Rings & Things Design Gallery

Glass & Crystal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:23:58 GMT

Classic Cuffs

Artist: Pansy Tan (Republic of Singapore)
Polly's Pick, Glass & Crystal

"My husband does not wear any jewelry except for his wedding ring, but I wanted to make something for him. So I thought 'why not make him a pair of cuff links?' The challenge was when I did the back stubs, to see how to fit them into the cuff sleeves. Using his old cuff links as the basis, I successfully made this pair. When he wore them to the office, his colleagues noticed and complimented him. I enjoyed doing the cuff links and it really gave me a sense of achievement." -- Pansy Tan

Flat-back items are easy to glue onto cuff links, but turning pointed-back items such as these sparkly rivoli stones into cuff links, requires a bit more ingeneuity.

Polly�s Picks are designs our editor especially likes 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 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!

94 views
Apr 27, 2009

Glass & Crystal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:22:54 GMT

Ladybug Picnic

Artist: Mary Estrada (San Jose, CA)
Polly's Pick, Glass & Crystal

Kudos to Mary's sister Kathryn for our discovery of this adorable design! According to Mary, "I have had these beads my sister gave me for a very long time and the idea in my head for an even longer time. It was at her urging that I complete my idea and send it into the contest."

This cheerful design is created from Czech glass ladybug beads and CRYSTALLIZED� � Swarovski Elements (crystal bicones and a light siam crystal butterfly). The dotted flower-end sterling head pins add to the garden/park theme and sterling footage chain holds it all together with a sterling lobster clasp.

View more 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!
101 views
Apr 27, 2009

Glass & Crystal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:21:15 GMT

Mrs.

Artist: Valerie Aharoni (Brooklyn, NY)
Polly's Pick, Glass & Crystal

Valerie says of her inspiration for this piece that "part of my lifestyle is to cover my head/hair (GREAT for those bad hair days and rushed mornings!). I had seen only a few unique and upscale [headpiece] designs for women. Over the past several years, I have searched the web and pattern books for a way to create something that would be easy to wear, beautiful yet not ostentatious."

About her design process, Valerie reveals that "the embellishment on the crown was ripped out twice. The first time I was not happy with the way the beads laid over the bottom layer. The second time I adjusted the colors. It was the band that took weeks. Initially I thought to swag short ropes around the band. That did not produce the subtle elegance and richness I was looking to achieve. Rip it out. Try another swag effect, nope, yet another. After about a dozen different configurations, I decided this was a poor design choice. So then I tried embellishing with a bead in every 'hole' left by the net weave. WOW---perfect! Then, I added Swarovski 2mm rows across the brow to catch the light. It took another ten hours to complete this portion. Ah---the fringe. First, I tried a straight fringe, but it caused the band to bunch and look uneven. Too many threads. Worked on this for three days. Nothing was hanging properly. Forget about it. Went back to my polymer for a day. Cleaned my work table and area, twice. Reorganized. Put on Burn After Reading and while the actors played on the screen, I rummaged through my pearls and rediscovered the tiny perfect cornflake pearls I had stashed. I noodled out a modified fringe that worked! Sensuous when worn. Feels great and the gentle sound---I adore it!"

In addition to freshwater pearls, Valerie used size 13 charlotte-cut seed beads, size 11 seed beads and 2mm-4mm round beads by CRYSTALLIZED� -- Swarovski Elements to create this fun, fringed headpiece.

View more 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!
104 views
Apr 27, 2009

Glass & Crystal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:20:42 GMT

Amethyst Initial Evening Bag

Artist: Rachel Rose (Olathe, KS)
Polly's Pick, Glass & Crystal

Rachel has made several of these evening bags. She says of her inspiration: "I learned how to do right-angle-weave from a book. I lived in Gallup New Mexico when I was a kid, and my father worked for the B.I.A. (Bureau of Indian Affairs). I knew about Medicine Bags that way. I'm very interested in creating my own designs ... and felt if I increased the size of an amulet bag, I could have an evening bag. I created this using just a needle and thread. The weakest point was the strap. I made the strap with thread, then ran a wire through it and crimped it. Problem solved."

This particular bag was made for Rachel's daughter Melaura, using 4mm Czech glass faceted firepolish rounds, size 11 seed beads, handmade foil-lined glass coins, potato freshwater pearls, size D SuperLon thread and 21-strand Soft Flex� stringing cable. If you look closely, you can see a subtle "M" for Melaura in the bead design. The opposite side of the bag reveals an equally subtle heart design, for "love." Rachel designed the flap off center for a more sophisticated look.

View more 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!
93 views
Apr 27, 2009

Glass & Crystal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:19:09 GMT

Waterfall

Artist: Mandi Ainsworth (Dallas, TX)
Polly's Pick, Glass & Crystal

"With this piece I wanted to break away from designing with purple (my all-time favorite color), and branch out into using other colors. I wanted to make a themed lariat. I found some gorgeous blue and green Toho� beads in my stash, and then agonized over what crystal colors would match them. I don't have much experience using crystals since many of my projects are made of Delicas only. I saw the crystal butterflies on [Rings & Things'] website and knew I wanted to incorporate them into my design as well. I was going for a rainforest theme at first, but it didn't feel right, and I couldn't find a frog lampwork bead that matched the beads I had already chosen. I did find a really cool turtle bead, and he fit happily with the water-like colors. The mother-of-pearl ring added sophistication to the piece. Originally, I had a pattern set for the blue and green seed beads, but as soon as I strung the first section, I knew it would flow better if I mixed them together and used them randomly. I spent about five times as long choosing the perfect components as I did actually making the lariat! I had so much fun making this piece, and I love showing it off at work. It flows off my neck just like a waterfall. I challenged myself by branching out colorwise, and by using materials I don't normally use." -- Mandi Ainsworth

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109 views
Apr 27, 2009

Gemstones & Pearls Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:17:13 GMT

Lava Lizard

Artist: Mara Marlow (Federal Way, WA)
Polly's Pick, Gemstones & Pearls

"Rings & Things' cool collection of African Brass trade beads always inspires me, partly because they're such a nice change from all that dainty crystal. I ordered the Ivory Coast pendant ... and when I saw it I really needed to make something with it. The lava rotunds had enough heft to balance the large heavy pendant, and some of the new antiqued brass drawn flattened cable chain matched the brass well enough. And, since the chain links are not soldered, I could pull them apart and make connectors. The biggest challenges were to make something like a bail for the pendant (which I solved by making a fan out of five 3-link bits of chain), and to make a clasp that was adjustable but still suited the style. I started out making the necklace much longer, but since the pendant is so big, it looked better in the 'pectoral' position." -- Mara Marlow

View more 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!
111 views
Apr 27, 2009

Gemstones & Pearls Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:15:14 GMT

Going Green

Artist: Lynn Kvigne (Underwood, IA)
Polly's Pick, Gemstones & Pearls

"I needed to design something special for a close friend who was helping me out at an art show. She LOVES green, and the color of this stone was perfect. I wanted to make something totally unique, and came up with the idea of turning the bead on it's side and suspending it inside a frame. The frame is actually one piece of wire that's been wrapped with half-round wire to stabilize it. The curve on the front is both decorative and functional---it helps to stabilize the green quartz bead. The coordinating earrings were created using simple Swarovski crystal [bicones], fused fine silver rings (hammered just slightly) and handcrafted ear wires. I like to make earrings that compliment but do not overpower a necklace or bracelet. This design is one of my personal favorites! My friend loved her pendant and earrings, and proudly wore them to the art show. She told everyone that I'd designed it just for her, and that it was most definitely not for sale!" -- Lynn Kvigne

View more 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!
127 views
Apr 27, 2009

Mostly Metal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:13:26 GMT

Desert Lilies

Artist: Sherry Jones (Prescott, AZ)
Polly's Pick, Mostly Metal

"This lovely necklace and matching earring set took me three days to complete. I forged the metal sheet into the tulip roll design as well as the copper wire in its different gauges. I hand wired and oxidized the chain and hand crafted and forged the ending clasp. The hand-crafted, forged and oxidized bail is the sun rising over the tulip bed. This was a fun piece to make. I live in Arizona and love the diversity of the scenery here, from the scenic, vivid, rich rust colors of Sedona to the snow capped San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff. I love the Southwest and all the inspiration that comes from living here. Copper and turquoise are mined in Arizona and though I did not use turquoise, per say, I used beautiful turquoise-colored [blue zircon] crystals as well as [smoked] topaz crystals to set off the beauty of the copper. I oxidized the copper to give it a rich deep multi-color effect and to deepen the copper to a rich warm color of the sun. The chain and ear wires are all handcrafted and forged by me, The Dancing Gecko." -- Sherry Jones

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122 views
Apr 27, 2009

Mostly Metal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:12:38 GMT

Jester's Ring

Artist: Louise Duhamel (Carlsbad, CA)
Polly's Pick, Mostly Metal

Louise tells us that "this piece just grew on it's own. I let it tell it's own story as it directed me to form the arms that grew out from the base---which eventually made me realize that the ring just had to be formed in the shape of a jester's hat. Even now, when I put the ring on, the first thing I want to do is chuckle."

Louise used red bamboo coral gemstone beads and sterling silver wire to construct this whimsical finger ring.

View more 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!
96 views
Apr 27, 2009

Mostly Metal Category

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:10:59 GMT

Caterpillar Friends

Artist: Joanne A Olson (Punta Gorda, FL)
Polly's Pick, Mostly Metal

Joanne says she was inspired to make a caterpillar design from the cover of Rings & Things 2009-2010 Wholesale Cataog---the cover design features a metal-stamped pendant with the phrase "There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly." We were inspired by Joanne's innovativeness in creating a card holder out of nothing but lampwork glass beads, bead caps and wire. She says of her caterpillar friend, "this card holder will never turn into a butterfly. She sits on my desk and everyone asks about her."

View more 2009 Polly's Picks. Or, check for details about our most recent contest!
118 views
Apr 27, 2009