How a Grandfather’s Ring and a Texas Oak Came Together to Create a Custom Wedding Ring
For most of us, jewelry passed down from our loved ones is worth more than the price of gems and precious metals. These heirloom pieces are a wearable connection to the people and the stories that came before us. Yet, as we write our own stories and define our aesthetics, it can be hard to incorporate these treasures into our daily lives.
For Honest Hands customer John, inheriting his grandfather’s 14-karat yellow gold ring was an honor. As his wedding day approached, he envisioned a custom wedding ring that would incorporate this cherished gift, symbolizing his past, present, and future.
Collaborating closely with John, we created a handcrafted wedding band that told the whole story. Hailing from Austin, TX, John wanted a titanium ring that honored his hometown with a Texas Live Oak inlay. The gold from John’s grandfather’s ring created the inner sleeve of the band, complete with a fingerprint engraving from his fiancée.
Working with a tight timeline, the Honest Hands team faced exciting challenges while creating this ring. First, we searched for the Texas Live Oak for the inlay. As a symbol of Texas’s beauty, strength, and resilience, the Texas Live Oak tells a powerful story. Still, it can be hard to source due to legal, ecological, and practical considerations. After a few calls and a bit of luck, we connected with someone who shares our respect for meaningful materials.
Next came the gold sleeve, a piece of John’s grandfather’s ring that would live on in the final design. We began by melting the heirloom down and shaping it into a blank, just the right size to be machined into a delicate inner sleeve. From there, it was a slow and careful process. The sleeve had to fit inside the titanium band with razor-thin precision—tight enough to stay in place forever, but not so tight that we risked cracking the gold or damaging the ring. Once pressed in, we blended the edges by hand, smoothing out every seam until the transition felt natural.
Another make-or-break moment was the engraved fingerprint. Once the engraving process is done, it can’t be undone. If the fingerprint were misaligned, too deep, too shallow, or otherwise flawed, we would need to start the custom ring process from the beginning.
Considering the ring’s intricate design and the sentimental value of the sleeve’s gold, we had to ensure the engraving was scaled and positioned perfectly along the ring’s small and curved canvas.
The finished ring did exactly what we set out to do—it told the whole story. A story of where John came from, who he is, and where he’s headed. It carried the weight of memory in a way that felt wearable and real. And that’s what we aim for. Custom rings that hold meaning, built for everyday life.
Want to turn something old into something new? Let’s make it personal.
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