November 2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Still staying with Norway today — and why would I want to leave, with such gorgeous pieces to admire? Marianne Høvik Hansen works wonders with polyester resin (and silver, but you'll have to visit her site for those!).

Bonus link: after all these pretty rings, I'll be having Dreams of Norway tonight! Silver and crystal jewellery by Norwegian duo Nina Einarsen and Iselin Strømsvåg.

Even more jewellery:

Sigfrid Sannes (Norway) - hearts & stamps
Tessa Edwards (UK) - leather & wow
Venetia Dale (Wisconsin) - conceptual metal

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It's not all sunshine and lollipops.

It's also hearts, cherries, bows and a whole lot of fun over at Norway's Fam Irvoll.

Bonus link: sunshine brings out the best of translucent acrylic. Norwegian artist Siri Berrefjord of Huset Konfekt works with silver and plastic, sometimes casting old Norwegian national costume silver for their patterns.

Even more jewellery:

Julien Bergignat (France) - UV detection
We Dream in Colour (Massachusetts) - brass & verdigris
Twinkle by Wenlan (New York) - jewels & clothes

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Monday, November 28, 2011

A double dose of double roses today, starting with this rose chain ring by Scotland's Lia Julia Burton.

Above, delicate double roses by Japan's Ainsel.

Bonus link:
Every rose post has its thorn post. "Sting of Remorse" double ring in gold, brass and pewter by GALA Curios (Australia's Jasmine O'Loughlin).

Even more jewellery:

Jane West (UK) - silver roses
Virginie Mahé (France) - deco style
Heather Joy Puskarich (Pennsylvania) - glass cuffs

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Lions and tigers and b... oh, wait. Don't worry, Dorothy — what we actually have here are the noses of a lion (top), a squirrel (bottom left) and a rabbit (bottom right) from Japan's Jun-Roku ("reindeer," the artist's favourite animal because of Christmas). She started out designing furniture until she realized, hey, furniture is big, and tried her hand at making a frog ring instead. The rest is history. Explore her site for tons more animal-shaped pieces!

Bonus link:
If you'd like a full lion, there's this silver ring from England's Larela Jewellery, who draws inspiration from animals found on historical coats of arms.

Even more jewellery:

Miel-Margarita Paredes (Oregon) - animal accessories
Vanessa Montiel (California) - gold & horn
Petra Hartman (Netherlands) - art jewellery

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Thursday, November 24, 2011

A colour combo normally reserved for baby boutiques gets refreshed in these striking pieces by New Jersey artist Thea Clark. The silk fabric gets its hue from the process of cyanotype, a photo-printing method.

Bonus link:
These pink and blue baby rings come naked but can be stacked with a white diaper ring! See more lasercut acrylic at Tennessee's LicketyCut.

Even more jewellery:

Laloul (Belgium) - pregnancy pendants
Lenka's (Vancouver) - metal lace
TinkPink (Japan) - diamonds & gold

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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Resin + wood. They're like the chocolate and peanut butter of the ring world — not only do they go great together, they can be smooth and chunky. Scotland's Maeko is the latest matchmaker to catch my eye with these pieces (some of which also include glass and silver).

Bonus link:
Speaking of smooth and chunky, check out this ring featuring a glorious globe of gold-coloured resin! It's one of many simple but eyecatching styles from Australia's Pod People Designs.

Even more jewellery:

Carla Edwards (UK) - colourful resin
Gemmasu (Spain) - colourful briolettes
Cardillac (Netherlands) - sleek & brushed

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

In her "Ring Romance" series, UK jeweller Mairi Burrow presents a set of pearl rings that can be "carried about and placed anywhere" so that "the owner can access her choice of ring to wear and delight in viewing the other two." Three rings are set in four layers of perspex with rose petals as a backdrop.

Bonus link:
German jeweller Eva Strepp specializes in simple, minimalist pearl jewellery. She enjoys the shape of pearls and the concept of "no corners, no edges defining a direction."

Even more jewellery:

Adler-Grier (New York) - pearls & beads
Mayuko Yamamura (Japan) - chain lace
Vera Manzoni (Portugal) - silver & topaz

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Monday, November 21, 2011

Braille use may be declining due to technology (like electronic screen readers) but Braille jewellery endures. Above, top, is a ring by Greek designer Panagiotis Megalooikonomou, who has a cool range of sandblasted silver jewellery with an industrial bent. Also pictured are colourful Braille rings by Bangkok's Stopshop, created for the charity Foundation for Blind in Thailand.

Bonus link: speaking of technology... ever read something on Twitter that deserved to be immortalized? Get it engraved on your own Tweet Ring (a division of Dutch company Alphabeth).

Even more jewellery:

Talkatoo (Michigan) - voice recordings
Sophie Duran (Netherlands) - conceptual art
Melissa McArthur (UK) - simple stones

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Friday, November 18, 2011

In stark contrast to yesterday's urban/industrial rings are these raw wood pieces by Gustav Reyes. The Chicago jeweller's Ad Idem ("of one mind") series uses salvaged wood from other craftspeople.

Above, some more natural wood rings from Ontario's The Woodlot, who use fallen trees and reclaimed lumber.

Bonus link:
These "Bentwood" rings by Contexture (Vancouver duo Nathan Lee and Trevor Coghill) are made with reclaimed architectural wood veneer offcuts.

Even more jewellery:

Emedemarta (Spain) - wooden triangles
Emma Palmer (UK) - tatted thread
Dana Rocks (California) - pebbles & silver

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

Inspired by the laneways of Melbourne, these silver and powdercoated brass rings make me think of origami using 3D objects rather than paper! By Australia's Bin Dixon-Ward (also check out her work in plastic).

Bonus link:
Here's another powdercoated ring from another Australian jeweller, Puneet Jodhka. Like many of her pieces, this spacer ring doubles as a functional vessel.

Even more jewellery:

Maria Sköldin (Sweden) - powdercoated steel
Luna Cox (France) - beads & brass
Silver Sparrow Designs (Colorado) - silver & stone

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I like the juxtaposition of solid and meshed asymmetrical hexagons in these rings from UK-based Portugese jeweller Filipa Oliveira.

Bonus link:
These hexagonal metal solitaires from Germany's Cocii (Claudia Lassner) are like a simplified version of the rings above!

Even more jewellery:

Catherine Grisez (Seattle) - metal art
Sadie Wang (Tennessee) - silver & resin
Keck (Austria) - contemporary classics

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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

I'm not usually one for pink but this plastic flower ring from Greece's La Touf (Kostas Latoufis) makes me smile. Also shown are his pinwheel-like titanium flower ring and actual pinwheel necklace. (Hint: when you go to his site, click on the "O," wait for "showroom" to appear, then click on that.)

For more pinwheels, check out Swedish-born, Philadelphia-based Tess Norberg of Nova Design.

Bonus link: apparently, when a European jeweller moves to the states, the first order of business is to make a pinwheel! Here's another from French-born, New York-based Virginie Millefiori.

Even more jewellery:

Stephen Dove (California) - wheel pendants
Erin Lightfoot (Australia) - printed porcelain
Mikaela Lyons (UK) - eclectic art

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Monday, November 14, 2011

I'm loving these bold yet simple knuckledusters in silver, horn and quartz from New York's Lisa Linhardt.

Here's another knuckleduster. Which also happens to be a sandwich. Yep, it's a knuckle sandwich!

All miniature food rings above by Fingerfood Jewelry. In case the poutine didn't tip you off, they're based in Montreal (while the Iced Vo Vo lets you know they're originally from Australia and the hot dog lets you know they like mustard).

Bonus link: two fingers worth of sandwich may need two fingers worth of teeth, so pick up this "Over Bite" ring from France's True Lies. Made with real human teeth, which are "more precious than gold."

Even more jewellery:

Bistro Bling (Connecticut) - miniature food
KaroArt (Ireland) - ceramic beads
Brigitte Dombrowski (Germany) - twotone metal

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Let's do another Casual Friday, wherein I post a ring...

...and then I relax the rules to highlight some of the designer's other amazing jewellery. Today's artist? Ireland's Sadhbh McCormack.

Bonus link:
We now return to our regularly scheduled program. For smaller spikes, this time on rings, check out New York's MAL (Marisa A. Lomonaco).

Even more jewellery:

Naomi McIntosh (UK) - bold & modern
Ranjana Khan (New York) - ornate necklaces
Metal Embryon (Japan) - geometric patterns

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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Time again for Random Pluckings from My Bookmarks, starting with this "Angel" ring in rhodium-plated silver from My. A Jewellery (Myrto Anastasopoulou) of Greece.

Cute initial rings from Argentina's Omar Maldonado.

Origami and sprouts from Italy's Kiyoko Hosoda.

Resin squares from Australia's Emerald Green Submarine.

Clear loops from Quebec's Catherine Sheedy (gallery at page bottom).

Bonus link: Silver Ebony, as you may have guessed, offers pieces in silver and ebony. UK jeweller Barry Swerdlow also adds the distinctive pattern of zebra shell to make this work his own.

Even more jewellery:

Diana Dudek (Germany) - art jewellery
Delilah Devine (Australia) - wallpaper silhouettes
Susie Brand (Ohio) - silver & briolettes

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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

If you ever feel like you need an antidote to the multitude of cute bird and deer rings out there, Spain's Glenda López is the designer for you. Pictured above are her hyena and wild boar rings.

And here's a Disney antidote: her "Forever Mouse" ring.

Bonus link:
Some more pigs, in silver and brass, from Julia Burness. The UK jeweller likes to use fair trade and recycled metals.

Even more jewellery:

Rima Hyena (Texas) - modern relics
Anna Häggström (UK) - skulls & tassels
Choo Yilin (Singapore) - sustainable luxury

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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Soft, organic, almost... fleshy. That's the result when two designers aim to "create objects that grow from or around the body." Wool and silicone rings by Romania's O-pose.

Above, some more woolly "mosha" rings from Japan's Calyx.

Bonus link:
Warm up with more wool! Pictured is a simple and lovely braided ring by Miss Tinguette (Marin Déborah, a Belgian jeweller living in France).

Even more jewellery:

Tanya Aguiñiga (California) - wool lace
Emille de Blanche (Sweden) - metal necklaces
Angela Walker (Pennsylvania) - silver & beads

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Monday, November 7, 2011

I just realized that the colours of autumn in Vermont are the same as the colours of summer in the Caribbean.

These colours, on the other hand, are unmistakably autumnal! All rings above by Germany's Christiane Oexl.

Bonus link:
Some more Vermont foliage colours from an artist who calls that state home, Erin Inglis. The jeweller and illustrator makes her pieces by drawing on shrink plastic.

Even more jewellery:

Karen Krieger (Vermont) - leaves & frames
Studio Fludd (Italy) - faceted wood
Caroline Reynolds (UK) - metal & stones

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Friday, November 4, 2011

As you may have noticed, this is a blog about rings. Once in a while, though, even I have to acknowledge that it's the other jewellery that are the stars of a particular designer's collection. So let's check out these fun "dash" rings (above), then call it a casual Friday and bend the rules by also checking out the gorgeous earrings and cuffs of Olive by Rahya (Rahya Blackwell). The New Orleans native was inspired by the city's "romance, architecture and enchantment."

Bonus link: here's a westcoast interpretation of that quatrefoil shape. See Portland, Oregon's Acanthus Jewelry (Nichole McIver) for lots of pretty jewellery featuring tiny gold-filled beads.

Even more jewellery:

Adorn & Conquer (Louisiana) - New Orleans
Dorus Mhor (UK) - patterned balls
Sonya Scott (Australia) - chalk & fishlens

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

The "Living Ring" and hand ornament are just two of many interesting pieces from Massachusetts metalsmith Avery Lucas, whose ideas come from "anxiety I feel about the corporal self."

Bonus link:
For me, anxiety is usually induced by birds, like this too-real ring from New York's Mielle Harvey. The artist's portfolio is full of nature-inspired jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

ScienceCrush (Seattle) - anatomical hearts
Cara Tonkin (UK) - bold silver
KimberlyAnn (New York) - etched metal

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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

"I flipped my horse!" Is that an expression? Well, it is now. I flipped my horse when I saw these knuckledusters from UK jeweller Birgit Marie Schmidt. The upside-down headless horses are made of brass and gold and awesomeness.

Bonus link:
Here's another headless horse ring! This horse hiney, designed to look like it's jumping into your finger, is from Hong Kong's Timbee Lo (they also have a "jumping OUT" ring).

Even more jewellery:

Catherine M. Zadeh (New York) - bits & bridles
So Plastic (Italy) - plastic straws
V2 (Belgium) - wrapped leather

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

You may have thought yesterday's rings were peculiar but I've saved the real peculiar for today: South Africa's Lady Peculiar! Peculiarly, their rings are more adorable than strange.

Bonus link:
For more adorable, scalloped silver, like this "Antonella" ring, see Mexico's Gaia is Love (Michell Galindo). I especially love her tiny elephants.