May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

I leave you for the weekend in the good hands of UK-based Liangchao Shao, whose portfolio of narrative pieces — I promise — you don't want to miss.

Bonus link: here's another ring with a miniature figure — one you might recognize! Yes, that's Sisyphus, as imagined by UK jeweller Sam Photic.

Even more jewellery:

Laritza Garcia (Texas) - loopy & playful
Catrine Berlatier (Australia) - plastic petals
Mark Fenn (UK) - contemporary metal

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

I love the quiet, perfect simplicity of these rings so much, I'm almost having a Zen moment. Before I drift off into total enlightenment, I should mention they're by German father-daughter duo WSAKE (he's a metalsmith, she's a graphic designer).

Bonus link:
Looking for another Zen moment? Meditate on the oh-so-soothing creations of UK metalsmith Chloe Robertson, who combines silver and hardwood.

Even more jewellery:

Yo Zen (Finland) - lasercut origami
Alison Moore (UK) - silver & cabs
Sabine Londot (Belgium) - mixed media

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

If you find your security blanket too cumbersome to carry around, try the "Fillia" ring. The Netherlands' Claudia Silveira Oliveira explains, "Fillia is a memory carrier.... [it] is meant to keep intimate emotions and remembrances close while being in public. The bigger pouch carries a fragrance, a scented cotton ball for example, and in the other pouch there is space for a small object, a small photo, whatever one needs to keep close."

Check out her site for more work, including holsters (for both hand and body) and pieces made from plastic six-pack rings.

Bonus link: here's another holster ring, made from vintage components, by Brooklyn's Cinkensta (Cindy Stayton). Check her shop for lots of cool pieces using chains.

Even more jewellery:

Lonval (Argentina) - lavish chains
Wolf Circus (BC) - metal & quartz
Sally Ratcliffe (UK) - organic metal

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

You could never call these rings "bare bones" — because while they may look like metal (and newspaper) throughout, the tops are actually tinted bone. For more, check out French jeweller Ynac.

Bonus link:
Ontario's Muskratpaw doesn't tint their bones but they do adorn them with faux gems and pearls. This particular ring features a rabbit pelvic bone.

Even more jewellery:

Votum (Vancouver) - silver bones
Cadi (Spain/Israel) - lines & honeycombs
Naomi Tracz (UK) - metal & stones

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Monday, May 27, 2013

This is Catherine Le Gal, rough.

And this is Catherine prettied up. Rings above from the French jeweller's "Rough" and "Plum" collections.

Bonus link:
If rough is your thing, don't miss out on Fervour's Own (Halifax metalsmith Kiersten Holden), whose rings are all about "raw and rough textures."

Even more jewellery:

A Second Time (Calgary) - rough gems
Kevin Grey (UK) - contemporary metal
Nancy Sickbert-Wheeler (Illinois) - enamel blooms

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Friday, May 24, 2013

French designer Morgane Fieschi doesn't need to have the cards stacked in her favour — these rings earn kudos, fair and square!

Bonus link:
For more playful jewellery (not to mention an array of non-wearable artwork), check out the "Chuckles" collection from Wisconsin's Jill L Erickson.

Even more jewellery:

MXM Jewelry (California) - planes & pinwheels
Krzysztof Borkowski (UK) - contemporary metal
Laurien Cauwenberg (Belgium) - modern & natural

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

In "Monsters Within," Stefanie Sheehan "symbolically represent[s] unwelcome human emotions such as nervousness, anger, jealousy and sadness." Feeling bad never looked so good!

Visit the New York metalsmith for lots more, like this cool spike ring.

Bonus link: with a name like Evil Rings, it's no surprise this German biker jewellery shop is another source for monster rings, but they also have some unexpected pieces like a koi ring and this cool tiger head.

Even more jewellery:

Evil Pawn (Missouri) - skulls & quartz
Joanne Pollock (UK) - tangled wire
Batho Gündra (Germany) - metal & gems

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Let's talk about the elephant in the (tea-)room. Haati Chai, Bengali for "elephant and tea" according to L.A. designer Stella Simona, offers a cool collection which draws on her Indian roots.

Bonus link:
This architectural "Srinagar" ring is from Amrapali, a well-known luxury jewellery brand based in India and with stores around the world.

Even more jewellery:

Suman Mishra (India) - silver & cz
Pernille Vinderskov (Denmark) - contemporary metal
Hortense (California) - rosegold shapes

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A little rough around the edges — in a good way. Visit Minnesota's Tova Lund for modern metalwork with a signature touch: perforated edges.

Bonus link: look for French jeweller Savannah Dusson's modern interpretation of the cherry blossom in her "Origami" collection; in these rings, her updated shape is outlined in perforations.

Even more jewellery:

Christina Pauls (Germany) - perforated patterns
Melanie Pike (UK) - silver & copper
Viktor Kalinowski (Australia) - sculptural metal

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Monday, May 20, 2013

Count me in as a subscriber. Swaziland's Quazi Design, founded by UK designer Doron Shaltiel, contributes to the sustainable jewellery movement by making pieces out of recycled magazines. The group was recently joined by jeweller Nadia Medani, who designed some of the rings above.

Bonus link:
For more recycled paper, layered on top of wood in this case, check out Hawaii's Morgan Lane-Tanner. This particular ring is made using an old map.

Even more jewellery:

Clara Breen (UK) - paper & metal
Dean Davidson (Toronto) - bold & simple
Birgit Gassner (Austria) - thread & textiles

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Friday, May 17, 2013

Time for Friday Five in a Flash, starting with this cool layered acrylic piece by the UK's Stephanie Arm.

"Creepy Crawly" resin by Nicole Iredale, also of the UK.

Angular gold from Italy's Fernanda Duso.

Ladder ring (reminiscent of a certain Jim Carrey movie) by Thailand's Panjapol Kulp.

"Exquisite Security" by Texas metalsmith Robert Thomas Mullen.

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Thursday, May 16, 2013

No longer will I associate marble with opulent sculptures of antiquity. San Francisco's Maschari (Hannah Jewett) uses marble and acrylic to make decidedly minimalist yet striking jewellery. I particularly love the necklaces — go check them out!

Bonus link:
There's marble, and then there's marbles. German jeweller Ulrike Ullmann uses the latter as a stone in her wood and silver murmel rings.

Even more jewellery:

Lirumlarum (Germany) - marbles & spoons
Linda Threadgill (New Mexico) - sculptural metal
Leigh Mason (UK) - raw stones

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Rather than wait another seven months, I figured I'd do the blog equivalent of breakfast for dinner: a Christmas post in May. English jeweller Kristina Kitchener's "Five Bold Rings" represent holiday foods such as cranberry sauce and mince pies. More importantly, they're all made from recycled plastic bags, just like everything else by this "sustainable jeweller."

Bonus link:
Here's some more recycled plastic from Croatia's Pera Virens, who uses plastic bottle caps. You can also check her site for an array of recycled plastic wallets.

Even more jewellery:

Kristin D'Agostino (New Zealand) - recycled containers
Jocelyn Tallis (UK) - simple & contemporary
Chiara Solari (California) - metal & briolettes

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Why do people say something is "cute as a button"? What makes a button any cuter than a zipper, a pocket or an aglet? Making a strong case for a switch to "cute as a collar" is Los Angeles-based Japanese designer Lunna Menoh and her leather collar rings.

Bonus link: hmm, maybe that should be "cute as a dog collar." Ring by New York-based Torontonian Stephanie Eisen, aka Puzzled Life, whose main focus is on puzzle piece-shaped jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

Christina Bizzarro (Denmark) - collars and chains
Lynn Cool (Kansas) - botanical metal
Aoife White (UK) - texturized silver

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Monday, May 13, 2013

UK-based French jeweller Flavie Michou shows us that even skulls like to get glammed up once in a while.

Did I mention they all have movable jaws (and some, even sunglasses!)? Visit her site for more, including cute cupcake rings!

Bonus link: for more fabulous skulls, check out China's Skullis, whose entire business is carving skulls out of various stones and crystal. Not just limited to jewellery, they also have some amazing skull sculptures (skullptures?).

Even more jewellery:

Andi Harriman (New York) - black & bones
Sophie Lowe (UK) - modern silver
A Mechanical Mind (Illinois) - watch parts

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Friday, May 10, 2013

Want pop? Turn to Poppy! UK jeweller Poppy Porter has a fabulous collection of statement jewellery in beautiful hues of anodized titanium.

Bonus link:
For clean, fresh, loopy ribbons of anodized titanium, check out Australian jeweller Vanessa R Williams.

Even more jewellery:

Laurent-Max De Cock (Belgium) - anodized titanium
Yen-Yu April Chang (China) - wearable patterns
Sylvia Tomkinson (UK) - silver & stones

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Thursday, May 9, 2013

A bird and mouse even I couldn't cower from! Visit Italy's Francesca Gabrielli for a variety of work in acrylic, titanium and more.

Bonus link:
For more acrylic, check out Denmark's Pfisk (Pernille Fisker), who has this "diamond" ring with interlocking pieces.

Even more jewellery:

Tzu Jung Wu (UK) - sculptural acrylic
Lady Kismet (New York) - metal & stones
Jytte Lyhne (Denmark) - contemporary silver

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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Baltimore's Colleen Roxas is a graphic designer with a love of typography. (In other surprising news, water is watery.) Check out her line of lasercut wood jewellery, "Embody."

Bonus link:
Another graphic designer who makes jewellery is Brazil's Afranio Antunes; pictured is the sleek and shiny "a" ring from his "Gráficos" collection.

Even more jewellery:

Erin Keys (Australia) - calligraphic steel
Nikkuu Design (New York) - rope necklaces
Brinkmann & Friedrich (Germany) - metal & gems

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Tuesday, May 7, 2013

According to UK jeweller Deborah Forrest's bio, "the use of vitreous enamel is a key feature" of her work. And if you ask me, the "key feature" of her bio is where it says "she is particularly noted for her rings."

Bonus link:
Also known for enamel is Japan's Shiki (and sister brand Germer), who produced this rather exquisite bee ring.

Even more jewellery:

Franziska Gnos (Switzerland) - enamel & pearls
Laura Hebron (UK) - metal & porcelain
Rebecca Pocock (Australia) - sprouts on silver

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Monday, May 6, 2013

Something old, something new: UK jeweller Hannah Kimber combines the modern techniques of laser-sintering and 3D-printing with traditional Moroccan design.

Bonus link:
Nessa is a line from Vanessa Mimran, a jeweller with Moroccan roots who's now based in France. Pictured are her "Aziyade" rings.

Even more jewellery:

Joanna Bristow (Morocco) - inspired by Africa
Joyo (Massachusetts) - graphic lasercuts
Hayley Beckley (UK) - wood slices

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Friday, May 3, 2013

Taiwan's Jean Hsu puts the "P.E.T." in "pretty." Her "Lively" jewellery combines crochet with dyed P.E.T. plastic.

Bonus link:
Here's some more needlework, sans plastic. These adorable amigurumi rings are by Momshoo, a mother and daughter duo from Singapore.

Even more jewellery:

Dual Nation (UK) - illustrated pvc
Hillarey Dees (Oklahoma) - metal & wool
Tove Rygg (Switzerland) - mesh & gems

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Thursday, May 2, 2013

I've always loved rings with facets. Today, I'm loving rings with faces.

In fact, I love the whole collection from Australia's Suzi Zutic.

Bonus link:
For more rings with faces, comic-book style this time, check out the portfolio of Italian designer Claudio Ranfagni.

Even more jewellery:

Saving Face (UK) - reassembled vintage
Maggie Maggio (Oregon) - tendrils & tentacles
Midzo (Croatia) - metal sheets

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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Easter may have come and gone but Orthodox Easter (which I'm sure is big on the bunny aspect) is in four days! Any excuse to don one of these cute bunny-ear rings.

For more ears (and antlers and heads) in metal or colourful nylon, check out the 3D-printed jewellery of England's The Rogue and the Wolf.

Bonus link: I love how this clever piece turns a dog ring into a two-finger ring by highlighting the best features of a Basset Hound. It's by Swedish jeweller Anna Siivonen, who also has bunnies (and cats and bats).