Haati Chai / Amrapali

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

Tova Lund / Savannah Dusson

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

Quazi Design / Morgan Lane-Tanner

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

Stephanie Arm / Nicole Iredale / Fernanda Duso / Panjapol Kulp / Robert Thomas Mullen

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.

Maschari / Ulrike Ullmann

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

Kristina Kitchener / Pera Virens

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

Lunna Menoh / Stephanie Eisen

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

Flavie Michou / Skullis

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

Poppy Porter / Vanessa R Williams

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

Francesca Gabrielli / Pfisk

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

Colleen Roxas / Afranio Antunes

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

Deborah Forrest / Shiki

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

Hannah Kimber / Nessa

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

Jean Hsu / Momshoo

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

Suzi Zutic / Claudio Ranfagni

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

The Rogue and the Wolf / Anna Siivonen

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).

Even more jewellery:

• Stephanie Walton (UK) - 3D-printed & dyed
• Manimal (New York) - mocassin leather
• Ulrike Gürtler (Germany) - colour & metal

Zhenwei Chu / Cloé Hedger

Threadin' resin: gorgeous rings from the "Thread Sculptures in Resin" series by Chinese artist Zhenwei Chu. Visit her site for more (particularly the "Tea Bag" collection!).

Bonus link:
Looking for a thread-thin whisper of a ring, but in metal? You can get one in gold or silver from UK jeweller Cloé Hedger. Her 1 mm bands are designed to be stackable.

Even more jewellery:

• Dominique Denaive (France) - chunky resin
• Esther Sandler (Australia) - framed embroidery
• Holst + Lee (New York) - rope & beads

I-Ting Ho / Drew Markou / Claire Goetschel / Cabbage is King / Jule Ulrike Müller

Please note that there will be no posting on Monday! Thanks and have a great weekend!

Let's do a Friday Five in a Flash, starting with this ring from the disconcerting "Skin Secret" series by Taiwan's I-Ting Ho.

Urban concrete by the UK's Drew Markou.

"Smoking Gun" by Rhode Island's Claire Goetschel.

"Finger Paints" by the UK's Cabbage is King (Greig Alderman).

Cocoon-like "helmet ring" by Germany's Jule Ulrike Müller.

Höllwerk / RXVrings

There's something vaguely, disconcertingly alien — sentient, even — about these "hose rings" from Germany's Höllwerk (Astrid Zipp & Christine Maxand). It's like they're looking at me! I, for one, welcome our new ring-shaped overlords.

Bonus link:
Here's a ring that''s definitely looking at you. Glass and silver ring by Mexico's RXVrings (Ruben Viramontes), who makes lots of eye and skull jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

• Fisheye Jewelry (California) - dyed eyeballs
• Pernille Schou-Elsass (Denmark) - simple circles
• Anna Von Bergmann (Germany) - cabs & cords

Angelo Verga / Hecho-a-Mano

In "Sintered Nature," Damascus steel "flowers" sprout from rings made of wood, metal, and layers of cotton/linen. But before that, they sprout from the mind of Italian jeweller Angelo Verga.

Bonus link:
For more Damascus steel, visit Hecho-a-Mano (German jeweller Markus Buchholz), who has some nice wide bands like the one pictured here.

Even more jewellery:

• Hand Forge (Oregon) - steel & bronze
• Melanie Codarin (UK) - conceptual jewellery
• Eandare (Italy) - ribbon & metal