December 2009

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I'm taking a holiday break — this is my last post of 2009! Have yourselves a great New Year! Here's a final ring roundup to close us out:

First up is Jantje Fleischhut. I already mentioned this artist a few weeks ago as part of my Amsterdam report but, at that time, her site was not yet ready. Well, it's ready now! She is one of my all-time favourite jewellers.

"Fin #5" in silver, glass and dyed feathers by North Carolina's Angela Bubash.

Spiral-bound ring by the UK's Niko Pilarinos.

Botanical gold by Los Angeles metalsmith Valerie Mitchell.

"Tilted Cathedral" by New York's Francine Grenci.

Free-form metal and diamonds by Dallas jeweller Demotionart (Ludwig Schwarz).

Bar rings by English jeweller Katzie Hughes (now in Germany).

3D-modelled rings in gold and wood by Italy's D'Arc Studio.

Simple lines by Denmark's Anette Dreyer.

Fortune ring with paper fortune by Sweden's Lo Jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

Aline Vandeplas (Belgium) - art pieces
Conry & Wilcox (New York) - modern classics
Diana Porter (UK) - silver & gold
Hans Appenzeller (Netherlands) - metal & gems
IndigoStar (Vancouver) - crystal charms

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Here's a hand-held device that doesn't require batteries: "Anger" by New York metalsmithing student Leslie D. Boyd.

Above, more palm-side prettiness, this time by Maryland's Adrienne Wiegmann: "Sanctuary" (top) and "Courage" rings.

Bonus link: here's a ring reminiscent of a palm tree by New Zealand's Ginga Squid (Vicky T. Hunt), who works with a variety of natural materials like coconut and wool.

Even more jewellery:

Laura Prieto-Velasco (Chicago) - art jewellery
Elisa Gulminelli (Argentina) - organic metal
Genevieve Yang (California) - dotted silver
Rachel Hawkes Cameron (New York) - clear acrylic
Roque (UK) - interchangeable gems

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Monday, December 21, 2009

It's that time of year — are the receipts piling up? Perhaps you can turn your spending records into a gift for yourself! UK metalsmith Caren Hartley takes collected receipts and turns them into the gorgeous "picnic" ring, above (shown both open and closed). Below, more of her rings in recycled paper — this time, vintage postcards:

Bonus link: even the paperclips you use to keep those receipts organized can become a ring, as demonstrated by the Ontario crafter behind cute.little.disaster (part of a "60 Rings" project).

Even more jewellery:

Wild Ivy Designs (Maine) - recycled paper
Falck Jewels (Los Angeles) - magazine cutouts
Little Object (UK) - circles & pegs
Naked Label (New York) - feathers & chains
Julita Alvarez (Argentina) - paint & wood

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Three hits of silver to take you into the weekend, starting with: bursting silver ring by London's Melanie Eddy.

"Finger corsage" by Ohio metalsmith Colleen Corinne.

Claw-shaped knuckledusters by London's Duffy.

Bonus link: here's a silver ring designed to take the hits. Anvil ring by Melissa Rallis of California's Kiss My Ring, where olde world, medeival themes reign supreme.

Even more jewellery:

Mollystuff (Ohio) - modern silver
Joanna Baxter (Vancouver) - antique inlays
Zoe Duthie (Scotland) - framed vintage
Patricia Peckinpaugh (Texas) - bold & regal
Susie Barnes (Australia) - rubber & glass

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Not all sprouts come from Brussels. These come from the bench of Halifax jeweller Meredith Robb.

Some more non-Brussels sprouts by [clockwise from top left]: Spain's Chus Bures, Brazil's Ivete Cattani, North Carolina's Marlene True and Oregon's DMH Design.

Bonus link:
Here's a ring in silver, rubber and plastic with some longer, finer sprouts by Texas artist Natalie Macellaio.

Even more jewellery:

Urban Spark (UK) - sprouting urchins
Marion Vidal (Paris) - chunky & colourful
Emma Carroll Etc. (Chicago) - leather clusters
Birdhouse Jewelry (New York) - metal & charms
Weston Metal Studio (Colorado) - contemporary silver

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

If Carolyn Tillie invites you over for dinner, don't say no. The San Francisco jeweller and food writer shows a penchant for the finer, tastier things in life with her sushi- and champagne-themed jewellery.

She's got dessert covered, too. For more on her gastronomical side, see her food and wine blogs.

Bonus link: this fish may not be sushi-grade but it's certainly well-crafted. Alberta's Kimberly Anne Johansen has lots of piscine jewellery, like this silver and copper "Descent" fishtail ring.

Even more jewellery:

Flying Crane Designs (San Francisco) - marine animals
Jodi Henry (Florida) - modern & minimal
Charlote Filshie (Australia) - acrylic & metal
Corrina Smith (UK) - silver & aluminum
Wil Le Cher (France) - spirals & dolphins

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

We had a blink-and-it's-gone sprinkling of snow over the weekend. San Francisco's Emi Ando offers a more permanent installation with her "Snow" rings made of sterling and fine silvers, pearls and cz. Below, her scrolled "Last Letter" ring stamped with (backwards) Japanese hiragana.

Bonus link: sticking with cold precipitation, check out the "Arare" collection by Copenhagen's Yuki Ferdinandsen. "Arare" is Japanese for "hail" (while "yuki" is a near homophone for "snow").

Even more jewellery:

Metalscapes (Maine) - snowflakes & horses
Yuki Mitsuyasu (UK) - clever concepts
Jordan Askill (Australia) - cool & sculptural
Yakira Rona (New York) - modern gold
Madeleine Chisholm (Vancouver) - silver clusters

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Monday, December 14, 2009

Imagine that New York's Chrysler Building were left to weather atop the Tibetan Himalayas — you might get a sense for the aesthetic of Los Angeles designers All for the Mountain. Recommended if you love triangles! Pictured above are their "Palace Brick" and "Sacred Mystical Mountain" rings; below, their "Drip Crown" rings.

Bonus link:
This jewel outline ring by Austria's Thomas Feichtner reminds me somewhat of the Chrysler Building's jewel-like crown.

Even more jewellery:

Jennifer Carroll Wilson (San Fran) - architectural metal
Brokenfab (UK) - beaded triangles
M8 by Marc Mann (Germany) - seaglass & LEDs
Jeni Burgess (New Zealand) - sculptural silver
Andrew Hamilton Crawford (New York) - translucent resin

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Friday, December 11, 2009

If someone offers a penny for your thoughts, do you give them your two cents? Maybe money management isn't your strong suit. Someone who is good with coins is Wisconsin artist Stacey Lee Webber (aka The Coin Smith), whose work goes beyond any coin jewellery I've ever seen. Her portfolio is definitely worth a visit.

She even sculpts with coins; the screwdrivers above are from her "tools" series.

Bonus link:
Japanese designer Mitsuhiro Okamoto also makes coin rings — but he has a yen for euros instead of cents.

Even more jewellery:

Lucky Sixpence (UK) - cutout coins
Beth E. Coiner (South Carolina) - botanical metal
Soyeon Kim (Illinois) - art pieces
Tangerine Treehouse (California) - copper trees
Luis Acosta (Netherlands) - paper clusters

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

When the simple band isn't so simple: "twill" ring by UK jeweller Rebecca Little.

"Sea lace" ring by New Zealand's Louise Douglas.

"Thorny" ring by Bulgaria's Zwetelina Alexieva.

Bonus link:
Speaking of thorny, this "subway" ring by New York's CJ Recht (Mindy Recht) is designed to ward off anyone who dares invade your personal space.

Even more jewellery:

Victoria Delany (UK) - birds & bands
Alienology (Los Angeles) - wavy acrylic
Laurel's Bench (Indiana) - modern metal
Michael Colero (Toronto) - simple glass
Carlee Santarelli (Los Angeles) - lace & fabric

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Have you ever been somewhere so cold that your hair froze? Australia seems an unlikely location for such an event but it's Sydney's Autumn.products (Kristian Aus) who came up with these icy, frosted acrylic silhouette rings based on — how cute is this? — hairstyles!

Bonus link:
For a ring that really is frozen, check out the Netherlands' Katharina Ludwig and her ice jewellery.

Even more jewellery:

Tess Blenkinsop (UK) - frosted glass
Mctega (Los Angeles) - colourful clusters
Stephanie Schneider (Germany) - metal & mohair
Hazel Smyth (Elizabeth Herff) (Texas) - modern gold
Jette Zirpins (Mexico) - silver & beads

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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

A little toilet humour for your Tuesday: bathroom-lock-style engagement ring by Hannah Havana of UK collective Garudio Studiage.

Bonus link:
For some serious engagement ringery, check out this quadruple ring piece by Maine artist Kate Bauman.

Even more jewellery:

Diana Warner (New York) - bridal & cocktail
Maria Lewis (Sweden) - modern metal
Julia Montanarini (Brazil) - bold silver
Pristinesmut (UK) - fashion textiles
Astrid Keller (Germany) - pleated magazines

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Monday, December 7, 2009

November in Vancouver was all grey, like this.

But December is turning out to be all bright and sunny, like this! Aside from illustrating my riveting accounts of meteorology, Lebanese jeweller Rana Mikdashi does nice work in silver, gold and enamel (with some bone and polymer clay thrown in as well).

Bonus link:
This gorgeous piece by Batia Wang, a jeweller from Uzbekistan but now based in Israel, is like rays of sunshine for your finger.

Even more jewellery:

Alicia Jane Boswell (Idaho) - lacey enamel
Gabriella Casemore (UK) - modern petals
Jika James (New Mexico) - sculptural metal
Karma el Khalil (Lebanon) - gold & gems
BuenoStyle (Vancouver) - vintage style

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Friday, December 4, 2009

Is there such a thing as a calciumsmith? There is now. Geneva- based Florie Dupont works with bones, teeth and another white, structural substance, plaster.

Bonus link: if those teeth are a bit crooked for your liking, you might appreciate this ring by Arizona metalsmith Lauren Diggs — she made it out of her friend's old braces!

Even more jewellery:

Jennifer Trask (New York) - botanical bone
Liz Oppenheim (San Francisco) - modern silver
Bex Rox (UK) - chains & onyx
Sophie by Sophie (Sweden) - metal & pavé
Liz Henry (Mississippi) - briolettes & wire

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Thursday, December 3, 2009

Precious jewels don't always come in diamond form. These rings by Spain-based Uruguayan jeweller Erika Hartje contain the world's most expensive... spice! That would be saffron — which, as I recently discovered, is derived from one of my favourite flowers: the humble crocus.

Above: silver ring with more affordable spices — organic ground cloves, cayenne pepper and wasabi powder — in resin, by California sisters Erin Lockwood and Jill Redman of Blue Poppy.

Bonus link:
This piece has got some spice of its own. Press the trigger and the "Stunning" ring will shoot pepper spray about 2-3 feet.

Even more jewellery:

Blanca Monrós Gómez (New York) - seeds & tendrils
Nettie Kent (Massachusetts) - organic metal
Amanda Paige Alderson (Australia) - embedded resin
Goodman Morris (UK) - modern classics
Sonia Bandulet (Montreal) - tubes & circles

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

IMPACT. Sophia Mann's aptly-named ring, based on artist Jenny Saville's paintings of distorted flesh, was made by manipulating clay through nylon. Gnarltastic! The Swiss jeweller also makes an impact with her refreshing beadwork:

Bonus link:
Some more distortion from UK jeweller Emily Thatcher, whose "companion" rings feature clean and simple bands bent pleasingly askew.

Even more jewellery:

Wendy Wallin Malinow (Oregon) - bright & quirky
Neunique (New York) - gunmetal fishbones
Sally Pawson (UK) - dots on pastel
Like Beau (California) - crosses & lions
Pushan Designs (Toronto) - playful silver

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

"As a vase contains and values a flower, a ring contains and values a finger." That's the idea behind Swiss artist Esther Brinkmann's "fingervessels." Pictured above is one of her "bell" fingervessels; below are samples from her "sphere" series. Check out her site for much more!