Jittrakarn Bunterngpiboon / Hazel White

Aaaaaaaand ACTION!  In her "Live Action" collection, Thai jeweller Jittrakarn Bunterngpiboon encourages participation with your ring, bringing you into its creation. The "Build ME" box (above), for instance, can be unfolded into numerous shapes.

Above: more of her interactive jewellery, including pieces from her "Play" collection.

Bonus link: Scotland's Hazel White is a designer and researcher who creates interactive jewellery (like this light ring) to study "the aesthetics, meaning and functionality that jewellery can bring to wearable technology."

Even more jewellery:

• Kate Sandilands (UK) - bright & playful


• Saltalamacchia - Victoria Simes (NYC) - tassels & knots


• Metalista (California) - brass & crystal


• Shirley Park (Toronto) - silver & gems


• Celedonio (Argentina) - florid beading

Ryan Thomas Peters / Miansai (Michael Saiger)

So just what, exactly, is Ryan Thomas Peters offering?

Well, this "teething" ring, for one. For two, and three, and even four, visit the Rhode Island designer's site!

Bonus link:
Add to your collection of meta-statement rings with this "SOLD" piece from New York's Miansai (Michael Saiger), a jeweller who works with bullets, razors and wartime relics.

Even more jewellery:

• Icarus & Co. (New York) - claws & teeth


• Annika Åkerfelt (Sweden) - porcelain bulbs


• BB Becker (Colorado) - quotes on silver


• Kadomi (Japan) - metal & gems


• Hannah Pallett Belben (UK) - clustered chains

dterra (Roberta Ferreira and Jener Laura) / Aline Kokinopoulos

These decorative planters would look nice by the front entrance.

Of course, you'd have to be careful not to step on them. Shrunken vase rings in ceramic and silver by Spain's dterra (Roberta Ferreira, originally from Buenos Aires, and Jener Laura, a native Barcelonan).

Bonus link:
If you've got vases, you need flowers. Aline Kokinopoulos of France has lots of botanical silver pieces inspired by her garden (as well as miniature city rings).

Even more jewellery:

• Molly Dingledine (North Carolina) - botanical metal


• Dörte Scherbartt (Germany) - simple ceramic


• Molly-Hanna (New York) - crystals on fabric


• Laliblue (Spain) - vintage style


• Louise Chesshire (UK) - clean silver

Fernando Akasaka / Urth

Looks like this...

...was attacked by this.

But, not to worry — they're all part of one happy family created by Brazilian designer Fernando Akasaka (whose "Le blob" collection I also mentioned in passing last November).

Bonus link: for another spiky ring, check out this "SuperStud" created by Stephen Webster for Urth, a Beverly Hills jeweller that buys its gold directly from miners and reinvests profits back into the communities where the gold was mined.

Even more jewellery:

• Victorian Death Kult (New York) - talons & bones


• Les Floralies (Japan) - romantic roses


• Meghan Donahue (Maine) - organic metal


• Karin Mugnaini (Switzerland) - shells & beads


• Marika O'Sullivan (Ireland) - enamel & silver

Jess Jones / Chaya Studio

"Personalized jewellery" doesn't have to mean monogrammed rings or a pendant stamped with your birthdate. UK designer Jess Jones offers a more subtle solution with her "Time" rings, a "jewellery system which allows the wearer to mark a significant piece of time." Enter your data (date, time, etc.) into a computer program and it uses the numbers to create a unique shape for your ring. Personalized but private.

Bonus link: here's a ring personalized with someone else's dates. The numbers in this Jimi Hendrix tribute ring represent his birth and death (40 years ago last week). Created for a client by Maine's Chaya Studio.

Even more jewellery:

• Brent Williams Designs (Maine) - fingerprint bands


• Glynneth B (California) - glam punk


• Eiko Yoshida (UK) - mixed media


• Alessandro Petrolati (Italy) - metal & stones


• Three Little Pearls (Chicago) - simple pearls

Rivka Dieho / Maurie Polak

The cure for a chilly, drizzly day? Cozy colour. Rings in knit wool, silk and magnets by Amsterdam's Rivka Dieho.

Bonus link:
If you're yearning for something a bit more luxurious than regular wool, there's this piece lined with cashmere. Ring by Rhode Island's Maurie Polak.

Even more jewellery:

• Huei Hsuan Sun (Rhode Island) - yarn & silver


• Jin ah Jo (Australia) - acrylic & steel


• Nina Mann (Michigan) - contemporary metal


• Alison Evans (UK) - bead clusters


• Arcangelo Bungaro (Italy) - stones & coral

Luisa Bruni / Lise Schønberg

Now that summer is officially over, it's time for rain, rain and rain. I should be sick of the wet stuff but I can't get enough of these "Plink!" rings by Italy's Luisa Bruni.

Of course, the plus-side of living in rainy Vancouver is that when it's dry, it looks a little like this.

Bonus link:
A clear sky wouldn't hurt right about now. Maybe I can appeal to the weather gods with these blue sky rings by Norwegian jeweller Lise Schønberg.

Even more jewellery:

• Pilar Walteros (UK) - drops & ripples


• Elizabeth Staiger (Ohio) - sculptural metalwork


• Helena Sandström (Sweden) - plush balls


• Raewyn Walsh (New Zealand) - oxidized silver


• Jeelee Jewelry (Toronto) - beads & wire

Dominique Thomas-Vansteenberghe / Superstar in Fashion (Ann Lund Würtz)

Dominique Thomas-Vansteenberghe has lots of jewellery for your fingers... but no rings. That is, you won't find any circular bands in her gallery. The Belgian jeweller revels in non-traditional shanks, from T-bars to vesica pisces to an unclosed, twisting line, all designed to adorn your fingers. Just no rings.

Bonus link: Denmark's Superstar in Fashion (Ann Lund Würtz) also has plenty of multi-finger rings, though hers do use the familiar bands of a typical ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Lorena Kritz (Argentina) - circles & silver


• Vincent Durbák (Slovakia) - sculptural & experimental


• Alexandra Dillon (California) - symbolic charms


• Daniel Widrig (UK) - nylon bangles


• Dalya Luttwak (Maryland) - body ornaments

Tamara Navama / Tom Schmelzer

I can't quite decipher Israeli artist Tamara Navama's "I Am Writing" series. With those tangled connections of copper wire, perhaps it's a commentary on email and modern communication. Or maybe it's just stylized chicken scratch. Either way, visit her site for more.

Bonus link:
There's no way you'd miss what this ring has to say. German artist Tom Schmelzer's ring is embossed with letters so sharp, they cause pain to the wearer. Visit his site to find out why.

Even more jewellery:

• Ebon Heath & Mona Ibrahim (NYC/Dubai) - typography


• The Smths Lab (UK) - toy jewels


• Circadian Studios (California) - simple & modern


• Vadjutka - Judit Wild (Hungary) - colourful fabric


• Kim Drosdick (Toronto) - silver & beads

What's New at The Carrotbox

See what's new this week in the shop!

NizA Huang / Dafna Schwimmer Dagan

Can you spot the rings? Taiwanese illustrator, animator and jeweller NizA Huang incorporated all three areas of her expertise in her "Hello Puppet" series. Visit her site to see the video and the jewellery pieces that make up her marionette.

Bonus link: when you're done assembling that puppet, you can start to work on one of Israeli jeweller Dafna Schwimmer Dagan's many puzzles, like this heart comprised of three separate rings.

Even more jewellery:

• Ena Macana (Spain) - toys & Barbie


• Briana Lawrence (Australia) - enamel & silver


• Pedro Loureiro (Portugal) - CAD pieces


• Marya Dabrowski (Rhode Island) - clustered gems


• Catherine K Designs (California) - threaded bracelets

Olga Konopka / Claudio Paniagua / Codigo Mio

Variations on a theme: UK jeweller Olga Konopka plays with many iterations of gold dots on silver.

Meanwhile, Spain's Claudio Paniagua uses the same two metals to explore circles and spheres.

Bonus link: here's another ring with gold dots on silver — only this time, the dots are actually Braille. Designed by Hong Kong's Codigo Mio, a collaboration between jeweller Carol Carmen Xavier and product designer Gareth Joe.

Even more jewellery:

• Meghan Patrice Riley (California) - simple twotone


• Mackenzie Meagor (Australia) - dots & flowers


• Hold Out Your Hand (UK) - silver & felt


• Jewelry by Katey (New York) - wooden beads


• Matt Bezak (Ohio) - cast glass

Allyson Gee / Anna Sue Lorenz

In the artist's own words:

"I am particularly interested in how entomology and lepidoptery collections are displayed in uniform alignment in cabinets and drawers. Drawing aesthetic inspiration from this, I create geometric structures that imitate the display cases that the insects are butterflies are held in."

That artist? Scotland's Allyson Gee.

Bonus link:
Looking for a more vegan-friendly butterfly ring? Germany's Anna Sue Lorenz has this version in silver. She has a whole series of square rings topped with various figures.

Even more jewellery:

• Paula Alves (UK) - hinged butterflies


• Kath Inglis (Australia) - carved PVC


• M. Verbruggen & L. Vandycke (Belgium) - mixed media


• Milk Jewelry (Ontario) - silver hearts


• Rebecca Zelis (Vermont) - rock & beachglass

Fanni Vékony / Grain Design

Have a seat and get cozy with Fanni Vékony.

The Hungarian jeweller also has a harder, industrial side, showcased in a series featuring fiber optic wire.

Bonus link: Washington State's Grain Design doesn't use fiber optic wire but reclaimed electrical wire. The sustainable design company is made up of Chelsea Green, Brit Kleinman, Sami Nerenberg and founder James Minola.

Even more jewellery:

• Alison Bailey Smith (UK) - TV wire


• Pecas (Chile) - bright fabric


• Mo Man Tai (Netherlands) - stainless-steel cutouts


• Kit Burke-Smith (New York) - modern silver


• Bellissima (Colorado) - beads & briolettes

Aquvii / Noemi Klein / Catherine Michiels / Bohem / Luis Morais

What's this?

Does this clue help?

How about now?

Combine all three "skull parts" rings and you get — surprise! — a skull. Rings by Japan's Aquvii.

Above, some girly skulls from London's Noemi Klein (top left), Los Angeles' Catherine Michiels (bottom left) and Japan's Bohem (right).

Bonus link:
For more skulls and jaws, including the "Pearl Story" series that mixes pearls with gold bones and diamond-studded skulls, see Florida's Luis Morais.

Even more jewellery:

• Winifred Jewelry (Oregon) - fruit skulls


• Vita Fede (Los Angeles) - leather & metal


• Povl Larsen (UK) - silver & stones


• Nick Mullins (Illinois) - steel & brass


• Fairytale Jewellery (Germany) - enamel flowers

Mahtab Hanna / Ana M. Lopez

When it comes to making jewellery, London's Mahtab Hanna has the Midas touch. Visit her site for a gallery of amazing sculptural work.

Bonus link:
Perhaps if Midas had owned this ring, he would've avoided his curse. This "Alchemist's Wedding Band" by Texas metalsmith Ana M. Lopez depicts the fabled practice of turning lead into gold.

Even more jewellery:

• Drin & Dran (Germany) - gold & gems


• Emily Miranda Studio (New York) - bold bracelets


• Sassy Park (Australia) - porcelain pendants


• Laura Preshong (Boston) - modern classics


• Bex Bardon (UK) - silver links

Bai Yang Qiu / Henriette White / Blue Barkes

Are you ok with white after Labour Day? I sure am, especially when it comes to this ring in recycled styrofoam by Chinese jeweller Bai Yang Qiu. She has lots of jewellery made from recycled material, like the "$¢ent" necklace of perfume samples!

Ok, what if it's white as in Henriette White? The South African jeweller, who now resides in Holland, made these bright rings using perspex and aluminum.

Bonus link:
There are no archaic rules about black or blue after Labour Day, so I can safely present the UK's Blue Barkes and her slate rings with inlaid silver and sapphires.

Even more jewellery:

• Melissa Curry (Ireland) - bold & colourful


• The Glamourai (New York) - recycled vintage


• F!NK Design (Australia) - sleek aluminum


• Jig Pattni (UK) - white gold


• Antonini (Italy) - contemporary classics