# Hardwood Rings



## Monaque (Dec 21, 2020)

Hi all.
Thought I'd post some images of some hardwood rings I made recently. These are made from the wood of some of the hardest and densest woods there are. Most of these rings have a wall thickness of around 1.5mm and have been made in various sizes, mostly from the most popular ones.
Woods used include: Lignum Vitae; some Rosewoods (including African Blackwood, Tulipwood, and Cocobolo); Pink Ivory; Bokoke; and Black and White Ebony (one of the rarest woods you can get now). 



























Thanks for looking.

Monaque.


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## Foxee (Dec 21, 2020)

Those are gorgeous! You're great at making the most of the beauty of the wood and also playing off of colors. About how big are these?


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## Gumby (Dec 21, 2020)

Wow! Those really are beautiful! Are they napkin rings or what exactly?


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## PiP (Dec 21, 2020)

I love these! How did you make them? What special tools do you need?


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## escorial (Dec 21, 2020)

they look the bizz


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## Monaque (Dec 21, 2020)

Thank you, Foxee, Gumby, PiP, and escorial. 

I do try and make the most of the contrast of different woods, play off one against the other, so to speak. Everything has a match, just have to find it. The other issue is hardness, or even density. African Blackwood, for instance, is a very hard and dense wood that is often used to make musical instruments, like Clarinets. The heartwood is very dark in older trees especially. Making a ring with an especially hard and dense wood inside would make it hard wearing.

They are turned first on a manual lathe then hand finished and polished, although when it comes to two wood rings the complexity increases a lot.

They are finger rings, rings to wear on your finger. Various sizes, worked out from a chart that lets me know the US/UK/actual size in Metric. For instance, the third from last photo shows a ring that is made from Pink Ivory, a hardwood from southern Africa. Pretty rare, and strictly controlled, although not on CITES list. Size is a US 6, or a UK L 1/2, or 16.5 MM internal.

I am thinking of making napkin rings, the wood would show off even better on something larger. I'm also thinking of selling these, maybe online. I have some key rings made from the same wood also. My Facebook page has more photos if you are interested in looking.

https://www.facebook.com/chris.blight.77


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## TuesdayEve (Feb 11, 2021)

I’m curious as to the special care and 
maintenance of these beautiful little gems.


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## Monaque (Feb 11, 2021)

TuesdayEve said:


> I’m curious as to the special care and
> maintenance of these beautiful little gems.


Well, that's a good question. I gave my mum one for Christmas and she started washing the dishes wearing it, needless to say it got a little dull. I only polish them with beeswax which isn't really good enough to protect them from water damage. Apart from water they should last a long time. Perhaps an additional application of beeswax from time to time. I'm looking at alternatives if they get submerged in water, proper water proofing if you like.

Talking of my mum's ring here are the two rings I gave my sister and my mum for Christmas, along with weighted ring stands.


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## TuesdayEve (Feb 11, 2021)

I asked because recently I bought a pair of wooden 
eyeglass frames and while they’re really cool
and look(I think) pretty good, they’re high maintenance.
And, had I not got caught up in the cool, I wouldn't 
have bought them. They’re fragile compared to plastic.
Im wondering if you could turn your rings into earrings.
They're really lovely.


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## Monaque (Feb 12, 2021)

TuesdayEve said:


> I asked because recently I bought a pair of wooden
> eyeglass frames and while they’re really cool
> and look(I think) pretty good, they’re high maintenance.
> And, had I not got caught up in the cool, I wouldn't
> ...



Thanks. Thinking about it, spectacle frames are quite a complicated design and would be fragile in comparison to something simpler like a ring. Plus rings get built in support; your finger. Yes, thinking of earrings also, will have a look at that at some point.


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## Chris Smith (Feb 12, 2021)

Those are beautiful! Would a varnish work well on them, to protect them from water damage?


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## Monaque (Feb 12, 2021)

Chris Smith said:


> Those are beautiful! Would a varnish work well on them, to protect them from water damage?


Thanks. Quite possibly, I've been looking at a few different techniques and that should work. I'm currently in the middle of a ring commission and will hopefully come up with a solution for the finish of that.


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## druid12000 (Feb 12, 2021)

Those are really beautiful! I'm a machinist and I appreciate fine workmanship like this.


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## Monaque (Feb 12, 2021)

druid12000 said:


> Those are really beautiful! I'm a machinist and I appreciate fine workmanship like this.


Thanks, Druid, I'm also a machinist, make these on my boss's lathe, plus a lot of hand finishing.


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## MooreMom523 (May 30, 2021)

These are stunning!


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## Monaque (May 31, 2021)

@MooreMom523 - Thank you, I enjoyed making them.


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