Zaorick / Charcoal Designs

Happy Hallowe'en!

See that ring she's wearing? There's more where that came from.

When I say more, I mean pages upon pages upon pages more. Japan's Zaorick offers oodles of ghoulish treats for you to peruse. If you don't read Japanese, just click where you'd normally find the "next page" link at the bottom of any blog page. And keep clicking and clicking.

Bonus link:
California's Charcoal Designs has these "Frank 'N' Stein" monster rings in handcast resin to complete your Hallowe'en.

Even more jewellery:

• Vampire Wear (Ontario) - blood & fangs


• La Ninja (Sweden) - vintage style


• Sonya Nagels (Netherlands) - simple & modern

Vanessa Arthur / Pennie Jagiello

I love this gorgeous transformation of reclaimed building materials, like laminate and plywood, by New Zealand's Vanessa Arthur. She has a funny streak, too, as one of them (pictured above, bottom) is ironically named "lifetime guarantee."

Bonus link: another jeweller working with discarded materials is Australia's Pennie Jagiello, whose signature material is electrical cabling.

Even more jewellery:

• Suzie Byatt (UK) - architectural fragments


• Jennifer Nielsen (Maine) - rocks & silver


• Zula Jewelry (Vancouver) - metal & wool

Lucy Jenkins / Lisa Watson

London metalsmith Lucy Jenkins uses recycled materials like fuses, zippers and watch straps in these bird and book rings. But if you want to get at the, um, meat of her work, you'll have to check out her taxidermy jewellery.

Bonus link: if you're squeamish like me, here's a NON-taxidermied bunny from UK jeweller Lisa Watson. Much of her work incorporates anodised aluminium (that's "anodized aluminum" if you don't speak British).

Even more jewellery:

• Kate Halfpenny (UK) - birds & bees


• Ferran Iglesias (Spain) - gold wire


• Lucy Hearn (Australia) - colourful earrings

mzuu / Yunhee Kim

At first, this jeweller was going to be part of Monday's skull ring post. Then it was going to be part of Tuesday's diamond ring post. With such a wide selection of rings, it could be part of any post, so let me avoid putting it off any longer and dedicate today's post to Korea's mzuu. The rings above (including smoking skulls!) are from their "Rollips" collection.

Bonus link:
For another Korean jeweller, check out metalsmith Yunhee Kim. I love her "blossom" ring and how you can stack different styles to make your own statement.

Even more jewellery:

• Jaehyung Cho (South Korea) - metal art


• Lucy Peacock (UK) - colourful & geometric


• Sollis (Australia) - macramé knots

Katie Lees / tmh.

Scotland's Katie Lees has some great metalwork inspired by the "heavy industrial aesthetic of the shipbuilding history that has moulded the city of Glasgow."

Above, her structural rings with clusters of diamond-like outlines.

Bonus link:
For a much more subtle diamond — so much so that it's protruding inward rather than outward — check out this "diamond inside" ring from Japan's tmh.

Even more jewellery:

• Rosalba Balsamo (Italy) - metal diamonds


• Lotta Losten (Sweden) - wire cages


• Francine Haywood (Australia) - silver & copper

Kaye Blegvad / Catarina Silva / Fabi Malavazi

With Hallowe'en just a week away, I've got skulls on (not to mention encasing) the brain. First up are these brass and silver rings from New York's Kaye Blegvad. Like little skull families!

And here's an entire skull clan, from Portugal's Catarina Silva

A skull with a flourish from Brazil's Fabi Malavazi.

Bonus link:
If you're looking for something in a skullier colour, New Zealand's Nick Von K has rings in carved mother-of-pearl. (I also like his funny babushka skull charm.)

Even more jewellery:

• Mantis 7 (California) - handcarved skulls


• Indigo Fawn (Australia) - lasercut acrylic


• Sonja Neven (Alberta) - metal & gems

Claire McArdle / Lunasa Designs

Australia's Claire McArdle is killing me with the greatness of her jewellery. I particularly love these "Wind Wheel" and "Metropolis" pieces that look like they were plucked from a rural landscape.

Above, her finger- and nail-tunnels. I am slain.

Bonus link:
Here's another ring that could've been plucked (in two senses of the word) from a rural landscape. It's the "COCKtail" ring from Utah's Lunasa Designs (Rebekah Timlin Meddles).

Even more jewellery:

• California Rustic (North Carolina) - recycled flatware


• Trois Petits Points (France) - minimal enamel


• Porzellaner (Germany) - porcelain pendants

Mel Miller / Beccy Boo

Awwwwwwwwwww yeeeeeeeeahhhh.

Australia's Mel Miller has re-awakened my long-ago obsession with bouncy balls, using the Funnest Toy on Earth as "stones" in her rings (some of which even glow in the dark). She also carves those balls into tubes for use as beads — visit her site to see!

Bonus link:
UK shop Beccy Boo has lots of fun rings topped with vintage toy pieces, including a Connect Four disc, Lego brick and this vintage bouncy ball.

Even more jewellery:

• Liliana Lé (Portugal) - balls & elastics


• Hirotaka (Japan) - natural inspirations


• Phillip Chisholm (Toronto) - metal & pearls

Martina Bocka / Mederu Jewelry

I like the word "loop" because it resembles a needle looping thread. (Kind of like how "bed" looks like a bed. Is there a term for such words?)

All lovely loops above from German jeweller Martina Bocka.

Bonus link:
For something simple and elegant, check out this looped "je t'aime" ring in gold from Japan's Mederu Jewelry, whose shop is full of classic pieces.

Even more jewellery:

• Mango & Magnolia (Germany) - plastic loops


• David Webdale (UK) - sleek & bone-like


• Andrea Bonelli (California) - modern classics

Lena & Fredrik / Autumn Brown

Two incompatible rings (unless you like burning thread) from two compatible designers, Lena & Fredrik (Lena Åberg & Fredrik Lundberg). In addition to creating jewellery and objects, the duo teach classes in silversmithing — but you'll have to go to Sweden if you want to take part!

Bonus link:
Maybe fire and thread are compatible. This porcelain "Firecracker" ring has an enamel design that looks like it's been stitched with thread. Ring by Georgia's Autumn Brown.

Even more jewellery:

• Lorena Marañón (Colorado) - thread & brass


• Fleet (Vancouver) - braided leather


• Loula Design (Germany) - changeable bangles

Nayad Bal / Antje Bleck

Turkey's Nayad Bal knows that two heads are better (and cuter) than one.

Bonus link:
For many more double-headed rings, visit Germany's Antje Bleck and check out her "Pulpi" collection. She shares her website with fellow jeweller Antje Roeben.

Even more jewellery:

• Double Happiness (California) - fashion jewellery


• Megan Perkins (Australia) - modern enamel


• Elinor de Spoelberch (Belgium) - metal & textiles

Rachael Colley / Muriel & Lily (Mary Larkin)

Beef, flour, egg whites — and gold-plated silver? That's the recipe for this "Beefin' Up" ring.

For all the times I've talked about rings that look good enough to eat, here are some rings made of food good enough to wear. The red rings above (bottom) feature double-sided tape and raspberry jelly! Also shown above (top) are "U-R-N" rings with Whitby jet dust, flour and dried blood. For more fantastic work, check out UK artist Rachael Colley.

Bonus link:
We can't have all that beef and carbs without some veggies, so here are some avocado skin rings by Muriel & Lily (British jeweller Mary Larkin).

Even more jewellery:

• Cow Jewelry (Florida) - farm charms


• Sugar Bean (Arizona) - modern classics


• Ceeb Wassermann (Australia) - Japan-inspired

SmilingSilverSmith / Stephanie Simon

Smiling silver from the SmilingSilverSmith.

Visit the California jeweller for fun rings with a touch of geekery.

Bonus link:
Here's another smiley ring (and a frown to even things out) from Trinidad native Stephanie Simon, now based in the UK.

Even more jewellery:

• Daisy Smiles (Texas) - stamped silver


• Alana Douvros (California) - quartz & chain


• A5 (Sweden) - experimental art

Maija Puoskari / Alegra Jewelry (Vicki Pellegrini)

Bat your eyelashes by waving a finger with these eyelash rings from Finnish designer Maija Puoskari.

Bonus link:
If you're more about the eyeball than the eyelash (or maybe just the iris), there's this "Shirley" ring from Oklahoma metalsmith Alegra Jewelry (Vicki Pellegrini).

Even more jewellery:

• Kleio Jewelry (Ontario) - human & horse hair


• Suzan Rezac (Illinois) - metal inlay


• Benny Pri-Zan (Israel) - gold & gems

Claire Baloge / Chelsea Miller Designs

I love these silver and clay rings by French artist Claire Baloge but she has some really crappy pieces on her website. No, I mean really crappy — as in actual camel dung! Not to mention hair, organic copper and lots, lots more.

Bonus link:
For more clay, check out the ceramic shard jewellery of South Carolina's Chelsea Miller Designs, who literally digs for pieces from the late 1600s to the early 1900s.

Even more jewellery:

• SKT Ceramics (New York) - animal pendants


• Ashley Gilreath (Illnois) - nostalgic art


• Vally Kontidis (Greece) - contemporary metal

yyogurt (Anna Yingnan Yu) / Aida Pekin

There's yogurt unflavoured...

...and then there's yogurt with a bit of colour. I'm not talking in metaphors, I'm talking about yyogurt and yyogurt unflavored, the two sides of Chinese designer Anna Yingnan Yu (formerly Yu Yu Design).

Above, her "plug and socket" ring.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Bonus link: prefer to start your mornings with caffeine rather than dairy? Here's the acrylic two-piece "Turkish Puzzle Coffee Ring" from Turkish designer Aida Pekin (available at the MoMA store).

Even more jewellery:

• Chicken and the Egg (New York) - ropes of beads


• Julia Zimmerman (Germany) - birds & butterflies


• Martina Fabian (UK) - silver & gems

Daniel Dicaprio / Silje Bergsvik

Daniel Dicaprio shows us his orifices. Pictured above are rings in wood, metal and ivory from the Virginia artist's "Orifice" series.

Bonus link:
Here's another wooden ring from Norway's Silje Bergsvik, who is "inspired by the world of the famous Don Quijote, a world where the limit between reality and fantasy is blurred."

Even more jewellery:

• Corrie Williamson (UK) - bold wood


• Margarita Meitani (Greece) - etched & beaded


• Vanessa Amalia (New York) - silver charms

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