1000 Rings: Inspiring Adornments for the Hand

by Marthe Le Van (Editor), Robert W. Ebendorf, Lark Books

Diverse, extensive, and incredibly beautiful, this awe-inspiring collection features the most magnificent rings ever. With designs that range from the traditional to the very avant-garde, each of the 1,000 examples is an exceptional work of art, finely crafted by the best contemporary jewelers. Rob Jackson mixes antique industrial elements (a 100-year-old wrought iron nail) with radiant 20-karat gold and a glowing ruby for a dynamic visual contrast. Tomomi Arats collection, Treasure from Under the Sea, captures the exoticism of ocean life: he uses pearls, enamel, and sand to create rings that look as if they were chiseled directly out of a coral reef. Among the prestigious artisans represented: Arline M. Fisch, Michael Zobel, Katja Prins, Paul Preston, and Bruce Metcalf.

Genres: Jewellery, Nonfiction, Art, Reference

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Edie Lee]

My criteria for pieces of jewelry has always been that they be wearable. Most of these 1000 rings are not. Of course, those that are can be quite beautiful. The others…well, mostly they are nice little sculptures with holes in the middle. I did enjoy them so there’s something to be said for that.

I also liked the intro.

[Ligaya]

I love this series and I love this book in the series. Concise with little text, packed with professional photos of amazing jewelry. The range is from the simple to the simply nutty to amazingly crafted. Inspirational, for sure!

[Dana]

This book is kind of part of a series by Lark (500 ________). These books have served me and many people I know as a source of Inspiration. They show one of a kind, hand made pieces by artists from all over the world. Some of the pieces also have descriptions from the artist about what inspired the piece or the ideas behind it. In a classroom, students could look at these books for ideas and see where other artists take their ideas from.

[Mario Hiter]

1000 rings contains creative creations for rings made 1 of a kind by various popular artists. Rings, inluding non-traditional materials such as pencils, were used in various creations. This book would be a good resource for this book-set to give students various ideas for making rings, and to step out of the box.

[Amanda]

This was my first introduction to art jewelry. All the work is beautiful, but some of it makes you think and question the role of jewelry in our society and in the art world. A great collection of what is happening on the contemporary metals world.

[Sherry Buchanan]

This is an excellent jewelery design book! It includes mixed media, found objects, textiles and, of course, metals.

[Avis Black]

Terrific stuff. You can stare at this for ages. One of the best books in the 500 art series.

[Beth]

I got this for christmas in 2006, and I'm always inspired thumbing through it.

[Amanda]

I love this book, I love lots of the books from this series. But since I am a metalsmith and concentrate on rings this book is so inspiring.

[Jillian Geralds]

This book contains an amazing collection of "jewelry as sculpture" that is both beautiful and inspiring.

[Cas]

One of the best in the 500 series, great inspiration for metalworkers on any education level.