Craft Book Reports: Ring Jewelry Books from Lark Jewelry and Beading

As I mentioned the other day when I did my “book reports” on Beaded Jewelry, I have certainly had an influx of amazing eye-candy in the form of books lately. Today I want to share two more books on the theme of “rings” : Ring a Day: 700 Photos from a 365 Day Jewelry Challenge and Showcase 500 Rings: New Directions in Art Jewelry (500 Series)
Let’s dig in!

Both of these books are on the topic of rings as an art form (natch)- and both are inspirational. (Which means don’t look for instructions because these aren’t those kinds of books!)

The Ring a Day: 700 Photos from a 365 Day Jewelry Challenge came from a group of jewelers who were LITERALLY making a ring a day. From the Introduction:

The parameters of the Ring a Day challenge were simple. Make a ring a day no matter where you are, what materials are at your disposal, or how much time you have available. Take a photograph of the ring and post it to Flickr, an image-sharing website. Oh, and repeat it 365 times.

The result of this collective genius/madness is this book, with over 700 ring ideas to set your brain on fire. Some are amazing, some are sculptural, some are even ridiculous. But all will make you feel like your brain as been carbonated!

A sampling of the rings you’ll see….

I couldn’t resist sharing the rings made around Halloween. Love the skulls- and so many kinds!

Rubber band rings. Silly or sublime? You decide!

Now, if you are looking for a collection of amazingly elegant designs- really fine art that you wear on your fingers- then Showcase 500 Rings: New Directions in Art Jewelry (500 Series) is going to rock your world. The photography in this book is excellent, and you will be blown away. You’d expect to see some of these pieces in a museum.

Of course, you would never wear those cages on your fingers, unless you are Lady GaGa. But it’s amazing nonetheless.

And there are more “traditional” opulent designs, too.

A. Maze. Ing.

Now, as I mentioned, you won’t find instructions in these books. But maybe, just maybe, you’ll look at your materials- and fingers- in a whole new light.

Disclosure: samples provided for review. Please support CTD by using the highlighted affiliate links.