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some of you may remember the beetle wing necklace crafted by brazilian polymer clay artist paulo guimaraes back in 1999. it was pictured in the gallery pages of victoria hughes’ chameleon clay and remains a favorite of mine today. i was excited to find more jewelry inspired by the same simple shape when i came across 
john moore’s juicy elytra collection.
“Using anodised aluminium and silver I explore the colour and repetition of a shape based on beetle wings to create bold, organic forms. Movement, noise and smoothly blended colours stimulate the senses and beg the wearer
to play.”
take a look at how the same repeating shape translates into several different designs. and the 
earrings do double duty – you can wear them closed or flared.
i think well executed touches like this help elevate any artwork to an ‘ahhhh’ level. ahhhhhhh…..
moore dyes the metal sheet, then hand cuts and files each piece before assembling. read about his process here. quite beautiful.
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switchring is 
another mix and match ring. this time, two plastic spheres fused at the base make up a form that is designed to hold a plastic wedge.
each package contains 4 pieces – 2 outer bands and 2 wedges, which gives you 4 color combinations. there are so many theme choices for this one – luckily it is geared towards the younger set or we might go crazy!
pick a theme, then scroll your mouse over the different patterns that pop up on the theme page. the ring photo at the top of the theme page will display your choice.
fun. should give you some ideas…
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inexpensive, unbreakable, ready for scribbles, an original sketch or even purposeful tea stains, reusable, and one hundred percent waterproof. now that’s a product i can support! noming vases are made of a paper-based material that is 51% chalk. interesting, right?
i wonder if you can decorate them with polymer clay? 
even if the paper-based material can’t be baked (try it and let me know if it works), you can pre-bake cane slices and glue them to the vases. heck, you can even pre-bake whole sheets of clay and cut down to size!
folding and twisting instructions here.
ready to buy a few? click here.
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fun, fun, fun. colorful and playful and oh, did i mention fun? the magnetic resin brooch pictured here is from kaz robertson’s ‘build your own brooch’ jewelry line. the scottish artist says of her work, 
“Setting magnets within the resin provides a way of changing each piece easily. Ring tops can be swapped, bangles stick together, neckpieces interconnect……I perceive each piece as a wearable toy. Hopefully the playability and versatility of them will surprise and amuse those who desire a diversion from everyday stress and boredom. ”
you mean i can play with it? to my heart’s content? i am so there.
remember the staax rings? robertson has another spin on that concept. just look at the resin rocks in the photo above! ‘swop tops’ have a magnet embedded in them. are you thinking what i’m thinking?
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staxx is an innovative new jewelry concept from molly langford. here’s how it works:
pick a base – you only need one of these
add a spacer and then start stacking. there are hundreds of interchangeable charms and discs, allowing you to create thousands of combinations – finish it with a screw on top
and there you have it – you have just designed your own ring!
too busy to pick from all of the delicious charms and spacers? don’t worry – they also have a nice selection of assembled rings or starter kits.
staxx is another simple, well executed concept. smart, sassy, crisp. fresh. the website gets points too – very nicely done.
john moore’s juicy elytra collection.
to play.”
earrings do double duty – you can wear them closed or flared.
