How Kaptan Foil from the Apollo 11 Spacecraft Became the Centerpiece of a One-of-a-Kind Wedding Ring
Honest Hand Ring Co's customer, John Mesick, grew up fascinated by planets and stars, dreaming of exploring the final frontier. When choosing a wedding ring, John knew that a simple metal band wouldn't work.
After months of waiting, he won a bidding war for a section of Apollo 11's Kapton foil, the gold material that shielded the spacecraft from extreme temperatures during its historic 1969 Moon landing. The idea? To embed that artifact into a custom ring alongside fragments of a lunar meteorite.
This project presented a unique challenge. The foil was fragile, valuable, and irreplaceable—one mistake could ruin it. That was when he contacted Honest Hands Ring Co.
Honest Hands specializes in custom rings that tell a story through sentimental and often irreplaceable materials, but this project required a new level of craftsmanship. Since there was no guide for embedding kapton foil into jewelry, the team had to develop a process through weeks of careful planning and testing.
The ring started with a zirconium base. This durable metal can be heat-treated to develop a sleek black finish. After machining the band to the correct size, the next step was preparing the inlays.
John wanted to include a lunar meteorite in the design. The team located a fragment of a meteorite that had traveled from the Moon and landed on Earth in Algeria. After crushing it into fine pieces, they filled the ring's outer channels with the material.
Cutting and embedding the Apollo 11 Kapton foil demanded patience and expert craftsmanship. This lightweight material had once shielded a spacecraft from the harshness of space, making it both fragile and invaluable. We took precise measurements before making the first cut to preserve as much of it as possible. A rolling cutter allowed for a clean, controlled slice, ensuring the integrity of the foil remained intact. Once shaped to fit, we set it into the center groove of the ring by hand.
The final step was to give the zirconium a deep black finish, which required heating the metal to over 1,000°F. Once cooled, the contrast between the black zirconium, gray lunar meteorite, and gold Kapton foil created a striking visual effect.
"It's better than I even pictured." - John
John arrived at the shop excited to see his ring in person. The team felt the weight of the moment, knowing how much this project meant to him. Adding to the pressure, Denver 7 News was there to document the reveal. When John tried on the ring for the first time, the entire team exhaled a sigh of relief. The ring was a perfect fit!
"It's better than I even pictured." - John
That moment is what makes custom work special. For John, this ring is more than a wedding band. It’s a piece of history, a connection to a lifelong passion, and a symbol of the journeys ahead.
John’s story has reached far beyond our shop. His Apollo 11 wedding ring has been featured in collectSPACE , ExplorersWeb , and Space.com, recognized as a rare blend of history and craftsmanship.
Honest Hands Ring Co. exists for stories like this. Some rings are not just jewelry. They are personal artifacts, carrying history, meaning, and emotion in every detail.
Watch the Apollo 11 Wedding Ring video our YouTube channel to see the full process of crafting this one-of-a-kind ring.
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