A Wooden Wedding Ring for Tim

It was Spring.  The birds were just returning to the meadow. . .

Working with Tim; a self described '60 year old semi-retiring medical guy', was a lovely experience. Tim was looking to replace his gold wedding band which he explained had outlived it's wear-ability years ago. He was also looking to set a good environmental example for his grand kids. Tim gave David excellent information in terms of sizing and fit, and he was drawn to Juniper heartwood.  Beyond that he gave David artistic license to create something beautiful.

Just the other day we received this lovely warm letter from Tim ~ and a photo of Tim and Ingrid's hands taken at their daughter's wedding.

"Greetings David and Nicola.

I commissioned a Juniper Heartwood Wedding band from you last year. After I received it in the Spring I started to wear it sparingly because we were prepping the old house to sell, then proceeding with the renovations on the retirement home we moved to. With all that work, I didn't want to risk it harm. I now have the opportunity wear it out to community and events and at Church. The two of us are well worn and inseparable now.

I'm always delighted to wear it (a perfect fit) and Ingrid is joyed with it too. It is truly a work of art, unique in composition, and announces it's presence in a way that jewelry never can. It's subtle, and reflects light with a warmth that only finely polished wood can. The grain flow and contrast suits my heartwood. So a truly grand and sincere thank you for your composition David.  Kindest regards, Tim."

 

Mohamed and Samantha and their Gibraltar wedding

Samantha and I began our communications in January of this year. 

In an early email, Samantha sent us a photo from in front of the mosque where she and Mohamed had their religious ceremony last year. They were planning their civil ceremony for this summer in Gibraltar and contacted us about commissioning rings for the occasion.

Samantha was so wonderful to correspond and work with; she's the kind of person I'd hire in a heartbeat :) and someone I'd love to have as a friend and neighbour.

Once she and Mohamed worked out their designs, David went to work creating their rings.
When we sent them the photographs of their completed rings, Samantha wrote:

Hi Nicola and David,

Just when we thought we couldn't be any more blown away by your work.. These rings look absolutely stunning - just beautiful. Thank you so much for all you do, and all you've done for us.
Of course we can't wait to get our hands on the rings and see them up close! Based on the photos, they really do exceed our expectations. I can't find words!!
Thank you again. We will let you know when they arrive. I also have to compliment your photography skills! I'm consistently impressed by the two of you.   Take care, Samantha (and Mohamed) 
A couple of weeks ago, we received this lovely email and these beautiful photographs of the happy couple wearing their Touch Wood Rings.

Hi Nicola,
I've been meaning to send you a note for some time now. Mohamed and I could not be more in love with our rings. They are simply gorgeous, feel good to wear, and we get compliments every day! I attached a few photos with a close up of our rings from our wedding day in Gibraltar in case you'd like to see. I hope you and David are well and staying warm up there. I bet the fall colors are quite lovely by you.

Thank you again for making us such beautiful rings!

Samantha (and Mohamed)

David and I wish you both a long and healthy lifetime of happiness together ~ and in the words of Audrey Hepburn, remember; 

“The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” 

You'll also find Mohamed and Samantha's pics on our Touch Wood Rings Facebook page.

Thanks again to you both and bouquets of love!!

Under the Ancient Cedar Tree

David and I had the absolute pleasure of working with these two beautiful women. One is a doctor, the other a midwife.  That's pretty cool in itself. They have also given of their time and expertise to Doctors Without Borders.  My communications with Dominique and Terra have been so easy and delightful ... I feel as though their love for each other just spills over into everything they do.  

When they received their rings they wrote; 

"We just wanted to let you know that we think they are absolutely beautiful, much nicer then we even expected. And they fit and feel amazing. We love them! They are so special!    It was great working with you both Nicola and David. David is an amazing craftsman, and Nicola, your the nicest and loveliest person to exchange ring emails and ideas with. Altogether you are an amazing pair! We also really enjoyed your many photos and updates. Hats off to you both for your commitment to a green and off the grid lifestyle."

To which David and I can say only; "The pleasure was all ours! Though our time working together was all too brief given the spontaneous nature of your decision to elope :)"
and then, this email ...  
"Dear Nicola and David.  We wanted to share our happiness and pictures with you. We eloped in an old grove forest and got married under a 1000 year old Cedar tree. It was a magical autumn day. It was perfect. Just the way we wanted it! The rings you made for us are amazing and were such a wonderful part of our ceremony. They mean a lot to us. Each time I look at it I remember these magic moments under that old cedar.  Thank you for your amazing work and lovely emails throughout the process."

 

I am often overwhelmed by the beautiful souls who reach out to David and I, and who so enrich our lives. We are incredibly blessed.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, was the woman they hired as their photographer.  All the photographs on this post are Tracie's work and she, and Terra and Dominique, have been gracious enough to allow me to post them here.  Tracie Howe is a Seattle based wedding and  portrait photographer.  Tracie's  website is as warm and lovely as her photography.  And, she loves to travel too. In her intro, Tracie writes: "If you’re planning a destination wedding or you live in the Seattle area and are looking for a destination wedding photographer then you have found her!  "Give me a tent and a breathtaking destination for your wedding, and I’m golden." 

 

 Terra and Dominique ~ David and I thank you both so much for the opportunity to work with you on the wee wooden symbols of your love for each other, and we wish you both tremendous happiness in the days and years ahead.

 

And thanks again to Tracie Howe for allowing me to share her photography of this magical day.

Hawaiian Wood Rings

When we work with folks through the design process I often send emails with mini-showcases of one particular wood to show a range of colour and figure in a wood that someone is considering using in their design.
The 'figure' of a particular piece of wood is, in part, due to its grain and in part due to the cut, or to innate properties of the wood.  Here is a good example of 'figure' in this Walnut wood ring with birds eye maple interior and Koa wood inlay. The Koa in this inlay is highly figured.

I've put together an extended showcase of David's work with Hawaiian woods and primarily Hawaiian Koa wood.

David introduced Koa in his earliest wooden rings.  We have always asked that folks choose this wood mindfully.  The Hawaiian Islands are a unique and fragile ecosystem. The same can be said of our whole planet of course. We treat all the woods we work with as precious. Woods that aren't from our own property or from pruning piles in friends orchards, come primarily from our clients. 

We have a client friend on Hawaii who is an arborist and so we have been the happy recipients of a variety of Hawaiian woods that would otherwise be  landscaping waste, or some other woodworkers treasure.  Such a tiny bit of wood is used in the creation of a Touch Wood ring, that a little goes a long, long way. 

Hawaiian Koa Wood, in my humble opinion, rivals any precious metal for beauty! 

Koa varies from a gold and reddish brown to very dark brown with streaks of black. Finished Koa is lustrous, with beautiful hues of gold, red, and brown. There is tremendous depth to this wood. 

Here's a little Hop-Scotch array of custom designed and hand crafted Touch Wood Rings featuring Hawaiian Koa Wood ~ Enjoy!  

Another Hawaiian wood that I just love for it's figure and depth of colour is Kamani. 

David created this set of rings using Kamani and Hawaiian Kou woods.  Here is a close up of how they began; two uncut boards and a bag of sand.

As always, thanks so much for dropping by.  

We love to hear from you ~ please drop us a line anytime at nicola@touchwoodrings.com