Formas aG (Rocío Vergara Bolbarán) / Enrico Franchi

Why are my feet cold? Because these rings knocked my socks off! I absolutely love the colour explosion over at Chile's Formas aG (Rocío Vergara Bolbarán).

Bonus link:
Using colour a bit more sparingly but just as nicely is Italian jeweller and sculptor Enrico Franchi. Pictured is a ring from his "Udjat" collection.

Even more jewellery:

• Hunting for George (Australia) - coloured porcelain


• Sarah W. Homans (Montana) - bold silver


• Vart by Vaida Petreikiene (Lithuania) - felt & beads

Ewa Doerenkamp / Von Lotzbeck

Are your fingers fit to be framed? Germany's Ewa Doerenkamp makes wire-frame vessels and jewellery by hardening soft metals (like fine silver), creating pieces "which look very fragile but are not."

Bonus link:
Here's a gold ring that looks like a wire-frame model of a soap bubble! Ring in 14k from the "Bubbles" collection by Danish jeweller Von Lotzbeck.

Even more jewellery:

• Arianna Blum (New Jersey) - wire & gems


• Nicola Reed (UK) - powder puffs


• Erga (Israel) - simple silver

Dai Ban / Tattooed Steel

If you like the look of Mehndi but aren't sure about the dermal commitment (no matter how temporary), what about something that lasts longer than ink but can be slipped on and off on a whim? Dai Ban, a Japanese jeweller now living in Massachusetts, turns his fascination with the Indian skin art into these decorative gold "Mehndi" rings.

Bonus link: for rings with tattoo motifs, check out the pieces at California-based Tattooed Steel, where artists' designs are branded onto titanium. The image on this ring is by Dawn Serica.

Even more jewellery:

• Jubly-Umph (Australia) - tattoo & rockabilly


• Anne Holm Alexandersen (Norway) - black leather


• Sandra Zilker (Texas) - colours & patterns

Olfie (Florence Goury) / Twig Studio (Karen Altman)

This tree ring sort of looks like a ring holder on a ring!

For a nice mix of organic and geometric with touches of enamel, visit French jeweller Olfie (Florence Goury).

Bonus link:
For more tree rings, see Virginia's Twig Studio, where artist Karen Altman displays tiny prints of her lovely tree paintings under clear glass cabs.

Even more jewellery:

• ArtistaTree (Colorado) - hand-cut metal


• Smalltown (Australia) - macramé necklaces


• Cabinet (UK) - charms & tassels

Kenta Katakura / Sabine König

According to Japan's Kenta Katakura, who created these amazing "Naked" rings, "I just kept carving the shape that came into my mind with the material that was comfortable to touch. When I assembled the forms, it was me, just the way I was."

Above, one of his burnt wood rings.

Bonus link:
speaking of carving, I love the look of carved cabs, like the ones in these rings from UK-based jeweller Sabine König.

Even more jewellery:

• Bare (California) - modern classics


• Celeste Lambert (Massachusetts) - wooden cuffs


• Iben Birch Bech (Denmark) - acrylic rectangles

Naomi Blumenthal / Esser Vesper (Laurel Hill) / Violetta Elisa Seliger/ Minoru Takeuchi

A few shining (but not too shiny) examples of chunky, modern metal today, starting with this piece from Massachusetts' Naomi Blumenthal.

Stacked nuggets by Oregon's Esser Vesper (Laurel Hill).

"Variation No.5" by Germany's Violetta Elisa Seliger.

Bonus link:
Here's some modern metal that's light and airy rather than chunky. Gold ring by Japan's Minoru Takeuchi, who runs the jewellery and flower studio Proof of Guild.

Even more jewellery:

• Rottenstang (Denmark) - chunky beads


• Laurel Wells (New York) - fringe & feathers


• Kosmimata (Greece) - gold granules

Serena Kyung Hyun Park / Nangijala Jewelry

These rings would fit right into the "organically grown" section of the supermarket. The glass bits seem to grow right out of the pure silver, as though it were a perfectly natural phenomenon. "Harmony" rings by London's Serena Kyung Hyun Park.

Bonus link:
Arizona's Nangijala Jewelry also has rings with gems that seem to bud right out of the silver.

Even more jewellery:

• Salty Girl (Hawaii) - organic & oceanic


• Entre-Lineas (Argentina) - copper mesh


• Louise's Leap (Idaho) - botanical enamel

Betty+Cash (Jessica McMullen) / Dmitry Paransyuhkin et al.

These "Kinetic Link Glasgow Rings" (top row, above) in oxidized or white silver "move similarly to a bike chain, forming unique patterns." For more, see Australia's Betty+Cash (Jessica McMullen), who proves that good things come in rows of four.

Bonus link: speaking of cash, this coin ring was made by cutting the middle out of a euro and folding it over the remains. By Berlin musicians Vogelstrauss (Johannes Wengel and Dmitry Paransyuhkin) and Mark Boombastik.

Even more jewellery:

• Johnny Ramli (Netherlands) - coins & chains


• Muyao Zhang (Germany) - satin & pvc


• NAKI Design (Israel) - simple silver

Maria Black / Lana ia lani

I love when rings are worn high and low on the finger, like how Danish-born Maria Black styles her pieces — why restrict yourself to one spot? Pictured above are her "double monocle" and "double pistols" rings (and, if you squint, a solo "safety" ring).

Bonus link:
If you like chains but have more traditional tastes, check out these pretty gold rings adorned with brightly-coloured gems from Japan's Lana ia lani.

Even more jewellery:

• Woon Hung (Singapore) - chains & stones


• Jessica Winchcombe (New Zealand) - organic & colourful


• Benoit Missolin (France) - headbands & necklaces

Victoria Lemon / George Plionis

In UK jeweller Victoria Lemon's own words:

My work examines and reinterprets the visual element of typography from previous eras. I am interested in the fading glimpses of broken text found in my surrounding environment and use these differing graphic styles of font in my designs. Through repetition and manipulation of scale I aim to create delicate structures of text which play with the written word.

Bonus link:
Speaking of broken text, these stamped silver rings come from Australian designer George Plionis's "Deconstructed Word" series.

Even more jewellery:

• 2 Acorns (Australia) - typographic jewellery


• Alix Bluh (California) - "modern relics"


• hk + np studio (Vancouver) - simple twists

Momoko Hatano / Serena Chen

A bird in the hand is worth two between the fingers (I think that's how the expression goes). It took me a moment to realize that these two birds are actually one single "Bird Dance" ring by Australia's Momoko Hatano (the single bird is her "Dove" ring). I love the outstretched wings and the detailing thereof.

Maybe it's "a bird in the hand is worth two horses in the bush." Above, her "Equestrian Romance" ring.

Bonus link:
For more birds and (Swedish) horses, check out Taiwan's Serena Chen. Her silver bird and branch rings are inlaid with bits of colourful suede.

Even more jewellery:

• BirdQueen Designs (Pennsylvania) - illustrated plastic


• Hella Ganor (Israel) - modern metal


• Petite Robe Noire (Japan) - vintage jewels

Ivana Vucinovic / Stimuls

These fresh and juicy colours make me want to drink, well, juice. Which is weird, because I don't really like juice. But that's just how powerful these rings are. Subverting my libatory preferences is Milan-based Croatian jeweller Ivana Vucinovic.

Bonus link: Spain's Stimuls does "juicy" in gold and silver with their pineapple and lemon slice rings. Coffee beans also available, if you're a non-juicer like me.

Even more jewellery:

• Papaya Blue (Vancouver) - silver hoops


• Anna Davern (Australia) - illustrated jewels


• Liat Waldman (Israel) - contemporary metal

Gold Cord (Mizuki Shinkai) / Zoltan David

Should I be blogging these? Or should I be genuflecting before them? Let's do both! These commanding, regal rings are from Japan's Gold Cord (Mizuki Shinkai).

Bonus link: Zoltan David's rings are fit for royalty — or for knights, at the very least, like this "Excaliber" (with an "e") ring. The Texas jeweller is actually a knight himself, having been bestowed the title in honour of his father, a Hungarian hero.

Even more jewellery:

• Culet (New Zealand) - crowns & fleur-de-lys


• Katja Toporski (Maryland) - lace & veils


• Tomoko Umemoto (Spain) - modern silver

Michelle Kraemer / Robin Charlotte Humphrey

Even if these don't tickle your fancy, they're bound to tickle something. With their bright colours and crossed "arms," they're like little cheerleader rings! By Luxembourg jeweller Michelle Kraemer.

Above, the artist's rings in paper and paint.

Bonus link:
More feathery rings from Los Angeles jeweller Robin Charlotte Humphrey, who embeds parrot feathers and tiny little seashsells in resin.

Even more jewellery:

• Cities in Dust (Illinois) - feathers & crystals


• Lauren Griffiths (UK) - silver & wood


• Atelier Hapax (France) - paper beads

Papabubble / Marie-José Hoeboer

Sweet! After years of talking about rings that look like candy, here they are: rings that are candy. Searching the net for caramel, as I am wont to do, I spotted these at Spanish "caramel artesans" Papabubble. Not to be confused with that other Papa, Japanese creampuff artisans Beard Papa's.

Bonus link: for another sugar rush, check out this 650-diamond "Sugar" ring by Dutch artist Marie-José Hoeboer. Tons of cool stuff on her site, including chalk, eyelashes and candy necklaces!

Even more jewellery:

• Amyville (Arizona) - candy & sushi


• Judit Reig (Spain) - flat animals


• Jane Adam (UK) - anodized metal

Adam & Stoffel / Heeseung Koh / Julie Nolan

Why do I feel like if I look down into one of these, I'll see the back of my own self? I love the tunnel shape of these "calla" rings, especially as it's not a common treatment for agate.

Above, "tipsi" rings from the designers, Germany's Adam & Stoffel (Claudia Adam and Jörg Stoffel).

Some more pointy rings, whose name made me look twice. "Piling Up" by Korea's Heeseung Koh.

Bonus link:
More pointy rings in texturized silver and brass from Brooklyn's Julie Nolan. The version with a hole is her "totem" ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Pieknosc/Belleza (Illinois) - agate & silver


• Binglabart vs. Lazyleti (Italy) - bold acrylic


• Flash Jordan (UK) - sleek lines

Fanny Agnier / Sarah Lierl

MATCHES and TOOTHPICKS!

COMBS and BOBBY PINS!

SORRY FOR ALL THE — ahem — sorry for all the shouting but French jeweller Fanny Agnier has me super excited! Don't miss out on her gallery, which includes fantastic work with rice grains.

Bonus link: if you don't mind ALL CAPS, Germany's Sarah Lierl has an alphabet series as well as letter combos like "DJ" and "COM."

Even more jewellery:

• Valentine Herrenschmidt (France) - wire letters


• Marissa B. (Massachusetts) - bright beads


• Hamish Munro (Australia) - simple leather

Kora / Vanessa Samuels

Please note! There will be no new blog post until next Wednesday as I'm going on a little trip. Thanks for waiting!

Speaking, as I was yesterday, of stripping away the meat, the muscle and the blood, these stunning rings are made from cow horn that was "rescued" from abbatoirs in Ghana. L.A.-based Maxandra Short and Amy Walker use sustainable materials and support African artisans with their line, Kora (which means "work" in the native language of Rwanda).

Bonus link:
More lovely bones. Pictured here is the "Layers #1" ring in beef bone and silver by Australian jeweller Vanessa Samuels, whose work focusses on layering, stacking and repetition.

Even more jewellery:

• Mood Australia (Australia) - horn & bone


• Ibrahima S. Bah (Ivory Coast) - twisted wire


• Yu-Ping Lin (UK) - blooming fabric

Adam Grinovich / Hiroko Miura

In a world concerned with appearances, Stockholm-based, Massachusetts-born Adam Grinovich "strip[s] away the meat, the muscle, the blood" of things to see "its shell, its carapace, its husk." His work incorporates leather, lacquer, horsehair, plaster and more.

Bonus link:
For more husky jewellery, check out this bark ring by Paris-based Japanese jeweller Hiroko Miura. She strives to make tactile pieces that "attract the hand as much as the eye."

Even more jewellery:

• Bettula (Michigan) - birch bark


• Nova Colette (New York) - white enamel


• Paula Gallardo (Argentina) - ceramic & leather

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