Grellpastell / Adorno / EC Design

This will be a hectic weekend for many, so here's some soothing minimalism to calm those nerves. Above: stainless steel by Germany's Grellpastell (Gabriele Kunze).

Brushed silver by Amsterdam's Adorno (Marike Hauser & Suscha Bermond).

Oxidized silver (and a touch of rose gold) by Minneapolis' EC Design (Emily Catherine Johnson).

Bonus link: Berlin's Alexandra Bart makes chunky but minimalist rings that look like molded plaster or concrete.

Even more jewellery:

• Tara Peck (New Hampshire) - simple silver


• The 1 (Italy) - sleek & shiny


• Leonardo Pieroni (UK) - gold & gems

Amanda Mansell / Esther Ackermann / André Bénitah

Some frosty rings for the frosty weather. Above: streamlined acrylic by UK jeweller Amanda Mansell, inspired by the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern.

Below, frosted crystal by Germany's Esther Ackermann.

Bonus link: solid resin rings from the "icy" and "frosty" collections by French jeweller André Bénitah.

Even more jewellery:

• Alison Layton (Boston) - organic metal


• Maria Helena Spector (UK) - chunky necklaces


• Masriera (Spain) - art nouveau

Aliyah Gold / Penfelt

Can you believe it's been 16 years since Clinton chose briefs? Now, thanks to modern technology jewellery, you can wear both at once.

All rings above by Philadelphia's Aliyah Gold.

Bonus link: if it's more sweater weather than t-shirt weather where you are, you may want a wool piece like this one from Oregon's Penfelt (LeBrie Rich).

Even more jewellery:

• Suzanne Carlsen (Ontario) - textile crests


• Joanne Williamson (Scotland) - modern mesh


• Anna & Alex (Italy) - Chinese knots

Donna Brennan / Sonia Boyajian

The problem with concord grapes and pomegranates — my favourite fruit — are the dry-cleaning bills; unless you eat them in a stainless steel kitchen wearing a stainless steel suit, you'll be scrubbing a juice splotch at one point or another. Well, here's one way to enjoy them without involving detergent: cluster rings, reminiscent (to me, at least) of those fruit, by Donna Brennan. The London jeweller arranges gemstones and settings in unconventional ways to subvert "the clichéd visual language of traditional jewellery." More of her rings below:

Bonus link: for more juicy clusters, see Sonia Boyajian of Los Angeles, who describes her aesthetic as being "good enough to eat."

Even more jewellery:

• Tia Kramer (Seattle) - handmade paper


• Linda Macdonald (Scotland) - botanical silver


• Stefanie Spiegel (Germany) - modern gems

Szofita (Sophie Tari) / Heike Besslich

I think a lot of people still envision Canada as looking like some scene out of March of the Penguins, only with fewer beaks. But really, it's just Toronto and Edmonton where they live in igloos and ride beaver-pulled toboggans to work; Vancouver is quite temperate and snow is always an event. So, in honour of this past weekend's snowfall, here are some snowdome rings by New York's Szofita (aka Sophie Tari). If you like curiosities, especially cabinets of them, you're in for a treat.

Bonus link: silver "snowball" rings by German metalsmith Heike Besslich, who draws her inspiration from nature.

Even more jewellery:

• Sally Grant (UK) - modern metal


• Rory Hooper (Israel) - art jewellery


• Andrea Roberts (Vancouver) - contemporary silver

Michelle Pujol / Gretchen Walker

Let's close out the week with sculptural flower rings by Michelle Pujol. She claims to be from South Africa, but I know a resident of an enchanted bougainvillea garden when I see one. More of her rings below:

Bonus link: for more sculptural flowers, as well as other interesting pieces, see San Francisco's Gretchen Walker.

Even more jewellery:

• Zoë Newsome (UK) - scribbly flowers


• Masato Inoue (Japan) - modern silver


• Diana Hall (Rhode Island) - carbon fiber

Nicolás Hernández / Jenny Windler

Some colour therapy for a chilly, drizzly week by Chile's possibly- drizzly Nicolás Hernández.

Bonus link: if you prefer chemical therapy, there's the pill capsule ring in crayon wax, glass and silver by California's Jenny Windler.

Even more jewellery:

• Nicola Turnbull (Scotland) - loopy silver


• Monika van Schellenbeck (Atlanta) - circles & beads


• Ahkah (Japan) - fine & dainty

Margaret Lim / Anastasia Young / Bumaye

Artful boxes and etched signet rings by Toronto's Margaret Lim, whose pieces are infused with a sense of personal history.

Speaking of boxes, check out England's Anastasia Young and her rings inspired by clock and music box mechanisms.

Bonus link: if it's boxing you're after, see Italy's Bumaye for chunky and industrial steel rings, including a series named for the pugilistic sport.

Even more jewellery:

• Math Volkers (Netherlands) - industrial metal


• Other45Minutes (Ohio) - chunky silver


• Joaquin Berao (Spain) - sleek & shiny

Ann-Marie Colquhoun / Protocol Jewellery

Lovely birds-of-paradise, damasks and florals adorn these rings by UK jeweller Ann-Marie Colquhoun, who prints her graphics right onto the silver. Does this mean my laserjet has a "jewellery" setting I'm unaware of? Because there are, I counted, 55 buttons on that Brother MFC® and the only one I've ever pushed is "shift," and that was just once, by accident.

Bonus link: if you'd like a more personalized print, Britain's Protocol Jewellery can transfer your fingerprint onto a ring (permanently, that is).

Even more jewellery:

• Lorena Barrezueta (New York) - printed porcelain


• Emma-Kate Francis (Wales) - minimal silver


• John Cattermole (Wilmington, DE) - spiky settings

Brenna Zedan / Suzan Hidding

I am in desperate need of extra hours in the day. Maybe, if I removed all the world's cogs from all the world's clocks, time would stop and let me get some work done. That's what the unicorn under my bed tells me, anyway. Doing their part to help me out are Oregon's Brenna Zedan with her cast acrylic cog ring (top) and Amsterdam's Suzan Hidding with her "mechanical garden" rings in silver (bottom).

Bonus link: here's a simple cog ring in sterling silver by Brooklyn's Sharon Koweek, aka Spangle Jewelry (US$125).

Even more jewellery:

• Ja.Galanterier (Sweden) - acrylic silhouettes


• Harriet Bedford (UK) - silver shapes


• Patrik Kusek (San Francisco) - nature-inspired

Alena Joy / Ken Goldman

What's green, associated with China, and used to make jewellery? That's right: kiwi. In her "Fruitful Fungi" series, England's Alena Joy uses dried kiwi skins alongside metal, enamel and nylon "spores" in her exploration of decomposing fruit. More of her work below:

Bonus link: if you'd rather wear your food before it decomposes, this plate ring will come in handy (especially at parties). Designed by Israel's Ken Goldman for FRED.

Even more jewellery:

• Katie Pica (Scotland) - bold & oxidized


• Liesbeth Rommers (Netherlands) - organic metal


• Ling-Yen Designs (California) - Asian motifs

Jeroen Redel / Evelyn Huang

[I forgot to put up Wednesday's post, but it's there now (scroll down). If you ever see a post missing, remember to check my actual website, thecarrotbox.com, for the original blog. This page is just a mirror.]

These rings are powerful, electrifying and a whole host of other terrible puns. I'm not sure if those powerlines can carry a current but that filament really is charged and producing actual electric light! These fabulous sculptural rings are by Jeroen Redel, a Dutch designer. Garden designer, that is. (To view the rings, once you visit his site, choose "sculptuur" from the bottom of the menu.) More of his work below:

Bonus link: another striking ring is this two-piece "struck by lightning" band by California's Evelyn Huang (palladium base, gold bolt and diamonds).

Even more jewellery:

• Christo Christov (Belgium) - stainless steel


• C+ (California) - lego & diamonds


• Kitty & Dude (UK) - porcelain brooches

Leonor Hipólito / Jean-Paul Hévin

'Tis the season to eat Ferrero Rocher and Portugal's Leonor Hipólito knows just what to do with all those foil wrappers. Pictured are rings from her "Praline" collection (though the necklaces are my favourite). Her site is worth revisiting every few weeks, as the featured collection is always changing!

Bonus link: if you're more interested in what's inside those wrappers, you may like this edible chocolate ring by Paris chocolatier Jean-Paul Hévin.

Even more jewellery:

• Willem Pastoor (Netherlands) - minimal silver


• Nanna Schou (Denmark) - sweet & simple


• Valerie Le Heutre (Brazil) - gold & gems

Gualti / Colette Hazelwood

I'm convinced that global warming is also somehow connected to global time acceleration. How else to explain that it's already December? Of 2008? While I brace myself for a bombardment of green and red, as is customary in this part of the world in this part of the year, here's some green and red I'm glad to see: "light receptor" rings by Italy's Gualti.

Bonus link: can't get enough of filaments sprouting from your hands? Then check out the "fibrous" range from UK jeweller Colette Hazelwood.

Even more jewellery:

• Bernadette Deddens (UK) - floors & spindles


• Zekiye Koçarslan (Turkey) - slightly quirky


• Noon Designs (San Diego, CA) - beads & metal

Robert Dodd 1917-2008

If these rings look familiar, you may remember my post about Robert Dodd and his handmade antique celluloid rings. Sadly, Mr. Dodd passed away at his home in Illinois on November 25th, 2008, two weeks after his 91st birthday. He loved the fact that so many people were able to enjoy his rings via this website, so thank you to everyone who admired him and his work. (If this is your first time coming across this artist, read about his process here.)

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