April 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Go blonde — without the hassle of root touch-ups. This human hair ring is the creation of Australian jeweller Polly van der Glas, who also dabbles in other human parts, like these:

Also available in cast silver, if you don't want to sink your teeth into the real thing:

Bonus link:
California's Loved to Death, who creates art and jewellery using taxidermied animals, also has human teeth rings, modelled after the Victorian style.

Even more jewellery:

Silver Spur (Colorado) - elk teeth
Christine Mighion (Indiana) - muted gold
Sonya Bennett (UK) - nature-inspired
Claudia Lumer (Argentina) - silver & quartz
Marie Claire Desmedt (Belgium) - eyes & lips

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Thursday, April 29, 2010

I often like to collect images of similar rings from different designers but these, I think, stand on their own. I love the large but fragile shape of these box rings by Edinburgh-based Norwegian jeweller Ingrid Nilsen, who focussed on "the striking difference between the organic and geometric" and "the positive and the negative space of each piece."

Bonus link:
UK designer Lucy Hutchings also works with boxes and cages in her jewellery, but she fills her "structural chain cages" with semiprecious beads.

Even more jewellery:

Tine Latein (Germany) - ball cages
Király Fanni (Hungary) - geometric beading
Kerry O'Connor (UK) - clean & modern
Helle Bjerrum (Denmark) - minimalist silver
Dorothée Loustalot (Switzerland) - aviator earrings

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I imagine there's a planet out there somewhere with plants that look just like these organic pod rings by UK jeweller Samantha Queen. Yes, right down to the faceted gemstones. In space, anything is possible.

Bonus link:
For more organic metal rings with splashes of colour, like the one pictured here, check out the "Some of a Kind" ring series by Israeli jeweller Galit Meushar.

Even more jewellery:

Prunier Vecchio (New Jersey) - organic silver
Tokyo Jane (Denmark) - colourful bangles
Kate Hamilton-Hunter (UK) - recycled tins
Giulia Boccafogli (Italy) - leather & silk
Keiko Mita (New York) - geometric gold

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

As crazy as I am about most things crunchy and salty, pretzels have never been in my snacking repertoire. The shape is much more attractive than the flavour, so I would gladly trade a bag of Rold Gold for just one of these hand-forged iron pretzel rings by French metalsmith Sophie Hanagarth. Fair trade, no? How 'bout two bags?

Bonus link:
For more knotty rings, see London designer Ignacio Gutierrez of Ignacio & Corral. This cast silver piece is from his Autumn/Winter 2010 colllection.

Even more jewellery:

40milia (Spain) - leather knots
Jessica Poole (UK) - clean twists
BRVTVS (New York) - chains & silk
Danielle Embry (Arizona) - enamel & copper
Maria Giertta (Australia) - silver & gems

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Whether it's a reflector or a table cloth or the shoe of a Cabbage Patch Kid, if it's got colour, Jaime Jo Fisher turns it into a jewel! The Texas artist favours bright hues set against playful dots, loops and whirls of silver.

Bonus link: for more colourful rings, check out the acrylic creations of New Jersey's Debra Adelson; rings with silver shanks also available.

Even more jewellery:

Agnes Figueres (Spain) - colour & silver
Merle O'Grady (UK) - bejewelled acrylic
Gravika (Poland) - beaded fabric
Clare Stoker (New York) - simple & modern
Sarah Nehama (Massachusetts) - metal & stone

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Friday, April 23, 2010

Let's close out the week with some playful rings.

Ready?
Set?
Go:

Blocks of fun by Italy's Anna Cino.

Measuring tape rings by Australia's Jess Dare.

Bandage and scotch tape by Belgium's I-L (Isabelle Lenfant).

Comic sound effects by San Francisco's Homeroom Clothing.

Bursting colour by Germany's Barbara Huck.

Toilet (with sparkling bowl!) by California's Rumi Ishino.

Bonus link:
There's always room for just one more playful piece! This sprinkles ring is from the "candy" collection by New York's Wits Productions (Natalia Porter).

Even more jewellery:

Kristina Klarin (Italy) - playful bubbles
LinaPoum (France) - birds & squirrels
The Strutt Sisters (Australia) - cute fabrics
Kathryn Blackmore (UK) - rope & pompoms
Olaria Studio (Massachusetts) - colourful clay

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

Inspired by "ancient artefacts" and "the erosion and texture of materials," UK jeweller Ruth Wood creates rings that may look worn but also beg to be worn.

Imogen Belfield, another UK jeweller, is also drawn to raw, rough forms. Rather than stones, however, her metal rings are embedded with chunks of porcelain.

Bonus link:
Egyptian jeweller Ammal Labib has a lot more pieces featuring raw stones and unpolished metal, including these rings with iron shanks.

Even more jewellery:

Allison Schiller (Illinois) - raw stones
Brigitte Seehaus (Germany) - metal outlines
Handmade by Hayley (UK) - wooden beads
Michelle Lenáe (Seattle) - pale gems
Mona C Fällberg (Sweden) - diamond bands

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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Critically cute critters! These LIPI Zoo rings come as flat sheets of plastic; it's your job to fold the pieces and assemble your personal menagerie. Created by Hungarian designer Ákos Lipóczki of Lipi Design.

A satisfied customer.

Bonus link:
Germany's PYG Design also has flat-packed rings that you fold to wear, though theirs are made of leather. Pictured here is the dragonfly ring; also available in hibiscus.

Even more jewellery:

Marmalade (UK) - vinyl cutouts
Camilla James (Massachusetts) - dripping chains
Riccardo Dalisi (Italy) - pictoral necklaces
MARGOT - Jerzy Szymula (Poland) - metal & glass
Bo JC (Los Angeles) - gold & briolettes

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Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Normally, a shrimp ring means one thing and one thing only: delivery device for cocktail sauce. These rings, however, change all that. By the way... to shrimp or not to shrimp? The answer is always "shrimp." Always.

For more animals and a skewed take on a fairytale world, visit Belgium's Malice in Wonderland.

Bonus link:
Here's another arthropod ring — this time, of the insect variety — by Florida's One Yellow Bird (Liz McKibbon). This cicada ring is made of silver and concrete.

Even more jewellery:

Eleanor Jane Kennell (Pennsylvania) - insect wings
Vanessa Baroni (Germany) - bold plexiglas
Eve Claire Taylor (UK) - contemporary silver
Kristoffer Hoshino (Sweden) - ceramic brooches
Silver Trumpet (Vancouver) - vintage buttons

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Monday, April 19, 2010

Juicy orange, leafy green and iron — a great cure for anemia, perhaps, but also a great cure for a Monday morning. After studying in places as varied as Kuwait and Poland and currently working in New York state, jeweller Coco Dunmire reveals The Secret Life of Jewels through her work in resin and metal.

Bonus link:
Another jeweller who works with iron is Japanese metalsmith Hiroki Masuzaki. This ring features the familiar curlicues of a classic wrought iron gate.

Even more jewellery:

Marianne Anselin (France) - rustic iron
Munsun Schumacher (Germany) - stark & modern
Úna Burke (UK) - leather armour
Subversive Jewelry (New York) - vintage baubles
Neolithic (Australia) - resin necklaces

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Friday, April 16, 2010

Australian-born, Munich-based Laura Deakin closes out our week with these quietly lovely mixed-media "ring forms." (Be sure not to miss her "dishonest pearls" and "confused earrings.")

Bonus link: speaking of confused earrings, here's an earring that looks more like a pearl ring! For more, see Japan's Kyara Accessories, whose "Apolo" collection also includes a "ring" bracelet and "ring" cufflinks.

Even more jewellery:

Simone Werkle (Germany) - art jewellery
Nicola Malkin (UK) - ceramic charms
Lina Christensen (Denmark) - chains & pearls
MIJA Jewelry (Washington, DC) - gold & gems
Brian Hoyano (Vancouver) - contemporary silver

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Thursday, April 15, 2010

I'm ready to join the chain gang. These edgy yet wearable rings are by New York's Armor Jewelry, aka Sandee Shin, who handcrafts each made-to-order piece.

Bonus link: for a double chain ring meant to be worn on one finger, check out this piece from Lisa Freede, a jeweller who splits her time between Houston and Los Angeles.

Even more jewellery:

Luv Aj (California) - brass chains
Derome Brenner (France) - acetate bracelets
Kaylee Russotti (New York) - black & silver
Heather Shaw (UK) - pearls & cameos
Jeremy Waak (Pennsylvania) - jewellery & objects

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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Sponges are cool. No other animal can double as a hand-held tool, allowing us a flicker of Flintstonian reality where birds are hedge trimmers and mammoths are showers. Natural sponges are still out there but, of course, most of us nowadays use synthetics — including Leyla Taranto of Turkey's Toz Design, who made these colourful sponge rings.

Above: another of her rings, from "Gypsy," one of many more collections on her site.

Bonus link: taking us from Phylum Porifera to Chordata is Japan's Yuusuke Hoashi (or "Yusuke" — the double "u" is optional because the romanization of Japanese rolls like that).

Even more jewellery:

Magerit Joyas (Spain) - animals & astrology
Your Future A.F.A.I.R. (France) - gold vertebrae
Sally Leonard (UK) - simple snakes
Panicmama (Oregon) - striated silver
Modern Sacred (New York) - found metals

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Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Yesterday's plastic was all straight lines and black & white; today, we're doing plastic in bright colours and soft waves. (But don't worry, I won't make you pick a favourite.) Finland's Alexandra Lindqvist combines silver and recycled plastic to stunning effect.

Bonus link: here's another flower-like cluster of waves, this time in silver and gold, by Danish metalsmith Kirsten Clausager (who started the Guldkompagniet gallery in Copenhagen with Kasia Gasparski, subject of my Oct. 3 '07 post).

Even more jewellery:

Blandine Bardeau (France) - plastic cords
Tomoko Igarashi (New York) - knotty necklaces
Aurora Palesca (Massachusetts) - eco-conscious
Anna McDade (UK) - etched metal
Susan Dyer (Wisconsin) - quirky & colourful

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Monday, April 12, 2010

Just like the letters in its name, New Zealand's MOXO is all about circles, zigzags and other geometric shapes in lasercut acrylic.

Bonus link:
If you're a fan of the grid rings above, you might also like this version in silver and gold from the "Cosmos" collection by New Mexico jeweller Maria Samora.

Even more jewellery:

Sou Brette (Indonesia) - geometric resin
Sarah Swell (California) - modern metal
Tracey Birchwood (UK) - wire-wrapped porcelain
Agnes Seebass (Germany) - silver & gold
Hualucho (Chile) - Mapuche traditions

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Friday, April 9, 2010

Random Pluckings from My Bookmarks, "Facets and Angles" edition!

"Cracked" metal by New Zealand's Welfe Bowyer.

"Facets" ring by Israel's Tanya Chernov.

"Sprocket" ring by Scotland's Up to Much.

"Prism" rings, inverted and not, by Australia's Eli Jewellery.

Sharp angles from Ecuador's Christian Quintero.

Bonus link:
Here's one more angular ring for the road: silver nested point ring by South African jeweller Oriana Todesco, who likes simple pieces with clean, strong lines.

Even more jewellery:

Ada Zanditon & Luca Romanyi (UK) - plastic hexagons
Claire McAlister (Ireland) - hinged slats
Nektar De Stagni (Florida) - pearls & pyrite
Munsteiner (Germany) - cut gems
Norsola Johnson (Montreal) - modern silver

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Thursday, April 8, 2010

I could've sworn I'd aleady mentioned these but... that'll teach me not to swear, I guess. These rings are what happens when a metalsmith arms herself with a food dehydrator. Shown above are dried pear and apple rings but you'll find many more varieties at La Prochaine Fois, food-centric blog of a Texan in France (the dried fruit rings are here).

You may also be interested in her cupcake rings. Because, listen, they're cupcake rings.

Bonus link:
Speaking of cupcake rings, here's one by UK jeweller Tattooley Rose (Natasha Howe). An inedible cupcake is a sad thing indeed but this ring more than makes up for it!

Even more jewellery:

Petit Plat (France) - miniature food
Trove (Australia) - patterned paper
Emily Kathryn Ward (UK) - silver & lace
Stanley Guess (California) - inlaid wood
Sofia Salinas (Chile) - metal & beads

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Since circles ruled the day last Friday, it's time to give squares their due — I'm no shapist, after all. I'm loving these modern geometric rings by French jeweller Violaine Ulmer.

Bonus link:
We're not done with the quadrilaterals just yet. German jeweller Stina Jagenlauf turns a basic rectangle into a statement piece with this hard-to-ignore ring.

Even more jewellery:

Abigail Brown (UK) - squares & folds
Tam Gannon (Australia) - steel & titanium
Sabrina K (Texas) - knit & beaded
Julia Koenig (Germany) - metal & gems
Shirlee Grund (Seattle) - cutout silver

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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Why can't I get the "Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia" jingle out of my head? Austria's PaperPhine offers up this customizable ring made of her favourite material, paper. More precisely, paper yarn (not surprising for a trained textile artist). A few more from her, below:

Bonus link:
Here's another tower of white, though this one can't be easily trimmed down. This four-column spiralling shell ring is by Sydney-based French jeweller Pierre Cavalan.

Even more jewellery:

Katherine Richmond (UK) - paper pages
Dania Chelminsky-Leshem (Israel) - roots & eggshells
Christine Savage (UK) - silver & rosegold
Nico Delaide (Belgium) - simple metal
Amy Holton (Texas) - semiprecious beads

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Monday, April 5, 2010

Not all Black Mondays are bad. Spanish jeweller (and instructional author) Carles Codina adds touches of life to otherwise stark, even cold, oxidized sterling rings. I love the contrast in shapes!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Clusters of circles, four ways:

Two-layer ring by Portugal's Kali (Maria Catarina Fernandes).

"Flamenca" rings by Spain's Blanca Sánchez.

"Enlaces" rings by Spain's Ana María Ramírez (mentioned in passing last Friday).

Resin and silver rings by Portugal's Liliana Guerreiro.

Bonus link:
Let's make it clusters of circles, five ways. Here's a more organic, cellular take by New Mexico's Kézha Hatier; this is her "coral slice" ring in silver with ruby.

Even more jewellery:

Esma Studios (Pennsylvania) - silver circles
Hugo Madureira (Portugal) - art jewellery
Fannie Schiavoni (UK) - knit chains
Pale Moon (California) - carved bone
Mezze Designs (Massachusetts) - contemporary metal

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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Prepare your eye cones! England's Tusheeta David has a chromatic feast for your eyes, taking full advantage of all the gorgeous colour and shaping possiblities afforded by acrylic. Yum.

Bonus link: for more rings in organic shapes and transparent colour, check out these glass pieces by Japan's Kana Umeda, the designer behind Cthruit (as in "see through it," to point out the obvious).