Blog > October 2014

Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy candy-reaping day, everyone! Get in the mood with a visit to England's Phoebe Sherwood-Moore.

	Bonus link: Rabbit ghost ring by Japan's Ringoya.
	Also admiring: Bold brass bat necklace by Israel's Ambar (Inbar Shapira).

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Not to be all dramatic but... Is this a dagger which I see before me? Yes, it's the "Tulsi" dagger ring/bracelet by the UK's Lulu Walton.

Above: her super spikey "Sudha" double ring (to guard against toil and trouble, perhaps).

	Bonus link: "A Rose by Any Other" ring by Vancouver's Army of Rokosz.
	Also admiring: Sand-and-scroll pendant by Vancouver-based Seth Macbeth.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Jess Taylor gets her wires crossed, intentionally. Using silver and steel wires, the UK jeweller "seek[s] to capture and convey light, movement and a tactile quality that promotes the sensory feeling of the jewellery."

	Bonus link: Personalized wire name ring by Japan's Pipiluno.
	Also admiring: "Tangled" wire series by Japan's Kurasuhito Kurasutokoro (Yukitoshi Toda).

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

I like rings that demand to be viewed from many angles — like this London ring, which UK jeweller Agnieszka Maksymiuk designed so that the buildings would reflect in the silver disc in the middle. Check out her gallery for more pieces, many of which are reminiscent of 3D chalk art.

	Bonus link: UK jeweller Andrew Lamb's work also demands to be viewed from many angles — it's lenticular.
	Also admiring: Mirror bead necklace by Italian designer Maria Calderara.

Monday, October 27, 2014

I like that something so fuzzy and touchable is called "felt." It's like flowers or perfume being called "smelt." Above: felt and acrylic rings by Peru's Vaçide Erda Zimić.

"Copia" rings in polishing felt buffs by Tokyo-born, Brooklyn- based Sayumi Yokouchi.

More felt from the UK's UDiii.

	Bonus link: Felt balls ring from Japan's SIMSIM (Seiko Kuwayama).
	Also admiring: "Chromosome" brooch in felt and polymer clay by Poland's Loobeensky.

Friday, October 24, 2014

While you're admiring the sculptural wirework, don't overlook a certain important detail: the little cranks. These rings are kinetic!

Visit London-based Thai jeweller Pasu Roungpanyaroj to view all the rings in action (the videos look better than my feeble screengrabs), including shiny zodiac critters not shown here.

	Bonus link: Bud rings with moving leaves by Florida's Meg Talley.
	Also admiring: Contemporary kinetic jewellery by the UK's Sophie Stamp.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Roses are red
Some rings are, too
Line #2 should be
Violets are blue

Another dried flower ring calls for another terrible poem!
Red rings, from top to bottom: "Funky Wave II" by Quebec's Magali Thibault Gobeil, red baby's breath in resin by North Carolina's Spotted Dog Farm (Sumner Smith) and red lips by Greek jewellers Victoria Ioannidou & Thodoris Panagopoulos of Atermono.

	Bonus link: Striped red porcelain & silver "Namibia" ring by Spain's Marta Armada.
	Also admiring: Red peony brooch by North Carolina's Hsiang-Ting Yen.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Wait, aren't they purple?
Either you have deuteranomaly or these hues are askew

Find a spectrum of dried flowers in resin by visiting Oregon's Modern Flower Child.

	Bonus link: More dried flowers from Maryland's Marble Creek Studio (Janet Khokhar).
	Also admiring: Colourless blossoms from Sweden's Lotta Jewellery (Lotta Andersson).

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The mixture of smooth and eroded parts (particularly in the middle set) makes these rings look like relics from a bygone but advanced-by-our-standards society. To see more, visit Rhode Island's Farah Abdelhamid.

	Bonus link: Modern Egyptian "Horus" ring by Cairo's Sabry Marouf.
	Also admiring: Fossil necklace by Georgia's MLiz Designs (Mary Liz Pulk).

Monday, October 20, 2014

These rings made me realize that I'd never considered the difference between "arced" and "arched." I think an arch can be somewhat pointed, whereas an arc is always a smooth curve (which is why you're more likely to say "arched eyebrow" rather than "arced"). Are you still awake? If so, check out Colorado's Nikki Nation for the arc series and more.

	Bonus link: Simple arc rings by L.A.'s Honey My Heart (Jella Roson Woodward).
	Also admiring: Multi-arc necklace by Israel's Reut Seagel.

Friday, October 17, 2014

If you're going to wear a ring, REALLY wear a ring.

These awesome chunks of raw crystal brought to you by Los Angeles' Cat Apolinar.

	Bonus link: A more polished crystal from Italian jeweller Maurizio Brunelli.
	Also admiring: Raw quartz with brass from New York's Brackish Channel.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Inspired by tradition but created with modern tech, this ring by Rhode Island-based Alex Ju is best explained in her own words:

Traditional signet rings were jewelry reserved for the domain of men. Pearl necklaces have long served as traditional female jewelry, and this signet ring with two interchangeable signets consider this juxtaopsition. Abstracting pearls, I considered the form of the hexagon, emulating the aragonite platelets that deposit in the layers of nacre forming a pearl. Modeling my signets in Rhino, I had them 3D printed from ABS plastic, finding the layer-based deposition of the 3D printer fitting for a pearl-inspired piece. Round cultured pearls complete the signets, which fit securely into a faceted brass construction.

	Bonus link: Lacquered pearls by Japan's Atenari.
	Also admiring: "I Don't Like Pearls" by London's Inderjeet Sandhu.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Metaphor overload: a watch ring with a face designed to fade over time. Visit German designer Frieda Bellmann to see photos of the design process and to read more about the concept.

	Bonus link: Cog rings by Romania's Artbiju (Maria Filipescu).
	Also admiring: Antique key-style timepiece necklaces by Japan's Kurukitei.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

I should've known that as soon as I made my recent admission regarding beaded rings, I'd start seeing more and more that I liked — like these ones, by Japan's Penta, a collaboration between designer Fuji Tate P and Toho Beads. Check out the collection for an assortment of glass bead structures, including wild eyewear and a tribute to Alexander McQueen.

	Bonus link: Beaded structures from Netherlands-based Faun Noir (Fazekas Hajnalka).
	Also admiring: Way cute beaded dog and bird pins from Japan's Moha*Moha.

Monday, October 13, 2014

It's Canadian Thanksgiving — but I'll spare you the turkey rings. Instead, here are some quietly pretty, lacey silver rings by South Korea's Jigum (JungEun Yo).

	Bonus link: Lacey rings in gold by Japan's Yularice (Yuri Sakatani).
	Also admiring: Framed vintage lace necklace by Georgia's Copper & Torch (Lindsay Troutman).

Friday, October 10, 2014

With two Os and a zero, "October 10" is one of the roundest-looking dates on the calendar. Let's disturb that sense of closure with some unclosed (not to be confused with open) circle rings. Above: "Lasting Impression," inspired by Van Gogh's "Starry Night," by Puerto Rican jeweller Carla Carballo.

Eye ring by the UK's Denise Lin.

"Tear" ring by Japan's hHOME.

	Bonus link: Unclosed concentric circles by Greek jeweller AntEva Crafts (Eva Gouvalari).
	Also admiring: Closed but open circle bangle (that can open) by the UK's Louise Seijen ten Hoorn.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

A little coloured varnish completely transforms the vibe of these eternity rings. It's like the jewellery equivalent of a purple streak in your hair! For lots of pieces that have a little touch of the unordinary, check out Italy's Maschio Gioielli.

	Bonus link: Coloured gems of a different sort from Japan's High-Me Tokyo.
	Also admiring: Still more coloured gems from Japan's LPOE.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Etheral beauties by Scottish jeweller Robyn J McLean, who "is very much inspired by the relationship between the mind and the body, using the concept and aesthetic of the inkblot or Rorschach test to represent cerebral activity and bone, horn and granulation to convey the body." Which... makes them not ethereal but rather corporeal. But in a really ethereal way.

	Bonus link: Speaking of corporeal, here's a silver and agate roller-ball massage ring by Spain's Emiliana Design.
	Also admiring: Silver inkblot necklace by Alberta's Andrea Blais.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The hardest part of writing this blog is having to pass over a jeweller whose work really blows me away — because s/he doesn't make rings. Luckily, Sweden's Helena Johansson Lindell did have one group of colourful bands (above, top) so I could point you to the rest of her interesting portfolio (like the piece pictured above, bottom). Hooray for technicalities!

	Bonus link: Necklaces are also my favourite part of Italian jeweller Egotique's line (the rings are cute, too).
	Also admiring: More bulbous jewellery from the UK's Bow Sangthong.

Monday, October 6, 2014

I wonder if anyone's ever been told, "What a yarn!", misheard it for "What a yawn!" (the right accent could do it), and been unintentionally insulted? Definitely not a yawn are these yarn-ball rings in cotton and aluminum by Italy's Camilla Marinoni.

	Bonus link: "Ball of yarn" acrylic ring by the UK's Designosaur.
	Also admiring: Yarn brooches by Japan's SRS.

Friday, October 3, 2014

"Larger Than Life" is just one of Aric Verrastro's collections but the name could apply to his whole portfolio. Don't miss the Indiana artist's wild, creative pieces inspired by gender issues, as well as his series inspired by urban renewal in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. Pictured are rings from "Extensions."

	Bonus link: Speaking of extensions: aluminum fingertips by Australia's Magpie Alchemy (Ella Knight).
	Also admiring: Long earrings by Massachusetts' Dallae Kang.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

While I can appreciate beaded rings, truth be told, the designs are often not to my personal taste. That's not the case with these ones, though! I like the bright, fresh colours and asymmetrical patterns of these rings by Japan's Toribanana (that's "bird banana," aka Miho Nishitani), three of which are from her "butterfly" collection — I'm sure you can guess which three.

Check her site for non-beaded work, too.

	Bonus link: More butterflies from Japan's r23atelier88.
	Also admiring: Butterfly earrings by Israel's Mia Minsky.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

It's the first of the month, which means you're suppose to have said "rabbit, rabbit" when you woke up, to ensure good luck for the next 31 days. If you didn't, there's still time to knock on wood with a rabbit's foot. Maybe wearing a rabbit's head would help, too.

All rings above by Denmark's Nord by Thomsen (Mette Nordby Thomsen).

	Bonus link: White rabbit and his watch from the Alice*Rabbit collection by Japan's Osewaya.
	Also admiring: Rabbit, mid-run, by the UK's Jesa Marshall (no relation to John Updike)