Paul Beelen / Bjørg Jewellery

"Another world... another time... in the age of wonder..." Ok, I'm not really a fan of fantasy and that's about all I remember from The Crystal Method's sampling on their 1997 album, so I'm afraid I can't quote the rest of the narration from Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal. But you get the gist. These wood and pyrite rings by Dutch artist Paul Beelen have exactly the kind of organic, other-worldly, faerie/elvish vibe that I'd associate with pointy- eared puppets and magical minerals. Below, some more of Beelen's rings in silver and... well, dark crystals:

Bonus link:
For gorgeous modern jewellery featuring pale coloured crystals and organic silver, check out Norway's Bjørg Jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

• Andreas Estevan Schreyer (Germany) - crystal & metal


• Jill Platner (New York) - organic silver


• Brett Manley (UK) - glass bubbles


• Doeck & Zo (Netherlands) - beads & bells


• Bijoux Manoel (France) - flowers & fairies

Hongsock Lee / Laura Berrutti

Korean sculptor Hongsock Lee is a master of geometric form (when you visit his site, be sure to view his large sculptures as well as jewellery). Pictured above are his "tubing" rings but, blog-theme be damned, I must — must! — post a sample of his non-rings, as well. They're just too gorgeous to be ignored. So, below, his "starlight" pendants:

And now, some more of his rings, just in case the ring gods are watching me and taking notes:

Bonus link:
Speaking of tubes, here's a silver ring topped with a cluster of them. From Uruguay-native Laura Berrutti, now based in Portland, Oregon.

Even more jewellery:

• Marisa Arna (UK) - silver & porcelain


• Margherita Marchioni (Italy) - pencil crayons


• Julie Jerman-Melka) (Fort Collins, CO) - rocks & leaves


• Edelyn (Netherlands) - pearls & gems


• Michelle Miller (Guelph, ON) - beads & wire

Maja Fruithof / Beat Schwengeler

Allow me to indulge in black for just one more day so we can lose ourselves in the collection of Switzerland's Maja Fruithof. Her jewellery is so luxurious, even the striking photography can't upstage it. Pictured are rings in iron, white gold and diamonds (plus green beryl).

Bonus link:
Here's another bold, Swiss-made ring with a green accent — peridot ring by Zurich's Beat Schwengeler, also of Tana Design.

Even more jewellery:

• Sarina Suriano (London) - ornate & glamorous


• Sugar (Newport, RI) - pretty gems


• Ellen Jantzen (California) - animal eyes


• S!LK (Netherlands) - silver bracelets


• Constanza Parot (Chile) - desert style

Jimena Bolaños / Silvina Romero

Here's a little black spillover from yesterday — but don't worry, it's clean. And pretty! Oxidized silver rings by Costa Rican jeweller Jimena Bolaños, also known as one half of design duo Arrozconmango (alongside Elider Elizondo). Below, her lighter, brighter side:

Bonus link:
Here's another knit ring; this one's by Argentina's Silvina Romero, whose wild and crazy textile creations are a must-see!

Even more jewellery:

• I Love Broken (Argentina) - playful pendants


• Malababa (Spain) - bold & chunky


• Martyn Milligan (New Zealand) - botanical metal


• Kathryn Cole (Colorado) - hearts & flowers


• Bish Bosh Becca (UK) - beads & charms

Manuel Vilhena / Jacqueline Cullen

Not all Black Mondays are bad. For this one, we can thank Portuguese artist Manuel Vilhena and his industrial rings in iron and ebony (with touches of amber).

Bonus link: for more black, see London's Jacqueline Cullen, who works with Whitby jet (famously used in Victorian mourning jewellery). This piece is studded with Swarovski crystals.

Even more jewellery:

• Lucy Easton (UK) - modern & geometric


• Brooke Battles (Oakland, CA) - dark silver


• Namu Cho (Baltimore) - Damascus steel


• Swish Wish (Puerto Rico) - chains & pendants


• Teresa Dantas (Portugal) - art brooches

Cristina Pabon-Hurley / Maya Geller / Lauren Wimmer

She may not be reinventing the wheel, but she's reinventing something almost as old: the pyramid. Visit Massachusetts-based Cristina Pabon-Hurley to see her exploration of four-sided figures.

Above, another fresh spin on the pyramid shape, this time from Israel's Maya Geller. Also pictured are samples from her other collections, including some cool heart-and-arrows.

Bonus link:
Some smooth pyramid rings from New York's Lauren Wimmer (US$150 for silver or $165 for gold-plate).

Even more jewellery:

• Azza Fahmy (Egypt) - gems & filigree


• Kate Jones (Jamaica Plain, MA) - studded metal


• Lisa Hamilton (UK) - leaves & starbursts

Liliana Maia / Pocket & Spark

It came... from the sea! And then evolved legs... and walked on land! Portugal's Liliana Maia arranges miniature plantlife with four- (and two-) legged creatures, encapsulating them in clear acrylic. The result is like seeing a pastoral picturebook sprung into 3D. More of her work below:

Bonus link:
Here's another four-legged ring — bronze beaver with black diamond eyes from Houston's Pocket & Spark (Claire Webb).

Even more jewellery:

• Zella Lincoln (Brooklyn) - charm necklaces


• Christoph Flück (Switzerland) - clean & modern


• Carol Mather (UK) - animal sculptures

Janine DeCresenzo / Islay Taylor / Manuela Lyle

It came... from the sea! Some modern metalwork inspired by the salty air: squid fossil rings (top) by Philadelphia's Janine DeCresenzo and copper barnacle rings by Rhode Island's Islay Taylor.

Bonus link:
Fishtail and wave bands by Barcelona-based Scottish jeweller Manuela Lyle.

Even more jewellery:

• Rosamunda (Italy) - nautical necklaces


• Anna Heino (Finland) - modern metal


• Valerie Gates (Massachusetts) - sea glass

Valeria Salum / Carla Cortes

While my red, white and blue neighbours to the south are focussed on their new president today, I'm focussed on these red, silver and blue rings by Argentina's Valeria Salum. Another shot of her work below:

Bonus link:
More red, white and blue from her neighbour to the west, Chile's Carla Cortes.

Even more jewellery:

• Lana Jewelry (Chicago) - shiny & modern


• Joana Simões (Portugal) - silver & wood


• Torsten Trautvetter (Germany) - organic gold

Garni (Eiji Furuya) / Magical Design

How many skulls? If you said "zero," congratulations, anatomy nerd. A skull without a mandible isn't a skull but a cranium, so what we have here are enamelled silver cranium rings from Japanese accessories designer Eiji Furuya of Garni. (See also his Garni Diner in Ebisu, which just launched last month.) Below are more of his so-called-skulls in colourful acrylic:

Bonus link:
Another Japanese brand with a large selection of (full) skull rings (and skeleton rings) is Magical Design; pictured is the "flaming monk" skull.

Even more jewellery:

• Zahavah (Texas) - modern classics


• Cresta Glass Ceramics (UK) - simple ceramic


• Noortje Barendswaard (Netherlands) - rubber necklaces

Klaus Grosse / Adele Brereton / Objekt73 / Susan Elizabeth

Fluffy white peaks — the perfect topping for both lemon meringue pie and matte silver rings by Germany's Klaus Grosse. Also pictured [L-R] are his "dot," "saddle" and "tongue" rings.

Above [clockwise from top]: more modern, matte silver from London's Adele Brereton, Switzerland's Objekt73 (Barbara Gerber) and Chicago's Susan Elizabeth.

Bonus link: if you like long rings like the saddle ring above, check out Germany's Christina Weskott, who makes pieces designed to cover the knuckle.

Even more jewellery:

• Maria Francesca Pepe (UK) - cool & modern


• Nancy Dobbs Owen (Los Angeles) - dark gems


• Miss Isis (Italy) - long chains

Scott Andrew Millar / Tom Rucker

They say you can't fit a square peg in a round hole... but what about a hexagon matrix in a curved pod? I like the contrast of sharp corners and smooth arches in these gold-plated rings by London's Scott Andrew Millar — particularly the cups (bottom left), which look like they'd spring open if you squeezed the edges (nevermind that they're made of silver).

Above: these kinetic platinum rings by Germany's Tom Rucker also feature straight lines confined within a curved surface area. The spheres are part of his "GEO.2" series.

Bonus link: go from hexagons to octagons with this stainless steel "dice" ring by Nomination, an Italian jeweller known for their charms (as in bracelets, not personality, though I'm sure they're quite nice).

Even more jewellery:

• Origami Bijou (San Francisco) - folded shapes


• Brittany Foster (Minnesota) - cutout silver


• Christina Hirst (Scotland) - pmc pods

Susanne Matsché / Till Baacke / Hélène Kaufmann Wiss

Berlin's Susanne Matsché knows it's what's on the inside that counts. Hiding beneath her clean, neat exteriors is the jewellery equivalent of frilly lingerie.

Till Baacke is another German jeweller whose rings lead a rich interior life. Shown above are bands from the "chaudfroid" collection; more of his work below:

Bonus link:
Here's another clean exterior with a hidden surprise — a whole other ring, in this case! By Swiss jeweller Hélène Kaufmann Wiss.

Even more jewellery:

• Anna Gordon (Scotland) - modern & minimal


• Jim Dailing (Portland, OR) - twotone bands


• Bron (Netherlands) - gold & gems

Julia De la Rosa / PaSo (Paula Sotomayor Bulnes)

Did somebody order pizza?

What I at first assumed to be recycled bike reflectors is actually coloured acrylic on top of textured silver. This simple but surprisingly novel technique puts a stamp on these rings all her own — "her" being Argentina's Julia De la Rosa. The jeweller also uses smooth silver in interesting shapes, as in some of the pieces above. It's colour therapy for a winter Monday.

Bonus link:
Get more textured colour, this time in the form of dyed salmon skin, from Chile's PaSo (Paula Sotomayor Bulnes).

Even more jewellery:

• House of Baulch (Australia) - bold lucite


• MIKA (Belgium) - textured silver


• Joanne Tinker (UK) - recycled materials

Janine Berben / Maike Thönissen

We're finally beginning to thaw out from under the aftermath of record snowfalls (plural) here, so I'm thinking warm, fuzzy, cozy thoughts — in ring form, of course. Pictured above are felted wool rings with coral beads by Dutch artist Janine Berben.

Bonus link:
It doesn't get any warmer or woollier than this ring that envelops the whole finger by Dutch artist Maike Thönissen.

Even more jewellery:

• Stefanie Kruger (Australia) - playful pendants


• Prana (Argentina) - coral & gauze


• Palleiko Designs (California) - felt & silver

Filmschmuck (Sabine Aichhorn) / Nikolai Balabin

I love transparent things. (I'd live in a solid glass house if I could, though I'd have to give up my beloved stone-throwing hobby.) That's why I'm crazy for these rings by Austria's Sabine Aichhorn, who's done with acrylic what I've long wished I could do with glass — embed photographic film! What a great way to add transparent design and colour. More samples below; visit Filmschmuck to see them all (including filmstrip bracelets).

Bonus link:
If you prefer your film developed, you may like these gorgeous photo rings printed on ceramic by Finland's Nikolai Balabin.

Even more jewellery:

• Erin May Jewelry (Atlanta) - personalized photos


• Mandy Nash (UK) - anodized aluminum


• Constanze & Ronald Frese (Germany) - modern classics

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

Frances Wadsworth-Jones / Alice Jewellery Laboratory

Aaaaaand, we're back. Happy 2009, everyone! I'm back to the blog, ready to toil as hard as these ants by British artist Frances Wadsworth-Jones. Visit her site for more ant rings (in her "workers" collection) as well as other entomological pieces.

Bonus link: another London jeweller dabbling in insects is Alice Jewellery Laboratory, with this gold beetle and quartz ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Jemima Lumley (UK) - birds & butterflies


• Julia Vine (New Zealand) - cats & robots


• Dakotah Designs (Berkeley, CA) - silver & stone