Sunrise and Heart Wood

A February sunrise over the meadow

Juniper heartwood Rings
Meticulously Crafted by Hand, and Made with Love.

Heart Wood Rings ~ from Touch Wood

To enjoy more of the sunrise that inspired this post,

Come and see where Touch Wood Rings are created.
The Homestone

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all our dear friends;

old and new and not yet met.

May brooks and trees and singing hills
Join in the chorus too,
And every gentle wind that blows
Send happiness to you.

An old Irish Blessing

Touch Wood Rings at the Grand Canyon

Back in November of 2006, David made a set of Touch Wood Rings for Regina and Trevor as their wedding rings. These are their Blackwood rings with Rosewood interiors ~


Earlier this week we got a lovely email from Regina. She made our day! What a sweetie, and a great pic ~ it took us back! David and I eloped to Arizona many moons ago and spent some very happy times exploring in and around the Grand Canyon.

Here's Regina's email

"Look how beautiful our rings are at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

We have had our rings going on 4 years and are in love with them. Thank you for taking the time to craft our rings. You both are very special to my husband and I ~ we see and feel your love that you put into our rings. Thank you David and Nicola."

Stephanie's Willow Ring

Back in February David made this dainty little ring for Stephanie.


She designed her size 3 1/2 ring using Willow, Grayed Maple and Rosewood.
Stephanie was so lovely to work with.
In July we received a heartwarming email from her titled 'Very Happy Customer'

Hi Nicola and David!
I am so satisfied with my ring! I absolutely love it. It is funny because I see people do a double-take when they see my ring and I love telling them where it came from and what it means to me. It is a powerful symbol and a work of Art that I can wear everyday. This ring speaks to me because of where it came from and who made it. The idea that you both do so much to give back to the Earth and to appreciate what it has to offer makes you both very special, and I have the greatest appreciation for that!
I am attaching some photos from our wedding.
Thank you for everything!
Peace & Love,
Kevin & Stephanie


Congratulations Stephanie and Kevin and Thank You for sharing those photos, and for your kind words. You truly do embody the essence of the happy couple! May it ever be thus.

Wooden Rings in the Green Mountains

Working with folks who are planning to surprise someone with a custom designed wooden ring, whether it's a marriage proposal or a birthday or anniversary gift, is always an honour and most enjoyable for us. We meet the most delightful and interesting people through Touch Wood Rings.

Keith first wrote to us in July with his desire to propose to his partner David with a special, meaningful and unique engagement ring. Over the next few months he and I chatted about all sorts of things from the qualities of different woods to Hurricanes and Grizzly Bears.

By early fall he had his commissioned Touch Wood Rings in hand. We received this happy email from Keith the other day.“It was a perfect setting in the Green Mountains of Vermont surrounded by trees with these special rings made from trees.”


Keith proposed to his love on a crisp snowy fall afternoon in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The answer was Yes when Keith asked David “if he would Grow Old and In Love with him for the rest of their Lives.” And he thanked us for “taking part in the memory that will live in our hearts a lifetime.”

Thank you Keith. What an absolute pleasure working with you.
We’ll join you in that prayer; May you and David grow old together in love and happiness.

A Touch Wood Travel Ring

Earlier this year we began working with a delightful couple; Jennifer and Kevin from California.

Jennifer had a custom Touch Wood wedding ring made for Kevin and then a little later, because they knew they would be traveling for a few months, they also asked David to create a simpler 'travel' ring for Kevin.

For Kevin's wedding ring, they designed this dark Hawaiian Koa wood ring with an inlay of Ancient Kauri wood bordered by Lava Rock.

"I just wanted to let you know that Jennifer and I got married in September, and I've been loving my ring! We leave for our honeymoon in a couple of weeks (going to New Zealand and Fiji for 2 months!) and I'm looking forward to wearing my travel ring. Thanks again for everything. Hope all is well up north."

I asked Kevin (and Jennifer) if they wouldn't mind me posting his email and their beautiful wedding photo on our blog. His return email was sent from Fiji (bless his heart for writing while they're on their honeymoon) and he tells us they are having a wonderful time ~ heading soon to New Zealand ( home of the Ancient Kauri in Kevin's wedding ring design.)

He says his 'travel' ring is working out great too!
Kevin's Touch Wood 'Travel' ring is Hawaiian Koa wood with a Juniper heartwood liner.

May every day of your honeymoon be another great beginning to a lifetime of happiness together. Enjoy!!

And Thanks so much to you both!

Wood Ring Proposal at a Heart Shaped Lake

Dormae and I began our conversation back in April of this year. David and I worked with Dormae and Brian on her engagement ring and their wedding rings.

It's always been such a pleasure talking with Dormae. We discussed all manner of things; from gardening to cooking to wild life rehabilitation! I want to let Dormae’s words speak for themselves ~ she is not only a lovely and warm person; she also writes beautifully.
And she says such nice things about us and our work. In early June David and I received this email from Dormae (and Brian)

“ It is a beautiful day today. The sun is shining and the birds are singing. Best of all, we received our rings in the mail yesterday (much sooner than we anticipated)! We could hardly contain ourselves as he gingerly opened the package. Then out came the loveliest card with our absolutely stunning rings displayed carefully inside. What a charming way to showcase the rings! It is something we will always treasure.”

(Dormae and Brian’s rings were designed using Black Walnut Wood and Bamboo with inlays of their found Oregon Jade )


“David's artistry, precision, and patience are evident in each TINY ring. We are awed by how beautifully simple and lightweight, yet strong they are. Unlike traditional metal rings, they feel warm and alive; and they fit perfectly, as if they are already a part OF us, not only made FOR us. Neither of us tends to wear any jewellery, but somehow we cannot wait (6 whole weeks!) to wear these rings every single day. :) Our rings arrived just in time for our anniversary. The rings are the perfect gifts to celebrate where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. Thank you for making the start of the next chapter of our life together a happy one. You'll hear from us soon after our engagement and future wedding. It was more than a pleasure to "meet" you, work with you, and connect with you by sharing pictures and exchanging thoughts about sustainability, wildlife, plants, dogs, food, etc. Your values and respect for the earth and it's bounty are reflected in your work and the way in which you treat others. We will love telling people about our wonderful experience with Touch Wood Rings. The world needs more Nicolas and Davids! From the bottom of our hearts, WE THANK YOU!!! Dormae and Brian”

And then in August, we received this happy email . . .


“We just wanted to say hello and let you know that we officially got ENGAGED !! For the better part of a month, we had been planning to take a hiking trip to our favourite spot in the Inyo National Forest in California, just a few miles outside of Yosemite National Park, but things kept coming up. Finally, we packed up the dogs and headed out on our road trip. We headed toward Yosemite, drove through it, and ended a few miles past our destination: Dana Plateau in the Inyo National Forest. Brian and I and the dogs ascended the trail alongside a roaring creek, pausing a few times to take some pictures and to reminisce about the last time we were there. The plan was to explore new spots as well as familiar ones (such as a natural heart-shaped lake Brian found a-ways off the trail last year). At one point, Brian whipped out his GPS and announced that we were at roughly 10,000 feet elevation and that we should go left off of the trail. Feeling that another surprise was coming, I followed. Our first glimpse of the heart-shaped lake that day was as breathtaking as the last. I asked Brian if he wanted to go swimming, but he suggested that we hang out on one of the big rocks in the center of the lake for a few minutes first. When we got there, we stood with our arms around each other and took a few deep breaths of fresh, mountain air while drinking in the brilliant scenery with Dana Mountain looming above us.

The next thing I knew, Brian was kneeling down on the rock, proposing to me with our beautiful Touch Wood Ring! Of course, I said, "YES!" We concluded the weekend with a few more hikes in the surrounding area and unwillingly returned home, a little tired, but happier than we've ever been. Now, we look forward to our wedding day, when we can place our Touch Wood wedding bands on each others fingers, completing the set! We couldn't have done this in such a special way without you both! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! “

David and I want to thank you too, Dormae and Brian! It’s been a wonderful experience working with you and getting to know you. Please give those dogs of yours some big hugs from us and Shine on dear friends ~ you make the world a better place. As ever, Nicola and David

Wear the Warmth ~ Touch Wood Rings

Every Touch Wood Ring is a collaboration between us (David and I) and you (the individual or couple commissioning a ring).

As always, David and I look forward to working with you to create something very special and very much your own.

We expect you to have questions, we love to hear your ideas and we'll work with you till you're completely satisfied with your decisions. Once we all the details of your design; David searches for the perfect pieces of wood to bring your vision to reality. We want your Touch Wood Ring to sing.

A sampling of commissioned, custom designed and meticulously hand crafted Touch Wood Rings.

Touch Wood Rings ~ at home.
Why we do what we do.

David and I focus most of our energy and resources locally on these 50 acres we call home. We live and work off the grid providing our own power through solar energy. We are committed to preserving the diversity of life here by caring for the land and the water and all the birds and animals who call this place home.

We reach out globally to those we feel we can help in a tangible and direct way; specifically through kiva.org and worldvision.ca. This is Patricia; she lives in Ghana with her Mom and Dad and her little sister. She's our sponsored child through World Vision.

Here's to a brighter, greener future for all life on the planet. And thank you ~ to every person who wears a Touch Wood Ring ~ you are a part of the ongoing work.