Made from hiking rope, which is crafted into beautifully intricate knots and finished with gunmetal hardware, each piece is...

Lucy Miller Beaded Chain-Link Necklace
Made by English knitwear designer Lucy Miller, we found these hand-tied beaded necklaces at The Rise + Fall store. (Miller's line is among the small collection of goods there that's not from their house label.) We love the way Miller simultaneously reinvents both traditional beadwork and chains for a necklace that's neither too hippie nor too fake bling. (Click image for detail.) "They're really...

Perfido Bracelets
Contrasting the warmth and rich tones of wood with lucite's sleek modernist appeal, these bangles are made by Brooklyn-based furniture studio Perfido Design. The chunky, brightly colored bracelets made their debut as part of New York-based fashion label United Bamboo's Spring/Summer 2006 line, fitting well with that collection's Modern Art-influenced looks. You can get them in a variety of wood/lucite combinations from Perfido Design...

Melissa Borrell Jewelry
Currently on display as part of Brooklyn store/gallery Spring's show "Around the Flat," Melissa Borrell's jewelry translates topographic maps into wearable forms. The RISD-trained designer asks "How can I change the way someone views the world?" redefining jewelry as well in the process. Though Borrell's work seems to point to the differences between urban and rural landscapes, the New York-based jewelry designer also makes"...

Leslie Shershow Jewelry
Boston-area metalsmith and jewelry designer Leslie Shershow finds inspiration in topics as disparate as found objects, stuffed animals, and the exploitation of nature by humans. Despite the wide array of subject matter, her collections share a refined ruggedness and a rough-hewn beauty. Our favorite collection is her Alaska Series, with its antlers, rifles, bear heads and horns. Selections from the Alaska Series have recently...

Portrait Cufflinks
Individually modeled and cast in gold, silver, white gold or platinum, Eleven Forty Design's portrait cufflinks are the perfect diminutive homage to yourself, loved one, hero or pet. Send a picture or chose from their portfolio (options include Ghandi and Flash Gordon) and after a few weeks you'll be able to flaunt the unusual accessory. Cleverly, as cufflinks the mini sculptures are profiles that...