Yong Joo Kim / Lauren McAdams

Serenity now. Like a miniature version of ikebana, this perfectly-balanced piece is utter Zen.

All rings above by Rhode Island's Yong Joo Kim, who aims to "reconfigure the ordinary."

Bonus link: you can also meditate on this "Zen garden" ring by Texas-based Lauren McAdams. The sand and miniature rake allow you to arrange your own personal rock garden.

Even more jewellery:

• Karin Kato (Japan) - sand & resin


• Jeong Eun Lee (Korea) - alchemy pendants


• Catherine Woodall (UK) - domed leaves


• Lili Ujueta (Germany) - contemporary silver


• Marco Balderi (Italy) - organic gold

Katie Rearick / Beat Black (Sarah Norton)

Jewellery that provokes a gut reaction: these rings are made of silver, steel, citrine and, yes, gut. For the story behind her "Gnaw" series, visit Michigan's Katie Rearick.

Bonus link: these rings may be more eye-popping than gut-wrenching. "Opti" eyeball rings in polymer clay by Toronto's Beat Black (Sarah Norton).

Even more jewellery:

• Lillian Crowe (New York) - ribs & hearts


• Hannah Warner (UK) - skulls & coral


• Owlita (Oregon) - feather earrings


• &c. (Seattle) - vintage chains


• Mónica Gómez (Colombia) - contemporary silver

Yasmine Ellis / Dottyral

I know I posted some other measuring tape rings just a couple of months ago but I couldn't pass these ones up. What I really like about today's designer is how she uses measuring tape to "draw" images, coiling the coloured tape into miniature sculptures.

Like so! For more, see Australia's Yasmine Ellis.

Bonus link: perhaps you're a seamster/tress who's looking for both form and function in your jewellery (unravelling that measuring tape would be a shame). For you, Maryland's Dottyral offers a number of pincushion rings.

Even more jewellery:

• Glücksli (Switzerland) - thread & charms


• Jessica Worley (UK) - conceptual textile


• Yuki Sumiya (Japan) - metal art


• Lyndsay Caleo (New York) - modern classics


• Kirsten Louwrier (Netherlands) - knit necklaces

Kyla Jay / Jaana Tuomisto / Find Me Riveting

Kicking off another World Cup weekend is this "Lego Legs" ring by Australia's Kyla Jay.

Also turning toys into rings is Finnish jeweller Jaana Tuomisto. Have a fun weekend, everyone!

Bonus link: Calgary's Find Me Riveting knows all about children's playtime. Her carousel ring is part of a five-piece set that can be assembled into a miniature playground (visit her site for the rest, like the monkeybars bracelet).

Even more jewellery:

• Tussilago (Sweden) - children's necklaces


• Philippe Kindelis (UK) - lego & zipties


• Kotsu-Kotsu (Japan) - button clusters


• Juliet Rutigliano (Connecticut) - studs & sticks


• Michele Grady (New Jersey) - copper & silver

Cindy Ashbridge / Greetje van den Geest / María Goti

Some people like sprouts in their sandwiches. I like sprouts in my rings — and so does England's Cindy Ashbridge, who magnifies her silver patterns with an overlay of magnifying quartz.

Here's a wild piece with gold tentacles sprouting far and wide by Dutch metalsmith Greetje van den Geest.

Bonus link:
One more cute sprout ring in oxidized silver, from the "three petals" collection by Spanish jeweller María Goti. She has some great rings in her "el viejo balancín" series, too!

Even more jewellery:

• Susanne Elstner (Germany) - metal sprouts


• Lu Pin (Poland) - silk thread


• Melanie LeBlanc (Toronto) - organic & textured


• Charlotte Brown (UK) - stamped silver


• Sue Aygarn-Kowalski (Massachusetts) - bubbles & pods

Laura Potter / Kami Designs (A Mi Kim)

Trees aren't the only things whose rings reveal their age. "How Old I Am" is an ongoing project by UK artist Laura Potter. In her own words: "I made approximately 100 rings using 0.5mm 18ct gold wire. Each year on my birthday I solder one ring closed around another, thereby producing a chain of connected circles that may be worn together as a ring. The body of the ring builds over time, with each separate wire circle representing a complete year of my life.
This ring will only be finished when I am."

Take an extended lunch, because she has a large portfolio of conceptual jewellery, etc., to explore.

Bonus link:
For a similar concept, check out this "annual ring" with tree-like rings by Kami Designs, aka Sydney- based Korean jeweller A Mi Kim (visit her site for a better view).

Even more jewellery:

• Sara Ferrari (Italy) - timeline bracelets


• Robin Quigley (Rhode Island) - art jewellery


• Chloe Shay (Australia) - silver & colour


• Dinny Hall (UK) - simple & modern


• Roarke (New York) - beads & leather

Theresa Hauser / Vanessa Neily / Tom Machin

No need to get snippy — unless you're wearing this brass and silver scissors ring by New York metalsmith Theresa Hauser.

And if you wanted to cut into something a little tastier than paper, Halifax jeweller Vanessa Neily has this knife and fork set.

Bonus link: complete your table setting with this melted silver spoon ring by England's Tom Machin. The eco-minded designer also has a peach pit ring!

Even more jewellery:

• Lizzy Lawrence (UK) - recycled cutlery


• Q Hisashi Shibata (Japan) - puffy scissors


• Lauren Vanessa Tickle (New York) - dollar bills


• Emma Sher (Australia) - geodes & silver


• Josephine Bergsøe (Denmark) - metal & gems

Takashi Fujimori / Sed Jewelry Design

Four is an unlucky number in Japanese but jeweller Takashi Fujimori's "tetra" ring is safe, since you can really only see three colours at a time. Worn on or between the fingers, in four possible colour configurations, it's really eight rings in one for the lucky owner.

Bonus link:
For another ring with a triangular arrangement of primary colours, check out this piece by Belgium's Sed Jewelry Design.

Even more jewellery:

• Kree8tive Jewellery (UK) - rainbow colours


• Lauren Blais (Massachusetts) - art jewellery


• Aileen Gural (New York) - string & stones


• CruzDellacasa (Argentina) - beaded neckpieces


• Beer in Blik (Belgium) - silver & flowers

JooHyun Lee / Jill K. Davis

Tomatoes, bell peppers, blueberries, rings — all wonderful things that grow in greenhouses.

For lots more of interest, including this ring with interchangeable globes, see New York metalsmith JooHyun Lee.

Bonus link:
She may not have greenhouses but Brooklyn's Jill K. Davis has plenty of this house. Her entire collection features the same cute, simple abode you see on this ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Katherine Rudolph (New Hampshire) - architectural forms


• Jennifer Crupi (New Jersey) - conceptual metal


• Cecile Boccara (France) - colourful silk


• Kate Moncrieff (UK) - gold & beads


• Mynta (Montreal) - modern silver

Maricha Genovese / Anna Orska / Naye Quiros

Here's a gem-shaped ring in a material I don't think I've seen treated this way before: wool! See New Jersey's Maricha Genovese for more felted work, as well a series exploring celebrity.

Above: another fluff of white. Just like the ring says, Poland's Anna Orska turns paper (as well as thread and other textiles) into soft jewels.

Bonus link:
Yet another fluffy white ring: this pom pom ring is by Naye Quiros, a Mexican-born jeweller based in Argentina. Visit her site for lots of bold and shiny fashion jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

• Caroline Ellen (New York) - diamonds & gold


• Feisty Elle (California) - felt & wood


• Ana-Maria Pasescu-Stewart (UK) - knotted & braided


• Arianna Pittini (Italy) - paper & metal


• Belinda Giles (Australia) - simple & fluid

Emilie Shapiro / Stonenwater Studio (Jaebeom Jeong)

As I was just saying, I have a love of all things gem-shaped — especially when it comes with a spin, like these "rough rings" by Emilie Shapiro. They showcase marquise- and emerald-shaped silver that's been distressed in a way that "real" gems normally can't be.

The Long Island jeweller has a large portfolio of work (including the pieces above), so get a-visitin'!

Bonus link: speaking of distressed gems... buried here in the sand is a ring from Korea's Stonenwater Studio (Jaebeom Jeong). It's part of the "troves re-traced" series, which explores the concept of worthlessness. [NOTE: there currently seems to be a problem with the Stonenwater website which makes the link unsafe to click on. I will leave the link unclickable but, for future reference, it is www.stonenwater.kr]

Even more jewellery:

• Mallory Weston (New Jersey) - faceted metal


• Laura Saud (Argentina) - modern silver


• Glitter & Twisted (UK) - lasercut acrylic


• Sarah Kovacs (Ohio) - antlers & stones


• Katrin Rohde (Germany) - carved tagua

Selda Okutan / Fabio Cammarata

If I have a thing for gem-shaped metal, can I say I have two things for Selda Okutan? The Turkish jeweller doubles up on the idea with her "Like Diamond" series, which features not just metal gems but also gem-shaped bands.

Above: some of her rings with little figures.

Bonus link:
Italy's Fabio Cammarata is another artists whose jewellery features miniature figures (it's hard to tell in this photo but that globe is made of little silver people).

Even more jewellery:

• Kimberly Willcox (Florida) - figural art


• Linnie McLarty (UK) - modern silver


• Denise Betesh (New Mexico) - gold granules


• Cadyn Cherry Mosch (Georgia) - bead embroidery


• Dolly Rockers (Australia) - bold & colourful

Renee Ugazio / Gi and Pindo

These rings are like the colourful cousin of that magnetic poetry you see on fridges everywhere. I'll let Australia's Renee Ugazio explain (in prose):

"In 'Making Headlines,' the words from donated rubber wristbands were cut out and made available to people at various social, professional and arts events to rebuild into a more personal rhetoric. Through a commodity in which one slogan fits all, this project aims to use the vocabulary of hope (charity) and desire (marketing) to build personal statements that reflect individual ideas, identities and desires."

Visit her site for more.

Bonus link:
Looking for more headlines? Twin sisters Gi and Pindo of Florida make jewellery out of recycled newspapers! The papers are coiled and then sealed to be waterproof.

Even more jewellery:

• Newspaper Jewelry (Indiana) - recycled papers


• Uno Industries (Florida) - ballchains & magnets


• Earthlings (Belgium) - playful & colourful


• Emily Burnett (UK) - enamel satellites


• Guigui Kohon (Argentina) - art jewellery

John Kent Garrott / Imme van der Haak, Nina Sajet, Ilvy Jacobs & Lieke de Koning

I will resist all urges to call these rings HOT or SSSSSMOKIN' and tell you instead that Indiana's John Kent Garrott is interested in change. Once ignited, his combustible jewellery "cycle[s] through certain stages, producing an ephemeral moment and ultimately a transformed result."

Above: his "Spill" and "Five Minute Burn" rings.

Bonus link: charcoal ring made in collaboration for ArtEZ Institute's "Collectie Arnhem" exhibit by Dutch students Imme van der Haak, Nina Sajet, Ilvy Jacobs and Lieke de Koning.

Even more jewellery:

• Moorea Seal (Seattle) - singed wood


• Angela Gleason (California) - political statements


• Lava Jewellery (UK) - contemporary silver


• Anna Cristina (Germany) - geode slices


• Serena Kojimoto (New York) - silver & briolettes

Jakub Śliwowski / Eugen Steier

Big, bold acrylic rings brought to you by Polish jeweller Jakub Śliwowski. In unrelated news, I feel like buying a new tape dispenser.

Bonus link:
Here's another acrylic ring (with silver) from Barcelona-based German jeweller Eugen Steier, whose style tends toward a blend of the minimal and the industrial.

Even more jewellery:

• Claudia Brown (UK) - etched acrylic


• Amalia Versaci (New Jersey) - zipper tape


• Denise Disharoon (Georgia) - simple silver


• Stuart Cathey (Rhode Island) - modern gold


• Umlaute (Denmark) - colour samples

Rebecca Annand / Kyouei Design (Kouichi Okamoto) / Productive Mind (Hideo Nakayasu) / Anne Black

Today is White Wednesday, starting with this silver and plastic "Thumper" ring, above, by Philadelphia's Rebecca Annand.

Nylon and diamond clamp rings by designer Kouichi Okamoto of Japan's Kyouei Design.

Faceted porcelain "Stones" ring by Productive Mind, aka Hideo Nakayasu. He's a member of Novelax, a collective of Dutch-trained Japanese designers.

Bonus link: don't let her name fool you — Anne Black also has white rings in her collection. The well-known Danish ceramic designer, a favourite of mine, makes lots of lovely jewellery and housewares.

Even more jewellery:

• Ali Fife (UK) - geometric porcelain


• Anntian (Germany) - ceramic & textiles


• Ariane Zurcher (New York) - glam gold


• Wladis (Hungary) - simple & chunky


• Ebru Danyal (Turkey) - pink poodles

Stacey Whale / Moritz Glik / Royal Asscher

Previous rings — like this one (follow the "trompe l'oeil" link) and this one — have used magnifying lenses to humorously enlarge a "cheap" diamond. In her "Illusion" series, however, New Zealand's Stacey Whale seals loose gems under a magnifying lens to give the impression that the stones are floating in liquid.

Fine jeweller Moritz Glik of New York has a similar idea with these rings featuring diamonds and gold chips enclosed in double white sapphires.

Bonus link: both ideas collide in the "Stars of Africa" collection by Amsterdam's Royal Asscher. Diamonds are encased in fluid-filled sapphire domes, letting them float as though in a snow globe. Sales proceeds go to help Sierra Leone.

Even more jewellery:

• Matthew Campbell (South Carolina) - floating gems


• Judith Kinghorn (Minnesota) - intricate botanicals


• Hannah Souter (UK) - modern domes


• Chewed by Tuesday (Australia) - chewed pencaps


• Fabio Corsini (Italy) - organic silver

Yoshie Enda / Tonya Tarr

A humble paper towel transforms into a light and airy ring, decorated with stitching in black thread.

Oh. Make that black hair.

For more art jewellery, visit Rhode Island-based Japanese designer Yoshie Enda.

Bonus link:
For more bathroom rings, check out this tub and toilet combo by California's Tonya Tarr. She also has sofas and chairs if you're interested in other areas of the house.

Even more jewellery:

• Grau Wal (New York) - braided hair


• Carolina Martínez Linares (Spain) - glass & porcelain


• Romy Derman (UK) - eclectic clusters


• Sana Doumet (Florida) - silver & gold


• Kim Lucci Elbualy (Pennsylvania) - sculptural copper