TheCarrotbox.com Jewelry Blog // feed your fingers // rings, rings, rings!

Rebecca Little / Louise Douglas / Zwetelina Alexieva

2009-12-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

Autumn.products / Katharina Ludwig

2009-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

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) - colorful clusters

Stephanie Schneider (Germany) - metal & mohair

Hazel Smyth (Elizabeth Herff) (Texas) - modern gold

Jette Zirpins (Mexico) - silver & beads

Hannah Havana / Kate Bauman

2009-12-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

Rana Mikdashi / Batia Wang

2009-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

Florie Dupont / Lauren Diggs

2009-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

Erika Hartje / Blue Poppy

2009-12-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

Sophia Mann / Emily Thatcher

2009-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

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

Esther Brinkmann / Peter Hoogeboom

2009-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

"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!

Bonus link: speaking of vessels, Dutch jeweller Peter Hoogeboom's ceramic "friendship" jug pendant comes with two cup rings.

Even more jewellery:

KleinReid (New York) - vessel pendants

Ingrid Dijkers (Michigan) - dolls & eggs

Sylvie Beaulieu (Québec) - silver & glass

Ariane Rocher (UK) - metal & cabs

Bess Kristoffersen (Denmark) - modern aluminum

Marina Massone / Margarita Marcone

2009-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Argentina's Marina Massone manipulates metal in a multitude of manners.

Bonus link: silver and ebony rings by Margarita Marcone, who also hails from Argentina. The two should get together and go bulk shopping for monogrammed towels.

Even more jewellery:

Maria Medici (Argentina) - contemporary metal

Emma Bracefield (Vancouver) - simple & modern

Gintare (California) - pretty crosses

Ana Verdun (UK) - silver & gold

Helga Mogensen (Iceland) - fish & driftwood

Vicolo Pagliacorta / Third Project

2009-11-27T00:01:00.001-08:00

Have you heard about the Eggo Waffle shortage? This fascinates me. Not the shortage — I don't eat them — but the article itself (written by anonymous "Staff," so I don't feel too guilty), from the apostrophes in "Eggos" (once extraneous, once missing) to the misspelling of the Kellogg's brand name to the enlightening line, "You stick them in the toaster, then pour syrup on them (some people also add butter)." And then there's the small matter of the headline, in which it is suggested that people "Lego" their Eggos. Lego? Leggo is the neologism which plays on the double-G in "Eggo." Lego is what Italy's Vicolo Pagliacorta uses to make these playful rings.

They also make Italian-flavoured keyboard rings.

Bonus link: if your experience with playing bricks is more digital than analog, you might appreciate this Tetris ring from Massachusetts' Third Project (Juno Elysium).

Even more jewellery:

Maria Haralambidou (UK) - playful necklaces

Simone Richmond (Vancouver) - texturized silver

Timothy McMahon (New York) - bubbles & medals

Objet Trouvé (France) - chains & charms

Wingo Designs (South Carolina) - enamel pendants

Little Rooms (Ester Delug) / Elisa Bongfeldt / Rita Franze

2009-11-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

For serious city folk only: show your love of gridlock with this double-finger bridge ring! Find it at Little Rooms, where Los Angeles designer Ester Delug displays an interesting mix of urban and Victorian styles (with an emphasis on keyholes).

Maybe you translate "urban" and "style" as "guns" and "pearls." California jeweller Elisa Bongfeldt's industrial rings look like weapons loaded... with cultured finery.

Bonus link: if guns with bullets are out of your comfort zone, Germany's Rita Franze has rings that look more like discs from cap guns (she also has earrings made from real red plastic cap discs).

Even more jewellery:

Astali (New York) - clustered bullets

Tonia Welter (Germany) - USB jewellery

Becca Williams (UK) - houses & clouds

Adrienne Grafton (Pennsylvania) - enamel & copper

Impish Betty (Japan) - dainty gold

Lisa Juen / Roberto Coin

2009-11-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

A little hump-day reverie courtesy of Lisa Juen, a German jeweller currently living in China. Her "Reality & Fantasy" series, created with silk floss and enamel on steel, offers an escape from the modern world via a "self-created realm of fantasy."

Bonus link: Italian jeweller Roberto Coin creates a fantasy world of his own, with luxe, gem-encrusted lizards and other creatures that spiral around your wrist or finger.

Even more jewellery:

Deganit Stern Schocken (Israel) - sculptural art

Elisabeth Heijnen (Netherlands) - organic enamel

Louise O'Neill (UK) - modern classics

Jemma Wynne (New York) - bold & glam

Roulette 18 (Chicago) - Bali silver

Maureen Duffy / Pearls Before Swine (Nikki Majajas)

2009-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, you got fingers and hands. Today, you get the whole dang arm... and plenty of 'em! If you need some extra help around the holidays, you may want to look into the "Can I Lend a Hand?" rings made of silver and dollparts by Philadelphia's Maureen Duffy. Check out her site for oversized urban pieces, as well as a terrifying bird-head ring (even if it is a fake bird).

Bonus link:
Shiny gold hands from the "gold digger" series by Pearls Before Swine (Australian jeweller Nikki Majajas).

Even more jewellery:

Barbie Rocks (Beverly Hills) - Barbie silhouettes

Daniel Nagels (New Zealand) - potatochips & pyramids

Folia Jewels (North Carolina) - simple silver

Verdeagua Alhajas (Spain) - gems & pearls

Poya by Rachel Balfour (UK) - birds & charms

Fien de Graaf / Spoilt Victorian Child

2009-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

Not what you'd expect from this blog: a finger without a ring. Since it's a holiday for many of you today, let's take a brief holiday from the rings as well and turn instead to Dutch artist Fien de Graaf, who casts body parts in porcelain plaster to create anatomical jewellery (pictured above is a cast finger).

Bonus link:
What you do expect from this blog: a finger (or five) on a ring. Hand ring by Spoilt Victorian Child of Austin, Texas.

Even more jewellery:

Gold & Citrus (San Francisco) - body chains

Etten Eller (New York) - modern gold

Justine Brooks (Vancouver) - organic silver

Lis Toft (UK) - glazed ceramic

Jesse Taylor (New Zealand/Japan) - simple metal

Cheyenne Weil / Pade Vavra

2009-11-20T00:01:00.000-08:00

Behold the "fluffy cocktail ring" with peacock down by Cheyenne Weil. And if you need a real cocktail to celebrate this weekend, you're doubly in luck — the Oregon artist serves up a cocktail recipe with each of her cocktail rings (this one comes with instructions for a ginger lemon drop). Cheers!

Bonus link: here's another cocktail ring made of (pea)cocktail feathers. From the PADE collection of Los Angeles jeweller Pade Vavra.

Even more jewellery:

AH Jewelry (Virginia) - peacock feathers

Liz Hancock (UK) - gold on silver

LULU (Chicago) - vintage style

Susanna Galanis (New York) - link necklaces

Frauke Stadtmann (Germany) - contemporary metal

Triian Burbank / Saretta

2009-11-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

Absolutely rockin'. Miami's Triian Burbank (sculptors Trisha Brookbank and Brian Burkhardt) create "modern era gems" that may look like rocks but are actually created from synthetic materials, which they sand, polish and top with Swarovski crystals. Did I file this under "favourites"? Yes. Yes, I did.

Bonus link: if it's space rocks you're after, check out London's Saretta (Sarah Bond) for the "Meteorites" collection. Rings available in various combinations of gold and silver.

Even more jewellery:

Kelly Cimber (Miami) - agate geodes

Jessica Winzelberg (San Francisco) - stone pendants

Rosemary Lucas (UK) - silver moons

Emilie Loyauté (Paris) - simple gold

Formia Design (Virginia) - contemporary metal

Caroline Swolfs / Lost at Sea

2009-11-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

I still have rain on the mind — but not because of the weather. It's because of Belgian jeweller Caroline Swolfs, who created her entire collection while constraining herself to a single, simple shape: "The Drop."

Bonus link:
Skip the rain and get right to the source with this adorable cloud silhouette ring in solid wood. By England's Lost at Sea.

Even more jewellery:

Tamara Comolli (Germany) - pavé teardrops

Tamba Designs (New Jersey) - organic & oxidized

Fleur Goedendorp (Netherlands) - artful neckpieces

Rebekka Notkin (Denmark) - clean gold

Fluidity Design (UK) - simple silver

Karine Rodrigue / Alexandra Simpson

2009-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Vancouver had a great summer and early fall but, in the past week, we've been drenched with reminders that we do in fact live in a rain forest. But that's ok because, without rain, we'd have no forests — and without forests, there'd be no inspiration for woodsy jewellery like these "Raw" rings by Karine Rodrigue (who lives way on the other side of the country in Québec).

Above, her "Jardinière multicéphale" ring with interchangeable botanical tops. See more on her blog, Naphtalene Fabrik.

Bonus link:
Here's another sylvan piece: solid sterling pinecone ring from the "Cone" series by UK jeweller Alexandra Simpson.

Even more jewellery:

Hidemi Asano (UK) - bamboo & branches

Scosha NYC (New York) - modern metal

Colleen Mauer (San Francisco) - simple & organic

Teresa Estapé (Spain) - art necklaces

Felicia Liban (Florida) - cloisonné enamel

Sarah Rhodes / Phioro (Clare Victoria Pardoe)

2009-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Last week, we saw red with silver — let's do it again, but this time with bronze! UK jeweller Sarah Rhodes entwines bronze, enamelled wire and a touch of ostrich egg for a pleasing balance of metal and colour.

Bonus link:
This piece may not use real eggshell but it was inspired by one. Ring by Phioro, aka UK metalsmith Clare Victoria Pardoe.

Even more jewellery:

Enchanted Hen (New Mexico) - decorated eggshells

Le blob (Brazil) - fluid silver

Judith Bloedjes (Netherlands) - modern porcelain

iWear (Florida) - nuts & diamonds

Minimal Marzipan (UK) - copper & bronze

Laura King (Dixie Darling) / Tegan Ford

2009-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you were told to think flowers, felt and enamel, you'd probably picture a burst of colour. Seattle's Laura King, however, takes the opposite approach, creating rings in restrained white with just tiny spots of yellow. It's the shapes that are bursting instead. See more on her site, Dixie Darling.

Bonus link:
Here's a colourful felt ring from New York fiber artist Tegan Ford, in the form of a double-finger pin cushion!

Even more jewellery:

Moufelt (Oregon) - cheerful felt

Liana Pattihis (UK) - coral enamel

Stephanie Tomczak (Seattle) - organic copper

Kelleigh Carlyle (Tennessee) - chains & briolettes

Papier Colle (Pennsylvania) - colourful paper

Rachel Llewellyn / Meow Box

2009-11-12T00:01:00.001-08:00

Mug trees! On rings! Mug trees on rings! These cups runneth over with cute. For miniature saucepans, ladels and most everything short of the kitchen sink, visit UK jeweller Rachel Llewellyn. Below, her "biscuit barrel" ring with tiny silver cookies.

Bonus link:
For rings with a higher calorie count (like this cookie topped with whipped cream), check out UK shop Meow Box and their miniature non-edible edibles.

Even more jewellery:

The Automatic Crystal (UK) - porcelain peanuts

Liesbet Bussche (Netherlands) - jewellery installations

Lillot (New York) - metal & thread

Linda Blair (New Zealand) - distressed silver

Gaffelkonst by Bo Ekström (Sweden) - forks & spoons

Jia Style / Emily Hartley

2009-11-11T00:01:00.001-08:00

Silk, pearls, pink and red — but not suffocatingly feminine. Paris design duo Jia Style combines those elements in just the right proportions, keeping things fresh and modern.

Bonus link:
For another take on silk, see UK jeweller Emily Hartley. Her work features silver petals lined with printed silk inserts.

Even more jewellery:

Uncommon Threads (Missouri) - contemporary metal

Gian Luca Bartellone (Italy) - gems & textiles

Miranda Lark Maher (New Jersey) - mixed materials

Gold Fusion - Gareth Barrow (UK) - enamel & keumboo

Inger Margrethe Larsen (Denmark) - red & silver

haoshi design studio / Hudesa Kaganow

2009-11-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Have you started your holiday shopping? Remember: rings make great gifts :)

They also make great pets. Plastic and metal rings from the "Animal" series by Taiwan's haoshi design studio.

Bonus link:
Do you like your animals less... dimensional? Check out this adorable flat cat ring from Italy's Hudesa Kaganow.

Even more jewellery:

Saba by Geraldine Murphy (Ireland) - silver animals

Gular Mustafa (Netherlands) - coral & clay

Emma Fielden (Australia) - modern metal

Melissa Kandiyoti (Belgium) - deco style

Elizabeth Anne Norris (UK) - simple shapes

Eszter Máté / Tyes by Tara

2009-11-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Brown paper packages tied up with string? That's nice, Maria, but these are a few of my favourite things. Fabulous string rings by UK-based Hungarian jeweller Eszter Máté. Lots more on her site, including spiraling acrylic and colourful pompoms.

Bonus link:
How 'bout being "tyed" up with a bow instead? Colorado's Tyes by Tara is all about neckties and bowties, including ones for your fingers.

Even more jewellery:

Noshii (Texas) - string & wood

Dotty K. (UK) - pearls & bows

Andrea Quast (Germany) - metal & gems

My Friend Roze (California) - organic silver

Makri (Greece) - colourful pavé

Allan Scharff / Sophie Vuldy

2009-11-06T00:01:00.001-08:00

Pool, billiards, snooker — no matter what you call it, I suck at it. I'd be perfectly fine with all the world's pool balls being carved into jewellery, especially if the results are as great as these sculptural "Snooker" rings by Danish jeweller Allan Scharff.

He also has several collections of gorgeous metalwork, like these "Ricefields" rings, above. While you're visiting, make sure to check out the "Buddyguards" series for some playful gem settings!

Bonus link:
Here's another set of stacking, undulating bands in multi-tone metal. "Eye of the Deer" rings by French jeweller Sophie Vuldy.

Even more jewellery:

Jennier Wells (North Carolina) - steel balls

Bijoudally (Washington State) - lasercut leather

Broken English (Vancouver) - charm necklaces

Hannah Stamper (UK) - contemporary metal

Matthieu Cheminée (Montreal) - textures & gems