The Facet Navigator permits users to set custom constraints for searching databases by facet, displays facets representing fields in a database, and provides a manipulator for each facet. The manipulator may be a slider bar, or a drop-down menu, or some other interactive device known to persons skilled in the art. When a user sets constraints for a facet with the manipulator, the Facet Navigator searches the database based on the constraints and displays a list of items in the database that satisfy the constraints. The Facet Navigator displays a preview of interim results whenever a cursor is moved over an active region of the manipulator, where the preview includes details of database items meeting a search criteria based on the location of the cursor on the manipulator.