One Ring to Rule Them All

Find Us at https://gustavreyes.com/

We talked amongst ourselves regarding the propriety of naming this post as we did. But when you woodburn a beautiful Elvish phrase onto a sweet ring, what are you supposed to name the post heralding its arrival? 

Behold, an all-good no-evil stainless steel ring with an oak liner: am meleth din, it reads. Or, if you don't speak Elvish: for her love. 

It's a beaut, aint' it? [Insert more appropriate Lord of the Rings-related compliment here.]

Other Elvish possibilities: 

Lle naa curucuar (you are a skillful bowman)
Cormlle naa tanya tel’raa (you have the heart of a lion)
Oio naa elealla alasse' (ever is thy sight a joy)

or perhaps a simple Melinyel (I love you).

Want to make your own custom ring, inscribed with your own lovespeak? 
Drop us a line, by visiting our page here. 

Dress Up Like You: Spalted Maple, Walnut & Silver Cufflinks

Getting dressed up is difficult for a lot of people. Maybe we'd rather wear jeans. (Today in the studio, all six of us are.) But maybe, too, the "formal" dress palette can seem limited. What you wear is an expression of who you are, or at the very least, it communicates nonverbally to those around you.

For example: Gustav wears dark framed glasses; Amanda wears bright blue high-tops. Joe wears his favorite thrift store tees. Yolanda wears shirts featuring her favorite bands; Cesar wears a green hat every day. (It's not his favorite hat. His favorite hat was some years ago eaten by an overly rambunctious Victorian bulldog named Malo.)

At Simply Wood Rings, we like to think that we offer alternatives to the usual fare. Most often, it's custom rings, but occasionally we'll make a pendant or a set of earrings. Recently, we got to make a set of cufflinks, made of spalted maple with a walnut inlay and hand-worked fine silver.

Aren't they handsome?

Interested in your own, or something else in your mind's eye?

Head on over to the Contact page, and send us an email! 

Shop Visit Photoblog: Matt & Tatiana

Matt and Tatiana thought they'd get the rings all wrapped up and head out but when they tried them on, they didn't want to take them off! We asked them to pose for a few candids, then sent them off in the direction of a favorite neighborhood restaurant. When clients are around, the joy just does not stop!

Their rings are rosewood and mother of pearl. Like the looks of them? Check out the shop.

This is what happened when we asked them to kiss for the camera: 

Ready to make your own wood wedding rings? Head to the Custom Order page!

Bagpipe: A Love Story (African Blackwood & Stainless Steel Wedding Band)

This ring is made of the wood of a bagpipe key, brought in by a couple with a particularly sweet story. Both police officers, yet strangers to each other, they found themselves at a ceremony for fallen members of the force in Washington, D.C. For it, he performed on a bagpipe, and she watched. When afterwards they struck up a conversation, they discovered that they both lived and worked in Chicago: one from the Northside (Go Cubs!) and Southside (Go Sox!); but they had never met in their own city. 

Returning to Chicago, they fell in love, and by and by they came to us for his wedding band. Gustav, always looking to make custom rings as meaningful as possible, asked whether they could get a broken bagpipe pipe. They found one at the local music shop: a vintage one made of African Blackwood and ivory. 

Cesar, captain of the shop and all that is good in the world, sliced a bit off, and sanded it until it was ready to be wrapped. The result is slick and classy and rich. We can't wait to show it off to the happy couple. 

Urbs in Horto: City of Chicago Flag Ring

"Urbs In Hoto" is the Chicago city motto. It means "City in a Garden," and anyone who's spent any time in our hometown knows why. The land is full of parks and trees and nature in every available corner. 

This afternoon, at the direction of a client, we took the motto literally, and made the city flag out of fauna. It's freshly made by our expert artisans (with a special shout-out to Joe, for the #flawless inlay), out of oak with red and blue fluorite. 

We're all crushing on it, and Gustav already has a plan to make a version of it with lighter, locally foraged maple. 

In case you (like some of us transplants) didn't know, the four stars of the Chicago flag represent Fort Dearborn (first built on the banks of the river in what's now the Loop); the Great Chicago Fire (certainly a transformative moment); and the World's Columbian Express, and the Century of Progress Exposition rounding up the count. 

Interested in your own Chicago or [TO WHATEVER YOU PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE] ring? Sidle on up to our pretty new site, and contact us with ideas, dreams, challenges, and questions! 

So Fresh, So Clean: The New Site Is Up!

Dear Friends,

It's almost our 10th anniversary. Technically, traditionally, that's tin, but we prefer to think of it as "double-wood"! As a gift to ourselves, and a gift to you, we've put together a sweet new site that tells your stories and displays everything that makes us special as a company. (Hint: a large part of that is you all.)

First, here's what the site looked like in 2006. A bit nineties, to our eye, for sure. It's nice, though, to see we had that simple elegance from the start. [Insert winking emoticon here!]

(If you haven't checked out archive.org's Way Back Machine, do it. It's hours of fun!)

And, [drum roll as loud as thunder],  here's our brand new look!

On the site, (which can still be found at simplywoodrings.com), you'll be able to get to the meat of the matter (wood rings! how wonderful they are! how to take care of them! the team!) while enjoying beautiful pictures of our wares, all under the sheltering sky (banner) the color of seawater in a cave.

We hope you'll take time to explore the new site. Contact us with comments and suggestions. In the coming week, we'll be expanding the gallery selection to show off even more beauty that's coming out of the shop.

Share, share alike, shout from mountaintops, re-post, blog and skywrite just as much as your heart desires.

Stay tuned for exciting evolutions and fun adventures!

Yours,
The SWR Team

Summer Days Full of Light

"This is the world's reenactment of today,

and of this moment,

     and of continuing on-with its satellite imaging of scattering birds
obscuring our faces—

and this is the world's reenactment of its percentages:
of the constant shifting of the satellites
and the constant scattering of the birds and the likelihood

that we will be seen;
and this is the reenactment of someone choosing your face"

from "Equation for Cresting" by Christopher Bolin, via Verse Daily

These summer weeks our studio fills with light and noise.


These summer weeks out studio fills with light and joy.

Even the peregrine falcons have been hooting and squeaking and swooping, like, they know. (Or perhaps, with Field Museum visitors, and three little newly-hatched babes, they've got their own sweet hubbub!)

So many wonderful people are getting married at the end of June! And we're making wood rings for everyone, or, it certainly seems that way.

Lisa and Denise came in to pick up their rings earlier this week, for a private commitment ceremony. They were freshly back from Kenya, and "accidentally" wearing coordinated shirts featuring elephants from their travels. 

It was so wonderful to spend time with these two as they tried on their rings--rosewood, moissanite, and mother of pearl--and made sure just they were just right. 

Allison consults with Lisa and Denise about the right fit.

Lisa and Denise try the rings on for size for the first time!

Denise takes a closer look. 

The happy couple!

We couldn't be happier for Lisa and Denise, and wish them a lifetime together of joy and adventure.

If you need us, we'll be sanding and wrapping, packing and shipping, sighing and stretching, and ready for more!

A Thank You That Grows

The other day, a sweet customer named Oliver sent our sales superstar Allison a grow-a-garden thank you note!

This is what it looked like last week. Then, over the weekend, the little sprouts got sad without their daily water. Gustav said that without decay we cannot have growth, but Allison added a little water and nudged them toward the sun's rays with hope in her heart.

Now the sprouts seem to be bouncing back! The garden is a "matchgarden" by Another Studio, which has loads of beautifully designed and affordable gifts.

It makes us think of one of our favorite environmentally-minded landscape techniques: front lawns with sustainable, native plants, or vegetable gardens instead of grass. Our own building's front yard has some super-cool bioswales, but that's a horse of a different color, or a blog of a different color, or for a different day, or...

It truly is the season of new growth! 

Friends at Simply Wood Rings

It's always nice to put a face to the name! This was I photo I received from two if the nicest people I've ever gotten to work with!

If you have some photo's you'd like to share with us, shoot me an email!

craftsman@simplywoodrings.com

And here's a little photo of me!

Or, if you're in the area, stop on in and say hello! We're located in the fun filled area of Pilsen, in Chicago.

Norm Sartorius and Recycled Wood

Last week we had a really fun customer come by our studio in Chicago. We were walking around the shop, and looking at all the different woods we have, and we started looking at this box of just little scrap pieces of wood. Each piece we pulled out of the box was more exciting than the last. We eventually found the right piece of wood for him, you'll see his ring below. But we wanted to share these cool pieces of wood with you!

We are so thrilled anytime anyone donates wood to our shop. It means so much to us to have so many unique and beautiful types of wood. One of the many people who has given us scrap pieces of wood is the great artist, Norm Sartories! He creates, "non-functional wooden spoons" and instead of wasting the pieces he has left over, he like to send them to us and others like us.

Gustav met with Sartorius at the Philadelphia Museum of Art: Craft show a few years back and they hit it off. He sends us a few pieces every so often, and we are honored to use the pieces that Sartorius has provided us with. We hope that you see a few pieces you might like to use in your recycled Norm Sartorius wood ring. We are happy to share them with all of you out there!

If you want to read more about Sartorius, we would love for you to visit his website with the following link: http://www.normsartorius.com/index.html

FREE Refinishing For Life!

Do all things with love. 
-Og Mandino

We love the ephemeral character of wood and how it reminds us to be conscious of the natural world. As a consequence of the nature of the material, its important to be conscious of your wooden ring as well. We like that! Here at Simply Wood Rings we feel that caring for your ring provides a chance to consider what the ring symbolizes in your life.

Life can get crazy, so we've made it fairly easy to care for your ring by offering free refinishing until death do you part! The wear and tear of your ring will remove some of the water safe finish. We suggest that as soon as you see wear, you send us your rings. We will lovingly re-finish and polish them back to new! It's as simple as that!

By caring for your ring you are nurturing the love that the ring was created to symbolize.

The wood inlay of these rings is actually their old rings!

NB - For a free refinish, we ask that the customer covers the cost of shipping.

OYSTERS : Making Lemonade out of Lemons

We've all been guilty of taking the nature around us for granted. I decided to do a quick search on how pearls are made! The biology of a pearl is the coolest and most amazing thing ever!

I found this information on "howstuffworks.com" 

"The formation of a natural pearl begins when a foreign substance slips into the oyster between the mantle and the shell, which irritate­s the mantle. It's kind of like the oyster getting a splinter. The oyster's natural reaction is to cover up that irritant to protect itself. The man­tle covers the irritant with layers of the same nacre substance that is used to create the shell. This eventually forms a pearl."

Whenever you feel like you've just been delivered a giant shipment of sour lemons, take a lesson from the oysters and make something wonderful! Like lemonade! Or pearls! Or art!

From: http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/marine-life/question630.htm

Check out the rings we've made that include pearls! 

Rosewood with Pearl

Oak with Pearl and Mother of Pearl Inlays

Top Ten Reasons Why Simply Wood Rings is Simply the Best

1. We are committed to using recycled and salvaged woods to avoid forestation! We collect wood from all types of sources. Either the wood is destined for landfills or has been processed by an equally conscientious company! We've gotten old xylophone keys, marimbas and fret boards, scraps from other wood workers and cabinetry makers and even wood from an awesome company, Horigan Lumber, who saves trees from being turned into mulch and makes them usable lumber! 

2. We are a small company that prides itself on craftsmanship and honest business practices.Our rings are made to order especially for you! It takes around 6-8 weeks to create a ring and we put the most love and care into crafting your special object. 

3. We make incredibly beautiful and strong wooden rings! The founder of SWR, Gustav, developed a technique for creating the rings that mimics the traditional wood working technique of lamination. Thin strips of wood are wrapped into a ring form so each ring has an average of 12 layers of wood with grain that runs along the ring rather than across it. Needless to say, breakage has only occurred by a dog chomping on the ring or a car running it over! 

4. We offer FREE refinishing! (+ the cost of shipping) We whip your ring back to shape if it begins to show ware. We only ask that you pay for shipping. For more information visit our refinishing page! 

5. We work with you to create designs that reflect your unique personality! We incorporate heirloom rings and stones, customer provided woods, all types of stones, flowers, meteorite, dino bone and even a dreadlock! 


6. You can visit our shop and pick out your own wood! Our shop is located in Chicago in a large warehouse in the Pilsen neighborhood. Stop by and see the rings in person and see where all the magic happens! 

7. Wood has an incredible energy! A tree is like a time capsule, it records it's own life events within each layer. When you wear a wood ring, its almost as if it tells its life story.

8. Stand out of the crowd with a non-traditional alternative! Have a metal allergy or like to avoid convention? A wooden ring rejects all the conventional constructs of the wedding industry. Be a salmon! Swim against the current!

9. They're inexpensive! Compared to the status quo of spending up to three times your monthly income on an engagement ring, spend less and go on an awesome honeymoon! Or build a house! Or start a family! Your wallet (and honey) will thank you! 

10. We guarantee you WILL be best friends with Allison our customer liaison! There's no doubt about it Allison is top notch! She'll go out of her way to take care of you! (One customer even exclaimed "I love you Allison! But don't tell my fiancé!").

Exquisite Corpse

We made an exquisite corpse today. Just for fun! Grab two friends and make your own, then post it to our Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/SimplyWoodRings

An apple a day... finds you a husband!

Under the Apple Tree

One couple told us the story of spending a whole summer under an old apple tree. They passed the time in the shade of the tree, lost in each other. We made a set of rings from the wood of that apple tree where their two paths intertwined for the rest of their days. We always encourage our customers to provide their own materials so that what we create for them is something deeply symbolic and unique. What type of wood would you use to make a special ring? 

Green Thumb Gals at SWR (Our rooftop garden)

Our roof top garden is in full effect. Our lovely green thumb gals Allison and Justina have nurtured them with so much love and care! Can't wait til our Abundance Harvest Celebration!

Life is so good!

Check out the photos!
Left to Right: Kale, Kale, Tomato, Tomato

What Inspires Us

 It is easy to say that nature plays a huge part in what we do. But it is not just wood that keeps us excited here at Simply Wood Rings. It is every element of Nature that inspires us to create something truly beautiful!

It's 9 am and the day begins with a quick peek out the window. There are two Peregrine Falcons that have found a lovely home, with the help of the Field Museum, outside our window. Everyone here has grown quite attached to the falcons, and we have lovingly named them “Mama and Papa Hawk” even though, we now know there is quite a difference between falcons and hawks. Some mornings the falcons will be there to say hello, and some mornings they are not. But, even if we only get to see a quick shadow swoop by, they fill our day with tons of excitement and happiness.

The falcons are a constant reminder to us of how humans and nature can co-exist. This tall brick factory provides us with a great place for a wood shop, and also closely resembles a cliff face to those birds who are seeking a home here in Chicago. We try to remember this every time we are making a ring.

Check out this live stream from one of nests in the Chicago area: http://1130falcon.click2stream.com/

Special thanks to the Field Muesem for the picture and the link

http://fieldmuseum.org/explore/illinois-peregrines

One of a Kind Show

Dec. 6-9 we will be at the Chicago One of a Kind Show at The Merchandise Mart. Gustav Reyes will be showcasing his bent wood jewelry with Gustav Reyes, as well as a selection of Simply Wood Rings. Please stop by and say hello while perusing some fabulously unique pieces from many talented artists!

Wood Rings for 5th Year Wedding Anniversary

The traditional gift for a 5th year wedding anniversary is wood. Looking for inspiration? Can't go wrong with jewelry! Simply Wood Rings creates wood rings for wedding anniversaries, so thought we'd share the idea to anyone who may be stumped on what to get!  

www.simplywoodrings.com