Charlotte De Syllas

That spectacular carving, that brilliant hue, that extraordinary shape — what better way to wrap up the week than with this gorgeous offering from London artist Charlotte De Syllas? The jade and white gold "Lily Leaf" ring pictured here exemplifies her expertise in stone carving, a talent which, according to her, "has come to characterise [her] work." Take a moment to admire the pineapple-y texture on this piece, then (if you're North American) go enjoy your long weekend! Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July!

Anna Tascha Larsson

Spending time in Japan means doing a lot (I mean a lot) of walking, but it also means doing a lot (I mean a lot) of eating.

Maybe more eating than walking, even.

Goldplated pig ring by Stockholm design student Anna Tascha Larsson, also available in solid silver and/or with the piggie on its back. Check out her site for the cool earphone necklace, too!

Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry (corazón+corazón)

Among the many highlights of my vacation in Japan was pausing in the disorienting heat to sip my thirtieth or so bottle of cold green tea (ample vending machines = non-stop hydration) and, once semi-refreshed, realizing with a delighted squeal that by pure chance I was standing in front of Tokyo's Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry — which also meant I was standing in front of corazón+corazón, the school's jewellery shop, which I've been stalking online for months! Their webpage doesn't come close to representing the number of tiny treasures crammed into that tiny space. I bought the only non-metallic piece I could find, the clear plastic tubing with lilac rhinestone pictured here; the shop people weren't sure what that silver-painted bit is made of, but I bought it anyway. The artist, identified merely as Y. Odazima, calls it a "martini ring" — according to the guy working there (who is, as it turns out, also the guy who built their website), the ring allows drinkers and teetotallers alike to enjoy a martini. There were some cuter, brighter stones as well, but they were in a different style, with the gem facing sideways so that you could only see a thin slice of colour. In typical Japanese fashion, my inexpensive souvenir (¥1,500 or ~$15) was wrapped in tissue, sealed with a sticker, placed in a cloth drawstring bag, which was in turn secured in a clear cellophane bag, sealed with a sticker, and then placed in a paper bag, which, yes, was sealed. So wasteful, but so cute.

Stephanie Lindsey

Whew. I'm back, and my trip was very awesome. Is there a word for that flurry of catch-up activity when you come back from being away for a bit? No? Well, that's ok because there is a ring for it (by now you should know there's a ring for every occasion) — it's the Busy Person's Ring by Stephanie Lindsey. The Texan used to make metal furniture, but these days she's creating jewellery from vintage postcards combined with silver and resin.

Studio Numen

These rings from Studio Numen are nothing short of stunning.


With that, I'm off on a two-week holiday to my (or my parents', anyway) motherland, Japan. Woo!


See you in a couple of weeks!

Oxx

The Netherlands' An Alleweireldt, creator of the playful jewellery line Oxx (aka Oxx), is a graduate of London's Royal College of Art. As is so often the case when I'm writing about creative jewellers, I found myself staring at all her great pieces and being unable to choose just one to feature here. But then I saw this ring and, somehow, I couldn't say "no." Or was it that I had to say "yes"? File this one under "gift idea for that indecisive friend who takes an hour to try on one pair of jeans."

Lily Yung

Lily Yung is a jeweller and print-maker who also dabbles in immunology (if you can call earning a Ph.D. "dabbling"). The Toronto-based artist works with non-precious materials such as beads, plastic and metal wire; she often weaves the materials together using various textile techniques which she's developed and adapted. Pictured here is one of her non-woven computer-aided designs, a rubber ring, just like the one Morrissey used to croon about before he embarked on his crappy solo career.

Polish Rings

Today is 6/6/6 on the calendar, and you know what that means. That's right — it's Awesome Rings from Poland Day! Read to celebrate? Let's go:

• Tomasz Zylka


• Klementyna Pielaszkiewicz


• Jacek Byczewski


• Tomasz Ciosmak [2]


• Marcin Sieradzki


• Rafal Burczynski (pictured here)

Giampaolo Babetto

Italian jeweller Giampaolo Babetto has had a long, much-celebrated career, beginning when he entered the Istituto d'Arte Pietro Selvatico in Padua in 1963. That's 43 years of creating "architectural objects for the body," as he likes to describe his geometric pieces. Pictured here is a red pigment and gold ring from 1993; not only does it look good, it's got two sizes built right in! To view more of his work, select a decade from the "archivio" menu in the navigation bar, wait for the entire page to load, then roll over the shadowy images for a full-colour version.

Kathleen Bailey

People may have their preferences when it comes to choosing between gold and silver, but I'll take my metal the way I take my eyeliner: black. I've been spotting more and more oxidized silver these days, but none as flat-out flippin' cool as these pieces (and more) from Kathleen Bailey's "relic" collection. You heard me! I said flippin', that's how cool they are. I want. I want bad.

Yoshiko Yamamoto

Boston-based Yoshiko Yamamoto makes all sorts of jewellery and other objects from metal, stone and enamel, but my favourite by far are her fabulous rings. The piece pictured here is a glorious tangle of silver hoops, kind of like a miniature child's playground gone wild — which is why its name, "jangle gym," is either the most brilliantly intentional or the most serendipitous typo ever committed to, um, screen. Sterling silver, US$700.