Agathe Saint-Girons / La Mome Bijou / Alex Streeter

The ring-lover in me wants to get at that jewellery — but the glass-lover in me can't bear to smash the hollow cocoon. What would you do? Would you break it?

I think it's only fair to let another piece of jewellery make the decision:

Above: glass cocoons and rings (including that spiral ring, which extends half a metre!) by French artist Agathe Saint-Girons and flippable yes/no ring by La Mome Bijou (also of France), who specializes in comic-book-style speech bubble jewellery.

Bonus link: here's a ring that would make perfect sense inside a cocoon. Silver cicada from the "superfly" collection of New York's Alex Streeter.

Even more jewellery:

• Laura Long (UK) - paper beads


• Cleo Wolfus (Seattle) - beaded leather


• Aurora Lopez Mejia (New York) - words on gold

SITE NEWS / Andreas Lehmann

Moving things around... As you may already know, this blog is a mirror of the one I keep on my site, The Carrotbox (a website dedicated to non-metal rings). I'm moving my server to a new home today so, while the site is down, the photos on this page will go missing as well. Please check back again soon, as the photos should be restored shortly! Thanks.

Pictured above: "flow" ring with movable setting by Andreas Lehmann and Claudia Schmedding of Germany.

Svenja Timme-Bastian / Martijn Homan (label h) / Be Clever (Marzia Chierichetti)

These rings are boss — but kind of bossy, too. "Do or Die" aquamarine ring by New York-based Svenja Timme-Bastian (also soon to be found at Do or Die Design) and "Be" ring trio by Dutch designer Martijn Homan of label h.

Bonus link: recycled metal and bead rings by bossily-named Be Clever (aka Marzia Chierichetti, an Italian living in Kenya).

Even more jewellery:

• Ming Design (UK) - Asian themes


• Giancarlo Montebello (Italy) - modern gold


• Nils Peters (Germany) - amber & silver

Rhonda Dwyer / VooDoo Pickle

Awesome: a sleek silver ring. Also awesome: tasty little candies. Awesome, squared: a sleek silver ring specifically designed to contain tasty little candies.

Awesome to a degree heretofore unparalleled and possibly dangerous: an accompanying piece to use as a shot glass for ingesting said candies from said ring (as demonstrated below). Who's responsible for all this awe? Awe-stralian jeweller Rhonda Dwyer.

Bonus link: for more candy-filled rings, check out UK shop VooDoo Pickle; this heart-shaped sprinkles ring is £4.50.

Even more jewellery:

• Julie Lee (Australia) - mob-inspired


• Per Borup (Denmark) - modern classics


• Syncopation (California) - spoons & bottlecaps

Lo-tec / Alaska Jewelry

Had the web been around in the '80s, I could've been blogging on my Commodore 64. Of course, all the photos would look identical, as the low-res screen struggled to approximate a circle using 25 giant pixels or fewer — kind of like these silver and acrylic rings by London's Lo-tec.

Bonus link: want hi-tech instead? The "Remember Ring" heats up to remind you of important dates! Useful even if you're not the "forgetful husband" it's meant for. Concept by Alaska Jewelry.

Even more jewellery:

• Roberta Bernabei (Italy) - acrylic & metal


• Yuri Suzuki (UK) - sound jewellery


• Arianne Van Der Gaag (Netherlands) - seed beads

Zoe Arnold / Lívia Canuto

One third romance and two thirds whimsy (it's true, I measured it), London's Zoe Arnold creates jewellery that tells a story. Specifically, that story would be the one told in "Several Sharp Sentences on a Moon Lost Night," the poem upon which the rings are based. The gold and quartz fly ring is titled "Open Windows with Absent Views," while the cameo and quartz piece is "The Glint from a Frosty Breath."

Bonus link: this "Drink Me" ring by Brazil's Lívia Canuto is one of her pieces based on a more famous story: Alice in Wonderland. Lots of great work on her site! (Click "entra" instead of "enter" to view.)

Even more jewellery:

• Alice in Wonderland (UK) - contemporary silver


• Brieana Ruais (Brooklyn) - leather snakes


• Smersh Design (Seattle) - concrete & pearls

Ines Schwotzer / Jenny Henze / Golden Knots

There's enough metal here to make a solid, chunky ring, but Germany's Ines Schwotzer does the unexpected and makes stainless steel look light and airy. Rather than rings, these knotted pieces are more like wire frame suggestions of rings.

Above: more wire frame rings — this time in gold, aquamarine and fire opal — from another German jeweller, Jenny Henze. My favourite is below:

Bonus link: if you're looking for more knotted work, Golden Knots (Florida's Loren Damewood) will keep you occupied for a good, long time.

Even more jewellery:

• Herndon Heald (Santa Fe, NM) - metal discs


• Octavia Cook (New Zealand) - faux guns


• Ann Biederman (New York) - classical gold

Beate Eismann / Peg Fetter

While the garage might not be the place for your finest jewellery, these weighty hunks of metal by Germany's Beate Eismann would fit right in. She calls them an "artistic application of industrial construction." Which beats my description, "lug-nutty."

Bonus link: for somewhat industrial jewellery that's a bit more refined, turn to St. Louis jeweller Peg Fetter; pictured is her blackened steel ring with gold screw.

Even more jewellery:

• Spariam (Brazil) - silver & resin


• Steffen Lang (Germany) - carved iron


• Jane Lock (UK) - seed beads

Arnold Patrick Martin / Strings and a Dare

Do not — I repeat, do NOT — attempt to play cat's cradle while wearing this ring. This thread and metal piece by Detroit's Arnold Patrick Martin is from his fabulous "tension structure" series, in which he explores geometry and proportion.

Bonus link: this ring also knows a thing or two about tension — it's made of guitar wire! See more, including wires from violins and pianos, at Minnesota's Strings and a Dare.

Even more jewellery:

• Shona Carnegie (UK) - understated silver


• Plume (New York) - folded ribbon


• Nicholas Liu (Hong Kong) - orchids & crystals

Jimin Park / Mah Rana

If you do go with yesterday's break-apart engagement ring, this felt and diamond wedding ring should protect from those jagged porcelain edges. Piece by Washington, DC-based Jimin Park, whose gallery is full of beautiful work. Here's another sampling:

Bonus link: for another non-traditional wedding ring, check out this "caged" gold band by London's Mah Rana.

Even more jewellery:

• Maya Kini (San Francisco) - vegetable slices


• Steven Stehouwer (Netherlands) - titanium & paper


• Christoph Contius (Germany) - brushed & minimal

Frederik Roijé / &design

Want to get married? Break things off! These porcelain pieces, when broken apart, become engagement rings. (As an added bonus, Kit Kat bars make delicious wedding favours.) Concept by Dutch product designer Frederik Roijé.

Bonus link: Tokyo's &design also makes break-apart jewellery. These sets, from their "Borders" series, are fashioned after plastic model kits.

Even more jewellery:

• Tania Gil (Portugal) - modern silver


• Aniol (Germany) - geometric & contemporary


• Charlotte Molenaar (Netherlands) - felt pansies

Laura Creer / Stubborn WORKS

I've had an enfrazzling last few days but just one look at these soothingly simple designs and all is calm again. For that, I have English jeweller Laura Creer to thank; pictured are her silver and resin "cell" rings.

Bonus link: check out Portland, Oregon's Melissa Stiles — aka Stubborn WORKS — for a similar style, also in inlaid resin.

Even more jewellery:

• Muku (UK) - lasercut perspex


• Inaures (Spain) - bright enamel


• Claudia Arashiro (Toronto) - contemporary metal

Lucila Albert / Patrycja Zwierzynska / Annette Lechler

Bringing scribbling to an art form: silver and coloured steel cable from Argentina's Lucila Albert (above, top) and matte silver wire from Toronto-based Patrycja Zwierzynska (above, bottom).

Bonus link: more scribbles! These playful messes of silver circles are by German jeweller Annette Lechler.

Even more jewellery:

• Nuala Jamison (UK) - acrylic pebbles


• Paula Mendoza (Washington, DC) - matte gold


• Bonnie & Clyde (Sweden) - black & silver

Anna Lorich / Kirsten Muenster

I love the etheral quality of these pieces by Anna Lorich. The New York artist references both a variety of themes (childhood, history, symbolism, etc.) and collected objects (textiles, coins, miniatures, etc.) in her work, often using portraiture and landscape imagery to create "intimate keepsakes of moments and memories."

Bonus link: also referencing landscapes is San Francisco's Kirsten Muenster, who uses stones like Montana agate to create "wearable landscapes."

Even more jewellery:

• Brazen Design (Montreal) - silver cutouts


• Jewelberry (Germany) - ribbons & charms


• Poppy Dandiya (UK) - gold & gems

Caroline Gore / Yoko Ueda / Josée Desjardins

But it is a ring! Meant to be worn between the fingers, this boro glass piece is from the "weights:balance" series by Kalamazoo, Michigan's Caroline Gore.

These pieces (above) aren't quite what they seem, either. Yes, they're rings — but no, they aren't quartz. Can you guess what they're made of? Designed by Japan's Yoko Ueda, the "gems" are actually...

...cat hairs trapped in acrylic.

Bonus link: here's some fur that isn't pretending to be anything but! Ring by Quebec's Josée Desjardins (naked version also available).

Even more jewellery:

• Kateřina Jančářová (Czech Republic) - light plastic


• Daniele Corrêa (Brazil) - cocktail rings


• Roland Dubuc (Montreal) - sculpted metal

Regina Kaintz / Siegfried De Buck / Núria Aventin / Liesbeth Busman / Simone Haag

Monthy Python's Spanalot! These wide-span rings brought to you by [clockwise from top] Hungary's Regina Kaintz (red steel wire), Belgium's Siegfried De Buck (gold and steel), Regina Kaintz again (blue steel wire), Spain's Núria Aventin (silver) and Dutch jeweller Liesbeth Busman's "A Simple Line" series (14k gold).

Bonus link: Simone Haag of Germany also has a collection of rings designed to hang over more than just one finger.

Even more jewellery:

• Susanna Loew (Germany) - folded shapes


• Des Design (Brazil) - silver & crystal


• Michaela Wolfert (Ontario) - contemporary metal

Tomasz Donocik / Trash Design Manufactury

Tomasz Donocik has a flair for the dramatic. The London-based Austrian jeweller gives his nod to old-world decadence, resulting in fabulous pieces like the silver tower ring, above. Below are his pentagon "star" ring in gold and quartz and the leather ball "tree ring," for wearing betwixt the fingers.

Bonus link: for Austrian jewellery that's decidedly more 2008, check out Trash Design Manufactury, which hires the long-term-unemployed and people with disabilities to recycle used electronic devices.

Even more jewellery:

• Alessia Semeraro (Spain) - iron & gold


• Jamie Wolf (New York) - modern classics


• Dominique Cohen (Los Angeles) - gold chains

Markéta Lisá / Lauren Barnes

Czech is Greek to me but judging by the product shot beside a car windshield and the fact that the collection is named "Crash," I'm guessing these rings are made with glass fragments. They're by Markéta Lisá, a Czech artist who sometimes collaborates with name-twin Markéta Richterová (whom I wrote about in April; their joint site is here). The former Markéta's site can be a tad confusing to navigate but the array of eclectic work makes hunting all the more fun. For an overview, you can cheat over to this page, though it's not comprehensive. Below, some more of her rings:

Bonus link: this ring may have started with glass fragments but England's Lauren Barnes fused them into a formidable tower of colourful stripes, set in silver.

Even more jewellery:

• Lucy Martin (UK) - modern classics


• Hanut Singh (India) - opulent deco


• Wimmel Ädelsmide (Sweden) - silver pendants

Gamblers Jewels (Andreas Zidek) / Jennifer Kellogg

Today is lucky 7/7 — and I bet the Vegas slot machines are extra busy. If you're looking for that winning advantage, try boosting your luck by donning one of these casino-themed pieces from Gamblers Jewels. Who knows? The one-armed bandit just might reward you for your style. (The collection is by Germany's Andreas Zidek, whom I also wrote about a couple of years ago.)

Bonus link: for a more subtle "bar" ring, try this band from Brooklyn's Jennifer Kellogg. Also shown are the "casino" bracelets.

Even more jewellery:

• Mimco (Australia) - glam bangles


• Leticia Costa (Brazil) - silver & beads


• Ulrike Zöllner-Krumme (Germany) - brushed gold

Annika Hauser / Kristin Freeman

Some Fourth of July fireworks for the Americans out there, courtesy of Sweden's Annika Hauser. Enjoy your weekend!

Bonus link: in keeping with the Fourth of July spirit, here's a burger ring by Texas metalsmith Kristin Freeman, thoughtfully pre-bitten for you.

Even more jewellery:

• Rebecca Strzelec (Pennsylvania) - political plastic


• Jan Harrell (Houston) - enamel & copper


• Studio 174 (Brooklyn) - metalsmithing studio


• Gosia Serafin (Poland) - felt & silver


• Dyrberg/Kern (Denmark) - sleek & shiny

Soledad Kussrow / Helena Rezenda / Tamara Lisenberg

If you woke up today craving some modern metalsmithing from Argentina, you're in luck! Check out Soledad Kussrow (above) and Helena Rezenda (below).

Bonus link: one more from the Argentinian archives: silver "precious stone" ring by Buenos Aires jeweller Tamara Lisenberg.

Even more jewellery:

• Victoria Mason (Australia) - food & pencil shavings


• Laura Patron Costas (Argentina) - modern silver


• Hollymarie Jewelry (California) - photos & quartz


• Freisfeld (Germany) - gemstone flowers


• Rabinovich (Denmark) - silver & stones

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