September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Let's wrap up the week (and month) with French artist Marthe Le Basque. The first ring above hints at her main focus: doll hands.

Bonus link:
For another hand, check out this "Alchemy" ring by New York's Metta Metalworks (Kathy Cherry), featuring a vintage oxidized brass button set in silver.

Even more jewellery:

Kirsten Thomas (Ireland) - legged eggs
K/LLER Collection (New York) - brass & quills
Nest Pretty Things (Vermont) - carved flowers

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

This is a ring.

You just have to look at it the right way.

Make that, "look into it the right way." It's a kaleidoscope ring!

Both rings above by UK jeweller Robyn Lees-Pinson; you can read more about her on her other blog here.

Bonus link:
Kaleidoscopes are made of mirrors, just like this ring by Puppensturm, where Germany's Amely Deiss turns tiny toys and knick-knacks into playful jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

Geraldine Fenn (South Africa) - toys & metal
Emma McCallum (UK) - modern silver
Ken Bova (North Carolina) - mixed media

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Step right up to these wonderfully-crafted stair rings by Denmark's Sophie Bille Brahe.

Above, more stairs (or should I say st▲irs) from New Zealand's Eyes of Common.

Bonus link: more stairs in this copper "house" ring by Pennsylvania's Meg Staats, whose work is "inspired by ancient Chinese pottery and its natural/organic forms contrasted with the industrial look of man-made elements."

Even more jewellery:

Step by Step (UK) - red & rhodium
Sandra Enterline (California) - perforated metal
Tasi Designs (Oregon) - oxidized silver

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Beds, bears and blonde pigtails — yes, you're looking at Goldilocks rings! Australia's Natalie McWilliam makes fantastic fairytale jewellery out of anodized aluminum; visit her site for more.

Bonus link:
For more bears, as well as any other animal you can think of (even chinchillas!), check out California's Sigi Jewelry Design.

Even more jewellery:

Psyzoo (Russia) - cute critters
Natsuko Sakurai (Japan) - bright & pretty
Michelle Sandler (Florida) - contemporary silver

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Lovely enamel rings, through and through — literally — by Germany's Birgit Pletzinger.

Bonus link:
For a totally different style of enamel ring, check out these loud, unruly pieces from Sophia Maris Readling, currently doing graduate studies at RISD.

Even more jewellery:

Angeliki Giakoumi (Greece) - enamel & silver
Eglė Tamošiūnaitė (Lithuania) - modern metal
Jennifer Lau (New York) - contemporary metal

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Friday, September 23, 2011

Somebody stop me before I post his entire portfolio! Get ready to be awed by New Jersey-based Chinese artist Bifei Cao, whose metalwork is so amazing that I couldn't help but slip in a couple of non-ring photos, as well. Each thumbnail links to a collection of photos so be sure to click each one!

Bonus link: another Chinese jeweller with ties to the American northeast is Hong Kong's Edward Chiu, who studied at Parsons in New York and is known for his black and white jade jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

Shanghai Tang (China) - enamel & jade
Natalie Luder (Switzerland) - conceptual art
Empress Bijoux (New York) - silver & briolettes

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

"Wear Nature," commands Colorado's Mr. Lentz, and who am I to disobey? Multidisciplinary artist Evan Lentz embeds his wooden rings with preserved moss, so they're safe for black thumbs, too.

Bonus link:
If you can't trust yourself to maintain even dried moss, Texas jeweller Maria Tucker has this "grass" ring made of silver. No mowing or watering required.

Even more jewellery:

Hannah Eccles (UK) - botanical silver
Dull Diamond (Minnesota) - quirky & colourful
Jill Alberts (Illinois) - metal & gems

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

From recycled skateboards...

... to concrete and metal, North Carolina's Haute off the Bench (Tara Locklear) turns urban materials into urban gems.

Bonus link:
For more urban metal, check out Ohio's Nathan Penney for pieces like this graffiti-style four-finger ring in gold-plated brass.

Even more jewellery:

Bottlehood (California) - recycled bottles
Maya London (UK) - leather & studs
George Tsekourloukis (Greece) - silver & stone

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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Maintaining a jewellery blog, you quickly learn that when a jeweller says his or her website is "coming soon," it's probably not. I currently have over 1,800 sites in my "coming soon" file (many sitting unchanged since 2007, when I started keeping track) and over 600 in the "was coming soon but now dead" file. So it's always a pleasant surprise shock when I check on one of these sites and it actually has been updated — like today, when I happily strike Germany's Kay Eppi Nölke from my "coming soon" list.

Bonus link:
For more bandage rings (kiddie style, this time), check out Belgium's Aline Vandeplas.

Even more jewellery:

J.molinari (California) - syringes & pills
Sollis (Australia) - macramé knots
Patrícia Frota (Brazil) - contemporary metal

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Monday, September 19, 2011

These are so adorable I could just stab somebody. With a marshmallow, of course. For a whole lotta cute, visit the cutely-named Twinklebird (Dutch metalsmith Christine de Boer).

Bonus link:
For more adorable animal rings, check out Windy Chou of France, who has pieces like this little donkey in the style of vintage illustrated children's books.

Even more jewellery:

Meg J. Roberts (Virginia) - drawn animals
Club Manhattan (Netherlands) - brass & silver
Marina Babic (Toronto) - contemporary metal

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Friday, September 16, 2011

Closing out the week with some nice white organic pieces from Thai artist Ananda Ungphakorn. Be sure to click "read the rest of this entry" on each project to view all images.

Bonus link: for similar botanical rings with white shanks, check out Argentina's Analuz (Anne Luz Castellanos), who mainly works with silver and enamel.

Even more jewellery:

Kirsty Ward (UK) - botanical silver
Shu Lin Wu (Taiwan) - mokume porcelain
Elsa Sarantidou (Greece) - contemporary metal

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Thursday, September 15, 2011

I think she's really, um, cut out for making jewellery, don't you? Awesome stainless steel rings by Strozz! (Strozzi Abecel P. Rosende) of the Philippines.

Bonus link:
For a smaller cutout ring, UK jeweller Cathy Newell Price has these silver and enamel "secret" rings featuring sweet little cutout flowers.

Even more jewellery:

Alexandra Twin (UK) - botanical cutouts
Monica Branstrom (California) - sea glass & silver
Aviya Hoffman (Israel) - gold & gems

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

While these rings may resemble meringues, marshmallows and creampuffs, they may cause even more weight gain than those desserts — because they're made of concrete! Check out the silver and concrete works of Geraldine Nishi, a Canadian in Italy.

Bonus link: this ring is by another Canadian making concrete jewellery, Ontario's Andrew Goss. (Perhaps the best-known Canadian concrete jeweller is Karen Konzuk, mentioned here in 2005.)

Even more jewellery:

Raine Design (Minnesota) - concrete pendants
Abigail Heuss (North Carolina) - metal art
Ana Moreira (Portugal) - beads & textiles

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Does this shape look familiar?

Maybe now?

Yes, they're hair curler rings! UK artist Pip Jolley honours the women of the 1940s with her "Joanne" collection.

Bonus link:
Get a genuine '40s look — sans curlers — with this lovely ring from the shop of noted vintage collector Carole Tanenbaum (a resident of Toronto).

Even more jewellery:

Desouza Jewelry (New York) - human hair
deMaglie (Italy) - crosses & arabesques
Taneru / mncRo (Japan) - romantic flowers

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Do some Mondays make you wish you could just crawl away from work and back into a cocoon? Italy's Natsuko Toyofuku can help out with this cocoon-like "holes" ring and other hole-y pieces.

Bonus link:
Here's another cocoon ring by Amina Agueznay, formerly an architect working in New York but now creating jewellery in Morocco.

Even more jewellery:

Rinaldo Alvarez (Spain) - cocoon-like
Zoe Robertson (UK) - magnets & fibres
La Pisette (California) - wire-wrapped gems

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Friday, September 9, 2011

Pink bears and green squirrels? What is this, Mars? Well, actually, yes. Resin "Dessin" rings by Japan's Mars.

Bonus link: so, which are you less likely to encounter in the wild (on planet Earth): a green squirrel or a mirrored squirrel? Cute squirrel ring in mirrored acrylic from the UK's Maggie Angus.

Even more jewellery:

Manymals (California) - suspended animals
Culietta (UK) - body chains
Hanna Vanneste (Belgium) - silver & wood

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

These rings bring a new meaning to the term "clasped hands." Proving that clasps aren't just for necklaces are New York's DLC Brooklyn (aka Dirty Librarian Chains, by Susan Domelsmith) with her ring of clasps taken from vintage jewellery (top) and London-based Israeli jeweller Ofra Shelef, whose silver clasp ring (bottom) is one of many clasp pieces in her collection.

Bonus link:
Looks like this non-clasped pair of hands is in the midst of one of those awkward missed high-fives :) Cute "children" ring by Brazil's Nicole Uurbanus.

Even more jewellery:

Gudrun Wörn (Germany) - chains & clasps
Sarah Nasby (Toronto) - findings jewellery
Jessica Beyer (Ohio) - simple copper

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

In math class, did you ever complain that you'd never need to know that stuff in the "real world"? Lucky for us, it looks like UK jeweller Rose Warner sensed those geometry lessons would come in handy and took excellent notes.

Bonus link: someone else who paid attention in geometry is Romania's IP Jewelry Design (Izabella Petrut), who's all about circles, squares and triangles. Her site is still under construction but you can browse her blog.

Even more jewellery:

Okiiko (Lithuania) - lasercut shapes
Intellectural Property (LA/TX) - coins & medals
Amy Madge (UK) - balls & links

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

It's back-to-school time for many! I used to love shopping for new school supplies — but since I don't need to anymore, I'll satisfy my craving with this supply of stationery rings from Venezuela's Tatiana Tischenko.

Bonus link: already thinking ahead to graduation? New York's Salt + Stone suggests these owl rings would make a great graduation gift, as owls symbolize wisdom. Available in their shop here.

Even more jewellery:

Kikki K. (Australia) - silver scissors
Peppercotton (New York) - tubes of crystal
Popp & Skou (Denmark) - wooden circles

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Monday, September 5, 2011

As Labour Day marks the end of ice cream season, here are some rings that look as though they're melting like a vanilla cone under the sun. Fine silver jewellery by Israel's Chen Fuchs.

Bonus link:
This silver ring is from the "Melt Me" collection by UK jeweller Handmade by Trudy. Each piece is unique since the melting process is unpredictable.

Even more jewellery:

Molten Jewellery by Aleanna Mason (UK) - silver & glass
Creeping Vine Designs (New Mexico) - sprouting tubes
Hsiu-Hsuan Huang (Netherlands) - organic & natural

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Friday, September 2, 2011

I had to be predictable and have "F" stand for Floral Friday because how could I pass up these seriously gorgeous hydrangea rings by Germany's Sofia Schaffstein? I'm coveting hard.

Have a more-than-satisfying Saturday and a sensational Sunday!

Bonus link:
If you love hydrangeas like I do, definitely check out the work of South Africa's Michelle Robyn Stewart, whose focus is on these pretty petals.

Even more jewellery:

Lisa Salisbury (UK) - flowers & pebbles
Julia Oehler (Germany) - roses & lilies
Silver Seasons (Connecticut) - berries & peas

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

It's Thread Thursday, thanks to UK textile designer Sarah Grew and her spool rings with fabric and thread!

Bonus link:
Continuing on the thread thread, here's a silver and resin ring with inlaid thread by Australia's Madeleine Chalfant Yates (you can choose your own colour).