This fun collection of photos showcases 700 amazing pieces created by the Ring a Day Challenge participants. They agreed to “make a ring a day no matter where you are, what materials are at your disposal, or how much time you have available” and post a photograph of it to Flickr. The project was designed to encourage people to find beauty, art, and jewelry everywhere. Their imaginative rings showcase a range of unusual things, from a pencil sharpener to a tiny baby doll to an egg, and even poodle hair! Comments and quotes from the artists themselves provide plenty of insight into the work.
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"The photos are amazing. The range of techniques and materials used is astonishing. There are beautiful metal worked pieces, and there are rings made from paper, from food, even from dryer lint. ... The creativity of these jewelers was stretched by the daily exercise, and looking through the resulting project is incredibly inspiring. Perusing this book reminds you to think creatively, to look at the objects around you and imagine the way they could be turned into something more." - Beadaholique
"This book is completely a treat to the eyes and a boost for some marvelous creative motivation! ... I recommend it to every jewelry artist." - Metal Clay Today
"There are pictures--lots of pictures--on every page with a few quotes from the artists on their designs. There is lots of inspiration in this book. Some of the rings are fabulous, some are unusual, and some are just weird. This is going to be a book I'm going to pick up again and again, write and draw in the margins, put sticky notes in ... and get tons of inspiration." - Gail Lannum, Gail's Tales and Jewelry Designs
"It's really cool. There are some seriously talented artists included in this collection. My favorite part of the book is how artists give little commentaries about the process as their rings took shape. If you want something to spark your imagination and get you thinking outside the box, the book is a definite must-have!" - Lorelei Eurto, Lorelei's Blog
"Ring a Day book includes 700 rings created by the Ring a Day participants.
The format of the book is super nice because it is like a notebook with 365 days of wonderful ring photos. The book includes some of the most recognizable and memorable designs from the contest plus comments from the artists. I really enjoyed looking at all the pictures and reading some of the comments the artists made about their experiences on participating in this great challenge and some of the inspirations for their rings." - Lorena Angulo, Artisan Jewelry with Soul
The format of the book is super nice because it is like a notebook with 365 days of wonderful ring photos. The book includes some of the most recognizable and memorable designs from the contest plus comments from the artists. I really enjoyed looking at all the pictures and reading some of the comments the artists made about their experiences on participating in this great challenge and some of the inspirations for their rings." - Lorena Angulo, Artisan Jewelry with Soul
“These artists have the ability to see the fascinating potential of everything in their field of vision. These artisans across the globe submitted over 700 rings. They represented fantasy, inorganic forms, animate and inanimate creations, etc. A myriad of materials were used: wood, sponge, plastic, glass, metal, paper, string, wax, pods, shells, clay, ribbon, twisty ties, leaves, thread. Their cupboards spilled over. Ring a Day is an interesting and fun book to peruse.” - Razine Wenneker, Rite-It
"You might think, why on earth would I buy a book of Ring a Day, the flickr challenge group of 2010, when I can just go to flickr and look for free? Partly, because the book is easier to look at! By curating Ring a Day, or RAD, editor Martha Le Van has made it easier to enjoy the whole project, which can be overwhelming. I didn’t participate in RAD — I found out about it too late and one a day was too much for me, but I followed RAD and I did do Ring a Week in 2011. Participating in Ring a Week, or RAW, I met lots of people online and had the camaraderie of participating in a crazy challenge with fellow jewelers. A huge bit of fun is going through the RAD book and spotting friends or favorite rings that I recognize from online. The creativity that’s caused by having to do the same thing over and over and over again is evident in the book. Even the crazy 'cheat' days (I think of them as cheat days, they aren’t really, according to the rules of the challenge), where the ring is conceptual or temporary and not 'made' in the traditional craft sense, may result in a 'real' ring another day. The discipline of the daily practice pays off. The Ring a Day book is a wonderful way to bring that home to yourself and hopefully it will inspire you to join a flickr challenge!" - Chicago Metal Arts Guild blog
About the Author
Since 2000, Lark Jewelry & Beading senior content editor Marthe Le Van has written, edited, juried, or curated more than 40 books, including 21st Century Jewelry: The Best of the 500 Series, 30-Minute Earrings, 30-Minute Necklaces, and 30-Minute Rings. She also curated 500 Wedding Rings and Masters: Gold. She is a member of the Art Jewelry Forum and the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Marthe lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
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More About the Author
Marthe Le Van is a jewelry editor and curator. She is also co-owner of Mora, a designer jewelry boutique in Asheville, North Carolina. From 2000 to 2011 Le Van was a senior editor for Lark Books, where she, edited, juried, or curated more than 60 titles. The books she's authored on making jewelry include 30-Minute Earrings, 30-Minute Necklaces, Stitched Jewels, Prefab Jewelry, Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects, and The Art of Jewelry: Paper Jewelry. Marthe has also served as the editor for all jewelry books in Lark's popular "500" series, as well as the juror for 500 Wedding Rings and the curator for 21st Century Jewelry and Masters: Gold. She is a member of the Art Jewelry Forum and the Society of North American Goldsmiths. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Artists took up the challenge to create one ring each day for a year. No matter where they were or what they had to work with. The results were rings that challenge the basic structure of a ring, becoming more sculpture than jewelry. Rings that were made of found items or whatever was handy. Alternative materials and some that were by their nature, transient. Creative and wonderful ideas are all over this book.
Some of the rings made me chuckle, and more than I would have thought, I stopped on a page to show it to my husband. Some just astounded me with their beauty or their function. Many of them made me look at the form of a ring differently or at the use of things people might normally throw away.
Absolutely inspiring. The designs can be springboards for your own imagination. One ring made me think of something I want to try with a votive candle holder. Several others made me think of kinetic possibilities with beads to make pendants.
The photographs are very well done, the rings are really creative. This small volume is one that I'll keep by my bed to glance through before sleep if I'm stuck for ideas.
While a lot of the rings are made using hot jewelry techniques, some of them are cold formed. Some are made with alternative materials that are fairly easy to find.
My daughter was just as charmed by this book, and it inspired her creative side in a completely different way. Some of the rings that thrilled me were less interesting to her and some that inspired her greatly didn't charm me as much. Since we can be very different, it was neat for me to see that this collection could inspire her as much as it did me. It's a gallery of wonderful art in small scale.
Some of the rings made me chuckle, and more than I would have thought, I stopped on a page to show it to my husband. Some just astounded me with their beauty or their function. Many of them made me look at the form of a ring differently or at the use of things people might normally throw away.
Absolutely inspiring. The designs can be springboards for your own imagination. One ring made me think of something I want to try with a votive candle holder. Several others made me think of kinetic possibilities with beads to make pendants.
The photographs are very well done, the rings are really creative. This small volume is one that I'll keep by my bed to glance through before sleep if I'm stuck for ideas.
While a lot of the rings are made using hot jewelry techniques, some of them are cold formed. Some are made with alternative materials that are fairly easy to find.
My daughter was just as charmed by this book, and it inspired her creative side in a completely different way. Some of the rings that thrilled me were less interesting to her and some that inspired her greatly didn't charm me as much. Since we can be very different, it was neat for me to see that this collection could inspire her as much as it did me. It's a gallery of wonderful art in small scale.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
after all, I have rings in the book, and the Ring a Day process was a bonding one; I consider most of the metalsmiths in the book to be friends.
That said- I love the structure of the book. There were so many photographs in the project, every day, that it was easy to get lost, and overwhelm was inevitable. Martha Le van has done a fabulous job of paring things down, and making what was an avalanche into a fall of cherry blossoms. What we're left with is a portrait of what creative people will come up with in the best, and worst, situations. Designs range from the sublime to the ridiculous, and even the ridiculous ones are, in their right, wonderful. It's truly inspiring. While I enjoy it for obvious reasons, I would recommend it for any individual involved in any creative pursuit. The beautiful designs are worth looking at for an infinite number f reasons, and the silly designs are worth looking at to remind oneself that everyone has days when the only way one can make a ring is to tie a string round one's pinky. I know I will reference this little volume often.
That said- I love the structure of the book. There were so many photographs in the project, every day, that it was easy to get lost, and overwhelm was inevitable. Martha Le van has done a fabulous job of paring things down, and making what was an avalanche into a fall of cherry blossoms. What we're left with is a portrait of what creative people will come up with in the best, and worst, situations. Designs range from the sublime to the ridiculous, and even the ridiculous ones are, in their right, wonderful. It's truly inspiring. While I enjoy it for obvious reasons, I would recommend it for any individual involved in any creative pursuit. The beautiful designs are worth looking at for an infinite number f reasons, and the silly designs are worth looking at to remind oneself that everyone has days when the only way one can make a ring is to tie a string round one's pinky. I know I will reference this little volume often.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a participant in this project, I was thrilled to finally have it in my hands! "Ring a Day" is a beautiful book, with its bold red cover--full of images from cover to cover. With its field guide type of feel, this book is brilliantly edited demonstrating the project's breadth and endless variety of rings. Some are novel, some are funny, some beautiful, some challenge practical notions of what is a ring. But I have learned that by challenging myself, my art and craft grow exponentially. For the reader--it is a book of inspiration, imagination, and a visual snap shot of the creative process. Enjoy and be inspired!!!!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of inspiration!
What a fun idea! The photographs wonderfully showed how imaginative and creative the jewelry artists were in completing the challenge of making a ring a day. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jane Salley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ring A Day
Marthe Le Van
The Ubiquitous Circle
In this book "Ring A Day," artists were challenged to make a ring a day. I can't even think of a "meal a day. Read more
The Ubiquitous Circle
In this book "Ring A Day," artists were challenged to make a ring a day. I can't even think of a "meal a day. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Razine Wenneker
4.0 out of 5 stars
an eclectic collection of rings
This book is a compilation of 700 rings created by a group of ring designers over the course of a yar. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Susan Bleiweiss
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disapppointed
If art is what you're looking for, you will probably enjoy the book. As a metalsmith, and knowing the work of some of the metalsmiths in the book, I had expected the accent to be... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Lynette Holzer
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