Right-handed wooden wedding rings

 

Almost a year ago, we had the pleasure of working with Tina and Ben from Denmark. 
They were really fun to work with and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them a little. They commissioned their wedding rings of a deep rich Hawaiian Koa with inlays of Eucalyptus and crushed shell.

A couple of weeks ago, we got this email from Ben with some really pretty pics of their rings resting on Tina's bouquet, and on their wedded hands.
Ben's last paragraph had me in stitches.

"Hope all is well you up your end of the literal woods!
I've been meaning to drop you a line for a while - after we got married in August last year time has just flown on relentlessly, but here you are, some photos of your workmanship in action. I take it from your website, that you have an abundant source of pictures of rings, but I thought just in case you didn't have any of rings shipped to Denmark, exchanged in Copenhagen town hall and photographed in provincial Germany in my folk's garden (our family wedding gig)...;-)

We love our rings. The only challenge arises that we've chosen to go the Scandinavian route of wearing them on the right hand (that's the traditional way around here and at least 50% of people I observe do this) In my job I meet my fair share of ham-fisted engineering dudes who at least half the time are also right-hand-weaponised, and boy...do they manage to scrunch my science-lab-boy paws when there is double lording of the rings...But apart from hand-shaking with the Viking descendants all is very well :-)
All the best from us two to you two, hope bush and business is treating you well,

Ben and Tina

 

 Our love and very best wishes to you two too Tina and Ben.  
And thank you!! 😊

So what do we know about the placement of the wedding ring? 

The established North American wedding industry typically has the wedding ring on the fourth finger of our left hand.  In this vein, the engagement ring is worn 'down the aisle' on the right hand and transferred to the the left hand after the wedding ring is on your finger. 

It's a humbling thing when that symbol of love is a Touch Wood Ring.

If you google the 'right hand / left hand' question you'll come up with a great many articles touting theories and 'centuries old beliefs' for why a wedding ring is 'traditionally' worn on the left hand, fourth finger. 

In some European countries as Ben points out, wearing your wedding ring on your right hand is the norm. 

There's a 2010 blog post from 25karats that gives us a "new millennium guide" to western meanings of a right handed wedding ring. 

Interesting article but ~omg~ I'd have to carry a cheat sheet in my wallet and ask a bunch of really personal questions. It's probably best just to do whatever makes you and your beloved happy!  

February Woods for your Touch Wood Ring

We humans have always had strong ties to trees. Native Americans speak of trees as 'The Standing People'; rocks and boulders are "the bones of the earth".

Trees of every description have carved themselves into our mythologies in an enduring way. Many of the couples we work with choose a particular wood mindful of its mythic or spiritual properties. 
Our Qualities of Wood page has been widely used as a reference over the years. It is one of the most visited pages on our website. 

Clients will often ask about trees that have some personal connection to their beloved. They may want to know which trees are native to a particular country, province or state, or what tree is connected with their birth month. Some are looking for a wood that has a particular attribute like 'new beginnings' (that would be Birch) or one that promotes good health (the Ash tree).

From the excellent and informative Druidry website, here are four trees that are connected to the month of February.  They call them 'Tree Signs'.

Cypress (Jan 25-Feb 3 / Jul 26-Aug 4) - Tree of serenity, new life, and adaptation.
Someone with this tree sign prefers to avoid drama, opting for a peaceful, dreamlike state of being as opposed to any form of disagreement or opposition. Life for them is peaceful and magical.
These are four woods sent to us by a couple a few years ago; Juniper, Oak, Walnut and Cypress.

Juniper, Oak, Walnut and Cypress Woods

The crossed spiraled inlays on Candi's ring (on the left) is Cypress ~ the other woods in this set are those above; the Juniper, Oak, Walnut and Cypress.

Walnut, Oak, Cypress and Oak Wood Rings from Touch Wood Rings

Poplar (Feb 4-8 / Aug 5-13) - Tree of growth, strength, and visualization.
When given this tree sign, one starts off blissful and carefree, only to encounter a few difficult challenges that often become hot dilemmas. But with a good outlook, they naturally persevere.
The cross spiraled inlays on Steve's ring were Poplar ~ from his grandmother's tree.

Walnut Wood Ring with Poplar Inlays, Touch Wood Rings

Hackberry (aka Sugarberry) (Feb 9-18 / Aug 14-23) - Tree of nobility, pride, and dedication.
A tree with many practical mundane uses, Hackberry can guide us wisely through times of transition and inspire creativity. Hackberry has been reported to cause skin irritation so it is not a wood we've used for a ring.  Here's a photograph of hackberry wood from the Wood Database.

Pine (Feb 19-29 / Aug 24-Sep 2) - Tree of health, perseverance, and moderation.
Someone with this tree sign is steady and poised, while moving forward towards progress and success. They often develop a good sense of what is needed physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Touch Wood Ring; Shortleaf, Loblolly and Eastern White Pine

This ring was made of three different pines; Shortleaf, Loblolly and Eastern White Pine.

Denim Pine Wood Ring Touch Wood Rings

David created this ring from what's known locally as 'Denim Pine'.  It's our own pine that was killed by the Pine Beetle.   It's also known as Blue Pine because of the bluish stain the beetles cause. 

So, if you are looking for woods that signify a February birthday or anniversary; any of these woods are great choices. Touch Wood Rings ~ visit us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. And drop us a note anytime ~ we look forward to talking with you.