25mm High Explosive Ordnance Round Steel and Afghan Sheesham Wood Ring
Its an interesting day when you receive a big box of (spent!) HEI round cartridges, both 25mm and 40mm, and wood direct from Bagram, Afghanistan. Of the various materials, the customer preferred I use the 25mm “…because of how that mission went down….”
Im looking to get the story behind these materials, but as he says “…I will have to see if I can declassify enough info to send out.”
Badass.
USS Missouri (BB-63) Deck Teak and Gold Ring
On Sunday September 2nd, 1945 , upon this very teak decking, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu signed the documents formalizing Japan’s surrender and the close of World War 2.
How can I possibly have acquired wood with such historical significance? Same way I acquire all of the material for my greatest projects - my creative and resourceful customers!
In this case, the customer was in the Navy stationed on the U.S.S. Missouri Submarine (SSN-780), and due to being part of that crew, he was given a portion of the original teak deck from the Battleship Missouri (BB-63).
He opted for an 18k White Gold exterior. He also generously allowed me to retain the remainder of the material - enough to make 8-12 additional rings, depending on size and style. Here are some pictures of the accompanying plaque for this outstanding material.
Modern Wedding Ring Materials and Ring Safety
In the past, I have focused a majority of my attention on the care and maintenance of your wood wedding ring (you can read about that here:
http://www.wedgewoodrings.com/blog/2016/4/17/on-the-durability-of-a-wooden-ring
However, a common concern that clients have for my wood wedding rings, titanium, cobalt, and tungsten in particular, is whether or not they can be removed in an emergency situation.
Debunking the Myth
One of the concerns I am frequently asked is if a titanium or tungsten ring is a safe and viable option for a wedding ring, as many have heard that it cannot be removed in an emergency situation without amputation or further injuring the finger. This is simply no more true for titanium, cobalt, or tungsten than it is for gold, silver, or any other metal object you wear on your fingers. Should a finger become swollen, or injured while wearing a titanium or cobalt wedding ring, it can be cut off using a jeweler’s saw or dental saw. In these cases, it may be necessary to seek medical attention to get it properly removed, and this procedure may be uncomfortable for the wearer.
A tungsten wedding ring can also be removed in an emergency situation. A more scratch resistant material than titanium, tungsten’s hardness comes with the price of being a more brittle material. Because of this, tungsten is not cut off, but can be removed safely with vice grips, applying enough pressure that the metal is fractured or shattered. In the 21st century, it is just as common a procedure as cutting off a gold ring.
It is likely that this myth about titanium and tungsten wedding rings was created as a selling tool for jewelers to steer clients into purchasing softer, more expensive materials such as gold, and platinum rings. However, there are many benefits to owning a titanium, cobalt, or tungsten ring, such as their durability and longevity and is a great choice for those with allergies to certain metals. To read more about the durability of these metals and the other materials I offer, please read my blog post here:
http://www.wedgewoodrings.com/blog/2016/1/18/comparing-metals-for-wood-rings
The Risks
With ANY wedding ring, regardless of material, the design, or who makes the ring, the wearer is at risk for an injury called ring avulsion and degloving. Ring avulsion is when a ring gets caught on an object (such as kitchen appliances, furniture, or metal equipment such as basketball hoops, weight machines, garbage trucks, etc) and gets pulled off rapidly and suddenly. The force and pressure of this can be as minor as a simple contusion, or can be as severe as degloving- when the tissues, including muscles, tendons, and bones, are stripped off. Degloving is not a common occurrence, but possible. In fact, Jimmy Fallon, the host of “The Tonight Show”, talked about his experience with degloving on national television in 2015 when his wedding ring got caught on the edge of a table when he fell. You can hear about his experience here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CztT_pBFQv8
Safety Practices
There are some steps the wearer can take to prevent any injury while wearing a wedding ring. To start, be sure that you are properly sized as loose or improperly fitted rings put the wearer at higher risk for it getting caught on an object due to the open space between the ring and skin. Keep a couple things in mind: your fingers are slightly swollen in the morning (don’t ask me why), your fingers are larger during warm weather, your fingers are larger after a meal (especially after salty meals). This means that if you have your finger measured on a chilly evening before dinner, the result will be on the low end of your actual wedding ring size. To be 100% sure of ring size, I recommend getting professionally sized multiple times.
In addition, be sure to take the ring off during any type of physical activity, such as weight lifting, landscaping, moving furniture, etc., as the wedding ring can get caught on equipment. Also note, that your fingers will swell during these types of activities, and can also lead to a ring getting stuck on the finger due to the swelling.
C-130 Hercules Engine Mount and Whiskey Barrel Ring
This ring was crafted from customer-sourced Lockheed C-130 Engine Mount steel and used whiskey barrel oak. It joins an ever-expanding list of rings made from customer provided aircraft, rocket, and military parts.
Updated Original Whisky Barrel Wedding Band
The whiskey barrel wooden ring is easily the favorite amongst my customers for a wedding ring. After I was able to secure a steady supply of the Jack Daniel’s barrel staves, my customers and I became obsessed with getting our hands on staves from other brands of bourbon, scotch, and whiskey of various other persuasions to use in wood rings. I now have an ever growing list of available distillery options to choose from to customize a whiskey barrel wood ring:
Jack Daniel’s (Lynchburg, Tennessee)
Woodford Reserve (Woodford County, Kentucky)
Four Roses (Lawrenceburg, Kentucky)
Stranahan’s (Denver, Colorado)
Pappy van Winkle (Frankfort, Kentucky)
Old Rip van Winkle (Frankfort, Kentucky)
Buffalo Trace (Frankfort, Kentucky)
Angel’s Envy (Louisville, Kentucky)
Knob Creek (Clermont, Kentucky)
Jim Beam (Clermont, Kentucky)
Maker’s Mark (Loretto, Kentucky)
Yamazaki (Shimamoto, Japan)
Hibiki (shimamoto, Japan)
Hakushu (Hokuto, Japan)
Dry Fly (Spokane, Washington)
Old Forester (Louisville, Kentucky)
Garrison Brothers (Hye, Texas)
Yellow Rose (Houston, Texas)
Firestone and Robertson (Fort Worth, Texas)
Founders Beer (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Cedar Ridge (Swisher, Iowa)
High West (Park City, Utah)
Blanton’s (Frankfort, Kentucky)
Blue Ridge (Bostic, North Carolina)
Tuthilltown (Gardiner, New York)
Detroit City (Detroit, Michigan)
Scotch
The Macallan (Moray, Scotland)
Kilchoman (Islay, Scotland)
Balvenie (Dufftown, Scotland)
Laphroaig (Islay, Scotland)
Please understand that if you choose to custom order a whiskey barrel and wood ring, it will NOT come with a certificate of authenticity. This is because my customers have been sourcing their own staves directly from the distilleries of their choice for years now. If you want to work out some sort of certification or letter from the distillery of your choice, you can work that out directly with them. Most distilleries, with the exception of scotch brands (who tend to be more stingy), are happy to send over a piece of their stave. This is because scotch barrels can be reused several times, while bourbon is aged in new barrels for every batch. In one instance, when a customer asked a distillery for a piece of stave and told them that they intended it to be used in a wood ring for their wedding, a higher up intervened and not only fulfilled his request, but also contributed $100 toward the purchase!
There are some barrel staves I have not been able to acquire. If you don’t see your favorite distillery listed, customers in the past have had great luck with acquiring their own staves for a wood ring. Contact your favorite distillery, have the stave sent to me, and I’d be thrilled to work with it to design your own custom wood ring. If you are able to get ahold of the distillery (via email or phone), I will provide the shipping address to have them ship the wood directly to me. Please understand that it may take some time to receive an answer from your specific distillery, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time before you need your bourbon barrel wood ring. Once I receive the stave and your order is placed, my turnaround time is about 5-6 weeks.
The default stave used for a wood ring will be Jack Daniel’s if a specific distillery is not specified in the “wood choice” section at checkout. Do note that most of these staves, regardless of source, will look nearly identical in color and pattern, as they are all charred American White Oak. This is a requirement for it to be called bourbon (or for Macallan, scotch, which is aged in USED oak barrels, versus new for bourbon). The color of the oak will vary from a light blonde to a light caramel. The darker the stock, the closer that piece was to the charred part of the cask or further within the soak line. If you prefer a darker piece of stave for your wood ring, you can make this request in the “notes” section on the order form at checkout. It will be a shade or two darker only.
The one exception to the similar coloring and look of the staves in these special wood rings is Angel’s Envy. What makes this brand unique and gives it a different appearance is that after the whiskey is aged in American White Oak casks, it is then finished in port wine casks. This adds a brown/purple hue to the wood, which in turn gives the wood ring a more unique look than the standard whiskey barrel wood ring. One thing to note about Angel’s Envy: in order for the wine stain to be preserved in the ring, the wood must be cut a certain way. This limits the size of rings using this brand of stave to 9.5, maximum. If it must be larger, I can still use Angel's Envy wood, but it will not feature the port win stain in the same way.
The style options available for the whiskey barrel wood ring has grown significantly since I first introduced the wood in my designs. Any of the styles you see in my shop can be used with the whiskey distillery of your choice, but here are a few favorites:
If you’re not sure about which metal you’d like to go with your whiskey barrel wood ring, I wrote a comparison of the metals I offer here:
http://www.wedgewoodrings.com/blog/2016/1/18/comparing-metals-for-wood-rings
If you need help with other parts of placing your order for a wood ring, I have a step-by-step guide here:
http://www.wedgewoodrings.com/blog/2016/6/19/how-to-order-a-wedgewood-ring
Top 6 Unconventional Wood Ring Designs
My last blog post Top 6 Favorite Wooden Rings left me feeling a bit unfulfilled. I have so many favorite wood rings that I felt compelled to write another list. This is a list comprised of the top unconventional wood wedding rings. These are the styles that are not as popular as the ones on my previous list, but they hold top ranks as some of my favorite designs. These are the wood rings that push the boundaries of my abilities as a jeweler/woodworker, and challenge traditional wedding ring fashion.
Customer Sourced Materials
While this was a bonus section in my previous blog post “Top 6 Favorite Wooden Rings”, customer sourced materials take the number one spot for the top unconventional wedding rings. I really enjoy working with materials I have never used before, and I also have pride in creating custom pieces with sentimental value. Some of my more popular designs have been military and aviation themed wedding ring, such as the famous SR-71 Blackbird with USS North Carolina Battle Teakwood, and the F/A-18 Gun Barrel Steel lined with USS North Carolina Teakwood. (For more information about Aviation and Military rings, please read my blog post "Aviation and Military Themed Rings" here.
F/A-18 Gun Barrel Steel and USS North Carolina Deck Teak Ring
Banksia Pod (Stabilized)
Banksia is a newer species I have added to my collection, and it certainly makes for a unique wood ring. It is a tree that grows in southwestern Australia and the seed pod of the tree is somewhat like a pinecone in size, shape, and composition. Banksia are known to have long flower spikes and jagged leaves, each spike containing tightly packed flowers. As these flowers, or heads age, the ‘flower’ dries up, darkens in color, then transforms into a large pinecone-like pod. This pod is a popular choice for ornamental woodworking due to its remarkable texture and unique appearance.
For woodworking applications, the various voids where the seeds used to reside are commonly stabilized with acrylic, which is shown in my wood rings. For my Banksia wedding rings, I have leveraged one of the foremost wood stabilizing experts in the world to create this beautiful, multi-dimensional shimmering acrylic fill. You will not find better Banksia wood rings anywhere
Cobalt and Light Blue Stabilized Banksia Pod Ring
Black Zirconium and Gray Stabilized Banksia Pod Ring
Dyed and/or Stabilized Wood
Stabilization is a massively underrated and important part of woodworking, especially in the world of small wood turnings. This process is an artform in itself, as only certain stock is appropriate for this expensive, complex procedure. The basic principle is to take a piece of soft wood and inject it with a resin to create a hardened, stable material. The resin displaces air pockets throughout the grain structure to create a dense wood, impervious to moisture. In my wood rings, I use the stabilization to enhance the appearance of specific grain- one of my favorites being Koa wood.
Cobalt Wood Ring Lined with Hawaiian Curly Koa Stabilized Blue
Resin Encased Wood
The resin encased wood ring was an experiment of mine in order to push the boundaries of the wedding ring and my own abilities. Utilizing an acrylic cast of woodland mosses, pine cones, and box elder burl it was a tough challenge! But the situation appeared to be “pick two”. While I love a ring with all of these components, unfortunately it will not appear in regular production and will not be available for commission.
Maple Burl, Pinecone, and Moss. Forest in a ring.
Damascus Titanium Wood Rings
As an expansion of my collection, and the desire to push the boundaries with wood rings, the Damascus steel and titanium mokume-gane ring holds the #5 spot for an unconventional wedding ring. This material is made much like Damascus steel - layers of different grades of titanium are folded together and etched. Not with acid like steel and NOT anodized like other colored titanium or aluminum. With extreme heat. This causes the titanium to form colored oxidized layers at different rates. This coloration is much more durable (and unique) than anodized.
Damascus Titanium Mokume-Ti Whiskey Barrel Oak Ring
Damascus Steel and Wood Rings
Probably my favorite metal and wood combination for a wedding ring is damascus. It is incredibly scratch resistant and heavier, making it ideal for tougher lifestyles. Damascus is made from many layers to create a stronger, superior metal. Throughout history and fantasy, this was the preferred choice for superior weapons. The hand-wrought damascus is specifically unique because it is like fingerprints - no two are ever the same. This makes a wood ring pair specifically unique as both pieces are strictly one of a kind.
I am unreasonably excited to announce that damascus steel can now be used as an interior for wood! This has been one of the most requested styles for wood rings for awhile now, and I am thrilled to launch this wedding ring. It makes for a ridiculously attractive ring!
Hand-wrought Twisted Damascus Steel and Bog Oak Wood Ring
Hand-wrought Twisted Damascus Steel and Bourbon Barrel Wood Ring
Bonus: Mammoth Ivory and Dinosaur Bone
While this one is too much of a cheat to add to the list of unconventional wood wedding rings, I needed to give a shout out to the mammoth ivory and dinosaur bone collection as they certainly stand out as unconventional!
The mammoth ivory featured in my rings was unearthed in Texas, where mammoths resided between 10,000 and 1 million years ago. Unlike other mammoth ivory I have used, this material is much closer to stone than horn.
Agatized Dinosaur Bone, also known as Gembone is created as the bones mineralize - as the natural bone is replaced, over a period of millions of years, with agate (chalcedony), quartz, or other minerals. The exact nature of the minerals that surround the bone, primarily determined by the region of origin, determines the color of the final product.
Black Ceramic Ring with Ancient Mammoth Ivory
Agatized Dinosaur Bone and Cobalt Ring 2
A Special Whiskey Barrel Wood Ring
This is a notable cobalt and whiskey barrel oak wood ring, for a couple reasons.
It’s the first ever wood ring that is beveled and hammered, which is cool. But it also has a story. The customer contacted the distillery for the stave he wanted in his wood ring. A surprisingly high up employee in a shockingly well known/large company not only fulfilled his request to provide the wood but also contributed $100 toward the purchase! I was stunned by this generosity.
I don’t want to say who it was only because I don’t want him inundated with requests for wood or contributions. But I wanted to note that cool people like this are out there!
Top 6 Favorite Wooden Rings
I frequently get asked by clients, “What is your favorite choice for a wooden ring?” While this is personal preference, I decided to compile a list of my favorite woods, as well as the most popular styles for wooden rings.
1.Whiskey Barrel Wooden Ring
Beveled Cobalt and Whiskey Barrel White Oak Wood Ring
As the creator of the original Whiskey Barrel Wooden Ring, this is my go-to choice. It is a simpler wood, but there is something fulfilling about wearing a piece of your favorite whiskey barrel. The choice of distillery is a personal and sentimental choice on the part of the buyer. Distilleries have become increasingly popular locations for weddings, and I often make rings from local, small distilleries. I have made rings for enthusiasts as well as the master distillers themselves.
Over the years it has become the #1 best selling wood in my shop and this wooden ring style has since been featured on many websites such as gizmodo.com , gq-magazine.co.uk, ringtoperfection.com , buzzfeed.com , and uncrate.com .
For more information about the Whiskey Barrel wooden ring, please see my blog post The Original Whiskey Barrel Wedding Ring.
2. USS North Carolina Deck Teak Wood Ring
USS North Carolina Deck Teak and Cobalt Wood Ring
Another top favorite lining for a wooden ring is a piece of World War II history: the USS North Carolina Deck Teak. The USS North Carolina (BB-55) participated in every Pacific naval engagement during WWII, collecting 15 battle stars and thus becoming the most highly decorated American battleship of that theater.
The provenance of the wood is fascinating. Following her decommissioning, the USS North Carolina became a memorial and museum ship in Wilmington, NC. Following a visit from Myanmarese officials, the museum was gifted a large portion of the high quality teak needed to rebuild her decking. Teak of the quality used in a battleship is very difficult to acquire and very expensive - the USS North Carolina required over an acre of material. The used material found its way to many wood brokers. The original pieces were sourced from Woodcraft, of all places. Now that it is no longer available there, I source directly from a sawyer in Wilmington.
This teak became one of my top sellers after it was featured as a liner for the SR-71 Blackbird wooden ring:
You can read more about that particular creation in this blog post. It is no longer available for commission. If you wish to custom order an aviation themed ring, please read this post, Aviation and Military Themed Rings.
3. Arizona Desert Ironwood Burl
Arizona Desert Ironwood Burl and Black Zirconium Wooden Ring
The Arizona Desert Ironwood Burl is easily one of my top competitors for my wooden rings. To be quite honest, I’ve developed a slight obsession with collecting chunks of exhibition grade burl.
Somebody needs to take away my credit card
The variances in color and and overall design makes AZDIB an exceptionally unique choice for a wooden ring liner. Because this is one of the densest and hardest woods around, it makes for a tough and durable ring. I am always delighted with the end result of rings paired with the burl.
4. Bog Oak
Black Ceramic Ring with Ancient Russian Bog Oak
Another popular choice for a more subtle wooden ring is Bog Oak, also known as Mora/Morta. Bog Oak is an exceedingly rare wood that is created by coincidence and nature over thousands of years in acidic peat bogs. After a tree falls into a bog with perfect conditions for preservation, it begins the process of fossilization. Complete fossilization would take millions of years, and this wood represents only the earliest stages. Because of its density and unique coloration, this wood is highly sought out by makers of smaller wood products, such as tobacco pipes. Pieces used in rings are typically 3000-5000 years old.
5. Bethlehem Olivewood
Hand-wrought Twisted Damascus Steel and Bethlehem Olivewood Wooden Ring
Bethlehem Olivewood, like Arizona Desert Ironwood, is an exceptionally unique choice for a wooden ring. The pieces of Bethlehem Olive used in these wooden rings were sustainably harvested and imported from Israel; that is, this is not a similar species grown in California.
Genuine Bethlehem Olivewood is distinct from other olive species in that the grain is extremely pronounced and dark in color, with beautiful, wavy patterns. It is said that the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden was an Olive wood tree. Holding significance in many religions, it is a wood that symbolizes healing, cleansing, nourishment, and peace between God and mankind. Paired with hand-wrought damascus, and you are sure to have a one of a kind wooden ring.
6. Koa
Koa and Cobalt Wood Ring
Another one of my secret obsessions for a wooden ring is Koa. My wooden rings are lined with the absolute highest grade Koa you will see. It has a gorgeous deep golden color and unbelievable curl. Koa is known for its "curl," and this is a CURLY piece. It is very difficult to capture in pictures. I was doing some research so that I could describe the effect. I will just quote from a top google result because I cannot improve on this description:
"Chatoyancy is a property that is usually attributed to certain gems, the cats eye effect or shimmer which gives a sense of depth in the gem. This property can also be used to describe some of the more dramatic pieces of curly, tigerstripe and fiddleback Koa. This figuring gives the wood a three dimensional quality; and depending on from what angle one views the wood, it can take on several completely different characters."*
This character is typically found in high-altitude trees that are OLD GROWTH (80+ years).It is a uniquely Hawaiian wood, and is one of the most prized natural products from the islands. It was used by ancient Hawaiians to build waka, or canoes, and papa heʻe nalu, or surfboards. In the Hawaiian culture, koa is a hardwood that represents integrity and strength, which are foundational qualities of marriage.
This is another one of those woods that can wear out the stripe on my credit card, so to speak. I have a decent horde of top grade material right now. But when true 5-star material is available, one has to stock up! Sometimes there is an extended period of time when truly excellent material is completely unavailable.
Stabilized Green Koa and Cobalt Wooden Ring
Bonus: customer-sourced wood
I felt like it was only appropriate to add this little section as a bonus because I really enjoy when a customer wants to send in their own materials for a custom made wooden ring. Not only does this make the ring that much more unique, but I feel honored to be entrusted with such meaningful projects. I have made rings with baseball bats, skateboard decks, a Gibson headstock, wood from family trees and barns, the customizations have been endless! I am always looking to get my hands on new materials, so feel free to send me an email to commission a custom project.
