Lilli Veers / Cristina Déniz Sosa / Cecilia Richard / Toeffel Design (Christoph Koechert) / Philippe Cramer

Closing out the week with some nice, modern silver, starting with Germany's Lilli Veers (above).

Spikey ring by Spain's Cristina Déniz Sosa.

"Reticular II" by Argentina's Cecilia Richard.

"Structure in Space" by Germany's Toeffel Design (Christoph Koechert).

"Algorithmic" rings by Switzerland's Philippe Cramer.

Bonus link:
Want even more modern metal jewellery? Germany's Gabriele von Miller-Lehsten fits the bill. Check out her geometric pieces in gold, silver and acrylic.

Even more jewellery:

• Iris Guy Sofer (Seattle) - modern silver


• Does Not Equal (Australia) - simple steel


• Hanneke van der Leeuw (Netherlands) - clean metal


• Apparatchik Design (Chicago) - fabric pendants


• Gerry Summers (UK) - gold & gems

paula.paul (Birgit Paula Reiger & Bernd Stelzer) / Lubie (Genevieve Beaulieu & Claudine Thibault)

At first glance, you might not think this is the most realistic flower ring you've ever seen.

But first glances can be deceiving. This "ring machine," by Austrian designers Birgit Paula Reiger and Bernd Stelzer of paula.paul, includes a hidden button that controls the petals and stem, allowing them to droop or blossom as a real flower would.

Bonus link: it's tough to beat the realism of actual flowers. Genevieve Beaulieu and Claudine Thibault of Quebec's Lubie use real flowers, shells, leaves and quartz in their spring, summer, fall and winter collections, respectively.

Even more jewellery:

• Donna Barry (UK) - silver petals


• Novo Via - Jasmin Winter (Germany) - chunky & cellular


• The Andean Collection (New York) - green & natural


• Lora Hart (Los Angeles) - textured pmc


• Joni Gins (Maryland) - contemporary metal

Littlefly (Jeremy May) / Hannah Lobley

Unlike Monday's Memorings, these stacks of paper are no longer meant to be peeled apart. Littlefly, by London artist Jeremy May, is a collection of "literary jewels" made by cutting pages out of a book and laminating the sheets together. The resulting pieces are then re-inserted into the original book — the perfect display case. [See also: Betty Pepper]

Bonus link: this band was made from a copy of Lord of the Rings (and was later bought by someone who worked on the movies). Ring by UK artist Hannah Lobley, who works with recycled paper and books.

Even more jewellery:

• Liz Hamman (UK) - books & paper


• Israel Roca (Spain) - ethereal silk


• Marie-Ève Rousseau (Montreal) - modern silver


• Wendy Rachel (Pennsylvania) - briolettes & chains


• Quintin Nel (Germany) - luxe jewels

Meryl Pataky / Ann Gérard

Yesterday's sharpeners not your style? Keeping in mind that the word "style" comes from the Latin stilus, meaning "writing instrument," check out these calligraphy rings by Florida artist Meryl Pataky. Made of silver, ink and a calligraphy nib, they're dedicated to "those literary masters who have changed [her] perspective of life."

Bonus link:
If you like the look of Chinese calligraphy, French jeweller Ann Gérard has this shiny gold cuff ring emblazoned with the character for "wisdom" (€1250).

Even more jewellery:

• Kecskés Orsolya (Hungary) - pictogram bangles


• Jester Swink (San Francisco) - long chains


• Lucas Jack (UK) - bold & simple


• Annaig Bidan (Australia) - etched handwriting


• Sara Engberg - (Sweden) - words & birds

Memorings / Ignacio Pilotto / Ana Canadas

If you don't spend all weekend just itching to get back into the office on Monday, you must not be using the right stationery. These sticky-note rings will have you counting down the minutes until your next meeting. Memorings by Superdesign; available, among other places, at PA Design.

Of course, you'll need something to keep that pencil pointy, too. Sharpener rings by Argentina's Ignacio Pilotto.

Bonus link:
If you're a super keener, you'll need some triple sharpening action. Multi-sharpener ring by London-based Portuguese designer Ana Canadas.

Even more jewellery:

• OOOMS (Netherlands) - gold staples


• Luckyou (Switzerland) - paper beads


• Lucius (Chicago) - linear metal


• David Poston (UK) - recycled tin


• Bazaz Glass (Seattle) - glass & silver

Lucy Derickson / Frankie Flood / UWM

I've exceeded my daily recommended intake of awesome. Milwaukee's Lucy Derickson made a mold of her face, divvied it into a grid, then turned each section into a ring. This is one of her projects as a student at the University of Wisconsin (UWM), which is also where yesterday's Patrick Walter is a student.

Bonus link:
For more great work out of UWM, see the student works blog from the Industrial Processes course taught by Assistant Professor Frankie Flood. Lots of amazing rings to see there!

Even more jewellery:

• Plot (UK) - charts & graphs


• 3 Jäg (Minnesota) - modern silver


• Metalmorphoz by Nur Cirakoglu (Calgary) - spirals & mesh


• Lorena Villarroel (Chile) - colourful puffs


• Naomi Sheppard (UK) - contemporary metal

Patrick Charles Walter / Surface to Air

I wonder if you'd be allowed to board a plane wearing this ring.

Milwaukee metalsmith Patrick Charles Walter is all fired up about cannons.

Bonus link: New York's Surface to Air, a long-time favourite, actually do warn against packing their weapon-themed jewellery in your luggage when flying. Pictured is their double gun ring.

Even more jewellery:

• J.R. De Bellard (Florida) - gold & bullets


• Me & Zena (UK) - playful charms


• Wearable by Design (California) - intricate silver


• Andra Apa (Toronto) - balls & molecules


• Mike Edelman (Maryland) - coppper & brass

Rui Kikuchi / Sierra Dew

Neither I nor words can describe how much I love these rings by Japanese jeweller Rui Kikuchi. Find them in the "exhibitions" section of her site. Go now!

Bonus link:
If you like the seaweed-like recycled plastic rings above, check out this seaweed ring in silver by Hawaiian designer Sierra Dew (also available in gold).

Even more jewellery:

• Emily Gill (Toronto) - botanical metal


• Angelique Keenan (California) - organic gold


• Felicity Gail (UK) - semiprecious stones


• Sofia Sobreira (Portugal) - modern silver


• Soiba (New York) - colourful earrings

Kloset / CC Skye

Bangkok's Mollika Ruangkritya, aka Kloset, takes you back in time with her "Reminiscence" collection. From prop plane earrings to bangles adorned with Slipstream sedans to the geometric architecture in the rings above, the collection is a great homage to the Art Deco period.

Bonus link:
Well-known accessories designer CC Skye also has a number of Art Deco-inspired pieces, such as this "Blossom" ring in black enamel and crystals, US$245.

Even more jewellery:

• Decogirl (UK) - art deco


• Dotted Loop (Vancouver) - vintage style


• Devon Clark (Calgary) - modern silver


• Demimonde (Oregon) - feathers & briolettes


• Dream Spiral Art (Virginia) - beads & stones

Jessica Lynn Steenwyk / Pamela Proctor

Michigan's Jessica Lynn Steenwyk elevates the puzzle ring from kitsch to glam with her highly-stylized jigsaw blocks. A couple more from the designer, below:

Bonus link:
Here's Connecticut jeweller Pamela Proctor's version of a puzzle ring. Her "twisted puzzle" eschews the busy outlines of a jigsaw shape in favour of fluid silver.

Even more jewellery:

• Romilly Norman (UK) - puzzles & hearts


• Lisa & Scott Cylinder (Pennsylvania) - sculptural wonders


• Alison Rowe (Michigan) - sleek & chunky


• Valou by Valerie Dussin (Los Angeles) - silver & glass


• MIRstyle (Netherlands) - pearl necklaces

Grego Garcia Tebar / Romero Designs

Will 2010, at last, be the year of the baby-faced crystal knob ring? I certainly hope so. Don't miss the work of Spain's Grego Garcia Tebar!

Bonus link:
Like the ring above, this piece can be flipped and worn two ways: one side is monogrammed while the other side holds a personalized photo. Ring by Connecticut's Romero Designs.

Even more jewellery:

• Katarina Kotselainen (Estonia) - photo brooches


• Beth Rosener (California) - modern silver


• Elizabeth Carlock (Texas) - semiprecious stones


• Azuni (UK) - charms & crystals


• Niklas Ejve (Sweden) - silver bracelets

Inni Pärnänen / Charlie High

Clean but complicated — that's the M.O. of Finnish jeweller Inni Pärnänen, who creates botanical jewellery with a geometric bent.

Above, her flower rings in burnt paper and wax.

One more ring in silver and pink paint.

Bonus link:
For more botanical silver rings, check out UK jeweller Charlie High, whose many collections include one based on the (in my opinion) under-represented fern.

Even more jewellery:

• Justice Bodan (California) - silver flowers


• Farah Qureshi (UK) - etched leaves


• Jodi Rae Brownstein (Chicago) - metal & stone


• Karen Bizer (New York) - carved gems


• Elena Relucio (Spain) - colourful felt

Sergun / Claudia Steiner / Patricia Pla / Frey Wille

I hate the fact that when I see the red, blue and yellow squares of a Mondrian painting, my mind turns to hair gel. I guess those package designers knew what they were doing when they decided to co-opt one of the masters. You win this round, L'Oréal Paris, but here are some jewellers who bring things back into the art realm with their Mondrian-inspired pieces. Rings, above, by Turkey's Sergun (top), Austria's Claudia Steiner (mauve background), Spain's Patricia Pla (dark grey backgrounds) and California's Frey Wille (white background).

Bonus link:
New York's Carole Le Bris Perez, the designer behind La Petite Princesse, was also inspired by a major artist when making this Andy Warhol flower ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Valentim Quaresma (Portugal) - wearable art


• Douglas Brett (San Francisco) - Picasso pendants


• Unode50 (Spain) - chunky silver


• Lorena Angulo (Texas) - Mexican folk


• Erica Sharpe (UK) - metal & gems

igo / Naomi Muirhead

Now that's my kind of emerald ring.

Japanese design duo Fumiko Yamauchi and Shinobu Marotta, aka igo, reinvent the emerald-, marquise- and heart-cut gemstone with these awesome outline rings. Of course, if gems aren't your style, you can always have an entire city wrapped around your finger instead:

Bonus link: for map rings of the paper variety, check out Chicago-native Naomi Muirhead, who now resides in Italy. Her jewellery features vintage Italian maps, letters, watch parts, game pieces and more.

Even more jewellery:

• Polli (Australia) - metal outlines


• 821 (Japan) - vintage pieces


• Petra Class (San Francisco) - gold & gems


• Azaara (Los Angeles) - ornate & bejeweled


• Jesse Mathes (Chicago) - silver circles

Jenny Llewellyn / Orly Wexler

Brilliant! UK jeweller Jenny Llewellyn combines silver and silicone in her wonderfully whimsical pieces inspired by the deep sea. Rings above from her "Polyps" range.

Did I mention they also glow in the dark? Like I said, brilliant!

Bonus link: Israel's Orly Wexler also uses colourful silicone in her rings, combining the material with equally colourful gemstones. Black rubber also figures prominently in her jewellery — visit her site for more!

Even more jewellery:

• Janie Graham (UK) - rubber & acrylic


• Lauren Haupt (New York) - wood & chains


• Tanja Ufer (UK) - organic metal


• Dan McGill (Australia) - planes & urchins


• Christy Lea Payne (Colorado) - stamped silver

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