Tara Magboo

Weekend quickie: for obvious and narcissistic reasons, I present the carrot ring from San Diego jeweller Tara Magboo's "adorable mayhem" collection.

Tzu-Ju Chen / ByNatalia (Natalia Krasnodebska)

So, do you know how to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on yourself? If not, and you're eating lunch right now, you may want to google the technique before reading on — because if you check out this jewellery and you gasp as hard as I did, you may find your veggie wrap lodged in your windpipe. Above: Chartres Cathedral ring with laminated photos by totally choke-worthy Rhode Island jeweller Tzu-Ju Chen. Below, "drape" and "fold" rings from her "lace" series and cast crystal rings with copper from her "electroform" series. Don't miss out on the rest of her work in foam, metal, paint, enamel and more.

Bonus link: speaking of cathedrals, Australia's ByNatalia (Natalia Krasnodebska) has architectural rings in powder-coated steel, including this white one that reminds me of a papal mitre.

Even more jewellery:

• Victoria Moore (New York) - damascus steel


• Cynthia Jacobs (Belgium) - modern metal


• Luna Parc (New Jersey) - anatomy & kitchen


• Frank Jochims (Germany) - archeological gold


• Sara Withers (UK) - beaded necklaces

Mio Tokida / Alexandra Schleicher

Circle cluster ring by New York-based Mio Tokida. I know I just posted a circle cluster ring yesterday but it's ok because these things are like snowflakes: small, intricate, visually-appealing structures. Oh, and no two are exactly alike. Another sampling from the metalsmith below (these are shaped more like drops of rain than snow):

Bonus link: if you like the clusters and drops above, get the best of both worlds in this ring with a cluster of droplet shapes by Toronto's Alexandra Schleicher.

Even more jewellery:

• Megan Marrin Graves (New York) - porcelain heads


• Ditte Stepnicka (Denmark) - gold ovals


• Solsida (Minnesota) - simple silver


• Guen Palmer (UK) - metal & gems


• Margo Manning (New Orleans) - shadow boxes

Pretty Junk (Jenny Bradley) / Rob Wynne

I think Jenny Bradley would make a good spider — she could spin gorgeous geometric structures that would attract and dazzle her prey, ensnaring them before they knew what was happening. Her portfolio is a web of latticed and clustered shapes and colours, in materials from silver to textiles to Mardi Gras beads. Check out the New Paltz, NY jeweller on this web at her site, Pretty Junk.

Bonus link:
Someone else who makes a good spider (spider ring, that is) is New York's Rob Wynne, an artist known for his glass and ceramic installations.

Even more jewellery:

• Cynthia & Flavio Hobo (Italy) - crazy necklaces


• Keri Starker (New York) - briolette clusters


• Emily Morgan (UK) - rolling rocks


• Modern Mystic (Asheville, NC) - silver tendrils


• Eero Lintusaaren (Finland) - sculptural metal

Yunus & Eliza / IlaDesign

Beach wear for history nerds. If you haven't already recognized them, these bronze and silver rings represent two maritime heroes: 18th C Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Ships and Vessels in the Mediterranean, and Poseidon, Greek god of the sea. They're just two of many characters sculpted in London by Yunus Ascott and Eliza Higginbottom, aka Yunus & Eliza.

Bonus link: if you'd rather go big or go home when it comes to your Greek gods, Montreal's IlaDesign (Lydia Ilarion and Marin Marino) has this Zeus ring in their "ancient gold" collection.

Even more jewellery:

• Holly Stein (Colorado) - bakelite buttons


• Parrish Relics (Stoneham, MA) - romantic & regal


• Claudio Pino (Montreal) - sculptural rings


• Linda Lewin (Scotland) - metal & stones


• Susanne Friis Bjørner (Denmark) - modern classics

Jennaca Leigh Davies / Melissa Tolar

"Faint praise" is a bad thing... so what do you call it when something's so awesome, it nearly makes you faint? That's how I feel about the work of Jennaca Leigh Davies, a Rhode Island jeweller who maintains a studio across the water in Fall River, Massachusetts. Her structural work in paper, enamel and metal is just too gorgeous for me to remain conscious. Above, her "umbrella" and "folded" rings in silver and paper. Below, alphabet bands for the typophiles out there:

Her enamel pieces are my favourite, so be sure to check them out on her site — here's a sampling for now:

Bonus link:
For more enamel, combined with copper, silver, coral, pearl, thread, gold, gold leaf, plastic and paint, check out L.A.'s Melissa Tolar.

Even more jewellery:

• Angela Gerhard (Massachusetts) - contemporary enamel


• Jayne Wallace (UK) - art jewellery


• Pia Farrugia (Switzerland) - modern gold


• Blue Piranha (Georgia) - silver & stones


• Lil n Bi (Belgium) - chunky beads

Vernon Bowden / Rings That Rock (Jeffrey Appling)

Australian artist Vernon Bowden recycles materials from such unlikely sources as the Coca-Cola company and the US military, reducing (or is it elevating?) titans of industry to wearable art. The "Bad Juju" series makes jewellery out of bomb release mechanisms while the "Barbie" series turns Diet Coke cans into doll heads (as in the rings shown above). Visit his site for more, such as his "Pixie" rings, below:

Bonus link:
For more rings with a militaristic bent, check out the bullet rings from Palm Springs, California's Rings That Rock (Jeffrey Appling).

Even more jewellery:

• Tobias Wistisen (Denmark) - shrunken heads


• Anthony Tammaro (Philadelphia) - silicone neckpieces


• Regine Schwarzer (Australia) - metal & gems


• Irwin Franco (Amherst, NY) - hearts & butts


• Melissa Hunt (UK) - silver & sea glass

Amy Tamblyn / Núria González

Allow me to indulge in one more scribbly extravaganza: this stainless steel ring by Australia's Amy Tamblyn. Below, one of her more serene pieces, in silver, stainless steel and red felt:

Bonus link:
Speaking of red felt, check out these marbled felt rings from Spanish accessories designer Núria González.

Even more jewellery:

• Rachelle Thiewes (Texas) - steel & car paint


• Furnish (Japan) - flat felt


• Rowan Mersh (UK) - beads & textiles


• Emma Wood (Australia) - metal & gems


• Sparkling Sage (Los Angeles) - feminine gold

Fabrizio Tridenti / Amy Duggan

Italy's Fabrizio Tridenti constructs complex, scribbly mini- sculptures in silver, iron and enamel.

Bonus link:
Not to be out-scribbled is UK artist Amy Duggan with her scratched-up, painted metal "scribble" ring in red and grey.

Even more jewellery:

• Lisa Levine (New York) - modern chains


• Siegfried de Buck (Belgium) - bold metal


• Adam Palethorpe (UK) - recycled plastic


• Amy Randall (Plano, TX) - silver & beads


• Amber Erin (California) - classic gems

Carole Guinard / Carly Petitt / Claire de Divonne / Bénédikt Aïchele / Kathrin Saettele

Throwing us for a loop — in black filament — are Switzerland's Carole Guinard (top, with blue acrylic) and England's Carly Petitt (bottom, with silver links).

For loops in metal, check out French jewellers Claire de Divonne ("helix" ring, top) and Bénédikt Aïchele ("whorl" ring, bottom right). The silver ring on the bottom left is another by Guinard.

Bonus link:
These half loopy, half leafy shapes in silver and gold are by Germany's Kathrin Saettele.

Even more jewellery:

• Rebecca Skeels (UK) - spirals & triangles


• Berdene du Toit (Toronto) - bold type


• Lisa Hoskin (New Zealand) - crystal domes


• Danielle Welmond (Los Angeles) - woven gems


• Sarit Wolfus (Israel) - contemporary silver

Gisèle Ganne / Blue Bayer

These rings are great conversation pieces — just don't expect the conversation to be pleasant. London's Gisèle Ganne explores death, mourning and divorce with her Victorian-inspired collections, subverting traditional symbols (as in her divorce rings, above). Some more of her work below:

Bonus link:
For a bird skull you can wear on just one finger, check out New Yorker Blue Bayer's bronze hummingbird ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Hans Sonnaert (Belgium) - modern bands


• Elizabeth Fine Jewellery (Australia) - fine & bridal


• Kerri Wilder (Malibu, CA) - outlined shapes


• Antonia Miletto (Italy) - ebony & gems


• Grzesiek Blażko (Poland) - checkers & dots

Philippa Green / Ida Elsje / Situ

I guess Bertrand Russell was right — math can be beautiful. Take Philippa Green (who made the blue deer ring), add fellow South African jeweller Ida Elsje (who made the engagement rings and bands), and the resulting mix of metal, resin and diamonds is the collaborative effort they call Situ.

Bonus link: another ring, another collaboration, this time between Sweden's ACNE (famous for their jeans) and Germany's Michael Zobel (whom I also mentioned last May).

Even more jewellery:

• Ila & I (Texas) - modern classics


• Nathan & Moe (New York) - gold & stones


• Eddy & Edwina (Germany) - silver & textiles


• Mimi & Marge (Vancouver) - contemporary metal


• Wright & Teague (London) - charms & gems

Misun Won / Ka Gold Jewelry (David Weitzman)

Scotland's Misun Won claims to make "rhythmical structures out of one sheet of silver." But I think what she really means is that she makes "some of the awesomest rings ever." Yeah, that sounds about right. Here's another:

Bonus link: another somewhat "rhythmical structure" is this ring by Israeli jeweller David Weitzman of Ka Gold Jewelry, a "cosmic artist" whose designs incorporate spirituality and "sacred geometry."

Even more jewellery:

• Carla Riccoboni (Italy) - patterns & textures


• Johannes Borst (Germany) - geometric metal


• Pretty Young Thing (New York) - "cartoon-chic"


• Moira Findlay (Scotland) - contemporary silver


• Tocco Finale (New Jersey) - semiprecious beads

Elke Peeters / Melissa Rousseau

From Lego to pizza, there've been a lot of playful rings in my recent posts. It's time to switch gears and go serious — as in the serious skills of Belgian metalsmith Elke Peeters, who made the arboreal piece above. Two more below; check out her site for the rest (including her series of lips with pearls):

Bonus link: if you love that blossom cluster ring but need something simpler for every day, check out this sweet violet ring by Boston's Melissa Rousseau.

Even more jewellery:

• Sophy Reid (UK) - modern & botanical


• Courtney Denise Lipson (Bellingham, WA) - bright mosaics


• Manini (France) - leather flowers


• Melissa Harris (Australia) - contemporary metal


• Tina Lazzarine (Pennsylvania) - enamel & copper

Nicole Walger / Hilary Hachey

You've just witnessed the miracle of ring-birth.

Germany's Nicole Walger demonstrates how she manipulates a geometric form to create her jewellery, letting the original shape of the metal — be it cube, cylinder or even bean — influence the final design.

Bonus link:
If (intact) cubes and squares are your thing, you'll definitely want to check out Baltimore metalsmith Hilary Hachey.

Even more jewellery:

• Jennifer Rose (Los Angeles) - organic gold


• Esther Fuchs (Germany) - lava-like


• Kathy Bailey (Richmond, VA) - briolette clusters


• Rea Ashlie (Singapore) - simple silver


• Fi Mehra Designs (UK) - contemporary metal

My Magic Diary (Cecilia Fabbri) / Stolen Thunder

Sneak a peek into the diary of Italian designer Cecilia Fabbri and you'll find exaggerated girliness... with an edge (including the only "Alice in Wonderland" collection I've ever seen that contains a healthy dose of tarantula).

You'll also find blood and carbohydrates — and that's just scratching the surface of the world of wonders that is her site, My Magic Diary.

Bonus link:
For more acrylic girliness, there's the white babushka ring from England's Stolen Thunder (also available in wood).

Even more jewellery:

• Hege Henriksen (Norway) - acrylic & silver


• Green Avant-Garde (Florida) - recycled leather


• Brooke Marks-Swanson (Indiana) - art brooches


• Plastic Bat Designs (UK) - kitschy plastic


• Laughing Girl Arts (Seattle) - geisha pendants

Minimiam (Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle)

Weekend quickie: not a ring post, but I forgot to add this link when I was going on about miniature people in bathing suits (the guy in the green trunks, in fact, seems to be the very same guy in the ring I posted on Thursday!). You won't want to miss the gallery of Paris photographers Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle, aka Minimiam.

Kiki Monsters / Edition:Mathea

Speaking of plastic toy factories (as I was yesterday), here are some rings whose components I do know where to find. This jewellery is the "Legocy" of Italian designer Kiki Monsters.

Bonus link: Germany's Edition:Mathea makes ring bases compatible with Lego so you can raid your (or someone else's) kid's stash and build your own ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Beldafactory (Czech Republic) - acrylic & silver


• Lost & Found (Bend, OR) - found parts


• Ulla Hörnfeldt (UK) - metal & gems


• Ouch! by Ko-ko-no (Sweden) - enamel charms


• Langani (Germany) - beads & bangles

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