Materials - Aluminum

Aluminum
Inlay
Color: Silver
Strength: Hard
Notes: Aluminum is very nice to work with.  It can give a range of looks from satin brushed look, to a highly reflective polished look.

Examples:



Katalox Ring w/ Aluminum Inlay



More Green to go along with Spring...

With all of the flowers popping up and everything turning green, I just couldn't help using this Jade to make another set of rings.  It also helps that Jade is one of my wife's favorite stones.  I decided to pair it with one of my favorite woods, Bethlehem Olive Wood (BOW).

BOW is a wood that is harvested from Olive Trees growing in Bethlehem Israel.  No trees are harmed when harvesting this material.  All the wood that is harvested are from un-productive branches or prunings to make the main tree more productive.

All my items made from BOW will come with a Certificate of Authenticity.

 Details:

Bethlehem Olive Wood

Centered Crushed Jade Inlay

Standard Width (6mm)

Size US 8

Materials - Hematite

Hematite
Inlay
Color: Black
Strength: Medium Hardness
Notes: Hematite is a metal is stone form.  It will take on a high polish.

Examples:



Lacewood Ring w/ Hematite Inlay



Materials - Jade

Jade
Inlay
Color: Light Green to Dark Green
Strength: Medium Hardness
Notes: Jade is wonderful to work with, and has an amazing range of Greens.
Examples:



Teak Ring w/ Jade Inlay



Going Green...

Or at least for the Inlay on this ring. 

Recently I had a custom order for a Teak Wooden Ring with Crushed Jade.  I have always loved the look of Jade, but have never had any to use.   I found that Jade can be an expensive material to purchase in rough quanities.

While looking for some Jade to use for this ring, I ran across a store in Columbia Mo called The Bead Gallery.  They are located on Walnut Street in the District.  The Bead Gallery specializes in high quality beads and findings.  The quality and selection is amazing.  And when they say the bead is a certain precious stone, you are getting that stone and not a cheaper stone that has been dyed to look like something else. 

Jade is a very nice stone to work with.  It shapes and polishes nicely.  And the color range of greens makes for some great contrast.  I am looking forward to using this Jade with many other woods.

Now for the ring details:

Teak Wood Ring with Crushed Jade Inlay

Size US 13.5

Standard Width

Wine Cork Inlay...

As most of your know, I love to find new materials to use for Inlay.  The other day while looking through my supplies, I found some Bottle Stopper Cork.  My mind instantly started working up a way to use it for inlay.

I choose a piece of Claro Walnut Burl.  The dark color of the Walnut contrast well with this base color of the Cork.  After finishing, the Cork, has a stronger surface so that it does not scratch as easy.  It does make the ring very light.

After finishing this ring I thought how it would make a great gift for Wine Lovers.   I know that many wine connoisseurs collect the corks from their favorite wines.  If provided with one of these corks, I could turn it into a custom ring with great meaning for the wearer.

Claro Walnut with Wine Cork Inlay



If you have any ideas that you would like to see me turn into an Inlay, please let me know.

Materials - Cork

Cork
Inlay
Color: Light Tan
Strength: Soft
Notes: Cork is very soft, but finishes nicely.  It works nicely as an inlay material, and gives very random paterns with great interest.  This would make a great gift for Wine Lovers.  If you provide me with a cork from your favorite wine, you can keep it close to you at all times.

Examples:



Claro Walnut Ring w/ Cork Inlay



Mystery Wood Heading to Fiji...

Recently I was contacted by a couple wanting a Wedding Set.  They were planning on eloping to Fiji over Christmas.  They were wanting to go as non-traditional as possible, so they decided on a set of wooden rings.

After some discussion they agreed on a design that they liked.  I happened to have a couple pieces of mystery wood that I thought would contrast well, and come close to the design sent.

I started with a Dark Wood Base, and used a Lighter Contrasting Veneer. The grain was set running across the ring, instead of around the ring.  It makes it appear that there are many small pieces of wood placed around the ring.

Please feel free to comment below, and let me know what you think.

Padauk Ring and Necklace Set

One of my friends recently requested a matching set to include a Necklace and Ring. These were to be made out of Padauk Wood with Lapis Lazuli Inlay.

The color of the Padauk is just amazing, and it gives the Lapis a darker tint, that pops very well.  The pictures do not do this set justice.

Padauk Wood Ring with Lapis Lazuli Inlay

Padauk Wood Pendant with Lapis Lazuli Inlay

Materials - Amber

Amber
Stone
Color: Dark Golden Honey to Creamy Orange
Hardness: 2-2.5 MOHS Scale. 
Notes: Amber is very soft and easy to work with.  It turns and finishes nicely.  However it is very translucent, and should be paired with a light color wood to show off the Amber Color.

Examples:

Cherry Wood w/ Baltic Amber Inlay

Cocobolo with Powdered Lapis Lazuli

It still amazes me how often this happens. I can have a specific Design idea, but the wood/ring wants to be something different.

This ring started out to be for a customer that wanted a dark wood with Amber Inlay. I got the ring sized, and was ready to start placing the stone. After placing the first couple pieces of stone, I realized that they looked clear. The Amber was so transparent, and the wood underneath was so dark, that you could not see any of the beautiful honey color. I stopped instantly and contacted the customer. We ended up deciding on going with Cherry for a base with the Amber.

So now what to do with this nice Cocobolo Base.

Amber for Amber...

Recently a customer contacted me to see about having a couple of rings made with Amber as an Inlay material.  I had not worked with Amber before, but after some research I found that Amber is very soft on the MOHS scale.  Making it very nice for inlay and finishing.

I tracked down some Baltic Amber and placed an order.  The Amber I received ranged in color from a Dark Honey Red to a creamy yellow.

Originally the customer wanted a dark wood to go with it.

Cool Pen Designs that....

Take a look at these Pen Designs.  I really want to give these a try soon.

If you know me, you will understand that I am obsessed with Pens.  That is the main reason I got into woodturning, I found out that I could make my own pens out of wood.  I am always on the lookout for new material and designs.  Yesterday I came across a site that sells Laser Cut Pen Blanks.  These blanks use colored or different types of wood to inlay a pattern, that once assembled and finished are just amazing.

My favorite is a Puzzle Piece Pen:

Second would have to be the Herringbone Pattern: