Tools for beating

A ‘parure’ is a set of various items of matching jewelry. It is modular and can be disassembled into different parts. ‘Tools for beating’ is such a parure, made by American Seth Papac. It consists of 5 individual pieces that can be worn separately or all together in their tool bracket around the waist:

‘White knuckle’, a necklace, to me refers to boxing, a western fight sport. At the two ends of the necklace hang oval silver strips, possibly meant to harden the contestants’ hands.
‘Strike’, also a necklace, looks like a pair of nunchaku’s, used in eastern fighting. To stay true to the tools theme, they are made out of steel and wood.
The brooch ‘Club’, a very long, stiff square tube, when worn, starts beating by itself. This is also the case when is attached to the tool bracket.
‘Clench’, a ring, has to be clenched to be worn on the fingers, so the hand forms a fist (for beating).
The last part of this parure is the ‘Empty tool bracket’, which is not actually empty. The leather belt holds a very well made, smooth, spatula- like, wooden shape. Just like the brooch club, it starts beating when worn, but ‘gives’ a totally different, more gentle, kind of beating.

To have a jewel committed to beating is one thing, but 5, even though they can be assembled into one, is a bit much. But the way these pieces are made, with carefully chosen materials and incredible skill, pushes the violent nature of the work to the background. For example, the necklace ‘White knuckle’, consists of white tape, used to tie tight around the contestants’ hands, but it is tied together and carelessly draped around one’s neck. And the material of the top plate of the ring ‘Clench’, steel, could refer to real knuckledusters, or to actual tools. On top of that, its’ shape does not remind of fighting at all. This is obviously also the case with ‘Club’, the brooch.

On top of this, the artist states that this toolset is meant for beating, a fictitious job or ritual to deal with the metaphorical cleansing of his body and not someone else’s! So a very personal piece this week.

Lucky me got to experience this work in reality at Gallery Caroline Van Hoek (member of Klimt02). It is exhibited there, with 2 more parures, until October 24th.

Fidelity, The Golden Fleece ring

Because I really like this piece, an update on the previous Furry ring-post, since The Golden Fleece ring will be exhibited from tomorrow! It al started when Giovanni Corvaja went on a journey to make the mythological Golden Fleece, instead of searching for it. A journey which required kilometers of hand-made gold wire, took 12 years of precise labour and resulted in great jewelry along the way (as to be seen in the Furry ring). Not an easy task as you can imagine. The Golden Fleece is sought after because it is said to bring good luck to kings and guarantees that their kingdom will endure forever.
This Ring was made in 2008 and consists of 104,272 single wires (2.085 km of wire in total). The tiny wires must be almost microscopicaly thin to create such length and still fit around a finger! This means the gold fur is super soft to touch. The ring symbolizes fidelity, something a lot of rings do, but the combination with the Golden Fleece makes this ring the symbol of a lucky, everything enduring love. This ring combines the aesthetic with the tactile and the conceptual, which I love.

Giovanni Corvaja has made a whole Golden Fleece collection and the jewelry pieces have all been chosen to represent eternal symbols: first there is fecundity (the egg pendant), then prosperity (the round brooch),fidelity (the ring) is the third piece of this collection, commitment (the bracelet) the fourth and finally strength and perpetuity of power (the headpiece). All of these have many other meanings as well. Of course these amazing pieces will be exhibited tomorrow as well.

The exhibition is part of the International Trade Fair,in Munich, Germany, in the frame of a special exhibition “Modern Masters”, Hall 1A, 11-17.03.2009. (Exhibiting the new collection in Munich is very meaningful for the artist, who celebrates 20 years since his first exhibition in the same place, in 1989.)

An extensive explanation of the whole Golden Fleece collection is to be found on Gionvanni Corvaja's website.

Skeletal metal ring

We are only one day away from the biggest American orthopaedic convention (AAOS), which is held in Las Vegas this year. Also from Las Vegas is Skeletal Metal, a jewelry company that uses stainless steel reconstruction plates normally used in orthopaedic surgery. What a coincidence! It all started when orthopaedic surgeon dr Mike Crovetti bent a stainless steel reconstruction ("ReCon") plate into a ring and started wearing it. Many people who saw the ring were intrigued by the use of a surgical steel plate in jewelry. So he teamed up with Marty Cordova and Anthony Bonifazio to form 'Skeletal Metal'.

The surgical metal is simply bent into shape to make the ring. It is often also necessary to bend the plate to fit the plate to the bone in surgery, so it is exactly the same when worn outside the body, as it is when surgically placed inside the body! In surgery this type of plate is commonly used to fix the broken bones of the forearm, elbow, pelvis and collarbone. The holes are filled by surgical screws to piece the broken bone together.

To me, it seems like a fun way for people that had surgery to display what is inside their body on the outside!
It didn't stay with just rings, now a whole series of jewelry is available with or without screw holes.

Many thanks to The Carrotbox Jewelry Blog - rings, rings, rings!

Boules

The other day I went to a restaurant that served two gold-covered hazelnuts on top of the chocolate dessert. We laughed! I kind of forgot about gold being used with chocolates and it got me thinking about choclate being used in jewelry. So after a bit of web-surfing, these 'Boules' by Barbara Uderzo are what caught my eye! In 2004, she made a few different kinds of chocolate jewels, but the Boules stand out. Not just because they are covered with goldleaf, which makes a beautiful color combination with the dark, earthy chocolate and shiny bright gold, but also by their design. The balls of choc look like enormous wearable pralines but the gold might make you think more of jewelry. I'm sure once the chocolate starts to melt on your skin and you can really smell it, the only thing you'll be thinking is: get in my tummy!

The chocolate jewels are meant to be enjoyed by couples together, so let's hope both partners are able to hold the urge to start eating, untill they can do this together!

The Furry ring

An amazing piece of jewelry this week! It is this stunning Furry ring, a simple shape with a soft furry center completely out of gold. It has been created by Giovanni Corvaja in 2001. The ring is an impressive piece and it is an important step towards a his new series named the Golden Fleece collection.

Giovanni Corvaja started this new collection to satisfy his need to search for the mythological Golden Fleece. Instead of keeping to look for it, he decided to actually make it himself. After working very hard at his life's philosophy for 12 years, he has now succeeded.
He regards his success to have made the Golden Fleece as a journey, not as a destination. He managed to make great pieces of jewelry on that journey, like the Furry ring. I am quite anxious to touch it, since the gold really looks like fur! I am so glad he kept on doing research to get to a totally new level of golden fur. The pieces of the Golden Fleece collection are said to be strikingly soft to touch. Caressing one would give you the amazing sensation of touching a kitten. The Golden Fleece itself also looks much finer. These are unexpected, unbelievable differences between the Furry ring and the pieces of the new collection.

Until the 27th of December the Furry ring can be seen at Galerie Bijouterie Jungblut in Luxemburg (city), Luxemburg; as a part of the exhibition Jacqueline Ryan and Giovanni Corvaja.

In the spring of 2009 the preliminary collection of 5 pieces, also containing a ring; will be presented to the public for the first time in Munich, Germany at a special exhibition of Modern Masters. So in three months you can expect an update of this collection (with photographs) on this blog!

Much much more about this incredible Golden Fleece and its Italian creator can be read here.

Super Karin alert ring

Super Karin saves the world and still manages to look fabulous!

Yippee, I'm on a family trip to Minnesota, USA. An ultimate chance to take a look at local jewelry! Karin Jacobson is a jewelry designer from Minneapolis, who uses sterling silver and lab-grown (less expensive) gems to be able to focus on form and make her designs affordable, this in combination with beauty, craftmanship and great design which is what fine jewellery has always been about. As also with this ring, play is a central theme in her work. Her inspiration comes from science fiction, comic books, mechanical toys and Japanese animation. This ring is called Bubbler and is part of  a series named 'Cocktail Rings'. On the first page of her comic book- catalog, she (as a comic figure called Super Karin) uses it as an alert ring! I thought it was so much fun, I had to share it with you! This comic book is what makes her jewelry stand out.

PS this blog seems to be all about rings, but that is not my intention! There will be other pieces, who knows maybe next time??

Crystal ice ring

mold

crystal ice ring

this was 1 ring, the water left-over from one ring

A  beautiful reaction to our mass consumer society is made by Carolien Van Den Hole in the shape of crystal ice rings. She an textile- and productdesigner from Belgium, who searches for authenticity, uniqueness, experience and emotional satisfaction that lasts in her work. So instead of selling rings, she sells the mold for you to make your own crystal ice ring. Wear it straight out of the freezer for only about one minute until it melts. The sensation would be a cherishable moment on a hot summers day. Her design also makes a great gift. That way you have the choice of giving the mold so the receiver can make as many rings as she/he likes or giving your own homemade crystal ice ring to be worn by the receiver for just that special moment.

Last week I went to the opening of Carolien Van Den Hole's exhibition E.erste H.ulp B.ij O.ntwerpen (First Aid With Design) at the Beyond Fashion Gallery in Antwerp, Belgium. The rings and their molds are on display in a stylish little white freezer with a glass door.

Vote for this ring

This is the wonderful The love inside #5 ring by Colleen Baran. She is a multidisciplinary artist (working in jewellery, photography and book-work) from Canada. She exhibits her work internationally and has been published in North America. Her work is based on a love of language pattern and form, as show well in in her The love story #5 ring. The ring is individually handmade of sterling silver and mylar paper that can be cut but not torn. It has bold, subtle and brave declarations of love hidden within. You can write your own little secret notes for your sweetheart to carry with them. Just slide the little story inside the ring..... It is one of a series of rings that in some way or another carry a love story and it is my personal favorite! The love inside #5 is a simple and sleek structure that has a hidden romantic side to it. This makes wearing (and giving) the ring incredibly personal without showing it off in the design.

The love inside #5 ring is currently nominated in the Cooper-Hewitt Peoples Design Award! Go and click to vote for The love inside #5 at: http://peoplesdesignaward.cooper-hewitt.org/2008/nominee/1592

You can vote until tuesday October 21st, so hurry!

Have a great weekend!