Gold, Online Style

By Carrie Soucy, Senior Editor -- JCK Online, 1/1/2002 2:00:00 AM

A new consumer Web site, www.goldinspirations.com, is the latest addition to the World Gold Council's campaign to position gold as a fashion must-have.

The site—which uses the format of an online magazine—offers a variety of features, including international gold jewelry designs, the "myths and magic of gold," and the gold jewelry preferred by "goddesses and divas" such as style icons Nicole Kidman and Britney Spears. It's colored in the rich shades of yellow gold, features an abundance of high-quality images of celebrities and gold jewelry, and utilizes Flash technology.

Goldinspirations.com follows the online-magazine trend typified by such fashion-oriented sites as style.com and Gem.net. Like those, it targets consumers. However, according to Duvall O'Steen, marketing coordinator for the World Gold Council, it is not an e-commerce site, but an educational and marketing tool for retailers. "We hope retailers will use it to see what the trends are and see the new jewelry designs available," she says. "But we also hope they'll tell their consumers to use it to see who's wearing what and what's the latest from the latest designer."

The World Gold Council plans a consumer push of the Web site, including promotions in newspapers across the country.