Belnavarro / Atelier Yumi

Welcome to Awesometown, USA. Population: Belnavarro. (Nevermind that Maribel Navarro is actually from Barcelona, just go with it.)

Bonus link:
This ring from Chicago's Atelier Yumi (Maryam "Yumi" Gaber) has a similar vibe. Shown here in clear crystal, it also comes with the pyramid in various semiprecious stones.

Even more jewellery:

• Lilas Force (France) - glass & textiles
• Cynde Hujarski (Ohio) - film negatives
• Lizzie Mandler (California) - modern classics

Kody Wing Hang Chan / Laura Mains

There are times when I can't even pull my receipt from the gas pump without creating a shredded mess — and so the universe offers counterbalance in the form of UK-based Hong Kong native Kody Wing Hang Chan, whose talent with paper is inspired by the silhouettes of branches and flowers.

Bonus link: if not for the fact that it's made of silver, this ring looks like it could fit right in with the collection above! Hand-pierced ring by UK jeweller Laura Mains, who's inspired (fittingly) by Japanese paper cutting.

Even more jewellery:

• Leela Morimoto (Utah) - folded paper
• Szeki (New York) - metal & crystal
• Chris Pate (UK) - botanical silver

Pieter Bostoen / Cloudswimmers

I love it! But does it come as a full cage?

I love it! But does it come in any other colours?

I love it! But does it come in a little less colour?

I love it! But—

Perfect. Belgian designer Pieter Bostoen covers all the angles with his 3D-printed jewellery.

Bonus link:
Is your idea of the perfect printed ring more floral than angular? Cloudswimmers, also of Belgium, has this flower ring, available in five colours.

Even more jewellery:

• OMC² Design Studios (Italy) - 3D-printed pendants
• Roseanne Bartley (Australia) - plastic & thread
• Ahlene Welsh (California) - twotone metal

Kiss the Frog / Ailin Rølvåg

Based in Athens and Berlin, this design duo has an adorable, lighthearted style that's distinctly their own.

Scoot on over to Kiss the Frog.

Bonus link: prefer a fossil-fuelled method of transportation? Then this tire ring, circumscribed with "To drive is to live is to drive" (and so on), is for you. Ring by Norway's Ailin Rølvåg.

Even more jewellery:

• Velo Gioielli (Oregon) - cycling jewellery
• Kris Nations (California) - maps & charms
• Christine Demmel (Germany) - tangled hoops

RYKA / Les folles marquises

It's kind of fitting that these rings were created by RYKA — because if you stare at that name, you start seeing numerous triangles in the letters themselves. Visit Brazilian designer Renata Guimarães for more geometric works in polymer clay.

Bonus link:
For geometric polymer clay rings in black and white, see Les folles marquises (French designer Dorothée Vantorre).

Even more jewellery:

• Tory Hughes (New Mexico) - polymer clay
• Vanessa Aerts (Belgium) - modern metal
• Blee Inara (California) - symbols & charms

Denise Gielen / Friedemann Haertl

Have you heard (Huey Lewis &) the news? It's hip to be square. But it's hipper to be square-ish with lots of cool angles and spaces and why yes this jeweller is also an architect however did you know? Check out Belgian designer Denise Gielen.

Bonus link:
Here's another square ring from German silversmith Friedemann Haertl, who also has a ring dedicated to the skyline of Bamberg, where he calls home.

Even more jewellery:

• Grace and Scarper (Australia) - shapes & words
• Chikako Ando (New York) - modern classics
• Ruth Garcia Rodriguez (UK) - silver cufflinks

Rose Ellen Cobb / Va-Tout / Grant McRuer

A pair of porcelain pairs today. First up: "Lace" and "Dome" rings, above, by the UK's Rose Ellen Cobb.

Rings from the "Rock" and "Jeu de Boules" collections by Belgium's Va-Tout (Line Vanden Bogaerde).

Bonus link:
One final porcelain pair: these "cell" rings are by Grant McRuer, currently a student at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Even more jewellery:

• Martin Anderson (New York) - silver & porcelain
• Jukuka (Spain) - studs on tubes
• Mala Collective (Vancouver) - beads & tassels

Momon (Yukako Katsuyama) / Eleni Maria Kyriazi

I was going to call these rings "Picassoesque" but, considering his origins, perhaps "Picassiano" is more apt. Japan's Yukako Katsuyama, on the other hand, might go with "Picasso-poi." Check them out on her jewellery site, Momon.

Bonus link:
So what's the Greek equivalent of "-esque"? Athens jeweller Eleni Maria Kyriazi has collections inspired by the works of Miro (shown here) and Gaudi.

Even more jewellery:

• Heidi Nahser Fink (California) - art-inspired
• Deborah Tseng (Taiwan) - porcelain & plaster
• Karen Klinefelter (Idaho) - metal & tagua

Mi-Ah Rödiger / Delphine Boël

Amsterdam's Mi-Ah Rödiger "makes jewellery that aims at introspection: more than anything, it needs to be experienced by the wearers themselves. [Her] work stems from a deeply felt need to halt the world for a second. She wants to limit the current overload of stimuli by 'switching off', by isolating certain senses." These rings (from her "Soundscapes" collection) don't do her work justice, so check out her site!

Bonus link:
Perhaps this is all Belgian artist Delphine Boël hears when she chooses to "switch off" outside stimuli.

Even more jewellery:

• Leiagh Brennan Murfitt (Australia) - conceptual jewellery
• Lolo (Vancouver) - simple crystals
• Phoebe Coleman (UK) - hearts & butterflies

Kamal Nassif / Chiara Bet

If you ask me, every finger is a "ring finger." But is every ring a ring with a ring finger wearing a ring? Only if it belongs to Rhode Island-based Texan Kamal Nassif.

Bonus link: first sign that these fingers are sinister (and I don't mean as opposed to dexter)? They're not wearing any rings. Second sign? UK artist Chiara Bet calls them "Creepy Crawlies."

Even more jewellery:

• Ann Dexter-Jones (New York) - enamel & gems
• The Atelier E (Florida) - clean & graphic
• Ciara Bowles (UK) - cellular aluminum

Mauve Magpie / Le Chou Chou Bijoux

Speaking, as we were yesterday, of corn syrup... there's actually none to be had here because these gummy candies are actually made of resin. Rings by Scotland's Mauve Magpie (Lauren Searle).

Bonus link:
Get another faux sugar fix from Italy's Le Chou Chou Bijoux (Annapaola Rapacciuolo).

Even more jewellery:

• Punky Allsorts (UK) - miniature sweets
• Meredith Hahn (New York) - organic gold
• Loren Hope (Rhode Island) - bright gems

Amalia Moon / Il Salotto

Dextrose, corn syrup, citric acid: not the ideal ingredients of a healthy snack, but definitely fit for "Consumption," an intriguing collection from Maine metalsmith Amalia Moon.

Bonus link:
If you have to have whipped cream, wearing it in sterling silver form is a sure way to keep it off your waistline. Ring by Austria's Il Salotto (Susanne Maria Kramer).

Even more jewellery:

• Iva Brkic (Serbia) - tea & cupcakes
• Rei Harada (New York) - silver lace
• Sasha Walsh (Massachusetts) - chains & stones

Adam Kereliuk / Janna Syvänoja / Eva Xia

A wasp's nest is normally cause for an exterminator; Vancouver identity designer Adam Kereliuk decided it was cause for a 3D-scanner. Using a real nest as a model, he created this 3D-printed "nest ring."

This gives me a good excuse to remind you of Finnish artist Janna Syvänoja, who has a new site where you can check out her gorgeous, sculptural paper jewellery. (Her real wasp's nest ring, above, made an appearance here in April 2008.)

Bonus link:
Here's another hymenopteran ring, featuring a dead bee, from UK-based Chinese artist Eva Xia (you can see the ring on her blog).

Even more jewellery:

• N-Grace Metals (Maine) - silver honeycombs
• Yíyí Gutz (Spain) - branch necklaces
• RILA (New York) - organic metal

Emma Burfoot / Katelyn Riley

I'm having trouble constructing sentences that would do these rings justice. Luckily, UK jeweller Emma Burfoot has no trouble constructing, so just go visit her gallery right now!

Bonus link: New York's Katelyn Riley is another designer for whom construction comes naturally. This is her "Suspension" ring from the "Under Construction" series.

Even more jewellery:

• Susan Jane Dunford (UK) - buildings & arches
• Lebenslustiger (Germany) - cabs & quatrefoil
• Teilla (Oregon) - simple charms

Elise Goldin / Kevin Steele Morrison

Two days in a row of faux-gemstone rings because I freaking love these things okay? Especially when someone can really put her own stamp on a design. Exhibit A: UK jeweller Elise Goldin.

Bonus link:
I guess this would be Exhibit B: emerald-cut metal, with or without spikes, by New York's Kevin Steele Morrison.

Even more jewellery:

• Marie-Hélène de Taillac (France) - colourful gems
• Oh My Clumsy Heart (UK) - simple & modern
• Alexandra Amaro (California) - metal & stone

Nanna Grønborg / Ana-Lee (Jennifer Quinn)

Faux-gemstone acrylic rings — they may seem like a relatively recent trend but Nanna Grønborg was doing it back in 1997!

Check out the Danish-born, German-based jeweller for more plastic pieces, as well as the interesting "Res Mutatio" series. (She also happened to do a stint at CADA, featured here last week.)

Bonus link: for a present-day take on the acrylic "diamond" ring, check out this black and gold perspex duo. It's by Irish designer Jennifer Quinn, available in her shop, Ana-Lee (named after her grandmother).

Even more jewellery:

• One Stone (New York) - diamonds & sapphires
• Sarah Angold (UK) - futuristic acrylic
• Kubella-Eckstein (Germany) - contemporary metal

Layla Amber / N-Product

When I think "lasercut rings," my first thought is always of austere acrylic — but UK jeweller Layla Amber reminds me that, on second thought, lasercut rings also come in a warm, natural variety. These "In Bloom" rings feature hand-painted lasercut birchwood.

Bonus link: Ottawa's N-Product straddles that line with their lasercut rings, which feature the angular geometry seen in many acrylic pieces but which are made of recycled cardboard.

Even more jewellery:

• Sandra Fettingis (Colorado) - lasercut acrylic
• Nicola St John (Australia) - crystal images
• Ettika (California) - beaded & braided

Holland Houdek / Gabriela Punct

The only way you could ever get me near chitlins: serve as jewellery. "Bound" ring in copper and pig intestine by New York-based Holland Houdek.

Bonus link: if you like your pork whole-hog, this roast pig ring is oinking your name. Be sure to check out the rest of Romanian jeweller Gabriela Punct's gallery, which is less meaty than it is full of big, beautiful flowers.

Even more jewellery:

• Chic Pig (Italy) - animal rings
• Bombom Jewelry (Pennsylvania) - metal & gems
• Rebecca Lau (New York) - gold & shell

Jade Drakes / Kornelia

Every piece has a story to tell when it comes to Trinidadian jeweller Jade Drakes (and one of those stories may or may not be Stephen King's It).

Bonus link: if you're that one person who doesn't run screaming from clowns, Belgium's Kornelia (Karolien Severins) has this silver clown ring. Visit her site for more, including lots of dancing figures.

Even more jewellery:

• Very Beryl (UK) - fun & polkadots
• Zoë + Syd (New York) - bright & colourful
• Workhorse Jewelry (California) - modern classics

Jichang Chai / J/Hadley

I guess the stuff really is addictive, because I'm hooked on this "Nicotine" ring by Chinese artist Jichang Chai. Visit his site for many more interesting pieces, all of which are like assembled sculptures.

Bonus link:
Want more smokin' jewellery? Here's the "Smoking Ring" in rhodium, white gold and diamonds by Texas jeweller J/Hadley. Also check her site for her cigar band ring.

Even more jewellery:

• Camille Cortet (Netherlands) - addiction jewellery
• Astrid & Miyu (UK) - crystals & rose gold
• Wild Prairie Silver (Wisconsin) - metal & stone

Annelisse Pfeifer / CADA

Skittles wants me to taste the rainbow but I'd rather smother my fingers in it, thanks. Check out UK designer Annelisse Pfeifer for a whole spectrum of fabulous work.

Bonus link: these "Magic Colors" rings are an extravagant way to rainbowfy your fingers; each is covered in multihued sapphires. By Germany's CADA (Herbert Kopp).

Even more jewellery:

• NOA Design (UK) - rainbow colours
• RueBelle Designs (Hawaii) - flowers & stones
• Danielle Wright (Toronto) - brass necklaces

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