Leslie Shershow

Leslie Shershow is a Boston-based jewelry designer. She spent a summer in Alaska and created a jewelry series in response to her time spent there, noting that "In a place coined by man as "the last frontier," Alaska faces the threat of human exploitation. I illustrate this exploitation with issues such as hunting, tourism, mining, drilling, climbing, controlling nature, developing, etc. I am not, however, deeply rooted in my views on preserving nature, in light of the dire economic situation that Alaskans face. Rather than illustrating this conquering with disgust, I choose to display a more vague and humorous approach to these issues. For many reasons I am contradictory to these subjects, for I was only a summer visitor."

A few of the pieces are available for purchase on Etsy.

Via Cool Hunting.

Brevity website launch

Hi all! Hope you had a good weekend...I finally finished the website for Brevity, my line of jewelry, and launched it late last night. It features all of the original acrylic pieces, as well as brand new stainless steel versions. I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think!

Bryan Bowie

Gorgeous jewelry from Bryan Bowie's Nostalgie Spring/Summer 2008 collection. I love the rough metal and the antique imagery. Bryan also makes very cool t-shirts.

Via Daily Poetics.

Pigeon Ring Necklaces by Chinny Chin Chin

The Pigeon Ring Necklaces by Chinny Chin Chin catalog pigeon racers and contain a collectible piece of sports memorabilia. The anthropomorphic quality of the pigeon portraits combined with the pigeon's likes/dislikes makes the flying rats look almost like-able.

Sarah Van Gameren

I've seen Sarah Van Gameren's work quite a bit over the past few months without knowing that it was hers. I finally came across her Family Tree necklace on Pan-Dan and had to check her website out, which is when I made the connection between Sarah and all these other great projects I've been admiring around the web. Her Family Tree project seeks to represent the lineage of a young client named Runa, and draws its inspiration from 'name-jewel' necklaces.

Some of the other projects I've been admiring: Burn Burn Burn, where Sarah has created a type of paint that can be burned to create a permanent mark on a surface, and the Big Dipper - wax chandeliers that will create an ephemeral, changing light fixture.

PS. Thanks to Desire to Inspire and MSNBC's Clicked for the blog mentions - and hi to all of you who are coming from there!

Claesson Koivisto Rune's Eve Bracelets

My dear Betty sent me a link to Dezeen's post on Claesson Koivisto Rune's extruded aluminum Eve bracelets, designed for Collection Pascale. The bracelets are made by rotating a raw aluminum extrusion and simultaneously slicing it at varying angles to create a series of unique bracelets. This uniqueness is a nice contradiction with the nature of the mass-production that typically occurs with this process.

Dresser Johnson

While the Arrow Ring by Dresser Johnson is very cool, it's the photo set of the ring out in the world that I really love. Check out Steph Goralnick's flickr set here.

Via the Carrotbox.

Ideas and Sponsors...

So! New month, new ideas column...Sorry for the shameful delay in leaving up the valentine's chocolates - it's sort of like leaving your Christmas decorations up until June, huh? Anyway, springtime = shoe time, so if you know of any shoes that would fit our Ideas column, send them on over to us!



We are also very happy to welcome Nervous System and Artstream as sponsors this month. I've posted about Nervous System's gorgeous jewelry before and am a huge fan.



As for Artstream, they are a fantastic gallery up in Rochester, New Hampshire (we were lucky enough to have an exhibit there in Nov-Dec of last year). Artstream has a great show called Stories and Tales going on right now, exhibiting the work of Abby Glassenberg, Darryl Berger, Alena Hennessy, and Tara Hogan.

Chet Domanski

Some more recycled jewelry for you - by Chet Domanski, the Energy Bracelet is made from eroded (and therefore decommissioned) production tubing from Alberta's natural gas and oil pipelines. Each bracelet comes with coordinates that locate the original pipe location.

Available from the Souvenir Shop.

Via Iain Claridge via Mocoloco.

2ReVert

2ReVert takes old skateboards and recycles them into jewelry. Skateboards are made up of 7-layer maple plywood, with some plys being natural and others colored, which makes for some beautiful material to work with! Above are a few of the designs I liked - you can check out more here.

Via Creativadoration.

Gesine Hackenberg

Gesine Hackenberg creates conceptual jewelry from vintage ceramics. Each piece is constructed from punched out pieces of the tableware. I don't know if she's selling them or if they are more for arts purposes, but it would be awesome if the altered plate and the piece of jewelry could be bought as a pair.

Via Bloesem.

PS. Blogger's been acting up and not publishing our posts. Sorry for the delay!

Tivi

Hey, peeps. Sorry for no posts yesterday. We were swamped...But look at what I've got for you today! Not particularly affordable - but very attractive - accessories from Tivi. I especially love their handbags which are constructed from plywood with a leather interior and hand-screened.

Via Creativadoration.

Katharina Ludwig

More artist than artisan, Katharina Ludwig conceptualizes jewelry by incorporating ice into her work. I love the idea that each piece is ephemeral and unique, evolving slowly over time, with the ability to be reborn in yet another form.

Via Mocoloco.

Rust Belt

Sean and I didn't think we were going to be able to make it to the Gift Fair this weekend, but ended up being able to make a quick stop at the Metropolitan Pavilion portion of the show. While there, we stumbled upon Rust Belt, a jewelry line made from re-purposed materials by designers Anna Bario and Page Neal. Their Alluvial collection was inspired by a series of hand-drawn maps documenting the 1944 Geological Investigation of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Each pieces is made from salvaged chains sourced from around the country. My favorite part of the work is their packaging.

Cognitive Creations

I don't know why, but I am a sucker for gears and mechanical pieces - I love going to the Met and seeing all of the old pocket watches (especially the ones with the guts exposed). Anyway, Etsy seller Cognitive Creations uses mechanical pieces in her work and I like it!

Via Haute*Nature.

Brevity

I meant to post this a while ago - images of a new necklace I am selling over at SupermarketHQ, called Cellular. The necklace is made out of black acrylic and hangs on a sterling silver chain.

Aesa Jewelry

Very pretty jewelry from Aesa. I love the organic shapes and the mixed metal.

Lima 7192

Gorgeous boro glass rings from Lima 7192. I love the organic shapes and the translucency of the rings. They're also somewhat affordable, ranging in price from $80 - $100.

Via Carrotbox.

Nervous System

If you're looking for a last minute gift to give your lovely lady - Nervous System makes some amazing jewelry. Inspired by complex patterns generated by computation and nature, their work is a mix between organic and technical that is all beautiful. Nervous System is a collaboration between Jessica Eve Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, who met in 2004 at MIT where Jessica was studying Architecture and Biology and Jesse was studying Mathematics and Computer Science. I love how they have merged their diverse backgrounds to create these beautiful products.

Eskimeit Jewelry

These necklaces by Eskimeit are made from Ubamegashi coal, a luxury (!) coal in Japan used to fuel grills particularly for cooking eel in high end restaurants. Ubamegashi coal is apparently very hard - comparable to stainless steel - and when cut, the edges appear metal-like. I love the organic shapes and the darkness of the coal. Each necklace has a magnetized clasp that has been embedded into the coal.

Notcot Gift Guide

Sean and I put together today's gift guide over at Notcot. It's filled with (mostly) affordable picks from our favorite designers. We hope you will check it out, along with the rest of the gift guide that Jean has worked so hard to put together...

Left to right: Decanter N°2 by Etienne Meneau, Full Contact Spice Grinder by Mint, and Bubble necklace by Brevity (yes, me!).

Happy holidays!

2007 Gift Guide

Keep an eye on our Ideas column to the right, as we update it with holiday gift ideas over the next few weeks. This week we are focusing on gifts for her, next week will be gifts for him.

Above: Fauna Goldfish Necklace by paraphernalia and Knit Coasters by Alyssa Ettinger.

Studio 22

I love these concrete rings by Studio 22. Having a background in architecture makes me fond of building materials in general, especially when used for non-architectural purposes. Studio 22's concrete rings were sold as part of designboom's mart during Tokyo Designer's Week this year. They will soon be sold online exclusively at designboom's shop.

I can't mention concrete jewelry without talking about Konzuk - check out their gorgeous work, too!

Via We Made This.

Pomellato

People! I had the hardest time picking pieces from Pomellato's collection to highlight. They have so many great pieces - I love the over sized stones and the unusual cuts. Their work tends towards two directions - ornate and simple. I much prefer the simpler pieces. A friend of mine has one of the Nudo rings (bottom right) and I have been obsessed with it for years. I haven't been into the new york city store yet and there aren't prices on the website, so the jewelry could be scarily expensive (my bet), but it sure is pretty to look at! My birthday is coming up so maybe Sean and I will have to wander into the store to check things out...

Poppytalk Handmade

We are very excited to be a part of Poppytalk Handmade this month (we are selling the christmas cards for the Shama Foundation there, as well as some of my jewelry). I was browsing through the jewelry section this morning and really love the acrylic pieces above by Paraphernalia. My other favorite is Nina Dinoff (shown below). Check out Poppytalk Handmade for lots of other holiday goodies!

Patrice Lehocky

This isn't typically my style (I like smaller pendants), but there is something very appealing about these necklaces by Patrice Lehocky. Each is made from recycled goods. The necklace on the left is made from a reclaimed piece of green, textured glass, and the necklace on the right is made from dish shards. Beautiful work!

Anne Maa

We've posted about Anne Maa's work before, but she sent us an email about her newly launched collection, and it's gorgeous! The pieces center mainly around rough stones and geodes (mmmm, I love!) and roughly shaped silver.

Lisa Levine

I came across Lisa Levine on the Shiny Squirrel (congrats to Jessica, by the way, for the launch of the Shiny Squirrel boutique. We have some work in the shop that I will post shortly, once we have some good product shots.). Using signature feathers and long flowing chain, Lisa's collections are beautiful!

Irina Blok

Irina Blok sent me an email about her super cute jewelry line, I Love Blocks. Irina is originally a graphic designer, and it shows in her work - very clean, clever images. My favorite is the cat and mouse bracelet (who is chasing who?). Irina uses Shrinky Dinks sealed with acrylic paint to create each piece.

Reddish

You've probably seen Reddish make the rounds on the blogging circuit over the past few weeks, but their work is really great so I wanted to highlight some of my favorites here. I love this blurb from their website: Reddish "spends most of the time helping objects feel better about themselves".

Above: the X-Table and Grenadine. The jewelry from the Grenadine line are cast from pieces of polystyrene. Each piece is unique.

ECAL - University of Art and Design Lausanne

I came across ECAL (the University of Art and Design Lausanne) when searching around for fly swatters for our ideas column. I was especially impressed by the Industrial Design department, who have a great collection of work up online. Here are a few selections from the Souvenirs of America collection (cynical students! but what design student isn't, I guess?):

Clockwise from left: Fabien Cappello, LaChanh Nguyen, Gaële Girault and Valerian Gagnaire

Marianne Anderson

Marianne Anderson works within a restrained palette of oxidized silver, 18ct gold, red garnets and white pearls. I love the way she has reinterpreted ornamentation in a modern context. Delicate and gorgeous.

Glint Jewellery

Jewelry designer Kate Wood dropped us a line about her company Glint Jewellery. I love her clustered pieces - they are so organic and delicate.

Heather Guidero

I love Heather Guidero's Lunar line of jewelry. I am curious as to what stone or metal treatment she's done to the ring on the left - it looks so cool!

Apollon Rings by Lucie

Anna and I recently purchased our wedding bands from Niwaka, and we're so excited to have them soon. While we were at the offices, they told us that their new 5th ave store will also carry rings by Lucie, their sister brand. I love the simple statement of all their rings. Each one is clean and elegant, not like the gaudy American and European jewelers. The Apollon rings reinterpret the circular profile by introducing the pointed corners to give the ring a stronger presence. And I love the addition of the inset blue diamond on the side surface of the ring.

Andrew Grima - Royal Jeweller

The 'Gondola' (left) and 'Cerini' (right) watches, designed by Andrew Grima, are each 30+ years old. In spite of their age, they are years ahead of today, and will continue to be so. Be sure to check out some of the other watches featured in the Ideas column on the right and the archive.

Niina Mahlberg

Gorgeous glass jewelry from Niina Mahlberg. Each intricate piece is handmade in her Helsinki, Finland studio. I want one of those rings.

Malin Lundmark