haoshi design studio / Hudesa Kaganow

Have you started your holiday shopping? Remember: rings make great gifts :)

They also make great pets. Plastic and metal rings from the "Animal" series by Taiwan's haoshi design studio.

Bonus link:
Do you like your animals less... dimensional? Check out this adorable flat cat ring from Italy's Hudesa Kaganow.

Even more jewellery:

• Saba by Geraldine Murphy (Ireland) - silver animals


• Gular Mustafa (Netherlands) - coral & clay


• Emma Fielden (Australia) - modern metal


• Melissa Kandiyoti (Belgium) - deco style


• Elizabeth Anne Norris (UK) - simple shapes

Eszter Máté / Tyes by Tara

Brown paper packages tied up with string? That's nice, Maria, but these are a few of my favourite things. Fabulous string rings by UK-based Hungarian jeweller Eszter Máté. Lots more on her site, including spiraling acrylic and colourful pompoms.

Bonus link:
How 'bout being "tyed" up with a bow instead? Colorado's Tyes by Tara is all about neckties and bowties, including ones for your fingers.

Even more jewellery:

• Noshii (Texas) - string & wood


• Dotty K. (UK) - pearls & bows


• Andrea Quast (Germany) - metal & gems


• My Friend Roze (California) - organic silver


• Makri (Greece) - colourful pavé

Allan Scharff / Sophie Vuldy

Pool, billiards, snooker — no matter what you call it, I suck at it. I'd be perfectly fine with all the world's pool balls being carved into jewellery, especially if the results are as great as these sculptural "Snooker" rings by Danish jeweller Allan Scharff.

He also has several collections of gorgeous metalwork, like these "Ricefields" rings, above. While you're visiting, make sure to check out the "Buddyguards" series for some playful gem settings!

Bonus link:
Here's another set of stacking, undulating bands in multi-tone metal. "Eye of the Deer" rings by French jeweller Sophie Vuldy.

Even more jewellery:

• Jennier Wells (North Carolina) - steel balls


• Bijoudally (Washington State) - lasercut leather


• Broken English (Vancouver) - charm necklaces


• Hannah Stamper (UK) - contemporary metal


• Matthieu Cheminée (Montreal) - textures & gems

Allyson Bone / Satoshi Dáte

Like one of my favourite indulgences, salted caramel, these rings are all about contrast. Decorating the pierced black metal is—did you notice?—a motif of what is normally white and fluffy: bunnies!

Above: more bunnies (and carrots and hearts), this time in wood and polymer clay. All rings above by New York's Allyson Bone.

Bonus link:
Speaking of white and fluffy, here's a white and fluffy felt ring by London-based Japanese fashion designer Satoshi Dáte.

Even more jewellery:

• Lisa Walker (Germany) - eclectic & playful


• Sussanne Thalmaier (Austria) - flowers on felt


• Juila Failey (Chicago) - wings & thorns


• Nancy Rose (UK) - simple silver


• Björn Weckström (Finland) - contemporary metal

Talya Baharal / Christophe Verot

Industrial rings don't often make me feel industri-ous but something about these pieces makes me want to spring into action. They're like little devices designed for rolling, pressing, stamping or whatever else goes on inside those big factories with spewing smokestacks. All rings by New York's Talya Baharal (whose site featuring collaborative work with husband Gene Gnida I mentioned previously here). Don't miss the rest of her series, including organic work that resembles skin and tissue.

Bonus link:
If you like that spiral ring, French jeweller Christophe Verot has a similar piece, as well as other work in resin and silver.

Even more jewellery:

• Crystal Smith (Victoria, BC) - industrial jewellery


• Sarahzona Designs (Arizona) - forged steel


• Will Evans (UK) - modern twotone


• Mimi Vert (Puerto Rico) - ceramic & silver


• Therese Warfield (Australia) - metal & marble

Aoi Kotsuhiroi / Malu Berbers / RoughDiamonds (Maya Bjørnsten)

Crystals, silk thread and lacquer make for a dark and stunning combination. Rings by France's Aoi Kotsuhiroi (don't miss the human hair necklaces!).

For a lighter take on raw crystal rings, see Dutch jeweller Malu Berbers. She also has a great, albeit ring-free, series in white PVC and cotton thread.

Bonus link: RoughDiamonds.dk delivers on its name. Danish designer Maya Bjørnsten does gorgeous work with unpolished gems, keeping things simple and organic.

Even more jewellery:

• Jessica Matrasko (California) - gold & quartz


• Kimberly McDonald (New York) - gems & geodes


• Little Lamb (Australia) - baby animals


• Hannah Brooks (UK) - simple silver


• Les Insolites (Switzerland) - organic metal

Gulnur Ozdaglar / Kathy DellaValle / Mirjam Hüttner

How fitting: a liquid container recycled into a flower that grows on water. Turkey's Gulnur Ozdaglar takes plastic bottles and turns them into all sorts of gorgeous vessels, buttons and jewellery, like these clear lotus rings.

Above, another flower ring made of recycled bottles (pop, milk and shampoo) from Pennsylvania's Kathy DellaValle.

Bonus link: German designer Mirjam Hüttner collaborated with goldsmith Sabine Schwippel to create this wedding band made from a recycled TetraPak box.

Even more jewellery:

• MapleXO (Portland, OR) - recycled skateboards


• Heyday (Vancouver) - porcelain cubes


• Vivian Mayer (Brazil) - metal & gems


• Megan Dawn Harris (South Carolina) - silver & stones


• Shauna Blythe Burke (New York) - organic gold

Dog State / Karenna Maraj

Frankenring and Scary Clown wish you a Happy Hallowe'en Eve. Rings by London's Dog State and available at Goodhood.

Bonus link: for a headless way to get into the Hallowe'en spirit, try this giant spiderweb ring. Hand-pierced out of two sheets of silver by Karenna Maraj of Massachusetts.

Even more jewellery:

• Softprong (Spain) - Jason masks


• Julia Lowther (Seattle) - bats & chains


• Anne-Marie Herckes (Luxembourg) - leather charms


• Barbara Tipple (UK) - metal & gems


• Erin Austin (California) - modern silver

Rita Ruivo / Jen Abrams

Velvet: it's not just for Elvis paintings. While there's a good variety of textile jewellery out there, velvet seems to be under-represented. Portugal's Rita Ruivo remedies that situation with her rings incorporating the lush fabric.

Above, a ring from her MNAA collection, in which copies of antique jewellery from Lisbon's National Museum of Ancient Art were printed onto fabric.

Bonus link: looking for a more casual fabric? New Jersey's Jen Abrams recycles both gold and vintage denim from the '60s, '70s and '80s to create her pieces. Jordache never looked so good.

Even more jewellery:

• Montse Rego (Spain) - tags & textiles


• Sid Vintage (California) - clustered chains


• Emma Glover (Victoria, BC) - contemporary silver


• Ellen Himic (New York) - architecturally-inspired


• Selma Stagg (UK) - glazed ceramic

Linda Schailon / Åsa Lockner

Inventor Joseph Friedman was awarded U.S. patent #2,094,268 in September 1937. The business was incorporated in April 1939. Then came the war, delaying the first sale (to a hospital) until 1947. It's been a long time coming but the bendy straw has finally met its full potential in these colourful, whimsical rings by Italy's Linda Schailon.

Bonus link:
Do you like the bendy? For more bent pieces, as well as a series of gorgeous art jewellery, see Swedish jeweller Åsa Lockner.

Even more jewellery:

• Saloukee (UK) - phenomenal paper


• Emedee (France) - silver straws


• Haji Couture (Chicago) - feather earrings


• Circo (Spain) - brass & beads


• Tavia Sanza (New York) - plastic flowers

Erin Colleen Williams / Daniel Proulx

Making science pretty: "Observation Ring" with magnifying glass.

Making science putrid: said ring with decorative petri dishes.

Check out Philadelphia's Erin Colleen Williams for interesting work in a style I like to think of as "turn-of-the-centry mad scientist." (Turn of the last century, that is — that expression got really confusing around the year 2001.)

Bonus link:
Of course, if "turn-of-the-centry mad scientist" is your thing, steampunk jewellery is where it's at. Robot ring by Montreal's Daniel Proulx.

Even more jewellery:

• Alejandra Koreck (Argentina) - silver & copper


• Albeit (Jenny Lu) (Los Angeles) - delicate typography


• Parts by Heather (Vancouver) - recycled vintage


• Corry Ernsting Suermann (Germany) - modern artifacts


• Lisa Murray (UK) - coils on bands

Lydia Courteille / Encore Jewellery

Jack-o-luxe.

A little Hallowe'en glam in black rhodium, gold and gems from Paris jeweller Lydia Courteille.

Bonus link:
If you like your skulls a little more colourful, Germany's Encore Jewellery has neon resin skulls for €119 a pop.

Even more jewellery:

• Pyrate Style (Germany) - pirate skulls


• Formik (Austria) - Darwin's bracelet


• Annette Dickow Munck (Denmark) - metal & porcelain


• Lauren Ramirez (San Francisco) - oxidized silver


• Genevieve Jones (New York) - safety pins

Magali Anidjar / Tura Sugden / Jurgen Lehl / Kebonikö / Jasmine Matus / Ruth Anthony

I came, I saw, I randomly plucked.

Time again for Random Pluckings from my Bookmarks!

"Loop" rings by Argentina's Magali Anidjar.

Art pieces by San Francisco's Tura Sugden.

Chunky silver from Japan's Jurgen Lehl.

Fun felted flowers from Spain's Kebonikö.

Silver and resin from Australia's Jasmine Matus.

Etched silver swivel rings by UK jeweller Ruth Anthony.

Even more jewellery:

• Jennifer Moss (Michigan) - felt & styrofoam


• Birgit Kupke-Peyla (California) - black & gold


• Maiko Takeda (UK) - shadows & light


• Theresa Burger (South Africa) - silver & stone


• Apodaca Jewelry (Oregon) - metal & gems

Erin Cornell / Tony Creed

The maze symbolizes ability — the compass, purpose. To learn what the others symbolize, and for the full story behind these rings, see the thesis page of Michigan artist Erin Cornell.

Bonus link:
Here's another take on the compass ring. Heavy silver piece by Los Angeles skull-ring specialist Tony Creed.

Even more jewellery:

• Tobias Alm (Sweden) - art jewellery


• Leslie Matthews (Australia) - organic silver


• AK Vintage (Portland, OR) - remade vintage


• Diana Kim England (Massachusetts) - gold & gems


• Buccellati (Italy) - fine & luxe

Galibardy / Shona Macsween

I'm hungry for hippos. Pink enamel hippos.

But I'd settle for coffee and cake.

For a smorgasbord of fun pieces (how cute is that alarm clock ring?), check out the UK's Galibardy.

Bonus link: if hippos are too much for you, how about an elephant? How about just part of an elephant? Trunk ring in silver and modelling clay by the UK's Shona Macsween.

Even more jewellery:

• Stenzhorn (Germany) - pavé animals


• Jewelry Alchemy (Los Angeles) - twigs & chains


• Zo-Landing (France) - crocodile skin


• Mary Odorcic (Australia) - silver circles


• Tito Pedrini (New York) - gold & gems

Frida Sjögren / Shanti Boutique

What's peaceful yet twisted? The yoga ring by Swedish born, Cape Town-based jeweller Frida Sjögren.

Above, more of her gorgeous work in silver and teak.

Bonus link:
Fair trade jewellery shop Shanti Boutique has lots more yoga-themed jewellery, like this ring etched with flowing yoga poses.

Even more jewellery:

• Om Jewels (Toronto) - yoga pendants


• Laura Christie (Scotland) - metal on wood


• Hanna Liljenberg (Sweden) - organic & modern


• Barbara Pliskin (Maryland) - reticulated silver


• Chieko Akagi (New York) - gold spirals

Dina González Mascaró / Lisa Malmgren Åberg / Janamade

"Scrap heaps from a torn-down building" might not seem like an appealing description but it's a look that works in these artfully chaotic rings by Dina González Mascaró. Check out the Vancouver-based Argentinian jeweller on her freshly-launched website! (And if you're in Vancouver, visit her JewellerBau gallery at 2408 Main, right by where Aurora Bistro used to be.)

If it's chaos in colour you want — or maybe some sleek knobs of glass — check out Sweden's Lisa Malmgren Åberg.

By the way: I haven't posted on the weekend in a while but I did on Saturday — scroll down if you missed it.

Bonus link:
This delicate open circle ring is by another Vancouver jeweller (and illustrator), Jana May of Janamade.

Even more jewellery:

• Jessie Turner (Vancouver) - simple & modern


• Primadina (California) - druzy quartz


• Lisa Björke (Sweden) - organic & colourful


• Christopher Trollen (Pennsylvania) - metal & gems


• Kristin Wiepert (New York) - chunky silver

Weekend Quickie: Raïssa Bump

Weekend quickie: yay! An artist I've long admired, San Francisco's Raïssa Bump, finally has her site up and running. Alas, I think these are the only rings, but the rest of her work is well worth a visit [spoiler warning] especially if you like colourful silk thread.

Alice R. Scott / Barbara Stutman / Laura Simeoni

You know you're a metalsmith when silver runs in your veins. This amazing piece by Virginia's Alice R. Scott, bejeweled with a single tooth, is like an external vascular system for your hand.

Speaking of hands, here's another in crocheted silver from Montreal's Barbara Stutman (I've also thrown in some legs for good measure; the ones on the left are a ring and brooch sculpture).

Bonus link:
A couple more hand rings in silver and white Delrin plastic by Australian jeweller Laura Simeoni.

Even more jewellery:

• Black Jewls (Australia) - anatomical pendants


• Handle & Spout (New York) - metallic leather


• Garnett Jewelry (Virginia) - pocketknife necklaces


• Tellurus (Singapore) - pearls & briolettes


• Shelley Strong (Ontario) - textured silver

Märta Mattsson / Jade Moran

Maybe I'm being Jedi mind-tricked but the more I stare, the more a white Darth Vader in the cockpit of a pink TIE fighter makes sense. I mean, of course.

Pink Vader, golden slug and things that look like sour soothers with all the sugar sucked off, all resin, by Swedish jeweller Märta Mattsson.

Bonus link:
Ok, time for a little more Stars and a little less Wars. These cute, silver star bands are by Massachusetts jeweller Jade Moran.

Even more jewellery:

• Patina Studio (Rhode Island) - silver & resin


• Sally Pattrick (UK) - magnifying lenses


• Danielle Gori-Montanelli (Connecticut) - playful felt


• Thomasin Durgin (Tennessee) - mixed metals


• Camilla Gough (Australia) - twotone bands

Amy Johnston / Vernissage

Is the whole more than the sum of its parts? What if its parts are pretty awesome on their own and what makes the whole awesome is that it can be broken down into three awesome parts and that the actual summation itself is a whole other kind of awesome that almost supersedes the resulting sum, which is still, if you will recall, awesome? To summarize: this is awesome.

And so is this. (You wear it with the crescent moon resting on your pinky!) All work above by Oregon's Amy Johnston.

Bonus link:
If you prefer your birds in a more natural habitat, check out this bird nest ring by Italian jeweller Vernissage.

Even more jewellery:

• Sarah Hearey (New York) - feathered birds


• Bridget Catchpole (Vancouver) - recycled packaging


• Katharine Redford (Wisconsin) - silver & glitter


• Anita Quansah (UK) - textile necklaces


• Gisela Seibert-Philippen (Germany) - mixed metals

Kent Perdue / Reclaimed Relics

I think my blog wants to be an IKEA catalogue for Hallowe'en, because we've got more furniture today! These adorable chair rings were created by Tennessee woodworker Kent Perdue.

Above, a piece more befitting a hangar than a living room, from the artist's "wing ring" series.

Bonus link: here's a set of wings from a much smaller entity. Beetle ring from California's Reclaimed Relics, where you'll find lots of great nautically-themed pieces.

Even more jewellery:

• Woven Flesh (Denmark) - cute wood


• Lola & Bailey (Australia) - shadow puppets


• Jill Graham (UK) - modern silver


• Enso Jewelry (Minnesota) - beads & washi


• Giselle Minoli (New York) - botanical metal

Shlomit Ofir / Ruby Diego

Neatniks, take note. In her "Furniture to Jewelry" project, Israel's Shlomit Ofir has created a "storage" line of jewellery consisting of pieces that can store themselves.

Above, another ring from the series. The concept is particularly effective when it comes to the brooches and necklaces with dripping chains, so go check them out now!

Bonus link:
For more furniture jewellery, check out the chair rings and sculptures by Toronto's Ruby Diego; this tall piece is a ladder-back chair.

Even more jewellery:

• Pilar Marsà (Spain) - minimalist ebony


• Ilka Bruse (Germany) - happy flowers


• Cruz (Richard Campiglio) (New Mexico) - silver & gems


• Ghita Kolker (Netherlands) - contemporary metal


• Em's Studio (San Francisco) - beads on hoops

Noir Jewelry / Anjuna Bijoux / Ken & Dana Design

Let's span an even larger distance than yesterday with this two-finger suspension bridge ring — the Brooklyn Bridge, to be exact.

Above, more from New York's Leeora Catalan, who showcases her glam-punk aesthetic with Noir Jewelry.

For more urban jewellery, but tending more hip-hop than punk, check out Anjuna Bijoux of Paris. In addition to a bevy of graffiti rings, they have this four-finger village ring that spells "Anjuna" when viewed from above.

Bonus link: another graffiti ring from the "b-side" line by Ken & Dana Design. I mentioned the NYC duo's "bylu" line in July '05 but they now have a different website.

Even more jewellery:

• Daisuke Sakaguchi (UK) - wearable graffiti


• Susanna Loew (Germany) - folded metal


• Sou Brette by Muqliza Imroni (Indonesia) - urban lucite


• Urban Concept (New York) - simple silver


• Rosalina Lydster (San Francisco) - ornate pavé

Pure Brass Neck / Maria King

Giraffe necks and bridges? Oh yes: if you love things that span long distances, today's your day! Giraffes (which are brooches, not rings — forgive me) and beam bridge poison ring by Scotland's Pure Brass Neck.

Bonus link:
Speaking of pure brass necks, what actually has a brass neck? A brass deer — like this one by Australia's Maria King.

Even more jewellery:

• Sylvie Markovina (Australia) - brass & bakelite


• Hanna Hedman (Sweden) - ethereal necklaces


• iamacrylic by Brendan Fan (UK) - acrylic cutouts


• Dorothée Meier-Gempper (New Jersey) - silver & felt


• Theo Hoffmann (Germany) - contemporary gold

Catherine Maymo / Nea

As scarf weather gets rolling, don't limit the cozy knits and rich hues to your neck only. Fingers need warmth, too! (Pardon me? What are these... "gloves" you speak of?) Crochet rings by Barcelona-based Swiss jeweller Catherine Maymo.

Bonus link:
For more stitchwork, check out Montreal's Nea, where you'll find this ring in great fall colours as well as adorable needlepoint pendants.

Even more jewellery:

• Emmanuelle Esther (France) - bright knits


• Joan Dulla (Arizona) - metal crochet


• Make Believe (Tokyo) - resin flowers


• Suzie G (UK) - boho bracelets


• Saori C. (Seattle) - dainty bridal

cogito, / Francesca Sibylla Augusta FSA

Hello, Mr. Bear! Love the mustache! Wha... wait, what are you doing?? Stop, Mr. Bear, stop!

Bad Mr. Bear.  Baaad.

If you've been looking for something to match your Gloomy Bear paraphernalia, look no further than Japan's cogito, (with comma). To view their collection, follow their "web shop" links. Below, samples of their less morbid side:

Bonus link: for a super luxe animal head, UK jewellers Zinzi Coetzee and Ursula Horton of Francesca Sibylla Augusta FSA have this golden pig with yellow diamond eyes for a cool £6,440.

Even more jewellery:

• Ysé (France) - animals & charms


• Gemma Draper (Spain) - art pieces


• Ana Eugenia by Anna Hinkes (Oregon) - cutout flowers


• Jennifer Cervelli (California) - metal & beads


• Lindsay Bishop (Maryland) - silver bubbles

Sarah Loertscher / Tessa Blazey / Theresa Mink

Aptly, these scratched-surface rings merely scratch the surface of Sarah Loertscher's portfolio (some of which I've shown, above left). The Seattle artist, also known as lucymachine, draws inspiration from crystalline structures when working on her steel, silver and gold pieces.

Above: for more crystalline structures, check out these "mineral specimen" rings in pyrite by Australia's Tessa Blazey.

Bonus link: Austin's Theresa Mink offers up the uncommon combination of crystals and lucite! The piece pictured here features raw amethyst on top of clear plastic.

Even more jewellery:

• Paulo Segatto (Brazil) - crystals & gold


• Esther von Bach (Germany) - sculptural silver


• Judith Hoyt (New York) - collage on copper


• Britt Anderson (North Carolina) - pearls on loops


• Louise Grønlykke (Denmark) - wavy metal

Rachel Darbourne / Shella Robinson

F-F-L-E has got to be one of the greatest non-suffix word-endings in the English language. You've got tasty words like waffle and truffle, plus raffle and sniffle and muffle and whiffle. You can scuffle and shuffle in a coffle or kerfuffle. Baffled by the piffle? It all leads to today's keyword — ruffle — and today's key artist: England's Rachel Darbourne.

Bonus link:
More ruffles! This sterling silver ring is from the "Ruffles" collection by New York artist Shella Robinson.

Even more jewellery:

• Sandra Di Giacinto (Italy) - pleated paper


• Sally Collins (UK) - metal & textiles


• Sharon Vaizer (Israel) - plastic in water


• Judy Dunn (Massachusetts) - polymer clay


• Vonhey (Germany) - cord necklaces

Abigail Stradling / Ellinor Stenroos

For gorgeous glass globes galore: UK artist Abigail Stradling. I'm agog.

Bonus link: here's a globe that'll make you feel like you've got the world in the palm of your hand. Ring by Calgary-based Finnish jeweller Ellinor Stenroos (photo from her portfolio).

Even more jewellery:

• GS Lillian (Connecticut) - glass cabs


• Fiona Wood (Italy) - fluid metal


• Emma Ginnever (UK) - modern silver


• Pamela Froman (California) - crushed gold


• Alexandra Jaye Mansky (New York) - pearls & crystals