Rings are the great markers of time, celebrating many of life’s most poignant moments; love and marriage, rites of passage such as graduations, bar mitzvahs and retirement, and bonds of friendship. A beautiful ring is often the first thing someone notices about us. We dress our digits in high style, embellishing our most expressive and dynamic body part, the hands, for the whole world to see. It is not surprising that the ring has been chosen to star in this superb coffee table-style book, titled, “1,000 Rings, Inspiring Ornaments for the Hand” edited by Marthe Le Van.
“1,000 Rings” displays 1,000 rings in lavish photos with intricate details of the materials used in their creation. The artists themselves provide thoughtful commentary about the piece they created, weaving an important story about the process of creation throughout the book. While some rings are magnificent and awe-inspiring, others are fun and more than a little over the top. They are all exceptional works of art created by the best contemporary jewelers, and vividly represent each artist’s relationship to their craft while reflecting the impact rings as jewelry have made on society.
Among the prestigious artisans represented are Arline M. Fisch, Michael Zobel, Katja Prins, Paul Preston and Bruce Metcalf. Rings are compelling pieces of jewelry, especially so in this book which is as extensive as one could imagine a tome about rings would ever be. Here we find rings, from the traditional to the extremely avant-garde, creating visual and textural contrast with hundreds of diverse elements. There are rings made with precious metals, base metals, precious metal clay, porcelain, Brazilian rosewood, steel springs, pumice and even meteorites and brush bristles. There's rings made with feathers, tagua nut, shells, plastic, sand, enamel and a 100-year-old wrought iron nail. Gemstones represented in the designs include diamonds, pearls, rock crystal and other precious and semi-precious gemstones and botanical or organic gemstones.
As fascinating as the materials used in these extraordinary designs are the jewelry-making methods and laborious steps employed in executing them. The results are exotic, elegant, pure glamour and glitz, with more than a dash of humor. Big, bold, colorful, subtle, gutsy, strange and sublime, here are 1,000 rings that make a powerful and dramatic statement. Artist Michael Zobel comments, “Through the connection of precious metals, stones and unconventional materials, I create unique objects, which make the extraordinary wearable.” This statement perfectly describes every one of the 1,000 rings in this book.
Artist Reina Mia Brill gives us, “Giddey Up”, a double ring of such surprising exuberance and joy that it gleefully jumps off the page with life. Brightly-colored, coated copper wire is hand knit into this playful animated piece. "Cosmic Connection”, by Joe Reyes Apodaca, is a luscious sculpture in 14-karat gold featuring Australian opal, diamond brilliant and meteorite. Tamara Clark’s “Starry Galaxy” features a sterling silver platform dotted with 18-karat gold balls and a big star sapphire, all hand-forged and hammered into an astronomer’s dream. Functional jewelry or outrageous art, Ellen Cheek’s “Back to Basics” is a big wide cuff of a ring made in fine silver, sterling silver and 18-karat gold to which is attached a 9B drawing pencil—very handy for jotting notes! K. Dana Kagrise created “Exodus” in response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The accompanying comments reveal how deeply affected the artist was by the photographs of people fleeing the city. She fabricated her ring from sterling silver, pumice, powder enamel and plastic N-scale model train figures.
For pet lovers, or perhaps for those who would like something furry that doesn't need to be fed or walked, Heather White has created “Circle Ring – Pet”, a big, soft, circular, white puff of fur set onto a ring of gold and sterling silver. Another ring is entitled, “Dog’s Faith” by Becky van den Brink, it's a real sculpture of a dog with leash and collar that sits obediently on one’s finger. One of the largest, and most hauntingly beautiful pieces is Seo Yoon Choi’s “Desire”. Created in 1999, this 106x16x19 cm ring is fashioned in sterling silver, stainless steel and a flowing arc of soft, white feathers.
While some of the rings featured are pure art and not realistically "wearable", there are many that are elegant, high-fashion and very wearable. Some notable ones are; Jaclyn Davidson’s “Zebra Ring," a gorgeous 18-karat, gold and black, enamel zebra head with it's neck gracefully curled into a ring. Another is Lee Carper’s, “Vortex Ring," a stunning, 14-karat yellow gold setting holds a Tahitian pearl. Junghyun Woo’s, “Something Sweet,” made entirely of sterling silver that is die formed, etched and fabricated to look like the most delicious chocolate, its square surface drizzled with a traditional chocolate pattern—it even comes in it’s own sterling silver chocolate box with an elegant design etched on top, inset with an 18-karat gold chocolate cup.
This book is impressive in its brilliant concept, attractive presentation and introduction by Robert W. Ebendorf, the Carol Brotnes Belk Distinguished Professor in the Department of Art at East Carolina University. Professor Ebendorf juried this incredibly beautiful ring collection and his passionate appreciation of art is tangible. Unlike many of the big, unwieldy coffee table books, “1,000 Rings” is a a soft-covered, tablet-style book, 8” square and about 1-1/2” thick. It’s matte black cover comes alive with a large photo of Patty L. Cokus’ “Articulated Frusta: Ring #1, an exquisite spiral ring that resembles a brushed gold, soft ice cream cone with the familiar swirl on top. A hard cover would have been a nice finishing touch for this book, giving it a longer browsing life, a weightier feel, and a deserved place in the company of fine art books.
Firmly anchored in the philosophy that jewelry is art, “1,000 Rings” celebrates rings as the most important wearable art. Rings are, after all, miniature sculptures, compact platforms on which ring-makers display their art. Ultimately, this book is a grand celebration of creativity, it would make a wonderful gift for any ring enthusiast, jewelry lover, jewelry designer or anyone who collects books about contemporary art.
Note: This book was purchased by me with my own funds for my personal library.
Showcase 500 Rings: New Directions in Art Jewelry
