A whole lot of love

If you've worked with us or follow us on social media you'll have seen a whole lot of love in our correspondence and our posts. That's not a 'marketing ploy'. It's real. 

It's all about the love that David and I have for the work we do and how grateful we are for each and every one of you.

   

In 7th grade, I was fortunate to have had a truly inspirational teacher.  He inspired and encouraged my love of acting and writing and set me on a course that would have a huge impact on my life.  At the end of Grade 7 which was the transition point from Elementary School to Junior High, my beloved teacher, Victor Wilson gave me with a copy of 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran with a personal note of love and encouragement inscribed on the inside cover. I will never forget that marvelous teacher and have always felt The Prophet to be my own personal book of psalms.
When I consider my life and my work, a single phrase from Gibran often comes to mind. 

"Work is love made visible."

Here is an excerpt from Kahlil Gibran
'On Work'
 
"And what is it to work with love?
It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart,
even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth.
It is to build a house with affection,
even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.
It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy,
even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit.
It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit,
And to know that all the blessed dead
are standing about you and watching."


This is how David and I approach our work. 

After almost two decades of Touch Wood Rings and working with folks from all over the world, it is still just the two of us and our hands and hearts committed to you, your beloved and your rings.  That's our guarantee. 

When an individual or couple chooses to work with us ~ we are honoured and humbled.  By the time David is creating a ring for you, we count you among our friends. You become part of our family. That's our promise, With Love. Always.

Rocks and rings and puppies, oh my!

They've promised to share some wedding pics after their celebration in August :) but for now, here's a relaxed and happy pic of Kim and Sarah on their anniversary this past November...  (Update below)
We began our conversation in October 2014.  These two women were so much fun to work with. They sent us photos of their three sweet pups as each holiday came around.

This first pup pic was their Christmas card ~ do they have fun with their dogs or what?! 

Sarah and Kim sent us stones from the place where they got engaged and also the place where they will be married. They chose dark Hawaiian Koa and Juniper heartwood as their woods.

We always send a series of work in progress pics but when we sent them the photos of their completed rings this is the email we got back!  :) 

"Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!  We are both so amazed by these beautiful rings that we don't even know what to say!
We opened the email and were shocked that the rings were already done. They look like they would take months to complete. How does David do it??
We then had to click a "load pictures" link to get the images to display. It felt like it took about a year for the pictures to load! We held hands and waited... Anxious and nervous for what we were about to see. And once the rings came into view, we both shouted with glee!


The rings are incredible! Never in a million years could we have imagined that they would be so perfect!
The most amazing part is probably the inlay. We realized somewhere along the way that we had set a monumental task in front of David. We sent a ton of stones, not knowing how they would blend, whether or not they would compliment one another, and what final color they might make. We also gave David very little guidance regarding what we wanted the final "color" to be (since we really didn't know). We simply trusted his artistry and that was a great decision! Despite the enormity of the task, he hit a grand slam!
The color of the inlay is perfect! It's so beautiful! It almost has the look of marble.. A gorgeous, cohesive color, but with a ton of character and personality, especially when you take a closer look.

The woods are gorgeous. The inscription is perfect. We cannot thank you both enough!! We have already sent the photos to the select few that will be attending our big day, and they agree that the rings are gorgeous!
We will be anxiously awaiting their arrival and will definitely let you know once they have made their way to Ohio.
Thank you both so much!
Kim and Sarah and Pups"

And then their rings arrived in the mail :)

"They are spectacular! We absolutely love them! We are already showing them off to all of our friends (who all agree that they are perfect)! We are so excited!  We can't wait til August, for the rings to finally be on our fingers. We absolutely adore our rings and we have been so happy with the entire process!  Again, thank you both so so much! We are so glad that our search for unique, special rings lead us to you two. I honestly can't think of a pair of rings (or a pair of people) that would have fit this occasion any better."

and last but not least ... a pic of Caesar wearing his birthday party hat...  

Soon ... we'll update this post with some photos from Kim and Sarah's wedding celebration.  I'm betting their fur babies will be in some of the pics :)  Much love to you both and your pups ~ we'll be with you in spirit on August 14th! XO

 Brutus, Cali and Caesar on the 4th of July :)

Update:  August 24th, 2015

"It was amazing!!!!!  Best day of our lives!!  The weather was beautiful, the ceremony was perfect, and the moment was incredible!

We had such a great time celebrating with each other, the pups, and our closest friends.  It was perfect!  The entire ceremony was very personal and intimate, and exchanging beautiful rings that echoed those same sentiments was truly wonderful.  We are so happy!

Thank you again for everything!  Our day was truly remarkable, and our beautiful rings, as well as the love and care that went into them, helped make our day even more special!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 Kim, Sarah, pups"

Wish we could have been there ~ but your photos make us feel as though we were!

and we were with you in spirit. :)

Much love and happiness to you both Sarah and Kim

and your delightful pups.

as ever, Nicola and David

Strength, resilience and wisdom

Kirsten and I wrote back and forth for almost 6 months.  She and Norm have been happily married now for a couple of years.  I was thinking about them, and their rings today and Kirsten's lovely positive attitude.   They commissioned David to create their rings from a dark Hawaiian Koa wood with inlays of Lapis Lazuli, Eliat and Turquoise for Kirsten, and Lapis for Norms ring.  
Kirsten was wonderful to work with. 
In September of 2013 she wrote


Dear Nicola and David; 

We excitedly picked up our rings from the post office yesterday.
In anticipation we opened up the package to reveal the most gorgeous pieces of art!! We are so pleased with the final products. The are beautiful!!
Thank you again for all your guidance, patience and support through the design process. The entire experience was filled with such wonderful care and personal touches.
We are thrilled to be able to exchange these rings with each other. They have so much meaning and truly represent what we value in each other; our individuality. The Koa wood symbolizes strength, resilience and wisdom, which we continue to strive for as a couple.
Thank you again so much  
With warmth and gratitude,
 
And a few months after their 'little big day' as Kirsten described it, she writes:

We both receive wonderful compliments on our gorgeous rings on a daily basis :-)

Thank you again for all your guidance and support through the design and creation of our beautiful rings. 

You and David have become an important part of our love story!!

Our thanks to you Kirsten and Norm, and much love. Wishing you at least one lifetime of happiness together.