Since the beginning of the year, jeweler Carrie Nunes has committed herself to making a ring a day—365 in all—to benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund + Artists’ Emergency Resources (CERF+). The rings vary greatly in style and price; some go for as little as $1. So far, Nunes has raised $1,200 for the organization, and she still has many more rings to go.

“I have made jewelry for as long as I can remember,” says Molly Dingledine. And she’s not kidding. She started threading necklaces as a child, and by high school had a bona fide business, “Molly Made,” replete with custom jewelry boxes and labels.

Barbara Heinrich uses negative space in her airy earrings to pack a big punch with less gold. Credit: Hap Sakwa/© Barbara Heinrich Studio 2009.

The future of jewelry making is already here. Contemporary goldsmiths have been experimenting with new metals, new materials and new techniques to create appealing works that “look like craft but last like jewelry,” says San Francisco, Calif., artist Sarah Graham. Customers want to feel like they are wearing something precious, regardless of the materials.

The jewelry artists in this collection have taken two distinctly different but equally successful paths: some incorporate unexpected materials like fiber with familiar metals; others reinvent silver and gold with unique surface techniques. The result? A dazzling selection of bold yet eminently wearable jewelry pieces.