Marthe Le Van

Nina Dinoff, Martin Luther King Day 2010

Here at AJF we know that contemporary jewelry is addictive – or as we like to euphemistically say, habit-forming. What about making jewelry? Recently AJF member Marthe Le Van sent us this report of an internet-based project that proves good things can emerge from the daily grind, and that necessity – in this case to make one piece of jewelry every day – really is the mother of invention.

Malador, Nose ring

Setting ambitious goals at the start of a new year is quite common. Having your new year’s resolution become a booming Internet phenomenon with more than 200 jewelers participating in the first month is an extraordinary event.

Chris Irick, Ring

New York jeweler Nina Dinoff first heard about making a ring a day for an entire year while attending a workshop at the Haystack Mountain School in Deer Isle, Maine. Though the idea wasn’t new, it nevertheless stuck with her. As someone who felt ‘relentlessly challenged by any sort of day-to-day routine’, Dinoff was inspired to take up the challenge herself. She posted images of her daily creations on Flickr, a photo-sharing website, and encouraged other artists to take part. Just one month into the New Year, there were more than 3000 images at the Ring A Day Project. By December 2010, that number could easily grow to 36,000! (To visit the Ring A Day website, click here.)

Maria Apostalou, Ring

Dinoff’s challenge, to ‘make a ring a day no matter where you are, what materials are at your disposal, or how much time you have available’, is yielding some spectacular results. Of equal importance, the Ring A Day Project is building a community of makers that are communicating about and through jewelry every single day. In this virtual workshop setting, all are welcome to explore ideas and techniques and give and receive immediate feedback.

Sarah McCurdie, Coconut ring

The Ring A Day project is an example of the internet at its best. Bookmark the site, check back often, and prepare to be inspired day after day after day after day.