Some of the most meaningful rings we make use wood that came from somewhere important. A piece of an old guitar. A strip of flooring from a family home. A piece of driftwood someone washed up on the beach. The story behind the wood becomes part of the ring's story.
The process starts with the wood itself. We evaluate the size, grain direction, and moisture content to determine what it can become. A guitar neck might yield enough material for a single ring band. A piece of flooring might be thin enough to use as veneers directly. Driftwood is more variable -- it may need to be kiln-dried before it is stable enough for ring-making.
Once the wood is ready, it goes through our standard bentwood process. The pieces are cut into veneers, steamed, layered, and formed around a core. The sentimental wood can be the primary material, or it can serve as an accent layer within a larger design, sandwiched between more conventional woods.
We recommend pairing sentimental wood with a material that complements its natural colour. Light woods like maple or birch look great with silver inlay. Darker woods like oak or rosewood work better with copper or brass. If you are not sure, we will advise you based on the specific piece you send us.
Every custom sentimental wood ring comes with a small card describing the wood's origin. That card travels with the ring for its entire lifetime, so the next generation knows where it came from.