Rachel McKnight / Natasha Heaslip

What better gift for a layered, colourful person than a layered, colourful ring? And if that person also happens to be translucent, all the more appropriate! Albeit medically peculiar! Rings in polypropylene, rubber and silver by Northern Ireland's Rachel McKnight.

Bonus link: here's another translucent plastic ring (single layer only) by London jeweller Natasha Heaslip.

Even more jewellery:

• Eat Your Feet! (UK) - shrinkydinks on silver


• M Three Designs (Winnipeg) - briolettes & gold


• Pernilla Sylwan (Sweden) - metal & colour

Marie Bonfils / Inkarma

A Rooster with legs made of Rusty nails? Friendly Giant, this one's for you. Ring by Denmark's Marie Bonfils.

Bonus link: here's another ring that brings about some childhood memories: LEGO (or "bricks," if you'd rather not be sued) ring by Germany's Inkarma.

Even more jewellery:

• Aviary Jewelry (Los Angeles) - eggs & feathers


• Esther Burdett (UK) - kimono fabric


• Elke Smellenbergh (Belgium) - contemporary gold

Jed Green / Sprout Jewelry

I'm pretty sure I've seen spheres before. And I'm pretty sure these are spheres. So why do I feel like I'm looking at something new? I don't know how she does it but UK jeweller Jed Green takes a ubiquitous shape and makes it her own with these planetary rings in glass, pearls and silver.

Bonus link: if planetary is your thing, you might also like the silver "in orbit" ring by New York's Sprout Jewelry (US$32).

Even more jewellery:

• Selina Campbell (UK) - clean loops


• Amélie Viaene (Paris) - sleek & chunky


• Beate von Bremen (Germany) - silver studs

Annamária Kovaľová / Asha Beta (Nicomis Blalock)

Awooga? Slovak designer Annamária Kovaľová has a series of rings and necklaces featuring this large knob form — a shape reminiscent of those old-timey car horns. I don't think they're squeezable, though, as they look to be made of resin (but that's just a guess, and I hate to make an ess out of u and g). Below, some more samples of her work:

Bonus link: for hand-forged rings with bits of actual horn (the non-awooga kind), see Brooklyn's Asha Beta (Nicomis Blalock).

Even more jewellery:

• Ine Knapen (Netherlands) - modern & playful


• Elizabeth Swinburne (UK) - glass necklaces


• Nancy Nelson (Maryland) - silver charms

Betty Pepper / Millemo

Destroying books is sacrilege! But creating rings is... whatever the opposite of sacrilege is! I'm torn... like the pages of this book! While my mind runs in an infinite loop, please enjoy the work of British artist Betty Pepper, who creates jewellery using aged and faded textiles that she feels are "constantly in a state of deterioration."

Bonus link: for a ring covered in words of your own choosing (perhaps from your favourite book), get a customized text ring from Millemo of France.

Even more jewellery:

• Kirstin Ash (Australia) - vintage style


• Ema Fernandes (Brooklyn) - wood & metal


• Alex Fabry (Belgium) - textured silver

Globalcoolo (Patrizia Iacino) / Gwen Oulman Brennan

I knew Cracker Jacks came with a prize, but asparagus? New York-based Italian jeweller Patrizia Iacino saw the potential in those rubber bands that hold your produce together, recycling them into eye-catching pieces like this ring from her SAL collection (above).

Visit her site Globalcoolo for more, including milk caps, bottle caps and this ring cast from a contact lens case. (Which I guess makes it more lens-catching than eye-catching.)

Bonus link: for more jewellery featuring found objects, like this ring made from roofing, check out Rhode Island's Gwen Oulman Brennan.

Even more jewellery:

• Gabrielle Fitzgibbon (Seattle) - papery acrylic


• Mopsoi (Japan) - vintage style


• Stepan Terteryan (UK) - contemporary silver

Hadas Shaham / Natasha Seedorf

Parkades and smokestacks may have given metal and concrete a bad name but Israel's Hadas Shaham is here to change all that. Defying the cold, industrial style you might expect from a line of concrete jewellery, her pieces are architectural with a pretty flourish — little pieces of paved paradise that even Joni Mitchell might appreciate.

Bonus link: speaking of architecture, check out this piece by Colorado's Natasha Seedorf. It's her "cat lady" ring, which would explain why there's hair coming out of the windows.

Even more jewellery:

• Paola Volpi (Italy) - industrial materials


• Mareo (Chile) - silver & resin


• Emilia Kraft (Sweden) - rubber & plastic

Nathalie Perneel / Nuada Accessories

Here's a bird with some special stuffing.

Spot the ring?

Ring with stomach and intestines (in glass, pearls and silver) from "Bird with Organs" by Belgian metalsmith Nathalie Perneel. (There was a heart, too, but that went to a bracelet.)

Bonus link: if you prefer your birds gutless and heartless, see this cute ring by England's Nuada Accessories.

Even more jewellery:

• Birdland Creations (Glen Ellen, CA) - cute birds


• Christine Kaltoft (UK) - graphic scribbles


• Tavia Brown (Charlottesville, VA) - cast metal

Jahyun Rita Baek / Ramei Keum

I was going to say something about the gorgeous "clouds" collection by Jahyun Rita Baek but I swear this ring hypnotized the thoughts right out of my head. So... soothing...

Above, a more colourful piece from the London jeweller, who's become my latest favourite.

Bonus link: these rings by Ramei Keum, another Korean designer, have cut-outs meant to leave tanlines on your finger in the shape of a cross.

Even more jewellery:

• Noémie Doge (Switzerland) - art necklaces


• ESHO (San Francisco) - tusks & silver


• Jesse Jewelry (Netherlands) - cocktail rings

Sakurako Shimizu / Jenny Lau

Gesundheit! In her "Waveform" series, Brooklyn's Sakurako Shimizu records human sounds (like a sneeze or a giggle), runs the data through some editing software and lasercuts the resulting soundwave into her jewellery — the ultimate in personalized patterns. The first photo is actually a cuff but the second is a pair of wedding bands based on a recording of the words "I do." (For a similar concept, see these EKG rings.)

Bonus link: don't like the sound — or wave pattern — of your own voice? Train your ears on some "musical rings" instead. By Hong Kong's Jenny Lau.

Even more jewellery:

• Fabiana Fusco (Italy) - musical silver


• Natalia Brilli (France) - bold & modern


• Cornelia Trippen (Germany) - straight lines

Bario Neal

Weekend quickie: I normally don't post the same designer more than once but I get to cheat in this case because of a name change! Philadelphia's Rust Belt, whom I listed last year as one of my "even more jewellery" non-ring links, is now Bario Neal — and they now sell rings, like these enamel pieces, US$53.

Kathleen Hennemann / Justin Klocke

You can have your E=mc² — it takes real genius to make me want to wear a wine goblet embedded in concrete. Germany's Kathleen Hennemann puts a modern edge on old-world motifs, resulting in an amazing collection. More samples below but be sure to visit her site to see it all!

Bonus link: if you object to that linked gun ring above, here are some linked arms of a more peaceful sort. By Colorado's Justin Klocke.

Even more jewellery:

• Gun Thor (UK) - clean & chunky


• Robin Gray (Toronto) - organic silver


• Nancy Megan Corwin (Seattle) - metal art

Adeline Cacheux / Formfieber

I've heard of people matching their ring to their manicure but to do it the other way around? That deserves a slow clap.

All rings above by French jeweller Adeline Cacheux, queen of tangled chains.

Bonus link: with all that attention on your nails, you'll want to keep them nice and groomed with the nail file "rasp ring" by Germany's Formfieber.

Even more jewellery:

• Moya (Netherlands) - brushed metal


• Jen Monroe (California) - corset cuffs


• Cutie Pie (UK) - charm necklaces

YunJu Lee / Manuel Charpenet

These rings aren't the only ironic thing in YunJu Lee's collection. Check out the UK designer's site for a playful celebration of those accidental accessories we've all worn at one time or another: stains.

Bonus link: sticking with irons, here's a band engraved with laundry instructions (ironing allowed) by Manuel Charpenet of France.

Even more jewellery:

• Susanne Högner (Germany) - spirals & folds


• Melina Hammer (Detroit) - forged & sculpted


• AMMA (Netherlands) - pearls & gold

David Sandu / Eckhard Adler

I wonder if this means he loves enoki mushrooms as much as I do. Ringless rings by David Sandu.

Above, more from the Romanian jeweller, who's also known as Kata Design.

Bonus link: for a somewhat simliar geometric style, check out the squares and circles of Germany's Eckhard Adler.

Even more jewellery:

• Christine Schönau (Germany) - porcelain & metal


• Roger Borras (Spain) - contemporary gold


• Susan & Friedrich Mueller (Switzerland) - simple & circular

Catherine Allen / Caroline Friedli

Halifax jeweller Catherine Allen proves that you can wear a pretty piece of polyester. Pictured are rings in polyester, cotton, silver, copper and enamel from her "emotional outburst" and "common threads" series.

Above: two from her "circulation" series with silicone tubing.

Bonus link: some more silicone rings, mixed with dye, glass powder and fine precious metals, by Switzerland's Caroline Friedli.

Even more jewellery:

• Dewi Designs (Los Angeles) - modern mesh


• Lyie van Rycke (Paris) - engraved & minimal


• JeWil (Netherlands) - brass & silver

Mollie Kathleen / Gillian Hillerud

Every cloud — and building — has a silver lining in the hands of Kansas metalsmith Mollie Kathleen. I love how she turns a dense cluster of skyscrapers into something light and airy! Here's an aerial view of her map & airplane ring:

Bonus link: another metalsmith making silver cloud outline rings (stackable, in this case) is Calgary's Gillian Hillerud.

Even more jewellery:

• Emma Ferguson (UK) - playful embroidery


• Lynn Paquin (Wakefield, RI) - zig zags


• Wim Meeussen (Belgium) - matte gold

Julia Behrend / Bands o' Gold / David Wagner

Before this turns into White Ring Week, here's a pair of brightly coloured cigar band rings, encased in acrylic, from Germany's Julia Behrend.

Above, customized cigar bands in gold by Florida's Bands o' Gold (Jack Weinraub).

Bonus link: Eugene, Oregon's David Wagner doesn't make cigar band rings — but he does have what looks like a cigar burn ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Sacha Lannoye (Netherlands) - yadayada necklaces


• Melanie Allan (Scotland) - leaves & pods


• Alexandra Hart (San Diego) - fine gold

Faye Miller / Erica Zap

These rings could save your life! Much more stylish than bulky life vests are these resin "buoy" rings by England's Faye Miller. Okay, so they might not be enough to keep a human afloat, but I'm sure they'd catch the attention of any rescue helicopter. More samples below:

Bonus link: for balls in metal, see Rhode Island jeweller Erica Zap; this sterling piece, available in matte or shiny finish, is US$44.

Even more jewellery:

• Shana Lee (Brooklyn) - pyramid studs


• Pura Ferreiro (Germany) - pods & fruit


• Jessica Lyons (Philadelphia) - sea-inspired

Anke Akerboom / Mayza João / Janna Ambags

Clogs! The wearing kind, not the plumbing kind — though Amsterdam's Anke Akerboom does offer a human hair necklace if you're into that.

For a more subtle way to go Dutch, check out these architectural tulip rings from London-based Mayza João.

Bonus link: here's another tulip ring by the Netherlands' Janna Ambags, who makes all sorts of sculptural jewellery in black leather.

Even more jewellery:

• Black Eye Leather (Los Angeles) - leather cuffs


• Brigitte Buitenhuis (Netherlands) - modern metal


• Shana Kroiz (Baltimore, MD) - bold & enamelled

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