Rings & Things Design Gallery

Glass Category

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 18:08:04 GMT

Bloo Hoo

Artist: Fran Kiperman (Jericho, NY)
Honorable Mention, Glass

This necklace, which playfully represents life�s pain, was created while Fran was in and out of the hospital. The centerpiece overall represents sadness, and the silver color of the face represents the robotic motions Fran goes through when dealing with illness: "I have been ill since childhood and the procedure has become somewhat mechanical and routine!" The detailed beadwork displayed in "Bloo Hoo" consists of charlotte-cut seed beads, Toho� Treasures and Swarovski� crystal beads.

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38 views
Oct 20, 2005

Polymer Clay Category

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 00:15:19 GMT

Nile River Goddess

Artist: Cheryl Moore (Staunton, VA)
Honorable Mention, Polymer Clay

"This is a sacred art piece that I hand-sculpted from polymer clay, incorporating the ancient Nile River Bird-Goddess design and symbolism. I pressed sacred symbols from Egyptian mythology into the clay and added two little mirrors I scavenged, one in the face so that [viewers can] see themselves reflected back from this sacred goddess symbol and, hence, know that the sacred is also within [themselves], is [their] own self. I gave this regal lady a crown of tiny seed [corn] pearls and adorned her raised arms of blessing with fringed dangles that include beautiful bone feathers to symbolize the flight of the fertile Nile River birds. People have responded wonderfully to this piece � find it fascinating and enjoyable ... " � Cheryl Moore

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47 views
Oct 05, 2005

Glass Category

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 17:27:19 GMT

Just Peachy

Artist: Marti Muhe (Macungie, PA)
Honorable Mention, Glass

"I had started to make a version of this bracelet with 3mm Swarovski� rosaline pearls on gold seed beads for a custom order and didn�t feel it was working out. A few months later, I decided to revisit the unfinished piece and wound up doing rows two and three in rosaline crystals, and rows four and five in light-rose crystals. It was dynamite! I decided then and there that I needed to do this bead pattern for your contest, but realized you don�t carry the rosaline pearls. Because I like the subtle changes in tone, I felt that the peach pearls, and silk and light peach crystals, made a wonderful substitute � the bracelet now has a more elegant feel to it." � Marti Muhe

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107 views
Oct 05, 2005

Glass Category

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:21:11 GMT

Black Onyx & Rhinestone Bracelet

Artist: Mara Marlow (Federal Way, WA)
Honorable Mention, Glass

"I was looking through Leigh Leshner's book Rhinestone Jewelry and saw a picture of a blue rhinestone bracelet (unsigned) that just caught my eye as something I could reconstruct out of beads. I had to go immediately over to my desk and try. The four-hole mounted rhinestones and the double-drilled onyx beads from one of your trunk shows made the "around and through" construction possible. My first try took me about four hours. I used wire, but it was hard to push through the rhinestone holes and sort of made the bracelet curl a bit. I next tried it with nylon cord and a needle, which was easier, although it took about the same amount of time because I had to go back through a few times to reinforce it. I painted the little fold-over clasp black so it would blend in and not be very noticeable. Actually, my major obstacle was overcoming inertia and making myself send in the entry! I'd rather play with beads than a keyboard." � Mara Marlow

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62 views
Sep 30, 2005

Polymer Clay Category

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 23:31:11 GMT

Trot On

Artist: Christina Cassidy (Gainesville, FL)
Honorable Mention, Polymer Clay

"I like the freedom of movement of horses and the unpredictability of watercolors on polymer. It takes several stages of applying the watercolor, waiting for it to dry and doing another layer of color; then it's finished with two coats of acrylic to protect and waterproof the piece. Finally, the French barrette is glued on and it's ready to wear." � Christina Cassidy

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46 views
Sep 30, 2005

Polymer Clay Category

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 23:29:08 GMT

Underwater Starfish Box

Artist: Judy Dunn (Acton, MA)
Honorable Mention, Polymer Clay

"I love creating sculptural vessels, and was intrigued by the idea of a starfish box. I wanted to make it look as if it was alive and moving one of its arms. After building the form and then creating the box, I did drawings on the surface of the box. I love the Asian symbolism of the two fish in a circle, and created that on the top, in the center. The rest was wave forms and bubbles. After coloring the whole surface with colored pencils and markers, I covered the box again with millefiori canes I had made and translucent clay, incorporating glitter, and embossing powder. I also used composite leaf in this layer. After that layer was cured, carving and back filling added more detail, and reinforced elements of the design. Finally, I added the filigree to the bottom of the box. This adds texture to the surface, and reminds me a bit of the texture found on the bottom of a real starfish." � Judy Dunn

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35 views
Sep 30, 2005

Alternative Materials

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 23:29:01 GMT

Hinano

Artist: Gwendaline Colombani (Papeete, French Polynesia)
Honorable Mention, Alternative Materials

Gwendaline said she was inspired by both Tahitian and Egyptian cultures in designing this necklace. As with all her artwork, she started the project by dreaming, then made drawings in a notebook, and finally went to work in her studio carving Keishi panels and further decorating them with pearls. Gwendaline then connected the panels with Beadalon� and finished the necklace with cable footage chain and a clasp.

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39 views
Sep 30, 2005

Alternative Materials

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 23:28:55 GMT

Siesta Sun Headboard

Artist: Wendy Carlson-Hunter (Tucson, AZ)
Honorable Mention, Alternative Materials

"In the summer of 2003, I lost all of my artwork in the Aspen Fire that scorched over 80,000 acres and 330 homes, including ours, in the Catalina Mountains North of Tucson, Arizona. That included two small gift shops that carried my various creations. Any artist will tell you that each piece is like a child to them. I found myself engulfed in grief and didn�t even know if I could find the creativity inside me to pick up the pieces and start over. My husband and I decided to remodel our bedroom but were at a loss as to what to use as a headboard for our bed (which was tucked into what used to be a closet!) The main spark came when I was going through some items that belonged to my grandfather who passed away in 1999. He had made a big sun face out of wood that was not so beautiful, so I had hid it away thinking some day I would find a good home for it. After pulling the initial one apart I found it to be in poor condition. So I set out to refurbish what I could and construct what was deteriorated. After I made the initial sun rays I decided I wanted a piece that made me smile! I just couldn�t resist using the overly happy terra cotta sun as the center. Everyone thought I was crazy! Being on a budget, that�s how I got the idea of making it into a headboard. Why not wake up to a smiling face every morning! The size alone was a challenge. At three feet, eight inches I knew it would take several pounds of beads. But I never anticipated that it would take almost four months to complete. Each of the sixteen sunrays [contains] at least one pound of beads. I used a combination of different bead
styles to create a mosaic look. After applying glue to the wood, I placed each bead in its place by hand. I repeated the same process on the sun face. The center sun face was done in the same manner using only seed beads. It has about half of a kilo of beads on it. I also used three large bottles of glue! I think my grandfather is looking down on it and smiling back!" � Wendy Carlson-Hunter

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32 views
Sep 30, 2005

Mostly Metal Category

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 23:20:29 GMT

Aria

Artist: Naomi Eade (Cloverdale, Australia)
Honorable Mention, Mostly Metal

"Opera ... that�s what I was thinking when I was designing this piece. The extravagance and luxury of the 1875 Paris Opera, by Charles Garnier, was exactly what I had in mind, images of grand jewelry worn by even grander women as the ascended the amazing central staircase in Garnier's design. It was the jumbo [teardrop] pendant that was the seed of the design; the stunning swirls of the ocean jasper and the sheer size of the pendant lend themselves perfectly to the extravagant design. The focus of the piece was to be the wire and crystal �collar� supporting the jumbo gemstone pendant. The piece was built from the centre out, starting with the wire work above the pendant, and then the fill-in of crystal [beads]. In the interest of finding the most durable build for the piece, yet still maintaining the aesthetic, I re-strung the 'wings' on either side of the wire centerpiece several times, trying wire, tigertail, and ultimately settling for a combination of the two. Using the sterling silver coil for protection of the tigertail, as well as to add to the look of the piece and tie back in to the wire wrapping on the central wire section. The Swarovski� crystal colours were selected to pick up the colours in the ocean jasper, but also because the warm, subtle tones of the light Colorado topaz and golden shadow combined to add to the elegance of the piece. This added a hint of history, which was the idea behind the design. The piece is finished with a handmade 14-gauge sterling wire hook-and-eye clasp, with wire wrapped crystal detail to tie back into the centerpiece. The overall finish of the piece is just what I was aiming for, and captures the grandeur of the 1870�s opera house while maintaining a modern feel." � Naomi Eade

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40 views
Sep 30, 2005

Gemstones & Pearls

Fri, 30 Sep 2005 23:20:23 GMT

Flower Trio

Artist: Artist: Kimberly Lindgren (Green Bay, WI)
Honorable Mention, Gemstones & Pearls

"I was inspired to make this piece after I had seen a similar necklace worn by Tyra Banks on TV. It had several chains of various lengths draped across the front, with a drop that came down the center to finish it off. I tried to think of how a necklace like that would be put together and how I could make it while representing my own style. I remembered a sterling flower I had unsuccessfully cast in one of my art classes in college a few months prior, and thought it would be perfect to incorporate into this kind of necklace. Now with my own casting equipment, I was determined to make three of these sterling flowers and (luckily) they all turned out. The citrine chips and warm beige-colored pearls and seed beads were chosen because I loved the natural hues and felt that they complimented each other. I added the stones, pearls, and beads while the piece was on a necklace display so that I knew how everything would fall and to make sure that it was symmetrical. I did, however, have to take the necklace off to secure each pearl and stone, which was a big obstacle, because in the time it took to attach everything, it took just as long (or longer) to disentangle the necklace! The frustration was well worth it, and after about a month of casting the flowers and creating the necklace, I finally accomplished what I had initially hoped to achieve. And while the necklace is too fancy for me to wear, I still love to look at it!" � Kimberly Lindgren

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40 views
Sep 30, 2005