Rings & Things Design Gallery

Glass Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:31 GMT

Colors of the Deep

Artist: Leena Tucker (Folsom, CA)
Additional Top Pick, Glass

Several of this year's contest entries incorporated skillfully handmade glass beads and pendants. This piece uses a disk-and-loop bracelet form to show off handmade glass cabochons.

"... Each cabochon has different qualities - a slightly different shape, a small indentation, different colors and designs. But mostly it's fascinating to see the way the dichroic glass gives the impression of different depths, as if you're looking into a landscape. The smoothness of the cabochons is soothing to the touch." � Leena Tucker

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

45 views
Mar 31, 2006

Metal Clay Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:31 GMT

Aces High

Artist: Tamarien M. Fl�ten (Spokane Valley, WA)
Additional Top Pick, Metal Clay

"Inspired by my love of card games, this piece evolved into a portrayal of a winning hand. Imprinted Art Clay� Silver was dried on an oiled, wooden, round doorknob to acheive shape. Many sandings and carvings went into the surface for a smooth base. Then, rivers and deep impressions of flowing metal were added using a ball stylist dipped in thick paste and then dragged repeatedly across the face, creating a raised pattern to enhance the cards. The process was repeated on the charms to unify the design.

"The negative image of each charm, repeated on the cards, caused a stress line or weak point. The top of the pendant broke in the greenware stage and had to be repaired twice. A thick slip was used as a glue and layers of paste added to increase thickness and strength.

"The red, white and black colors used in the Victorian motif necklace mimic the palette found in a standard card deck." � Tamarien M. Fl�ten

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

59 views
Mar 31, 2006

Gemstones & Pearls Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:30 GMT

Cherry Blossoms

Artist: Paula Chan (Oakland, CA)
Additional Top Pick, Gemstones & Pearls

"Cherry blossoms in San Francisco�s Golden Gate Park inspired this necklace and earring set, the first new buds opening in Spring, before the entire tree is covered. By this project, I have become very proficient at wire wrapping, so everything but the necklace drop was attached by wire wrapping. The necklace drop I decided to leave "free floating" by running the chain through a jump ring to give the piece more movement." � Paula Chan

This simple but elegant set was made using rose quartz briolettes, rose-colored Swarovski� crystal beads and pink corn pearls for the dangles.

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

45 views
Mar 31, 2006

Glass Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:26 GMT

A Christmas Story

Artist: Marion Virello (Southington, CT)
Additional Top Pick, Glass

This is the first Christmas ornament we at Rings & Things have ever seen which features a face bead in the design! Marion explains that "the tricky part was securing the head so it would stay up right. I added a bead cap and decided I needed to hide more threads, so I added the crown of "rice" pearls."

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

33 views
Mar 31, 2006

Glass Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:25 GMT

Black Diamond Collar

Artist: Mara Marlow (Federal Way, WA)
Additional Top Pick, Glass

"I've been studying a lot of vintage jewelry books lately, and they always make me want to create sparkly elaborate chokers. The mounted crystal rhinestones, with their four holes on the bottom, are perfect for this kind of project. For my Black Diamond Collar, I first made the wrapped dangles with thin head pins, then used a variation of netting to string the middle part first, in a series of Vs ... I used SuppleMax� [for the cording] because I thought it would hold up better against the metal mountings of the rhinestones, and also wouldn't show through the beads. It made the shape of the finished collar kind of twisty, but I solved that by holding [the necklace] up to the heating vent while the furnace was on, and the heat relaxed it very nicely. ... I have also made a black version of this design, but the Black Diamond Collar looks more vintage. I think this design would also be pretty in sapphire or pink, with the aurora borealis version of the rhinestones (which I'll probably try someday!)." � Mara Marlow

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

49 views
Mar 31, 2006

Mostly Metal Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:24 GMT

Under the Sea Treasure

Artist: Lori Owens (Springfield, MO)
Additional Top Pick, Mostly Metal

"... I first experimented on the brass disks with a patina solution, to acheive that aged, underwater treasure look ... I then stamped [them with] a very simple, yet important message (the real treasure) "LOVE LIFE." ... It took me about a week to work out the design for this and I've had fun designing a piece of jewelry that would appear as though it was from the sea.

"For the centerpiece, I used a 25mm brass disk and punched a large hole through the middle, [from] which I dangled a single 9mm freshwater pearl on 20-gauge sterling silver wire. ... A second dangle was attached the bottom of this charm to help anchor the centerpiece slightly and, since the green jasper [purchased at a road show] looked like seaweed, I thought it would complement the deep-sea feel of the necklace. The spiral components were created using 16-gauge wire that I shaped with the use of round-nose and chain-nose pliers. As I spiraled them, I added copper heishi beads, sterling silver spacer beads and hand-coiled 20-gauge sterling silver wire. These spirals were lightly hammered and antiqued with liver of sulfur. I love how some of the spacers move freely on these spiral components. Adding moving parts to my jewelry design makes the jewelry free flowing and fun! The "LOVE" and "LIFE" charms were created using 19mm and 25mm brass charms that were riveted together using 16-gauge sterling silver wire. I then used sterling silver jump rings to make the chain and attach the necklace components. ... All sterling silver pieces were antiqued with liver of sulfur. The overall appearance of this necklace is quite solid, yet it is extremely lightweight. It is a treasure waiting to be discovered!" � Lori Owens

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

78 views
Mar 31, 2006

Nature Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:23 GMT

Dragon-Fish Fetish Necklace

Artist: Kate Reeve (Waitsburg, WA)
Additional Top Pick, Nature

"I recently inherited a large quantity of beads from a friend who'd become too disabled to use them. An exquisite fish-skull segment (Tigerfish? Sheepshead?) was gifted me by another friend and art representative who had beachcombed them off the coast of Mexico just before she herself fell ill. And then, suddenly, I lost the unassisted use of my legs and had to get a wheelchair. Now, I had to think, we need some powerful good mojo here, turn this around, get rollin' and goin'!, and right on cue, Dragon Fish, as I've come to think of him, spoke to me from my studio ...

"First came the mounting strip - a little banner with a "dragon-eye" pattern woven of Toho� [Treasures] beads," explains Kate. "Then, some peyote stichwork allowed me to build form-fitting girdles around the mandible's projections that I'd used to anchor the banner. ... Ladderstitch "reins" with bone beads and Tohos let me segue into the balance of the work with like style and gave the added weight. Beaded loops on the reins' ends would be "strung" with the rest."

After creating the entire lanyard using difficult and tedious three-needle stringing, Kate decided that the look, while somewhat providing the desired primitive and fanciful "Nanapush" (Len Lenapi for "fairies") style, was not what she wanted. So, she took the entire lanyard apart, and recreated it with a "chain" of beadwork that spirals around the lanyard. "Once I'd restrung [the lanyard], incorporating the "chain," I felt the elements were tied together in the same interwoven technique, the whole structure more mercurial. To finish, I now only needed to make a replacement tooth for my skull fragment which was missing an incisor. Sculpey would be just right, and I got the last-minute thought to paint it to match one of the Toho colors - not a flashing gold tooth, but a metallic purple one!" � Kate Reeve

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

45 views
Mar 31, 2006

Gemstones & Pearls Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:21 GMT

Floral Fantasy

Artist: Fran Kiperman (Cupertino, CA)
Additional Top Pick, Gemstones & Pearls

Fran appreciates the beauty of Hawaiian flowers, and was inspired by them in making this piece. We appreciate Fran's silver centerpiece, made with sterling silver sheet and accompanied by hematite rounds and 8mm Swarovski� rhinestone balls.

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

42 views
Mar 31, 2006

Polymer Clay Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:22 GMT

Playing with Fire

Artist: Ginnie Parrish (Cary, NC)
Additional Top Pick, Polymer Clay

"To create the polymer clay focal beads, I combined some warm colored odds and ends of polymer clay canes and made a triangular cylinder shape which I then sliced into several pieces and reassembled to form a kaleidoscope cane. The kaleidoscope cane was then sliced to make the focal beads for the set. The design reminded me of fire so that became the theme for the project. Using a random pattern and beads with fire-like texture and/or color, I triple strung the necklace, with all three strands going through each kaleidoscope bead. I also used coiled and hammered copper wire "charms" (to add sizzle) and finished the necklace with a handmade copper wire clasp. The matching earrings are made from the polymer clay kaleidoscope beads, branch coral, and a couple of smaller beads. The project took about four to five hours to complete. Playing with fire is fun!" � Ginnie Parrish

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

45 views
Mar 31, 2006

Nature Category

Fri, 31 Mar 2006 19:54:21 GMT

Jewels of the Sea

Artist: Fran Kiperman (Cupertino, CA)
Additional Top Pick, Nature

"As a handicapped snorkler, in the midst of taking adaptive SCUBA, I have been able to get close to the bottom of the sea. The Toho� [Treasures] beads, in their splendid peach color, represent the precious gold of the ocean: coral. Today coral is being preserved and can only be mined by the few [people] who are licensed [to do so]. The sparkling peridot [gemstone chips] remind me of the [ocean's] plant life while the shells and pearls are all of the oceans wonderful creatures ..." � Fran Kiperman

Additional Top Picks are designs our editor especially liked despite the fact that they did not win a formal prize. These designs are often simple, practical and/or whimsical examples of how to use Rings & Things components well.

View more 2006 Additional Top Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

35 views
Mar 31, 2006