Ashley Warsaw / Luise Neugebauer / Shauna Mayben / Filip Jackowski / Jytte Kloeve

Friday's a good day for some Random Pluckings from my Bookmarks!

"Duality" ring in silver and cane by Georgia's Ashley Warsaw.

Enamel and cable rings by Germany's Luise Neugebauer.

Haunting antique photo rings by Australia's Shauna Mayben.

"Rocky" rings by Poland's Filip Jackowski.

Black gold with diamonds by Denmark's Jytte Kloeve.

Bonus link:
Want more black? Check out Germany's Philip Klar and his minimalist black horn rings with touches of silver.

Even more jewellery:

• Birgit Hagmann (Germany) - angular scribbles


• Flavia Amadeu (Brazil) - bold & modern


• Maki Kawawa (Japan) - fabric necklaces


• Allison Mooney (Chicago) - chunky beads


• Lotus de Wit (UK) - simple silver

Mareile Tinzmann / Liliana Ojeda

These exuberant acrylic "sea anemones" aren't even the most interesting pieces on her site. That would be the wooden walking cane that she turned into a necklace. A walking cane! Into a necklace! Welcome to the mind of Germany's Mareile Tinzmann.

Bonus link:
For more colourful acrylic rings bursting with sprouts — silver sprouts, in this case — see these "bloom" rings by Chilean jeweller Liliana Ojeda.

Even more jewellery:

• Susanne Elstner (Germany) - metal & sprouts


• Stéphanie Barbié (Spain) - plastic & silicone


• Laurette O'Neil (Nevada) - amber & silver


• Babette Epaulette (New York) - shoulder jewellery


• Julie Carter (Australia) - lens pendants

Nora Rochel / Devi Jewellery (Marisanna Multamaa)

Petal paroxysm: German artist Nora Rochel breaks away from the "old fashioned," "sentimental" and "naive" aspect of flowers, exploring instead their visual complexity. No pink posies here! The results are mesmerizing.

Bonus link:
If you like things to be neat and tidy, Finnish jeweller Marisanna Multamaa of Devi Jewellery has this silver ring that resembles a clean stack of uniform petals.

Even more jewellery:

• Julia Wright (UK) - silver flowers


• Kait Rhoads (Seattle) - glass discs


• Kate Ellen Metals (California) - organic & industrial


• Kuźnia Koralików (Poland) - colourful beading


• Antje Freiheit (Germany) - minimal metal

Elizabeth Yates / Emmanuel Lacoste

These rings bring to mind that Steven Wright joke: "I want to get a tattoo of myself on my entire body — only two inches taller." Silicone finger rings by Oregon artist Elizabeth Yates, featuring replicas of her own digits — life-sized, not two inches longer.

Bonus link: also concerned with bodily matters is French artist Emmanuel Lacoste, who made the finger brace rings pictured here. See more from his anatomically-themed collection on his site, ex-carne.

Even more jewellery:

• Dame (San Francisco) - body chains


• Ali Forbes (UK) - leather longhorns


• Britta Kauppila (Minnesota) - organic silver


• Ju-well (Judigje Kuipers) (Netherlands) - classic gold


• SLA Metals by Susie L. Andregg (Vermont) - woven metal

Jacek Byczewski / Mitchell Turnbough

If he doesn't already, Jacek Byczewski really ought to take up snowboarding, because he's got a great sense of balance. The Polish jeweller artfully straddles the line between traditional and new, creating diamond rings that feel classic but are never, ever ordinary.

Bonus link: some more pieces that mix "new" and "traditional." These rings by New Jersey interior designer Mitchell Turnbough mimic the shape of traditional diamond solitaires but are made entirely of white gold (including the "gem").

Even more jewellery:

• Mark Nuell (UK) - modern classics


• Branwen Kemp (Vancouver) - silver & gems


• Emma Grace (Australia) - bold metal


• Susan Hojel (San Francisco) - gold & pearls


• Hong Bock (Germany) - semi-precious stone

Taketomi / Daisy Knights / Odette / Lois Martens

With all these competitive athletes in town, I've got gold and silver on the mind. Above: lovely, understated rings by Japan's Taketomi.

More gold and silver from London's Daisy Knights.

Bonus link:
Some of those athletes might want to get their hands on this piece as a good-luck charm. Winged ring in silver from the "victory" series by UK jeweller Odette.

Bonus link #2:
Of course, let's not forget about bronze! Sculptural wolf's head ring made of bronze lines by Lois Martens, a former lab tech who moved to Italy and took up metalsmithing.

Even more jewellery:

• Julez Bryant (California) - gold & diamonds


• Metalnat (New York) - modern silver


• Bandorfer (Germany) - crowns & gems


• Jenny Lawlor (Ireland) - roses & cameos


• Caroline Ballou (Rhode Island) - contemporary classics

Scott Beckerman / Radu Designs

Considering his design aesthetic (look no further than these stunning rings in quartz and gems), it will not shock you to learn that California's Scott Beckerman also designs sleek perfume bottles for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana — a job he was seemingly born to do. I bet his high school guidance counselor had no problem determining the colour of his parachute.

Above, more of his sleek and chunky rings in agate and jasper.

Bonus link:
Brazil's Radu Designs has more chunky rings in solid quartz and aquamarine for your perusal. Theirs are topped with flowers in 18k gold.

Even more jewellery:

• Pilar Garrigosa (Spain) - chunky quartz


• Annina Vogel (UK) - antique charms


• Jon Pacheco (Illinois) - brooches & keys


• Lucifer Vir Honestus (Italy) - gold & gems


• Cara Griffith (Virginia) - textured silver

2212 / Jo Luping

For me, rings are like drugs — but I'm perfectly open to alternative medicines, too, like this acupuncture ring by Argentina's 2212 (2212°C being the boiling point of silver).

Below, some of her botanical bursts:

Bonus link: you've seen cabbages before (just look at the ring above!) but have you seen a cabbage tree? New Zealand's Jo Luping offers this photogram ring featuring the cabbage tree, a plant endemic to her home country.

Even more jewellery:

• Amber Yearwood (California) - botanical metal


• Sruli Recht (Iceland) - screw-in diamonds


• Lydia Feast (UK) - white enamel


• Toosis (Turkey) - beads & photos


• Lene Vibe (Denmark) - gold & gems

Stephanie Schwallie / Renee Andriole / Rock Cakes

What to wear to a "Lost" finale party: "Safety Jewelry" by Ohio artist Stephanie Schwallie, featuring images from airline safety cards. The ring was a typewriter key in its former (or is it parallel?) life.

Maybe, like me, you're more of a "Dexter" fan. L.A.'s Renee Andriole has an intriguing collection of blade rings — just in case you run into a blood splatter analyst in a dark alley.

Bonus link:
Television ring by UK jeweller Sarah Pugh of Rock Cakes. She's even thoughtfully tilted the screen at such an angle that makes it easy to watch the screen... for the serious addict.

Even more jewellery:

• Bety K. Majernikova (Slovakia) - TVs & guns


• Hinu (Hawaii) - island style


• Devta Doolan (Maine) - gold & stones


• Alexandra Jefford (UK) - metal & gems


• Jan Palmer (California) - signs & symbols

Patrick Shureb / Kolodesign

Conspicuous consumption, peak oil, or just a plumbing snafu? Like some golden version of Rorschach's test, these spewing rings could mean many things. For their creator, Michigan's Patrick Shureb, they symbolize "Exorbitance."

Bonus link:
"Exorbitant" is definitely one word that comes to mind when I look at this wild, spiralling, diamond spectacle by Spain's Kolodesign.

Even more jewellery:

• House of Lavande (Florida) - vintage couture


• Shourouk (France) - fantasy necklaces


• Fancy Pony Land (Texas) - squished pennies


• Richard Zarobell (Ohio) - shiny & glam


• Ana de Costa (UK) - jade & gold

Denise J. Bonaimo / DAC Metals

I'm fairly close to a lot of the Olympic activity so the next couple of weeks are going to be a bit crazy. Still, let the games begin — starting with these Mouse Trap game-piece rings (in Olympic colours, no less) by California's Denise J. Bonaimo. Her "Game" series is full of jewellery made of bingo tokens, Battleship pieces, pick-up sticks and more. As much fun as a barrel of monkeys! (She has those, too.)

Bonus link:
This is the "Scrabble" ring by San Francisco's DAC Metals (David Casella). Though not tile-shaped, you can play with it by arranging and re-arranging the random letters.

Even more jewellery:

• Felicity Jane Large (Australia) - playful & colourful


• Almost Perfect by Rose Cecil (UK) - organic silver


• Infraredstudio (Minnesota) - modern lasercuts


• Mehoi (Toronto) - cartoony enamel


• Lisa Ridout (Vancouver) - silver links

Debra Baxter / Hello Drama

Can you call them brass knuckles if they're made of crystal?

Of if the knuckles are shaped like a tongue? Seattle artist Debra Baxter says yes. Don't miss her gallery for more crystal, tongues and an array of sculptures in alabaster.

Bonus link:
Though not exactly a knuckleduster, this chain ring is also designed to span multiple fingers. From the "heavy metal" collection by Hello Drama of Los Angeles.

Even more jewellery:

• One of One (Chicago) - chunky druzy


• Monika Zampa (Netherlands) - men's neckpieces


• Fei Liu (UK) - dramatic gems


• Guylaine Cyr (Montreal) - contemporary metal


• Miss Isis (Italy) - silver & chains

Camilla Teglio / Kostantia Manthou

A juxtaposition of the traditional and the contemporary: Italy's Camilla Teglio combines clean silver lines with wood blocks covered in Japanese washi paper. (English really ought to have more words that begin with juxt, don't you think?)

Some more samples of her work, above.

Bonus link: another Italy-based designer concerned with "then and now" is Kostantia Manthou (originally from Greece); these bronze rings are from her "slices of history" series.

Even more jewellery:

• Midori Ikeda (UK) - art pieces


• Angela Simone (Italy) - paper beads


• Demitasse (California) - spoons & mustaches


• Áurea Joyas (Colombia) - metal & gems


• Katrin Hohenschildt (Germany) - brushed silver

Jennifer Culp / Chun Chun

I'll let her own website do the talking. Enter the world of Tennessee's Jennifer Culp.

Bonus link:
For more interesting and conceptual jewellery, see Philadelphia's Chun Chun (born and raised in Hong Kong). Pictured are the Dualità salt and pepper shaker rings.

Even more jewellery:

• Charlotte Daffern (UK) - bold & conceptual


• Tom Tom (California) - diamonds & triangles


• Lenora Dame (Pennsylvania) - decoupage bangles


• Brenda Roy (Ontario) - metal & stone


• Orogami (Italy) - classical gold

momocreatura / Atelier VM / miniaturas en metal

It's Morbid Monday, and another installment in our on-going series, Japanese Designers Who Love Bloodied Animals. These killer rings are by London-based Momoko Tamura of momocreatura.

Before you sic PETA on me, here's a herd of perfectly intact animals by Atelier VM (Italy's Viola Naj-Oleari and Marta Caffarelli).

And while we're on the topic of sculpted animal rings, I finally have a chance to post these — the only anteater rings I've ever seen! The first version, on the left, is from 2007; on the right is the latest version. By Argentina's Rita Bambidele Hampton of miniaturas en metal.

Bonus link: one more sculpted bird, this time from Los Angeles jeweller Gara Danielle. The wrap-around eagle ranges from $126 to $500, depending on your choice of stone (for the eyes) and metal.

Even more jewellery:

• Simone Pfister (Australia) - swans & lace


• Nick Hubbard (UK) - charming animals


• Anne Lene Løvhaug (Norway) - anatomical textiles


• Megan Shoemaker (Pennsylvania) - sculptural silver


• Suzue Wireworks (California) - gold wire

Mina Wu / Kelly Stiles / TMOD

Taipei-born, Holland-trained, Tokyo-based textile designer Mina Wu created "Pavlov's Wedding Rings" after reading about his early life of poverty and how his mother used to earn money by knitting. Those would, of course, be dog teeth decorating the glove/ring.

Above, some more yarn rings by Texas jeweller Kelly Stiles. These remind me vaguely of Navajo weaving patterns (though I'm not convinced that the top one isn't a martini). She's also responsible for these sweet rings:

Bonus link:
Recalling another culture native to the Americas are the Aztec pyramid rings by Australia's TMOD. The shanks are emblazoned with messages in Braille; translations are etched inside the bands.

Even more jewellery:

• Dennis Nahabetian (New York) - woven & sculptural


• Jessica Calderwood (Wisconsin) - bodies on brooches


• Kristi Hyde (Georgia) - chunky gems


• Drew Perridge (UK) - contemporary metal


• Ilana Goor (Israel) - silver & leather