Fabienne Vuilleumier / Gretchen Raber

I think the Egyptians just might've been onto something with that whole "mummifying" thing. Switzerland's Fabienne Vuilleumier wraps her pieces in strips of translucent white plastic to otherworldly (if not afterlife-ly) effect.

Bonus link: of course, mummies aren't strictly Egyptian, and neither are pyramids. This pyramid ring, for one, is by Virginia's Gretchen Raber.

Even more jewellery:

• Francis Willemstijn (Netherlands) - Dutch heritage


• Shereen De Rousseau (Vancouver) - medallions & chains


• Karen Walker (New Zealand) - fun charms


• Sara Lenart (Chicago) - silver & stone


• Barbie Levy (Maryland) - geometric wire

Constantinos Kyriacou / Jessi's Metal

"Whenever there's trouble, we're there on the double / We're the Bloodhound Gang..." Tuesday's bonus ring reminded me of Cyprus artist Constantinos Kyriacou and his PBS ring, above. Well, that's not what he calls it, but I do — and not just because the PBS logo consists of three faces in profile. If you're like me and grew up watching "3-2-1 Contact," it's hard not to be reminded of "The Bloodhound Gang" and the episode where the gang discredits a man's alibi by showing it wasn't really him at home but, rather, his cardboard silhouette attached to a running toy train, casting a moving shadow on the curtains that looked life-like to anyone passing by his window. And he would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those meddling kids! [Insert fist shake.]

Below, a couple more of his pieces (don't worry, these ones don't send me into any long-winded memories):

Bonus link: here's a ring for that other PBS classic, "The Electric Company." Giant two-finger lightning bolt ring by Brooklyn's Jessi's Metal.

Even more jewellery:

• Sarah Rothe (Australia) - anodized titanium


• Deb Karash (Rockford, IL) - coloured copper


• Petra de Lange (Netherlands) - gemstone necklaces


• Aly Morgan (Portland, OR) - silver & stones


• Stefan Hemmerle (Germany) - chunky glitter

Lucy Folk / Metal Sugar

Hotdogs, french fries, popcorn, peanuts, preztels... and some fruit slices for the party-poopers. Melbourne's Lucy Folk casts life's little indulgences in metal for her tantalizing "Nibbles" series. Pictured above are the Burger Rings, an Australian snackfood that's flavoured like, yes, burgers. Add that to the list of snack- flavoured snacks, right next to cookie dough ice cream and pizza potato chips. And then run a few laps, just to be safe.

Bonus link: in case any of you sweet-toothed folk feel left out, here's a cupcake ring from Brooklyn's Metal Sugar (US$75).

Even more jewellery:

• Spin Designs (Portland, OR) - mobiles & pendants


• Kate Hodgson (UK) - petals & folds


• Marc de Regt (Netherlands) - gems & shine


• MeeheeNY (New York) - semiprecious stones


• Catalina de la Torre (Woburn, MA) - disc clusters

Leslie Maja Pötz / Sophie Lunøe / Núria Saloni / Lattis Design / Yasmin Bochi / Marine de Diesbach

It's spring. It should be warm. Instead, the chilly air has got me thinking of snowmen. In spring. When it should be warm. Above, snowman-shaped rings by Germany's Leslie Maja Pötz (top), Denmark's Sophie Lunøe (middle), Spain's Núria Saloni (bottom right) and Seattle jeweller Gina Pankowski of Lattis Design.

You know what else are snowman-shaped? Matryoshkas. Even ones that look to be frozen in ice. In spring. When it should be warm:

Above: Matryoshka rings by Belgium's Yasmin Bochi (left, in clear resin) and Marine de Diesbach of Paris (who has a large collection of vintage and art deco style jewellery).

Bonus link: wooden matryoshka — distinctive even without the traditional dress — on adjustable band, US$12, at Boston's Mogo.

Even more jewellery:

• Luzia Vogt (Switzerland) - organic metal


• Vicki Mason (Australia) - PVC & silver


• Ruth Taubman (Michigan) - colourful stones


• Maxine Symons (UK) - freshwater pearls


• Where's Romeo?! (San Francisco) - discs & charms

Virginie Bois / Contura

I'm not crazy about fruit juice, especially ones with mixed flavours. But this orange, lemon and grapefruit peel ring by French artist Virginie Bois makes me re-think my position on mixing citrus. Maybe it's time to give Five Alive another try.

Below, her sanded glass "face" rings:

Bonus link: if you'd rather wear a more familiar face, Germany's Contura can turn any person's profile into a ring (starting at €353).

Even more jewellery:

• Dynasty Jewellery (UK) - acrylic diamonds


• Susan Sarantos (Newport, RI) - contemporary metal


• Akiyo Matsuoka (New York) - fine gold


• M. Flynn (Boston) - semiprecious beads


• Strawberry Forest (Netherlands) - cutesy plastic

Els Vansteelandt / Emma Day / Atsuko Itoh

Belated Monday quickie: clean, minimal buds and leaves in silver. Top row by Belgium's Els Vansteelandt; bottom left by the UK's Emma Day; bottom right by Japan's Atsuko Itoh.

Naoko Iyoda / Alison Osborne

Zurich-based Naoko Iyoda carves silver and bronze into rocks and lava for your fingers (and other parts).

Bonus link: rock-like hunks of gems are the centerpiece in these rings from Nebraska's Alison Osborne.

Even more jewellery:

• Donald Friedlich (Madison, WI) - modern glass


• Kaisa Nyberg (Finland) - art jewellery


• DaCapo (Ireland) - sleek & shiny


• Imperial Enamel Art (Lawrence, KS) - plique a jour


• Anniebelle Designs (North Carolina) - metal & beads

Anne Hong / Stephen Einhorn

"Perpetual," by New York designer Anne Hong, is a series of conceptual rings meant to help vision-impaired individuals tell time. Read about how they work, see the original sketches and inspiration, then check out her blog at Keeyool.com.

Bonus link: get a personalized Braille "diamond touch" ring from UK jeweller Stephen Einhorn with your choice of metal, gemstone and message.

Even more jewellery:

• Maria Lewis (Sweden) - chain letters


• Melissa Clemente (Toronto) - eclectic & asymmetrical


• Jean Marc Garel (France) - flipflop pendants


• Caroline Carlisle Designs (Dallas) - stalactites & gold


• Maureen Gallagher (New Jersey) - crystal balls & silver

Chronicles of Never (Gareth Moody) / Tiziana Martino

Australia's Chronicles of Never makes bold, chunky, geometric jewellery in blackened brass and silver, like the "Tribute to Escher" staircase ring (above, top left). According to designer Gareth Moody, all pieces are tested on baby whales and endangered primates and come from compressed robot limbs. Just the way I like it.

Bonus link: Italian jeweller Tiziana Martino also has an Escher-inspired ring (pictured); it's part of her "artists' collection," which pays homage to Picasso and others.

Even more jewellery:

• Laura Tabor (London) - feathers & wings


• Jeannie Hwang (San Francisco) - sleek & contemporary


• Karla Schabert (Germany) - crochet & pearls


• Cocobelle (New York) - beaded & beachy


• Cheryl Rydmark (Mendocino, CA) - diamonds & gold

Kerstin Klix (& Yoko Izawa) / Katzinka Tschierschky

Dressed up in pretty pastel nylons, these rings by Germany's Kerstin Klix remind me of one of my all-time favourites: Yoko Izawa (whom I've mentioned before, but she's moved her site to this new URL). The colours epitomize "spring," which can't come fast enough for me!

Bonus link: speaking of spring, these bands from Australia's Katzinka Tschierschky are etched with flowers, leaves and grass, just right for the season.

Even more jewellery:

• Tassia Canellis (France) - delicate necklaces


• Amelia Sosa (San Francisco) - chunky silver


• Thomasine Barnekow (Sweden) - knit bracelets


• Kate Hines (Providence, RI) - classic pearls


• Yossi Harari (New York) - fine gold

Annie Tung / Geoffrey Good

Objectively speaking? Fantastic ring. Subjectively speaking? Sooo not helping my dead-bird issues. Skeletal "Constructed Constructivist Bird" by Toronto's Annie Tung. Below, some more of her work: salt shaker ring, "love and war" wedding rings and "time" rings with found watch hands cast in acrylic.

Bonus link: if that salt ring isn't your style, maybe this quartz "sugar" ring is. US$3,100 for gold or US$750 for silver (limited edition), by New York's Geoffrey Good.

Even more jewellery:

• Kate Groombridge (UK) - lovely resin


• Nadja Carlotti (France) - patterened pillows


• Kim Ann Foxman (Brooklyn) - shield necklaces


• Stagni Maurizio (Italy) - flower boxes


• Jeanette Kiviniemi (Sweden) - leaf earrings

Margo Nelissen

Weekend quickie: this page has been lacking in colour lately. How about some orange from Dutch jeweller Margo Nelissen?

Anna Cebrian Ferrer / Francisca Kweitel / Marina Molinelli Wells

Just a few rings with holes (other than for your finger, that is):

Above, faux ivory resembling desiccated bone, from Barcelona-born Anna Cebrian Ferrer (now in the UK).

Below, cylinder rings from Argentina's Francisca Kweitel, who shares her space with fellow jeweller Marina Molinelli Wells (whose amazing leather and silver ring I've pictured below, as well).

Finally, below, rings from the "bubbles" collection by Paris jeweller Désirée Schmidt.

Bonus link: lovely, simple and delicate, these scalloped bands with punched-out holes are by misa, who studied and works in Tokyo and London.

Even more jewellery:

• Julia Converse Sober (Seattle) - metal & polymer


• Gemma Pampalona (Spain) - colourful crochet


• Alan Craxford (London) - contemporary metal


• Vannesa Tosoni (California) - light & hammered


• Górna & Wawrzyniak (Poland) - amber blocks

Bill McMullen / DarkCloudSilver

Electronic musicians, take note! (Uh, no pun intended.) New York designer/illustrator Bill McMullen, whose work includes cover art for the Beastie Boys, brings us these cast silver drum machine rings. The original run of fifty has sold out but there is a new gold-plated edition available for US$225 (size 11 only).

Bonus link: more for the DJs — turntable ring (with real vinyl!) by Australia's DarkCloudSilver, available at Oye Modern (AU$350).

Even more jewellery:

• Claudia Hoppe (Germany) - clean & modern


• Victoria Strevens (New York) - organic cutouts


• Kid Viskous (Los Angeles) - mirrored acrylic


• Ewa Rudowska (Poland) - real leaves


• Cynthia Corio-Poli (Alexandria, VA) - enamel & glass

DresserJohnson / Alex Story

Acrylic arrow rings (US$22) by Brooklyn typographers DresserJohnson (Kevin Dresser and Kate Johnson) are gorgeously photographed in this flickr set from Steph Goralnick.

Bonus link: pointing inward and in all directions are these "protection" (left, US$98) and "crown" (US$120) rings from New York's Alex Story.

Even more jewellery:

• Scoops Design (Australia) - plastic brooches


• Elena Berg (France) - silver & mesh


• Lolabean (New York) - quartz & gold


• Sabai Jewelry (New Orleans) - Bali silver


• Snorregaard (Denmark) - beaded hoops

Sabine Ring-Kirschler / Veltraize

Poetry at your fingertips! (Or a couple of phalanges' distance from them, if you want to get technical on me.) Fortuitously- named Sabine Ring-Kirschler of Ring by Ring has a nice collection of chunky metal bands, including these pieces engraved, in pleasant all-caps penmanship, with German verse.

Bonus link: more inspirational phrases, this time in French, stamped on wrap-around bands in gold-plated silver by Japan's Veltraize.

Even more jewellery:

• Jewels by Jessica (Greece) - vintage style


• Carla de la Cruz (Los Angeles) - resin & quartz


• Sophie Keegan (Germany) - shiny & glam


• Marie Cristine (Campbell River, BC) - contemporary silver


• ByLizh (Miami) - beads & chains

Renata Porto / Katja Bremkamp

Fresh, airy, clean, modern, colourful — Brazil's Renata Porto hits all my favourite notes with her collection of nylon filament jewellery (don't tell the rings, but I think the pendants are my favourite). Here's one more:

Bonus link: similar to my previous post, these "Bank of America" bands by UK-based Katja Bremkamp are made of a gold/silver alloy that's determined by current exchange rates.

Even more jewellery:

• Nancy Aillery (Belgium) - modern metal


• Tateossian (London) - chunky quartz


• Sydney Evan (New York) - pavé gold


• Kirsten Moorhead (Boulder, CO) - ornate silver


• Tabha Niedermann (Germany) - black porcelain

ITSNONAME

Weekend quickie: periodic rings from Brooklyn's ITSNONAME, made of... well, I think you can guess. Prices, which can fluctuate with raw material costs, are US$205, US$2200 and US$6500, depending on the element.

Ashley Vick and ... many others

These sea urchin rings look like they belong in Blade Runner (you know, in that famous sea urchin scene). Patinated bronze and silver give a worn, industrial look to these organic forms by Rhode Island metalsmith Ashley Vick. Also shown are pieces from her yarn series; the rings are mixtures of yarn, clay, wax, silver and copper.

Above, by contrast, some clean, achromatic, layered bands.

» Top row (L-R): "strata" band by Welsh jeweller Mari Thomas and "octave" rings by Germany's Marion Knorr.

» Middle row (L-R): "cold outside/warm inside" rings by the Netherlands' Martine Viergever, telescoping "leek ring" from Rotterdam's Levensringen (whose rings all contain plant seeds) and gold and silver "continue" rings by France's Florence Croisier.

» Bottom row (L-R): "stringrings" by Silke Spitzer and circular and square bands by Aninka Harms, both of Germany.

Bonus link: speaking of contrasts, check out the "turn-on" and "turn-off" hot/cold tap rings from Norway's Louise Nippierd.

Even more jewellery:

• Carl Dau (Germany) - sleek & minimal


• Verdier (Atlanta) - brass & lucite


• Mingus (Australia) - animal brooches


• Matthew Glasby (Monterey, CA) - carved jade


• Laura Munder (Palm Beach, FL) - colourful gems

Jennifer Wehlacz / Jacob Albee

Thanks to Indiana's Jennifer Wehlacz, I've had the Smiths song "Rubber Ring" stuck in my head all day. She calls these whimsical pieces her "cupcake rings."

Bonus link: here's another rubber ring from Vermont's Jacob Albee, though it's his "Free Diamonds" collection I've been forever meaning to write about.

Even more jewellery:

• CO₂ Pins (Germany) - carbon offsets


• Miyo Yoshida (London) - animal necklaces


• Russell Jones (New York) - semiprecious clusters


• Litchi (Paris) - busy & playful


• Rachelle Celine (Silver Spring, MD) - gold & briolettes

Rai Yoon / Karolin Wolfarth

According to Korean designer Rai Yoon, her goal was to create a ring whose value wasn't monetary but rather in having a quality such as "thinnest ring in the world." Below, literally paper-thin pieces cut out from her book of rings:

Bonus link: not quite as thin but also made of paper (and silver and acrylic) are these concentric circle rings by Germany's Karolin Wolfarth.

Even more jewellery:

• Sonja Pfingst-Bischof (Germany) - metal & felt


• Anna Hiscock (UK) - metal & snakeskin


• Geraldine Sarmiento (San Francisco) - leather & silver


• Saylor Sage (New York) - beads & crystals


• Fiona Kerr (Northern Ireland) - moons & daisies

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

Chairs / Sandra Clodion

I feel so rude — I've never offered my rings a seat before! At aptly-named Chairs.de, Germany's Etla Breyer-König and Andreas König showcase lovely miniature chairs in paper and metal, including this series with gold rings lounging comfortably on top.

Bonus link: Paris designer Sandra Clodion makes tapestries and fabric for human-sized chairs and also makes rings with her colourful fabrics.

p.s. - For all you Robert Dodd fans — his antique celluloid rings (pictured below) are back in stock!

Even more jewellery:

• Sylvie Lupien (Montreal) - colourful cement


• Bochic (New York) - semiprecious bohemian


• Antlitz (Australia) - graphic rectangles


• Marcin Gronkowski (Poland) - cubes & cones


• Handpicked (Columbia, SC) - monogrammed silver