Happy New Year!

I hope you're all having a great holiday! I've been taking a bit of a break so I'm popping in today with some random pluckings from my bookmarks to make up for some of the missed days. Have a Happy New Year, everyone!

Recycled paper rings by California's Francesca Vitali (aka Frucci).

Crystal rose (¥31,500) and skulls (¥29,400) by Japan's Hoya.

Pigmented shibuichi (silver & copper) by Italy's Lucia Massei.

Blackened copper with glass by Switzerland's Heidi Roethlin.

Bright vs. eroded colours by Syracuse, NY's Michelle DaRin.

Organic metal and amber by Poland's Marcin Tymiński.

Triple point and jack charm rings by Austin's Jamie A. Kelsch.

Spices in resin (~US$90) by Atlanta's Stephanie Edstrom.

Bolt 2 and Borg 2 rings (US$55-90) by Arizona's Jennifer Sasek.

Ceramic tile rings (CAD$85) by Vancouver's Jasna Sokolovic.

Landscape rings by Boston's Suebird 13.

Acrylic "flutter bye" rings by the UK's Helpless Romantic (£10).

Smooth, chunky silver by UK jeweller Loree Bologna.

Metal and felt from Barcelona's obo.

Plastic and metal by Japanese jeweller Asagi Maeda.

See you in 2008!

J-is for Jewelry / Fluffsstuffs

These happy rings make me think of candy-coated raindrops — just like the lyrics from that cheesy '90s song. I don't know if Gwenne Pagarigan and Kerianne Quick are fans of Soul for Real but I do know they make just the right jewellery to brighten tonight's winter solstice. The Los Angeles duo work together as J-is for Jewelry.

Bonus link: of course, this decade, we have that song about an umbrella, like the one on this cute fabric ring by Rosanna Brooks of Fluffsstuffs (£6 at Hannah Zakari).

Even more jewellery:

• Lima Jewellery (Scotland) - measuring tape


• This Charming Man (Australia) - food & beartraps


• Nashelle (Bend, OR) - pretty & delicate


• Rebecca Adrian (Chicago) - gem clusters


• Lydia Fast (Fort Wayne, IN) - artistic & botanical

Bence Fördõs (Materiart)

Just a quickie post today: acrylic and steel rings by Budapest, Hungary's Bence Fördõs of Materiart.

Helga Mogensen / OLJEI

Obsessively checking your mailbox for packages to arrive? You wouldn't have to if you wore your mailbox on your finger. (Apparently, this person likes to order lots of forks online.) Ring by Iceland's Helga Mogensen.

Bonus link: get a grumpy mail carrier and your packages could end up bent out of shape, like this inward-facing solitaire by Japan's OLJEI.

Even more jewellery:

• Fallon & Fenton (New York) - sister lines


• Cristina Aabdo (Brazil) - gold & crystal


• Blugrn Design (Washington, DC) - cutouts & briolettes


• Squem by Emma Farnworth (UK) - postage stamps


• Marie Scarpa (Petaluma, CA) - woven wheels

Tore Svensson / Martina Tornow

In the battle of tidy vs. twisted, which side are you on? Top row: plated steel rings from Swedish jeweller Tore Svensson's "Inside 4 x 4 cm" series. Bottom: gold and silver "jumbled up" rings by Germany's Martina Tornow. Seeing these pieces contrasted against each other reminds me of that quote about being like a duck: calm on the surface but paddling like mad underneath. Sound advice, though perhaps not entirely heart healthy.

Bonus link: this particular duck was a 25¢ Pep cereal box prize in 1949 but the Donald novelty ring now goes for US$175.

Even more jewellery:

• Viva Mafia (Los Angeles) - gold-plated brass


• Sabina (Sweden) - simple silver


• Paula Thittichai (UK) - organic enamel


• Lulu Frost (New York) - vintage style


• Petra Luz (Montreal) - clean forms

Rachael Adamiak / Michal Oren / Anna Andersson

The holidays are a hectic time for many. Hectic. There's no way to say that word slowly, is there? Just saying it puts me in a HECTIC! state. It's an entire self-fulfilling prophecy rolled into two syllables. So, anyway, here's some soothing simplicity to start the week. Above: interesting but uncomplicated silver rings by New Orelans jeweller Rachael Adamiak.

Below: if you prefer gold, there's this tear-shaped ring by Israel's Michael Oren (US$266 at neelee.com). Wear it with the point centered or with the point off to the side, showing the flat edge with the diamond.

Bonus link: for more sweet and simple pieces, visit Anna Andersson of San Francisco. This clover ring is US$69.

Even more jewellery:

• Violet Manners (London) - hands & keys


• Efva Attling (Sweden) - fine & shiny


• Chris Habana (Brooklyn) - fashion & jewellery


• Sandy Mitchell (UK) - bead & wirework


• Giedymin Jablonski (Poland) - amber & artifacts

Ana Cardim / Amy Tavern

Ana Cardim's "swing jewels" allow for dozens of colour variations thanks to interchangeable parts that attach with everybody's favourite shoelace replacement, Velcro! Don't miss the rest of this Barcelona artist's work, including more rings and the awesome "garbage pin."

Bonus link: for plastic circles — but no Velcro or colour — on this side of the Atlantic, check out well-established jeweller Amy Tavern of Asheville, North Carolina.

Even more jewellery:

• Evert Nijland (Netherlands) - glass & opulence


• Lisa Stewart (Beverly Hills) - modern gold


• Paul DeBlassie IV (New York) - organic titanium


• Gill Galloway-Whitehead (UK) - square brooches


• Kilobyte Couture (Mississippi) - geeky & playful

Marion van Cruchten / Tree Ore

Dutch artist Marion van Cruchten's "Forgotten Memories" series is based on familiar childhood recollections, like blowing at a puff of dandelion seeds. I'd love to see her follow up with a "weeding the yard" ring in a "Forgotten Chores" series. (Those things have roots!)

Below are her rings made from coupons:

Bonus link: every single piece at Tree Ore, by UK jeweller Elaine Elvins-Traquair, revolves around the dandelion.

Even more jewellery:

• Ninh Wysocan (New York) - metal crochet


• Deborah Zeldin-O'Neill (England) - steel & pearls


• Unit 4-E (Chicago) - silver tags


• Fiona Luing (Scotland) - freshwater pearls


• Anastacia Pesce (Cambridge, NY) - contemporary silver

Maria Ribeiro / Recycled Rings

Portugal's Maria Ribeiro teaches us how to say "whimsical" in jewellerese.

Bonus link: find more crochet rings and other colourful handmade pieces at Chicago's Recycled Rings (this one is sold but most are US$60).

Even more jewellery:

• Adorn by Sandy (Charlotte, NC) - pmc pendants


• Bea Valdes (Philippines) - statement necklaces


• Barbara Cieslicki (Plainfield, NH) - lucite cabs


• Plümo (UK) - festive & glittery


• Carolyn Morris Bach (Rhode Island) - gold & creatures

Christine Harwart (Gestalterforum) / Rosie Dowding

Germany's Gestalterforum showcases some fabulous designers from that country. I've mentioned some of them before but there are plenty I haven't, including Christine Harwart, the woman behind these bright plastic flower rings — PVC with nylon bands, to be exact. The colours are so fresh and vibrant, they're almost better than the real thing! (I feel like I need to plant a tree just for saying that.)

Also from that site is this fun one from Claudia Stebler; you may have visited her site in August, or maybe some other time, since I'm probably not the only person in the world linking to pages on the internet:

Bonus link: not as colourful but just as cute is this silver cherry blossom ring (£100) by UK jeweller Rosie Dowding, who spent much of her childhood in Japan.

Even more jewellery:

• Lichen (Bainbridge Isl, WA) - paperstone & stainless steel


• Unk Kraus (Germany) - laminated necklaces


• Carol Martin (Durango, CO) - cast glass


• Polkadot Jewellery (UK) - vintage & retro


• Julieri (Santa Monica, CA) - gold & gemstones

Eleisha Nylund / Daft Hands

If you've got a taste for Bauhaus, I suggest Australian designer Eleisha Nylund. She cooks up her industrial jewellery with a mix of silver, acrylic, resin and dashes of onyx and cubic zirconia.

Bonus link: I love that YouTube's hottest pair of hands is adorned with an acrylic ring! (If you haven't seen it, this homemade Daft Punk video is a fun watch.)

Even more jewellery:

• Maiden Glasgow (Scotland) - fabulous collective


• Jib and Genoa (Los Angeles) - handcut vermeil


• Jalea Jalea (Mexico) - vibrant necklaces


• Silvercocoon (Minneapolis) - modern acrylic


• Olivia Alger (Chicago) - chunky necklaces

Dorota Kos

Weekend quickie: nice, modern and geometric amber by Poland's Dorota Kos (note: the "gallery" link seems to work only if you enter the Polish site, not the English site).

Sam Tho Duong / Nutre Arayavanish

Like that folded paper "pick a colour" fortune-telling game from childhood, these rings start out flat but pop open with a twist! If only all rings could do that — shipping would be so much easier. These metal, enamel and rubber pieces are by Vietnamese art jeweller Sam Tho Duong (now based in Germany).

Bonus link: Londoner Nutre Arayavanish's "postable jewellery" actually was designed to be mailed flattened! £18 at Magma Books.

Even more jewellery:

• Natural Historie (Argentina) - metal & stone


• Pineapple Seed (California) - simple, Thai


• Realm by Jesse Walker (Washington, DC) - kilt pins


• Steven Anton Rehage (Miami Beach) - shiny silver


• Fire and Hammers (UK) - silver & stone

Andreas Eberharter / Annie Fensterstock

I want my breath back! It's not often that a plain band can take my breath away but Austrian designer Andreas Eberharter turns simple shapes into absolute stunners with his gorgeous palette of muted tones. Visit his site for the full visual impact of these aluminum pieces (his online shop is coming soon). Pictured are the "shiny simple" and perforated "simple code" rings; I also snuck in some photos of his tubular bracelets and necklaces.

Bonus link: is plain too, you know, plain for you? Then you might prefer the ornate bands of New York jeweller Annie Fensterstock, done in gold and precious stones.

Even more jewellery:

• Marianne Dulong (Denmark) - modern classics


• Bridget Lynne Designs (Canada) - gold & crystal


• Carole Allen (UK) - enamel & silver


• Andy Cooperman (Seattle) - sculptural metal


• Brat Jewelry (California) - bats & diamonds

black rings by Philip Crangi and others

Black may be the absence of light, but these rings still manage to shine. (How's that for corny?) Clockwise from top left: vintage button on hammered sterling, US$35, at Colorado's Gingeroot; "rosette" ring in oxidized silver with gold rivets by Scotland's Marianne Anderson; nylon and antique button ring by France's Anomalies (at Japanese webshop Petite Paris), ¥4,480; rubber and gemstone "planet" rings by Germany's Stefanie Dingel, €70 or €50 without gemstone; ring in blackened steel and 14k gold, US$2,500, by New York's Philip Crangi (a personal favourite); and octagon cross ring by California's Elyse Jacocb.

Bonus link: this onyx ring by London's Sonia Cheadle proves that black can be utterly chic when utterly plain (shocking, I know).

Even more jewellery:

• Janice Derrick (UK) - modern silver


• Alanna Bess (New York) - links & stones


• Aden Angier (Singapore) - beaded geodes


• Belle Brooke (Los Angeles) - circle clusters


• Coquito Designs (Yonkers, NY) - beads & charms

Anneke Jakobs / Simone Coste

A ring this fabulous is bound to be stared at. Just be prepared to be stared at back. Kaleidoscopic eyeball ring by Dutch artist Anneke Jakobs.

Bonus link: if you really want a ring that gets stared at, you can't go wrong with Brazilian jeweller Simone Coste (this luxe citrine band is US$4,275).

Even more jewellery:

• Blanka Sperkova (Czech Republic) - mesh art


• Cathrine Bysheim (UK) - organic silver


• Birdland Creations (Glen Ellen, CA) - birds & architecture


• Lisa West (New Zealand) - silver & stone


• I Love Blocks (Los Gatos, CA) - shrinkydink squares

If this page is missing posts from the first few days of this month, it's because I've reached my Blogger page limit! To read all posts, see the full monthly archives at TheCarrotbox.com