Marthe Le Basque / Metta Metalworks (Kathy Cherry)

Let's wrap up the week (and month) with French artist Marthe Le Basque. The first ring above hints at her main focus: doll hands.

Bonus link:
For another hand, check out this "Alchemy" ring by New York's Metta Metalworks (Kathy Cherry), featuring a vintage oxidized brass button set in silver.

Even more jewellery:

• Kirsten Thomas (Ireland) - legged eggs


• K/LLER Collection (New York) - brass & quills


• Nest Pretty Things (Vermont) - carved flowers

Robyn Lees-Pinson / Puppensturm (Amely Deiss)

This is a ring.

You just have to look at it the right way.

Make that, "look into it the right way." It's a kaleidoscope ring!

Both rings above by UK jeweller Robyn Lees-Pinson; you can read more about her on her other blog here.

Bonus link:
Kaleidoscopes are made of mirrors, just like this ring by Puppensturm, where Germany's Amely Deiss turns tiny toys and knick-knacks into playful jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

• Geraldine Fenn (South Africa) - toys & metal


• Emma McCallum (UK) - modern silver


• Ken Bova (North Carolina) - mixed media

Sophie Bille Brahe / Eyes of Common / Meg Staats

Step right up to these wonderfully-crafted stair rings by Denmark's Sophie Bille Brahe.

Above, more stairs (or should I say st▲irs) from New Zealand's Eyes of Common.

Bonus link: more stairs in this copper "house" ring by Pennsylvania's Meg Staats, whose work is "inspired by ancient Chinese pottery and its natural/organic forms contrasted with the industrial look of man-made elements."

Even more jewellery:

• Step by Step (UK) - red & rhodium


• Sandra Enterline (California) - perforated metal


• Tasi Designs (Oregon) - oxidized silver

Natalie McWilliam / Sigi Jewelry Design

Beds, bears and blonde pigtails — yes, you're looking at Goldilocks rings! Australia's Natalie McWilliam makes fantastic fairytale jewellery out of anodized aluminum; visit her site for more.

Bonus link:
For more bears, as well as any other animal you can think of (even chinchillas!), check out California's Sigi Jewelry Design.

Even more jewellery:

• Psyzoo (Russia) - cute critters


• Natsuko Sakurai (Japan) - bright & pretty


• Michelle Sandler (Florida) - contemporary silver

Birgit Pletzinger / Sophia Maris Readling

Lovely enamel rings, through and through — literally — by Germany's Birgit Pletzinger.

Bonus link:
For a totally different style of enamel ring, check out these loud, unruly pieces from Sophia Maris Readling, currently doing graduate studies at RISD.

Even more jewellery:

• Angeliki Giakoumi (Greece) - enamel & silver


• Eglė Tamošiūnaitė (Lithuania) - modern metal


• Jennifer Lau (New York) - contemporary metal

Bifei Cao / Edward Chiu

Somebody stop me before I post his entire portfolio! Get ready to be awed by New Jersey-based Chinese artist Bifei Cao, whose metalwork is so amazing that I couldn't help but slip in a couple of non-ring photos, as well. Each thumbnail links to a collection of photos so be sure to click each one!

Bonus link: another Chinese jeweller with ties to the American northeast is Hong Kong's Edward Chiu, who studied at Parsons in New York and is known for his black and white jade jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

• Shanghai Tang (China) - enamel & jade


• Natalie Luder (Switzerland) - conceptual art


• Empress Bijoux (New York) - silver & briolettes

Mr. Lentz (Evan Lentz) / Maria Tucker

"Wear Nature," commands Colorado's Mr. Lentz, and who am I to disobey? Multidisciplinary artist Evan Lentz embeds his wooden rings with preserved moss, so they're safe for black thumbs, too.

Bonus link:
If you can't trust yourself to maintain even dried moss, Texas jeweller Maria Tucker has this "grass" ring made of silver. No mowing or watering required.

Even more jewellery:

• Hannah Eccles (UK) - botanical silver


• Dull Diamond (Minnesota) - quirky & colourful


• Jill Alberts (Illinois) - metal & gems

Haute off the Bench (Tara Locklear) / Nathan Penney

From recycled skateboards...

... to concrete and metal, North Carolina's Haute off the Bench (Tara Locklear) turns urban materials into urban gems.

Bonus link:
For more urban metal, check out Ohio's Nathan Penney for pieces like this graffiti-style four-finger ring in gold-plated brass.

Even more jewellery:

• Bottlehood (California) - recycled bottles


• Maya London (UK) - leather & studs


• George Tsekourloukis (Greece) - silver & stone

Kay Eppi Nölke / Aline Vandeplas

Maintaining a jewellery blog, you quickly learn that when a jeweller says his or her website is "coming soon," it's probably not. I currently have over 1,800 sites in my "coming soon" file (many sitting unchanged since 2007, when I started keeping track) and over 600 in the "was coming soon but now dead" file. So it's always a pleasant shock when I check on one of these sites and it actually has been updated — like today, when I happily strike Germany's Kay Eppi Nölke from my "coming soon" list.

Bonus link: for more bandage rings (kiddie style, this time), check out Belgium's Aline Vandeplas.

Even more jewellery:

• J.molinari (California) - syringes & pills


• Ruth Koelewyn (Pennsylvania) - wax & rubber bands


• Patrícia Frota (Brazil) - contemporary metal

Twinklebird (Christine de Boer) / Windy Chou

These are so adorable I could just stab somebody. With a marshmallow, of course. For a whole lotta cute, visit the cutely-named Twinklebird (Dutch metalsmith Christine de Boer).

Bonus link:
For more adorable animal rings, check out Windy Chou of France, who has pieces like this little donkey in the style of vintage illustrated children's books.

Even more jewellery:

• Meg J. Roberts (Virginia) - drawn animals


• Club Manhattan (Netherlands) - brass & silver


• Marina Babic (Toronto) - contemporary metal

Ananda Ungphakorn / Analuz (Anne Luz Castellanos)

Closing out the week with some nice white organic pieces from Thai artist Ananda Ungphakorn. Be sure to click "read the rest of this entry" on each project to view all images.

Bonus link: for similar botanical rings with white shanks, check out Argentina's Analuz (Anne Luz Castellanos), who mainly works with silver and enamel.

Even more jewellery:

• Kirsty Ward (UK) - botanical silver


• Shu Lin Wu (Taiwan) - mokume porcelain


• Elsa Sarantidou (Greece) - contemporary metal

Strozz! (Strozzi Abecel P. Rosende) / Cathy Newell Price

I think she's really, um, cut out for making jewellery, don't you? Awesome stainless steel rings by Strozz! (Strozzi Abecel P. Rosende) of the Philippines.

Bonus link:
For a smaller cutout ring, UK jeweller Cathy Newell Price has these silver and enamel "secret" rings featuring sweet little cutout flowers.

Even more jewellery:

• Alexandra Twin (UK) - botanical cutouts


• Monica Branstrom (California) - sea glass & silver


• Aviya Hoffman (Israel) - gold & gems

Geraldine Nishi / Andrew Goss

While these rings may resemble meringues, marshmallows and creampuffs, they may cause even more weight gain than those desserts — because they're made of concrete! Check out the silver and concrete works of Geraldine Nishi, a Canadian in Italy.

Bonus link: this ring is by another Canadian making concrete jewellery, Ontario's Andrew Goss. (Perhaps the best-known Canadian concrete jeweller is Karen Konzuk, whom I mentioned in 2005.)

Even more jewellery:

• Raine Design (Minnesota) - concrete pendants


• Abigail Heuss (North Carolina) - metal art


• Ana Moreira (Portugal) - beads & textiles

Pip Jolley / Carole Tanenbaum

Does this shape look familiar?

Maybe now?

Yes, they're hair curler rings! UK artist Pip Jolley honours the women of the 1940s with her "Joanne" collection.

Bonus link:
Get a genuine '40s look — sans curlers — with this lovely ring from the shop of noted vintage collector Carole Tanenbaum (a resident of Toronto).

Even more jewellery:

• Desouza Jewelry (New York) - human hair


• deMaglie (Italy) - crosses & arabesques


• Taneru / mncRo (Japan) - romantic flowers

Natsuko Toyofuku / Amina Agueznay

Do some Mondays make you wish you could just crawl away from work and back into a cocoon? Italy's Natsuko Toyofuku can help out with this cocoon-like "holes" ring and other hole-y pieces.

Bonus link:
Here's another cocoon ring by Amina Agueznay, formerly an architect working in New York but now creating jewellery in Morocco.

Even more jewellery:

• Rinaldo Alvarez (Spain) - cocoon-like


• Zoe Robertson (UK) - magnets & fibres


• La Pisette (California) - wire-wrapped gems

Mars / Maggie Angus

Pink bears and green squirrels? What is this, Mars? Well, actually, yes. Resin "Dessin" rings by Japan's Mars.

Bonus link: so, which are you less likely to encounter in the wild (on planet Earth): a green squirrel or a mirrored squirrel? Cute squirrel ring in mirrored acrylic from the UK's Maggie Angus.

Even more jewellery:

• Manymals (California) - suspended animals


• Culietta (UK) - body chains


• Hanna Vanneste (Belgium) - silver & wood

DLC Brooklyn / Ofra Shelef / Nicole Uurbanus

These rings bring a new meaning to the term "clasped hands." Proving that clasps aren't just for necklaces are New York's DLC Brooklyn (aka Dirty Librarian Chains, by Susan Domelsmith) with her ring of clasps taken from vintage jewellery (top) and London-based Israeli jeweller Ofra Shelef, whose silver clasp ring (bottom) is one of many clasp pieces in her collection.

Bonus link:
Looks like this non-clasped pair of hands is in the midst of one of those awkward missed high-fives :) Cute "children" ring by Brazil's Nicole Uurbanus.

Even more jewellery:

• Gudrun Wörn (Germany) - chains & clasps


• Sarah Nasby (Toronto) - findings jewellery


• Jessica Beyer (Ohio) - simple copper

Rose Warner / IP Jewelry Design (Izabella Petrut)

In math class, did you ever complain that you'd never need to know that stuff in the "real world"? Lucky for us, it looks like UK jeweller Rose Warner sensed those geometry lessons would come in handy and took excellent notes.

Bonus link: someone else who paid attention in geometry is Romania's IP Jewelry Design (Izabella Petrut), who's all about circles, squares and triangles. Her site is still under construction but you can browse her blog.

Even more jewellery:

• Okiiko (Lithuania) - lasercut shapes


• Intellectural Property (LA/TX) - coins & medals


• Amy Madge (UK) - balls & links

Tatiana Tischenko / Salt + Stone

It's back-to-school time for many! I used to love shopping for new school supplies — but since I don't need to anymore, I'll satisfy my craving with this supply of stationery rings from Venezuela's Tatiana Tischenko.

Bonus link: already thinking ahead to graduation? New York's Salt + Stone suggests these owl rings would make a great graduation gift, as owls symbolize wisdom. Available in their shop here.

Even more jewellery:

• Kikki K. (Australia) - silver scissors


• Peppercotton (New York) - tubes of crystal


• Popp & Skou (Denmark) - wooden circles