Rings & Things Design Gallery

Glass Category

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:57:19 GMT

The Lost Ireland

Artist: Yuliya Carr (Portsmouth, United Kingdom)
Honorable Mention, Glass

"The necklace was inspired by a wonderful piece custom made by Tania Grey. I must admit, I was not certain about the project. It took me a while before I had something in my mind, but I decided to get started without any sketches. I knew it was going to be something like I�d never done before, something unusual, asymmetrical and intricate. I threw myself into the project and finished it surprisingly quickly." - Yuliya Carr

To create this beautiful evocation of the Irish countryside, Yuliya used several components to complement the handmade glass focal piece. A Swarovski� rivoli stone is held snug by a seed-bead bezel near the beaded clasp. Swarovski bicone beads, seed beads and Czech glass leaves create the lush foliage that surrounds the focal point. The woven strand begins with a Czech faceted firepolish bead.

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135 views
Apr 28, 2008

Metal Clay Category

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:55:38 GMT

Off Setting Triangle

Artist: Lorrene Davis (Placerville, CA)
Honorable Mention, Metal Clay

"Dimensions. Depth. The main elements of my designs. I wanted to make a wearable pendant that was flat in the back and had a convex top. So, I used two sheets of the metal clay, textured them both and tried to use some engineering to have the chain go in one side of the pendant and out the other. I wanted people to look at it and think, " How did she do that?" I then felt the piece needed some color, so I added a strip of 24k gold foil using the Keum Boo method. This process took just about one day to complete. I was hoping to get a less-is-more effect with the work." - Lorrene Davis

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104 views
Apr 28, 2008

Polymer Clay Category

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:55:10 GMT

Good Things Come In Threes

Artist: Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg (Ansonia, CT)
Honorable Mention, Polymer Clay

"This triptych of tiles was inspired by a gorgeous Caribbean beach. I love to make matched sets of tiles that are individual compositions on their own but, when put together, form a multi-tiles design. I have been working in polymer clay and doing millefiori designs for many years, but have only recently been combining colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel (like the blue and orange in this piece) for riskier but more satisfying color designs. The steel choker cables I use from Rings & Things are perfect for my tiles since I don't want the cord to interfere with the tiles. They make a perfect compliment and are wonderful in their simplicity. This piece took approximately 13 hours to make (not including all the canes)." - Lynne Ann Schwarzenberg

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152 views
Apr 28, 2008

Gemstones & Pearls Category

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:53:01 GMT

Egyptian Nights

Artist: Zoya Gutina (Alexandria, VA)
Honorable Mention, Gemstones & Pearls

"This entry was inspired by Egyptian stormy skies at dusk. The colors chosen for this work represent the rich purple and gold seen during those rare and special times that the storm clouds and sun meet for just an instant as the sun gives way to night. The materials used in this project are size-3 Czech bugle beads (light amethyst ghost), size-10 Czech glass seed beads [limited to stock on hand] and golden cultured freshwater pearls. They have been stitched together in order to create my interpretation of the drama and beauty of a stormy Egyptian sky." - Zoya Gutina

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120 views
Apr 22, 2008

Gemstones & Pearls Category

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:52:51 GMT

Betty's Bling

Artist: Linda Valentino Michel (Weeki Wachee, FL)
Honorable Mention, Gemstones & Pearls

In this piece, the gemstones are not so much the focal point as the foundation that allows the other fun dangles to show off. But, let�s let Linda explain in her own words:

"I've noticed that the best pieces come from the things we love and surround ourselves with. Well, I love Betty Boop! She's all about feminine bling and "more is more"! As you can see, there is no finding that goes unused. I put whimsical things together (since Betty is such a whimsical icon), bringing everything together with color! I found a Betty Boop key chain at a dollar store, pulled off poor Betty's head and, with a sterling silver head pin, turned her into a one-of-a-kind focal bead. It's fun to look around and see what unique object can be recycled into a charm with a twist of wire and a bead! There are two strands of faceted round black onyx beads and three strands of round garnet beads, with pink accents highlighting the black and red. I soldered a frame using a mini print of Betty I found in a collectible catalog (you could alternately use a sterling frame charm). With fun glass beads and a lot of hearts, a treasure trove of charms are created!" - Linda Valentino Michel

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105 views
Apr 22, 2008

Alternative Materials Category

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:52:41 GMT

Ju-Ju Muse of the Vieux Carre

Artist: Lois Simbach (Marshall, NC)
Honorable Mention, Alternative Materials

"Many an artist is influenced by the environment around her. Often she will travel and partake in adventures specifically for inspiration. Thus, I found myself in New Orleans�surrounded by a thickness of cultures deep in mystery, spirituality, intrigue and history. And flying in (in droves) to experience that culture were tourists, hungry for the taste of something different to take back to their American suburbs. At the time, I was living on a 5th-story walkup warehouse in the French Quarter. I remember looking out my window one day, down to the crowded streets, and asking out loud �There must be something I can sell to all these millions of tourists, but what?� I am a professional costume designer, so my 5th story was already full of fabrics and feathers and foam and adornments of all kinds. With that quest, I went window shopping, specifically to look for what was not there. And I found it! Or, rather, didn�t find it ... Eureka! Here were all these tourists, coming to New Orleans to partake in Jazz and Gumbo, street musicians, tap dancers, funeral parades, the funk and flair of it all, and there were no African-American Heritage or Contemporary hand-crafted items anywhere for sale. ...

�So, next I embarked to the public library and checked out all the books on Haiti, Africa, VooDoo and slavery, and went home to study. As I already work with fabric, I designed and created a line of Haitian-inspired VooDoo dolls which I called �Ju-Ju.� These were very crude and plain in the beginning. In Webster�s dictionary, �Ju-Ju� means a fetish charm one keeps close at hand, and the magic attributed to it. I did not want to call my dolls VooDoo, as it is not my cultural heritage, nor do I partake in the religion, or identify with it. My �Ju-Ju� dolls are all positively upbeat. They are a contemporary twist of an ancient practice. ...

�As time went on, the dolls became more and more elaborate, and now are completely covered on one side with beads, charms, words and items of all sorts. I hand sew everything. ... This Muse is approximately 3 feet tall. The size alone is impressive, with the addition of 100�s of beads and charms that are mesmerizing when observed up close. Because my dolls are African inspired, and because much of African Art is sexual, I always make either female or male dolls�i.e. large beads sewn in the appropriate area signifying which sex. The Muse is both, gathering its energy twofold�a little something for everyone! I am very pleased with going larger and wish to continue in size, perhaps giving more movement and expression to the limbs." - Lois Simbach

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74 views
Apr 22, 2008

Alternative Materials Category

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:52:29 GMT

Come Fly

Artist: Christine Terrell (Austin, TX)
Honorable Mention, Alternative Materials

"I wanted to incorporate my interest in paper and collage into wearable art. I had recently started making wearable pieces with recycled steel containers (like cookie tins) and decided to try a collage on one of the unprinted bases. After finalizing the basic collage, I took a disc cutter and cut a section for my piece. I then added the bird cutout and a few more inked layers. Realizing that I wanted a more finished look for the collage, I tried several transparent options. Ultimately, I decided to go with another disc, cut from a single layer of mica. I liked the slight color shift and durability this brought to the piece. However, it took some experimentation to learn how to properly incorporate it. After several attempts, I finally determined it was important to have exactly one layer of mica and to first adhere it with gel medium directly to the collage. Once the mica was secured to the collage, I then created a 'sandwich' consisting of the collage, cherry wood and another steel piece for the reverse side. Through this, I drilled four holes and riveted the 'sandwich' together with 22-gauge German silver wire. I decided to drill a channel through the wooden core of the pendant for the choker cable to pass through, in order to keep the clean circular lines of the piece. Steel neck cables are the perfect complement to the simplicity of the final pendant." - Christine Terrell

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109 views
Apr 22, 2008

Mostly Metal Category

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:29:51 GMT

Braided Spectra

Artist: Debbie Kelly (Topsham, ME)
Honorable Mention, Mostly Metal

"When my two daughters were children, it gave me great satisfaction to learn different ways to braid their hair. Braiding and weaving have always held a fascination for me. Recently, I have learned to braid wire. I started with simple braids, and then graduated to more complicated braiding. Everything I had done, however, was repetitive, making the same moves over and over, to produce a uniform braid. I took these uniform braids and started to experiment with adding freeform moves in the wire. Not only was the outcome much more interesting, but these designs became much more fun to make. By using eight strands of differently colored wire, it added a completely new dimension to my freeform braiding. I really enjoyed making this neckpiece and bracelet set." - Debbie Kelly

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106 views
Apr 22, 2008

Mostly Metal Category

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:29:36 GMT

Scrap Metal Pin

Artist: Susan Walter (Torrance, CA)
Honorable Mention, Mostly Metal

"While taking metalsmithing classes, I ended up with several scraps of metal. Just for the fun of trying new techniques, each piece of metal was textured using different processes. The long sterling silver rectangle was textured using a piece of fabric and rolled through a rolling mill. The copper circle was domed then heated with a torch until the surface started melting, then quenched in cold water. The small copper rectangle was a leftover scrap that was etched then colored using a torch. From start to finish, this piece took me about three hours to make, though designing it took me longer than that. I used 14-gauge wire which is hammered on both sides and wrapped with 24-gauge wire. I drilled three holes though the copper disk to attach the wire to the disk and to insert the screw. The disk is bolted to the back of the textured silver piece. I also soldered the pin backing on. The copper dangle was made using a piece of leftover 24-gauge etched copper. I etched the pattern in using ferric chloride. The other dangles are made out of 18- and 20-gauge wire, with pearls on 24-gauge wire. A little 3mm silver bead was added to one of the dangles. The great thing about this pin is that I made most of the main component by scratch, so it's truly an original piece." - Susan Walter

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87 views
Apr 22, 2008

Glass Category

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:28:10 GMT

Frog at the End of the Rainbow

Artist: Karen Zaferakis (Liverpool, NY)
Honorable Mention, Glass

"I am a lampwork artist and love Swarovski� crystal. I handmade each rainbow bead using a torch and melting rods of glass. This is a lengthy process. The design in my mind included utilizing as many of the various colors that are available in Swarovski crystal. I put crystals on each head pin and wrapped each 'dangle' around a soldered jump ring. These dangling crystal clusters were strung between my lampwork beads to create a rainbow effect. My goal was to have a smooth transition from each color in the spectrum with the brilliance that Swarovski is known for. The beads are strung on tigertail and all the findings are sterling silver. From the design stage to the final touch, this piece took about 5-6 work hours, but a total of 30+ hours due to kiln time for the glass beads. I am a relatively new lampwork artist and am quite pleased with this piece. Its brilliance is stunning in person. The Swarovski crystal is beautiful and brings out the colors of the Murano glass nicely. I am very proud of the frog dangle. It is one of my first sculpture beads, so I consider him the 'pot of gold' at the end of my rainbow. I developed my appreciation of jewelry and making it from my mother. She has been a creative jewelry maker for years. We have gone to school together at Corning Glass Works and at the William Holland School of Lapidary Arts. By no means are we 'professional' jewelers, but we do consider ourselves professionals at having fun together. She has often inspired my jewelry pieces and has always been my biggest supporter. She is the one who encouraged me to enter this contest. Thanks Mom!" - Karen Zaferakis

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142 views
Apr 22, 2008