February 2010

Friday, February 26, 2010

Friday's a good day for some Random Pluckings from my Bookmarks!

"Duality" ring in silver and cane by Georgia's Ashley Warsaw.

Enamel and cable rings by Germany's Luise Neugebauer.

Haunting antique photo rings by Australia's Shauna Mayben.

"Rocky" rings by Poland's Filip Jackowski.

Black gold with diamonds by Denmark's Jytte Kloeve.

Bonus link:
Want more black? Check out Germany's Philip Klar and his minimalist black horn rings with touches of silver.

Even more jewellery:

Birgit Hagmann (Germany) - angular scribbles
Flavia Amadeu (Brazil) - bold & modern
Maki Kawawa (Japan) - fabric necklaces
Allison Mooney (Chicago) - chunky beads
Lotus de Wit (UK) - simple silver

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

These exuberant acrylic "sea anemones" aren't even the most interesting pieces on her site. That would be the wooden walking cane that she turned into a necklace. A walking cane! Into a necklace! Welcome to the mind of Germany's Mareile Tinzmann.

Bonus link:
For more colourful acrylic rings bursting with sprouts — silver sprouts, in this case — see these "bloom" rings by Chilean jeweller Liliana Ojeda.

Even more jewellery:

Susanne Elstner (Germany) - metal & sprouts
Stéphanie Barbié (Spain) - plastic & silicone
Laurette O'Neil (Nevada) - amber & silver
Babette Epaulette (New York) - shoulder jewellery
Julie Carter (Australia) - lens pendants

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Petal paroxysm: German artist Nora Rochel breaks away from the "old fashioned," "sentimental" and "naive" aspect of flowers, exploring instead their visual complexity. No pink posies here! The results are mesmerizing.

Bonus link:
If you like things to be neat and tidy, Finnish jeweller Marisanna Multamaa of Devi Jewellery has this silver ring that resembles a clean stack of uniform petals.

Even more jewellery:

Julia Wright (UK) - silver flowers
Kait Rhoads (Seattle) - glass discs
Kate Ellen Metals (California) - organic & industrial
Kuźnia Koralików (Poland) - colourful beading
Antje Freiheit (Germany) - minimal metal

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

These rings bring to mind that Steven Wright joke: "I want to get a tattoo of myself on my entire body — only two inches taller." Silicone finger rings by Oregon artist Elizabeth Yates, featuring replicas of her own digits — life-sized, not two inches longer.

Bonus link: also concerned with bodily matters is French artist Emmanuel Lacoste, who made the finger brace rings pictured here. See more from his anatomically-themed collection on his site, ex-carne.

Even more jewellery:

Dame (San Francisco) - body chains
Ali Forbes (UK) - leather longhorns
Britta Kauppila (Minnesota) - organic silver
Ju-well (Judigje Kuipers) (Netherlands) - classic gold
SLA Metals by Susie L. Andregg (Vermont) - woven metal

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Monday, February 22, 2010

If he doesn't already, Jacek Byczewski really ought to take up snowboarding, because he's got a great sense of balance. The Polish jeweller artfully straddles the line between traditional and new, creating diamond rings that feel classic but are never, ever ordinary.

Bonus link: some more pieces that mix "new" and "traditional." These rings by New Jersey interior designer Mitchell Turnbough mimic the shape of traditional diamond solitaires but are made entirely of white gold (including the "gem").

Even more jewellery:

Mark Nuell (UK) - modern classics
Branwen Kemp (Vancouver) - silver & gems
Emma Grace (Australia) - bold metal
Susan Hojel (San Francisco) - gold & pearls
Hong Bock (Germany) - semi-precious stone

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Friday, February 19, 2010

With all these competitive athletes in town, I've got gold and silver on the mind. Above: lovely, understated rings by Japan's Taketomi.

More gold and silver from London's Daisy Knights.

Bonus link:
Some of those athletes might want to get their hands on this piece as a good-luck charm. Winged ring in silver from the "victory" series by UK jeweller Odette.

Bonus link #2:
Of course, let's not forget about bronze! Sculptural wolf's head ring made of bronze lines by Lois Martens, a former lab tech who moved to Italy and took up metalsmithing.

Even more jewellery:

Julez Bryant (California) - gold & diamonds
Metalnat (New York) - modern silver
Bandorfer (Germany) - crowns & gems
Jenny Lawlor (Ireland) - roses & cameos
Caroline Ballou (Rhode Island) - contemporary classics

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Considering his design aesthetic (look no further than these stunning rings in quartz and gems), it will not shock you to learn that California's Scott Beckerman also designs sleek perfume bottles for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana — a job he was seemingly born to do. I bet his high school guidance counselor had no problem determining the colour of his parachute.

Above, more of his sleek and chunky rings in agate and jasper.

Bonus link:
Brazil's Radu Designs has more chunky rings in solid quartz and aquamarine for your perusal. Theirs are topped with flowers in 18k gold.

Even more jewellery:

Pilar Garrigosa (Spain) - chunky quartz
Annina Vogel (UK) - antique charms
Jon Pacheco (Illinois) - brooches & keys
Lucifer Vir Honestus (Italy) - gold & gems
Cara Griffith (Virginia) - textured silver

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

For me, rings are like drugs — but I'm perfectly open to alternative medicines, too, like this acupuncture ring by Argentina's 2212 (2212°C being the boiling point of silver).

Below, some of her botanical bursts:

Bonus link: you've seen cabbages before (just look at the ring above!) but have you seen a cabbage tree? New Zealand's Jo Luping offers this photogram ring featuring the cabbage tree, a plant endemic to her home country.

Even more jewellery:

Amber Yearwood (California) - botanical metal
Sruli Recht (Iceland) - screw-in diamonds
Lydia Feast (UK) - white enamel
Toosis (Turkey) - beads & photos
Lene Vibe (Denmark) - gold & gems

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What to wear to a "Lost" finale party: "Safety Jewelry" by Ohio artist Stephanie Schwallie, featuring images from airline safety cards. The ring was a typewriter key in its former (or is it parallel?) life.

Maybe, like me, you're more of a "Dexter" fan. L.A.'s Renee Andriole has an intriguing collection of blade rings — just in case you run into a blood splatter analyst in a dark alley.

Bonus link:
Television ring by UK jeweller Sarah Pugh of Rock Cakes. She's even thoughtfully tilted the screen at such an angle that makes it easy to watch the screen... for the serious addict.

Even more jewellery:

Bety K. Majernikova (Slovakia) - TVs & guns
Hinu (Hawaii) - island style
Devta Doolan (Maine) - gold & stones
Alexandra Jefford (UK) - metal & gems
Jan Palmer (California) - signs & symbols

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Monday, February 15, 2010

Conspicuous consumption, peak oil, or just a plumbing snafu? Like some golden version of Rorschach's test, these spewing rings could mean many things. For their creator, Michigan's Patrick Shureb, they symbolize "Exorbitance."

Bonus link:
"Exorbitant" is definitely one word that comes to mind when I look at this wild, spiralling, diamond spectacle by Spain's Kolodesign.

Even more jewellery:

House of Lavande (Florida) - vintage couture
Shourouk (France) - fantasy necklaces
Fancy Pony Land (Texas) - squished pennies
Richard Zarobell (Ohio) - shiny & glam
Ana de Costa (UK) - jade & gold

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Friday, February 12, 2010

I'm fairly close to a lot of the Olympic activity so the next couple of weeks are going to be a bit crazy. Still, let the games begin — starting with these Mouse Trap game-piece rings (in Olympic colours, no less) by California's Denise J. Bonaimo. Her "Game" series is full of jewellery made of bingo tokens, Battleship pieces, pick-up sticks and more. As much fun as a barrel of monkeys! (She has those, too.)

Bonus link:
This is the "Scrabble" ring by San Francisco's DAC Metals (David Casella). Though not tile-shaped, you can play with it by arranging and re-arranging the random letters.

Even more jewellery:

Felicity Jane Large (Australia) - playful & colourful
Almost Perfect by Rose Cecil (UK) - organic silver
Infraredstudio (Minnesota) - modern lasercuts
Mehoi (Toronto) - cartoony enamel
Lisa Ridout (Vancouver) - silver links

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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Can you call them brass knuckles if they're made of crystal?

Of if the knuckles are shaped like a tongue? Seattle artist Debra Baxter says yes. Don't miss her gallery for more crystal, tongues and an array of sculptures in alabaster.

Bonus link:
Though not exactly a knuckleduster, this chain ring is also designed to span multiple fingers. From the "heavy metal" collection by Hello Drama of Los Angeles.

Even more jewellery:

One of One (Chicago) - chunky druzy
Monika Zampa (Netherlands) - men's neckpieces
Fei Liu (UK) - dramatic gems
Guylaine Cyr (Montreal) - contemporary metal
Miss Isis (Italy) - silver & chains

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

A juxtaposition of the traditional and the contemporary: Italy's Camilla Teglio combines clean silver lines with wood blocks covered in Japanese washi paper. (English really ought to have more words that begin with juxt, don't you think?)

Some more samples of her work, above.

Bonus link: another Italy-based designer concerned with "then and now" is Kostantia Manthou (originally from Greece); these bronze rings are from her "slices of history" series.

Even more jewellery:

Angela Simone (Italy) - paper beads
Demitasse (California) - spoons & mustaches
Áurea Joyas (Colombia) - metal & gems
Katrin Hohenschildt (Germany) - brushed silver

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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

I'll let her own website do the talking. Enter the world of Tennessee's Jennifer Culp.

Bonus link:
For more interesting and conceptual jewellery, see Philadelphia's Chun Chun (born and raised in Hong Kong). Pictured are the Dualità salt and pepper shaker rings.

Even more jewellery:

Charlotte Daffern (UK) - bold & conceptual
Tom Tom (California) - diamonds & triangles
Lenora Dame (Pennsylvania) - decoupage bangles
Brenda Roy (Ontario) - metal & stone
Orogami (Italy) - classical gold

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Monday, February 8, 2010

It's Morbid Monday, and another installment in our on-going series, Japanese Designers Who Love Bloodied Animals. These killer rings are by London-based Momoko Tamura of momocreatura.

Before you sic PETA on me, here's a herd of perfectly intact animals by Atelier VM (Italy's Viola Naj-Oleari and Marta Caffarelli).

And while we're on the topic of sculpted animal rings, I finally have a chance to post these — the only anteater rings I've ever seen! The first version, on the left, is from 2007; on the right is the latest version. By Argentina's Rita Bambidele Hampton of miniaturas en metal.

Bonus link:
One more sculpted bird, this time from Los Angeles jeweller Gara Danielle. The wrap-around eagle ranges from $126 to $500, depending on your choice of stone (for the eyes) and metal.

Even more jewellery:

Simone Pfister (Australia) - swans & lace
Nick Hubbard (UK) - charming animals
Anne Lene Løvhaug (Norway) - anatomical textiles
Megan Shoemaker (Pennsylvania) - sculptural silver
Suzue Wireworks (California) - gold wire

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Friday, February 5, 2010

All eyes forward, please, as Belgian jeweller and sculptor Arnaud Sprimont gives us a little lesson in morphology.

Bonus link:
Following a similar school of thought is British silversmith Jemma Daniels with this pod ring from her "Reflections of Movement" collection.

Even more jewellery:

Peapod Jewelry (Maine) - pearls & pods
Tom Muir (Ohio) - sculptural silver
Brigitte Berndt (Germany) - modern metal
Susie Ambrose (Arizona) - diamonds & charms
LauraLaura (UK) - buttons & bangles

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Taipei-born, Holland-trained, Tokyo-based textile designer Mina Wu created "Pavlov's Wedding Rings" after reading about his early life of poverty and how his mother used to earn money by knitting. Those would, of course, be dog teeth decorating the glove/ring.

Above, some more yarn rings by Texas jeweller Kelly Stiles. These remind me vaguely of Navajo weaving patterns (though I'm not convinced that the top one isn't a martini). She's also responsible for these sweet rings:

Bonus link:
Recalling another culture native to the Americas are the Aztec pyramid rings by Australia's TMOD. The shanks are emblazoned with messages in Braille; translations are etched inside the bands.

Even more jewellery:

Dennis Nahabetian (New York) - woven & sculptural
Jessica Calderwood (Wisconsin) - bodies on brooches
Kristi Hyde (Georgia) - chunky gems
Drew Perridge (UK) - contemporary metal
Ilana Goor (Israel) - silver & leather

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Wednesday, February 3, 2010

It's time to enter the secret and exciting world of... boxes! No, seriously. Inspired by "Victorian sentimentality, a childhood fascination with concealment, and 18th & 19th century furniture," UK metalsmith Hannah Livingston has taken the simple concept of a box and created an enchanting collection of jewellery. Pictured above is her "casket" ring in oxidized sterling, crystal, white topaz and Florentine paper.

Bonus link: another box ring, this time from Toronto jeweller Carolyn Scandiffio. This piece is from her "Urban Flora" series, which explores the tension between constructed elements and natural growth.

Even more jewellery:

Tomek Berezinski (Poland) - boxes of hair
Steven Medhurst (UK) - sculptural metal
Wolfgang Skoluda (Germany) - antique stones
Ellinor Mazza (Australia) - distressed silver
Darlene de Sedle (California) - gold & opals

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Here in Vancouver, we're going through the warmest winter on record. While ski organizers are frantically importing snow in time for what may be the "Spring Olympics," I say bring on the warm days (no matter what the groundhog says) — and what better way to get in the springtime mood than with these delightful pastel pod rings in silicone and porcelain by Tamara Grüner.

For more from this German jeweller (including the natural pod rings above), visit her website, Schmuck Designerin.

Bonus link:
For plenty of more pods, see Australia's Melanie Honor Clarke. Pictured is her "Proud Pod" ring in silver with blackend exterior and polished interior.

Even more jewellery:

Melinda Maria (California) - pods & diamonds
Barbara Michelle Jacobs (New York) - organic metal
Simona Toninelli (Italy) - fabric necklaces
Paul Finch (UK) - simple & contemporary
Sarah Loch-Test (Ohio) - enamel & felt

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Monday, February 1, 2010

The "Redundant" ring by Israel's Saron Paz comes as a silver or gold zip-tie that you fit around your finger. Once it's snug, snip off the remainder to leave a "precious useless leftover." Just don't try to reheat it in the microwave the next day.

Bonus link:
In a less wasteful frame of mind is New Zealand's Kay Van Dyk, who uses recycled materials in her jewellery; the rings shown here are silver and Formica.