Steel guitar strings make excellent inlay material for wooden rings. They are durable, corrosion-resistant, and have a distinctive visual character that wood cannot replicate. A single guitar string inlay creates a thin, straight line of silver-grey metal that cuts through the wood grain like a musical staff cuts through silence.
We typically use the plain (non-wound) strings for inlay because they are uniform in thickness and create a cleaner visual line. The wound strings -- the thicker low-E, A, D, and G strings -- create a bolder, more textured inlay that some men prefer for wider rings.
Guitar string inlay pairs naturally with wood that has a contrasting grain. Santos Rosewood with a guitar string inlay is one of our most popular custom designs, because the deep red-brown wood makes the silver-grey steel pop. Grey-dyed birdseye maple with a guitar string inlay is another standout, creating a ring that reads as modern and refined.
If you send us your own guitar string -- from a first guitar, a guitar your father played, or a set from a meaningful concert -- we will clean it, cut it to length, and install it during the ring's construction. The string becomes part of the ring's layered structure, sealed beneath the waterproof coating.
A guitar string inlay ring is not just a wedding band. It is a reminder of the music that shaped you, wrapped in wood that was built to last just as long.