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

The Mighty Oak

Why we love our oak rings so much

It's that time of year! Fall is here and the leaves are just starting to change color. Another thing you might notice if you look to the ground are all the lovely little acorns that have dropped from their home way up in that big Oak tree. We were lucky enough to pick up a few of the acorns and catch some lovely photos with this set of Oak rings we just made. Check out the great color's of these acorns!

Many people all over the world find symbolism and meaning in the Oak tree. Oak plays an important role in Celtic culture. It symbolizes everything from strength, life, family and power. It's even the national tree for lots of countries. It's no wonder the Oak is so important to many people and places, they are found in humorous places all over the world. The White Oak tree can grow up to 80' tall and even 80' wide.  

With so much meaning and beauty it's easy to see why we are so proud of each oak ring we make. Not only to they hold so much symbolism, we love the golden color and the strong grain texture visible in each ring.  As you know by now, oak is very strong and it makes for a great ring that is sure to last!

Did someone say whiskey?

Because we like to use salvaged woods for our wood rings, we are always on the lookout for new and unique wood sources. When we stumbled upon wood from white oak barrels that aged Jack Daniel's whiskey, our interest was piqued. Jack Daniel's crafts their own wood barrels. They char and toast the inside of the barrel to carmelize the wood's natural sugars. The whiskey draws its rich amber color and distinctive flavor from the toasted oak.  Simply Wood Rings appreciates good craftmanship. We also appreciate good flavor. That's why we thought this would be an excellent salvaged wood choice to inlay into our stainless steel ring. For strong character and good taste, order a Stainless Jack.

www.simplywoodrings.com