Custom Design Guide
Custom Design Guide
Are you looking to create a unique engagement ring design, custom design your own eco-friendly wedding ring, or perhaps personalise a bespoke ring for another special occasion?
We have created a Ring Enquiry Form to speed up the process of designing your own ring, and to provide you with a more accurate quote.
After reading this helpful Custom Design Guide below, do get in touch to discuss your unique ring design ideas via the form as soon as you're ready - we're all ears!
Below we have an extensive guide designed to give you a good and clear understanding of the possibilities you have when it comes to designing your very own custom made ring. We hope that you, like many customers before you, will be inspired to come up with something bespoke, unique and beautiful which tells your story exquisitely.
Adding materials from special places or even treasured possessions is a hugely original way to encapsulate your love story. Previous examples of customer provided materials have included a childhood swing, a trophy skate-board, shells, sand, rocks and other materials from significant beaches, mountains and rivers and so much more. You can be as wild and wonderful as you like with your ideas. We genuinely love hearing your suggestions.
If the more important thing for you is the aesthetic of the ring or significance of the materials, rather than their provenance, then we have a lovely and extensive range of woods and inlay materials at our workshop which can be used.
The Wood
We have a beautiful selection of woods available. Maybe you like the look of oak or walnut, perhaps you have a love of apple or plum wood. From acacia to Victoria ash and all the woods in between, we will do our very best to work with what you choose, whether it's a special piece provided by you or you need us to source it for you instead.
For our bentwood rings (rings made entirely from wood, possibly with inlays of stone, metal or another wood) we need a piece of wood measuring a minimum of 30cm x 5cm x 5cm (going with the grain) with no splits, knots or other gnarly features! If it’s a round log then it should be at least 30cm long with a diameter of at least 12cm.
For sustainable metal rings with wood inlays, the wood ideally needs to be a minimum of 8cm x 8cm x 8cm, or if it’s a round log then 8cm long with a minimum diameter of 10cm. If you have a piece of wood which is smaller than these measurements then please do still get in touch and send us a photo of the piece, as we have some fairly creative ways of incorporating all types and sizes of materials into every unique ring design.
The Metal
For our metal rings with wood inlays, you’ll need to decide on which metal you’d like your bespoke ring to be made from. We offer the following options:
Titanium – When matt this metal has a grey colour to it, which becomes brighter when polished. It is both very strong and lightweight, and is by far the most popular metal for customers looking for the best compromise between price and strength.
White Gold – 9ct is similar in colour to silver, whereas 18ct is a light grey colour when matt or a deep silver colour when polished. As the gold isn’t rhodium plated it keeps its original colour.
Yellow Gold – 9ct has a sandy colour and is less yellow than 18ct, which has a brighter more buttery colour.
Rose Gold – 9ct has a greater amount of copper in it, and so is a deeper red colour than 18ct which has a more delicate pinkish colour.
Platinum – Brighter even than 18ct white gold, platinum is the heaviest, most precious metal that we offer rings from.
The Inlay Material
For Bentwood Rings, where the ring is made entirely from wood, you can include an inlay of materials such as crushed stones, metal shavings, sand, shells and well, you name it, we reckon we could inlay it to be honest! Inlays can either be centred or off-centre and measure anything from 0.5 to 8mm wide.
For Metal Rings With Wood Inlays, where the only inlaid material is wood, you can either have the inlay centred or off-centre - there just needs to be a minimum of 1mm of metal on each outside edge of the ring. These rings can be created with a rounded or square edge.
For Metal Rings With Mixed Material Inlays, where inlay materials include but are not limited to minerals, gemstones, shells and some man made materials, you can either choose to have the inlay centred or off-centre. These rings can only be produced with a square edge, however, in order to keep materials securely in position and must also have a minimum of 1mm of metal on each outside edge of the ring.
The Liner
Including a liner on the inside of a wood ring which contrasts nicely with the wood you’re using for the main band is a great way to add another lovely design feature to your beautiful, personalised, bespoke wooden ring. Liners can be made with metal, with other woods and also with carbon.
Inscriptions
For wood rings we offer a woodburning inscription service. It could be the date you met, a name, perhaps even the coordinates of the place you’re planning to propose. It’s a lovely way to personalise your ring and again the options are endless. The best woods for this purpose are cherry wood, maple and walnut, as the grain of the wood facilitates the best looking inscription.
For metal rings with wood inlays we offer a milled engraving service for which a wide variety of fonts are available. If you’d like to include symbols or characters from another language then they can be engraved by laser too (additional charges apply – please contact us).
For more details of our inscription service, see our feature on Personalising your Perfect Piece of Jewellery.
Stones in Settings
We can include a wide range of gemstones in settings in both wood rings and metal rings with wood inlays (except titanium). You’ll see some examples in our gallery, but if you’d like to enquire about any stone in particular then please do contact us.
Examples of gemstones we have used to create stunning and original designs for unique wedding rings, engagements rings and rings for other special occasions are diamond, moissanite, emerald, garnet, peridot, ruby, sapphire and topaz to name but a few!
Incorporating a birthstone is a lovely way to personalise a ring too.
The Width
Both the wood rings and metal rings with wood inlays can be made in any width from 3mm to 10mm. The most popular widths for women are 3-4mm and for men they’re 5-7mm, but obviously it all comes down to personal preference and the look you'd like to achieve when designing your own eco-friendly, bespoke ring. You can see examples of rings of all shapes and sizes on our Bespoke Inspiration page.
The Size
To establish your ring size, we'd recommend visiting a local jeweller (and ideally trying on a ring in the same size and width as you intend to order, not just basing it on narrow sizing rings). If the ring is for a surprise proposal, then you'll find plenty of ideas and inspiration on how to propose without knowing the ring size in our blog article here.
Beautifully Bespoke
You have a unique opportunity to create something truly meaningful when you choose a custom, handmade Eco Wood Ring. The possibilities are infinite. Your ring can tell a story, capture a moment in time and be a beautiful reflection of what really matters to you.
A lovingly made, custom ring is the thoughtful choice whilst being both affordable, ethical and sustainable.
You could also have a look at our beautiful Pinterest board and Instagram feed for ideas and to see what other, like minded folk have created. In addition, by following our unique hashtag #SentimentalSundaysAtEWR you can see many more examples of environmentally friendly, ethical, vegan, handmade, cruelty free, simple but unique rings for couples and individuals, created for our customers over the last couple of years.
However, if you feel you need further inspiration still, do check out our gallery of previous custom designs where we think you'll find plenty to inspire you!
Designing your ring is a simple process, once you’ve identified the materials and design features you’d like included, so we hope you now feel inspired to take the next step.
The next thing to do is to complete our Ring Enquiry Form so that we can help you develop your eco-friendly designs and provide you with a quote for your bespoke ring or rings.
If we’ve not covered all of your questions here, please do also take a peek at our frequently asked questions.
Thank you for choosing Eco Wood Rings - we're looking forward to helping you realise your unique design ideas.