Blog - May 2008 | The Carrotbox - glass rings, lucite rings and chunky cocktail rings

May 2008

Friday, May 30, 2008

Switzerland's Charlotte Fontaine is a fontaine of gorgeous jewellery! I'm swooning over her work in enamel, resin and matte silver.

Bonus link: speaking of matte silver, Boston's Matt Silver dreamed up these corn rings as part of a conceptual pitch for GM's ethanol- awareness campaign.

Even more jewellery:

Florian Ladstaetter | 2 (Austria) - modern & experimental
Susan N Blake (New York) - decorated gold
Curtis H. Arima (Berkeley, CA) - botanical necklaces
Eva Martin (Australia) - white gold & gems
Rudi Sand (Germany) - twisted silver

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Butterfly rings to satisfy both the visually- and verbally-inclined. Double butterfly ring by Kimberley Selwood of the UK and scriptural "butterfly" ring by Liza McLaughlin, based in Brooklyn and L.A.

Bonus link: then again, why choose between the pictures and the words? Get both in this peace ring by Japan's Glitter Jelly.

Even more jewellery:

Becky Crow (UK) - trees & figures
Sonja Ekman (Sweden) - modern & eclectic
Nephilim (Australia) - Japanese etchings
Maja Designs (California) - perforated metal
Paper Jewels (Kansas City, MO) - paper kanji

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Would I have to take up hunting and fishing to wear these, or can I just get by in a flannel shirt? (Hello, Seattle, 1991.) For more updated seal rings and other modern pieces, visit German jeweller Andrea Huppers' Galerie Rheingold.

Bonus link: advocates of more primitive hunting methods can accessorize with this 18k arrow ring by New York's Elisa Solomon (US$220).

Even more jewellery:

Taya Shakouri (UK) - plastic & textiles
Safari Lee (Australia) - gold silhouettes
Teresa Milheiro (Portugal) - teeth & claws
Cecilia Gonzales (Florida) - circles & chains
Sarah Healy (Brooklyn) - modern metal

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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

White holes sure are pretty! I love these resin rings by UK jeweller Sarah King — especially the grouped pieces on the bottom, which use the ethereal quality of translucent white to lovely effect.

Below, more white(ish) rings from Japan's Arata Fuchi; the pale colour actually comes from fine silver powder.

Bonus link: French shop L'atelier de madame M has a number of white porcelain circle rings, like this one with a friendly smile (€17).

Even more jewellery:

Ela Cindoruk (Turkey) - white doilies
Annabelle Adie (France) - minimal ceramic
Martha O'Brien (New York) - white & gold
Pamela Dickinson (UK) - gold caviar
Bodil Binner (Denmark) - black pearls

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Monday, May 26, 2008

Holland's Leo Cahn creates small metal constructions, some of which happen to be rings. There's lots to explore on the website of this former film FX technician, like this mechanical fan ring (above), perfect for the weather that's been heating up here of late!

If you're like this woman and prefer to "labour" yourself, there's a manual fan ring, too (if that's not a pregnancy bump, consider me duly mortified):

Bonus link: this ring fans out but it's not meant to cool you — it's just cool, period. By Leda Daverio of Argentina's Arde Joyas collective.

Even more jewellery:

Tarja Takalo (Finland) - textile brooches
Anne Brunner (France) - crazy & colourful
Laura Kranitz (Los Angeles) - bubble clusters
Precieux (San Francisco) - organic pmc
Sentimental Silver (Phoenix) - personalized silver

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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Weekend quickie: cuteness from England's Joanna Rutter.

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Friday, May 23, 2008

Bookending this week with more knuckledusters is Good Wood, out of — where else? — New York City. Rings from their '80s-infused production line (below) are US$40 each; custom work (samples above) also available.

Bonus link: did someone say New York City? (Oh wait, that was me.) Italian Simone Vera Bath's "Citta" ring comes with interchangeable city tops, including NYC (pictured, with out-of-place Statue of Liberty).

Even more jewellery:

Pebeta Teta (Argentina) - black silhouettes
Jette Vogt (Denmark) - porcelain brooches
Sarah Burnham (UK) - bubbles & flowers
Sarah Abaza (Egypt) - Egyptian symbols
Studio Mod (Athens, GA) - glass & silver

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Ahh, smell that air! Spring is in full force, which means the rings you planted last fall should be sprouting nicely now.

Adorable and anything but garden-variety, these silver and acrylic rings were grown by Danish jeweller Marie Borgen.

Bonus link: Portugal's Filomeno de Sousa goes beyond mere seedlings in his plant rings, using grapes (pictured) and even topiary shrubs.

Even more jewellery:

Tina Marie Bentsen (Denmark) - bold porcelain
Kaipaus (Finland) - scented jewellery
Karen Karch (New York) - modern classics
Gingerly Designs (Vancouver) - modern agate
Leanna Lin (Los Angeles) - kitchy beads

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

From shag to Peruvian, Chile's Atipika has all your rugged ring needs covered.

Or, if your taste runs more toward hardwood, there's Lancaster, PA's Mio Studio with their modern pieces in wood and silver.

Bonus link: coordinate with this cushion-like "upholstery" ring by Texas jeweller Diane Falkenhagen (actually made of non-cushy Corian plastic).

Even more jewellery:

John Ferdinand (Hong Kong) - silver & ebony
Manon Gignoux (Paris) - fabric necklaces
Heather Perry (Maine) - organic silver
AVEDesign (Netherlands) - bead clusters
Agnete Dinesen (Denmark) - large stones

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

For those of you not fluent in English, these pictures of a pistol and pistil might help translate this ring for you. No matter what language you're most comfortable with, you'll want to see the rest of L.A. artist Michael Dale Bernard's wild, aggressive jewellery.

Bonus link: LittleGun.be is all about little guns (no surprise there) but one of them is an antique miniature pistol ring that even comes with a bullet!

Even more jewellery:

Claudia A. Designs (Santa Barbara, CA) - geometric silver
Allira Tee (Australia) - cute brooches
Günter Wermekes (Germany) - stainless steel
Flauxy (Massachusetts) - bright beads
Robert Lee Morris (New York) - shiny & organic

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Monday, May 19, 2008

Because sometimes, you need to engage in hand-to-fin combat with a trout: fishing knuckles by Swiss designer Chrissy Angliker.

Bonus link: check out Japan's Mali Silverwear for jewellery with both Arabian and Asian influences, like this "fish play" ring in Chinese characters.

Even more jewellery:

Beth Lauren (New York) - quartz & silk
Beaufort (Netherlands) - clean metal
Elisa Paiva (Brazil) - silver & agate
Dominic Design (Vancouver) - wood & gold
Atelier Zobel (Germany) - contemporary metal

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Pleats-a-plenty! Is this transparent foil piece by Switzerland's Martina Christoffel a ring or a time portal? I'd like to try it on but I'm afraid my finger will end up somewhere in October 2027.

Below: more pleats, more colour from Argentina's Marina Callis, who employs several different folding techniques to create these textile colour bundles.

Bonus link: you don't have to be Superman to bend steel — Belgium's Hubert Verstraeten does it with style in his pleated stainless steel rings.

Even more jewellery:

Andrea Janosik (Brooklyn) - pleated fabric
Kathryn Lindop (UK) - modern silver
PInc (Singapore) - vintage style
Danielle O'Connor (Thamesford, ON) - beads & metal
Zeger van der Voet (Netherlands) - latex masks

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Thursday, May 15, 2008

Spain's Gandolfi has got my blood pumping with their sleek pairings of resin and silver. They also have a number of rings that look more suited to gas pumping, like this intricate motor ring:

Bonus link: for more auto-themed pieces, check out Japan's Ease Design; pictured are the "knuckle car" and "signal" rings.

Even more jewellery:

Refinding (Kansas City, KS) - tires & typewriters
Thomas Eurlings (Netherlands) - silver keys
Tarbay (Venezuela) - gold wire
Malcolm Betts (London) - matte & sparkly
May Yeung Designs (Los Angeles) - contemporary pearls

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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Gross: Starbust candy. Not gross: starburst rings! Pictured above are delicate nylon and gemstone starbursts from Germany's Uta Knoop. Also pictured, in black and white, are silver starburst rings from the 1960s by late, great Swedish silversmith Sigurd Persson (here's a direct link to the rings).

Bonus link: I'm breaking my own "link only to designers' personal websites" rule for the second time in two weeks but how could I resist this Starburst candy wrapper ring? By CandyCalamity, US$9.

Even more jewellery:

Mathias Bengtsson (London) - magnets & animals
TriHand (Slovakia) - clear PVC
Made By Me (Sweden) - briolette basics
Lisa Leonard (California) - stamped silver
Christine Pyman (Australia) - flying figures

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008

And you thought I was joking yesterday about keeping your rings neat and tidy. Wild wire rings by Austria's Peter Skubic, originally from Yugoslavia (now Serbia).

Bonus link: for a more controlled tangle of wires, see Belgium's Tineke Van der Eecken, who's also travelled the world in her work as as social scientist.

Even more jewellery:

Yolanda Döpp (Netherlands) - circles & loops
Franziska Rappold (Germany) - pods & waves
Rich Rocks NYC (New York) - pavé & rose gold
Simma Chester (California) - metal & semiprecious
Lotta Djossou (Sweden) - silver & pearls

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Monday, May 12, 2008

This is one plastic retail tag you don't want to cut off. Dutch designer Floor Spigt of First Floor Items turns a throwaway item into a system for keeping your stackable rings in a neat, ordered pile.

Bonus link: here's another way to wear your clothing tag on your finger, from French jeweller Manuel Charpenet.

Even more jewellery:

Kevin Hughes (Providence, RI) - blood & silver
Hanne Bay Lührssen (DK/DE) - lacquer & plastic
Billy Would (Vancouver) - reclaimed wood
Malin Lindmark Vrijman (Sweden) - art necklaces
Erosion Jewelry (Florida) - silver & sea glass

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Friday, May 9, 2008

Julis Jacobs is from the future!

Okay, so it's 1982's version of the future, but still!

The first set of rings, all circuits and wires and plastic, is from the Dutch artist's "Have You Updated Your Body Yet?" series, which plays on the idea of pacemakers and artificial knees as signs of "men becoming cyborgs" (cyborgs that won't be running any marathons, I presume.) Also pictured above are digital number rings from "Your Numerical Code." Visit his site for tons more, like his "Re-membe-ring" collection of rings (and other sentimental items) embedded in larger rings, and pieces like these, below:

Bonus link: for more bits of circuitry for your fingers, see Hong Kong's Pilz Schmuck (under "Wearable Objects").

Even more jewellery:

Lauren Wolf (New York) - black & gold
Dick & Dora (Australia) - acrylic animals
Heike Elfrink (Germany) - silver pods
Kyja (Florida) - beads & gems
Aiko Designs (San Francisco) - circles & briolettes

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Thursday, May 8, 2008

Well, if the end is near, might as well accessorize for the occasion. I'm a big fan (and customer!) of Montreal's Melanie Favreau, who designed this end-of-the-world "Kaboom! Kaboom!" ring set (US$95 for both, shipping included). Check her shop for more pieces in that fun, distinctive style, including more rings in silver (samples below) and solid resin (not pictured).

Bonus link: if bombs aren't your style, L.A.'s Steven Trussell offers "Eight Million Ways to Die" for many more options. They're mostly all charms but the charms do include a ring and this bejeweled hand.

Even more jewellery:

Holly Rittenhouse (Los Angeles) - mod silver
Yoshiko Creations Paris (Japan) - drama & fantasy
Mamita Linda (Spain) - fish scales
Florian Wagner (Austria) - gold & gems
Kathrine Lindman (Norway) - bead clusters

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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

"A door without a knob is a wall." That's the premise behind this "gripping" (sorry) collection from Portugal's Ana Margarida Carvalho, whose colourful rings and pins consist of silver, nylon and rubber. Wear one and prevent a door today!

Bonus link: find plenty of more knob and faucets at France's Fifi la Ferraille, where browsing the collection is like rifling through a junk drawer (in a fun way).

Even more jewellery:

Stone Soup Jewelry (Littleton, MA) - silver blossoms
Uli Rapp (Netherlands) - textile jewels
Susan Hanover (Long Island) - hoops & stones
Catherine Mannheim (London) - gold & gems
Bico (Australia) - men's pendants

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Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Aluminum cans in clear plastic rings? I can't be sure what inspired Japan's Takehide Ozaki but I can only see it as an ingenious take on the common six-pack. Visit his site for more creations, like the bullet skull rings (samples below) and cigarette necklace.

Bonus link: for another aluminum tab ring, see Laura De Monchy, a Dutch artist who does a lot of work with plastic jugs (as in water, not Pamela Anderson).

Even more jewellery:

Henken Bean (Baltimore) - mathematical equations
Smitten Kitten (Toronto) - young & playful
Sylvia Blickman (Netherlands) - aluminum brooches
Mirri Damer (UK) - silver clusters
Katja Querfeld (Germany) - pearls & marbles

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Monday, May 5, 2008

She may call this ring the "Manhattan" but Sarah Herriot's design reminds me of the Gherkin building that towers over a different city: London (where she happens to live). Below, more rings from the same "egg" series; the first two are another pair of Manhattan eggs and the bottom two are "twist and shout" egg rings. Now, if we're done with all this gherkin and egg talk, please excuse me — for some reason, I have a sudden craving for a deli sandwich.

Bonus link: for another chunky ring with radiating lines of silver, check out Montreal's Missy Industry. Not one to settle for being named after just one city, this "galactic" ring is CAD$94.

Even more jewellery:

Philip Sajet (Netherlands) - resin chunks
Renata Mann (Providence, RI) - knit mesh
Julie't Felt (Belgium) - enamel discs
Egon Frank (Germany) - gold "ribbons"
Kit Carson (Arizona) - Day of the Dead

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Friday, May 2, 2008

On this second day of the second month, let's celebrate things that come in twos. (What do you mean, it's May? Impossible. It was just January... wasn't it?) Germany's Frederike Schürenkämper likes things in pairs, from the bicones in her double-shanked double rings right down to the umlauts in her name. (Don't miss her beautiful matte silver brooches!)

Our second designer, with two more double rings, is Denmark's Per Suntum. If that's pronounced "pair," do I win something?

Bonus link: for more textured pieces like the rings above, see Denmark-based Japanese jeweller Kaori Juzu, who's previously worked with Per Suntum.

Even more jewellery:

Jen Jen Jewelry (Massachusetts) - fresh beading
Diana East (UK) - glass televisions
Jüugen Schliehe (Germany) - modern metal
Sue Ann Dorman (Marina Del Rey, CA) - computer-aided
Kepa Karmona (Spain) - playful collages

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Thursday, May 1, 2008

Have you hugged your calcium today? Behold the gorgeously carved, bone-like jewellery of Austria's Karic & Galehr. Though I love these rings, it's the bangles and necklaces that are the real stars of the show. (Additional photos taken from the website of their photographer, Mark Rössle.)

Bonus link: speaking of bones, find all the bones and skulls you'll ever need at Hong Kong's LLazy Bonez; this "bare bones" ring is US$69.