New Year, New Challenges

For the past several years, I have participated in jewelry design challenges that were organized by my fellow EtsyMetal members.

• 2010 was the RAD challenge: Ring-A-Day
• A group of international artists accepted the challenge to create, photograph and upload (to a flickr photo group) one ring per day for the entire year. This was a wildly successful challenge which also inspired an exhibition and a book! Sadly I could not finish the entire year, but I made it through 100 days and had several of my rings included in both the exhibition and the book!

• 2011 was the RAW challenge: Ring-A-Week 
• A similar challenge to the one above but weekly instead of daily. Once again, I could not finish the entire year and only made it through 18 out of the 52 weeks.

• 2013 was the BAW challenge: Brooch-A-Week 
• I don't know why I thought I could manage enough time to make 52 brooches. It sounded like a good idea at the beginning but I only made it through week 5! LOL!

Despite the fact that I have never been able to fully complete any of these challenges, I still feel like they were successful endeavors. They are always a great source of inspiration, rejuvenation and motivation. I believe they help me grow as an artist and a jewelry designer. 

So-----Despite my lack of follow through in the past, I have decided to participate in yet another jewelry design challenge this year. 

• 2014 is the Rx3 challenge: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle from all the stock in the studio.
•  I will attempt to create one jewelry piece every week for the entire year using old stones, pieces-parts, half finished projects, old sketches, etc. Below are my first two pieces of this year's challenge:

Rx3 week #1 - Black Diamond Chiseled Ring:

1.3ct rose cut black diamond, .013ct rose cut grey diamond, 14k yellow gold, .950 palladium

Rx3 week #2 - Peach Druzy Chiseled Ring:

Druzy quartz, 14k rose gold, 14k & 18k yellow gold

Stay tuned to see how this challenge continues...

New Year, New Challenges...

You may or may not know, a year ago, I embarked on a challenge entitled "A Ring-a-Day" in which I was to create one ring every day for as long as I could...

I lasted 100 days. (see my RAD rings on flickr.)
Some brave and VERY creative souls lasted an entire 365. (see everyone's RAD rings on flickr.)

Now in 2011, I am embarking on another challenge...a little less demanding but equally as inspiring..."A Ring-a-Week". I have committed to making one ring per week for the entire year...52 rings! I hope to continue to explore some of the ideas that I began with the previous challenge, to make some rings that have been brewing in my mind for a while and to be inspired to new levels.

This is my first ring for the Ring-a-Week Challenge:

18k gold & green tourmaline.
The stone setting freely slides back and forth.

I hope to not only blog my rings but also to share with you some of the amazing rings made by my fellow Ring-a-Day artists....stay tuned! In the meantime, you can view everyone's RAW rings on flickr.

Blog Carnival - Ring a Day

Once a month, members of the EtsyMetal team are asked a question and then requested to blog about it. This month's question is: What is your favorite ring from the Ring-a-Day Project thus far?

If I had to choose one of my own rings, it would be my "Growth" ring from day #25. I had been experimenting with the folded leaf-like band since my "Orange Blossom" ring on day #13 and I really think the resolution of "Growth" is a perfect continuation of that experimentation. I will definitely be making more of these slightly whimsical, nature-inspired rings in the coming months.

"Growth" sterling silver. scored and bent, forged, fabricated.

The Ring-a-Day Project has given me the motivation to veer off my daily path and the freedom to explore concepts and designs that don't need to fit in with my production line. I have been yearning for this freedom for a long time and I am so glad I decided to join this project!

There are too many fabulous rings to choose favorites, but here are a few that I really love from others participating in this project. And don't forget you can always browse the entire group pool (over 3,ooo photos so far!) on flickr: Ring-a-Day.

Ring-a-Day #3 "Matchbox", Ring-a-Day #4, "Matchbox On Fire" by Maria Apostolou.

Bad Girl Button Ring 9/365 by Thomasin Durgin/metalriot

"cot" (in) , "cot" (on) by Victoria Takahashi/experimental

Please visit the other blogs participating in today's blog carnival to read about their favorites:
Alisa Miller
Beth Cyr
Caitlyn Davey/discomedusa
Catherine Chandler
Colleen Baran
Chris Parry
kerin rose
Maureen "Cosmo's Moon" BZ
Nina Dinoff
Sara Westermark
stacey hansen
Su Trindle
Thomasin Durgin
Victoria Takahashi

9 more rings...

Ring-a-Day truly is an exercise in creative thinking. No matter where you are or what you are doing, create something...anything that can be viewed as a ring. Here are my last 9:

1. Put a lid on it! (#15) 2. Silly Straw Ring (#16) 3. Silly Straw Ring 2 (#17)
4. Bubble Ring (#18) 5. Balloon Ring - inflated (#19) 6. To Do List Ring (#20)
7. #21, 8. Marquises Ring (#22), 9. Winter Flower Ring (#23)

Please click here to visit the entire Ring-a-Day group pool on flickr.

Week Two of the Ring-a-Day Challenge

Week two (Jan 8-14) and still going strong!
Last Friday I made a ring that was inspired by the Orbit Ring (RAD #6) I had made the week before. The new version is hinged, making it kinetic and wearable in several variations. Here is a video showing 3 of the 6 ways it can be worn:

Orbit Ring #2 - in motion

I don't get much (if any) studio time on the weekends, so I have been saving my "ready made" or "days-without-a-studio" ring ideas for those days. This past week's weekend theme was "Tool as Ring." Later in the week, I made a ring using a plastic orange juice lid that I had been holding onto for months---way before this challenge started. As soon as I saw it in the grocery store, I knew I wanted to make something with it. The RAD Project gave me the perfect excuse to just do it! (Just one of the reasons why I love this project!) I loved the way the band turned out on the orange ring, so I made another ring using the same technique---and I plan on doing more with this in the coming weeks and possibly adding it to my regular line.

1. Orange Blossom 2. "Chiseled" 3. Caliper Ring 2 -Tool as Ring
4. Caliper Ring -Tool as Ring 5. C-clamp - Tool as Ring 6. Leaf

Please click here to visit the entire Ring-a-Day group pool on flickr. There are so many brilliant rings there!

Week One of the Ring-a-Day Challenge

I am having such fun with the Ring-a-Day project! The ideas are flowing for "days-without-a-studio rings", art jewelry rings, kinetic rings and traditional rings. I had to start a new sketch book dedicated to this project so I could keep track of the buzzing in my head. Originally, I said I was only going to participate for the month of January---but now I am hoping to do it for the whole year. It will be very hard, especially when the busy wholesale season starts. But I am hoping this will be the breathe of fresh air that I have been yearning for years. We'll just have to wait and see how the year unfolds.

Here are my first seven Ring-a-Day rings:

#1. New Year's Ring #2. Tired #3. Green Blade
#4. Chiseled Moonstone #5. Wing or Talon? #6. Orbit
#7. Sick Day

QUESTIONS FOR MY READERS: Would you like to see these rings blogged weekly or bi-weekly? Do you like this mosaic format or would you prefer to see them individually? Please share your thoughts in the comment section. Thanks, Danielle

RINGing in the New Year

I have decided to participate in a challenge that my friend Nina Dinoff proposed: "A Ring-a-Day" from January 1 - 31. There are no real rules---simply to create one ring every day for one month. It is an exercise in discipline and creative exploration. A ring can be a found object or a labor intensive piece of art....it can take 3 minutes or 8 hours to create. See info on the Etsymetal blog for detials.

I might be a little crazy, seeing that January is a hectic month for me---I am always frantically replenishing my pillaged sample set, designing and making new work and pulling my hair out while getting ready for my major wholesale trade show in February. But alas, I have joined the party and am hoping for some fun, inspiration and stimulation.

Here is my first ring of the challenge. "New Year's Ring" 1/1/10.
Sterling silver and champagne cork.