In Britain, rowan trees have long been seen as protective spirits. Because of that it’s the perfect wood to craft into a rustic wedding ring box. This ring box was a special commission for a lady who’d seen my boxes in yew and silver birch but wanted hers to be made of rowan wood.

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the creation process

Boxes are made from a length of branch wood cut into 2 pieces to form the body and the lid. Next the box and lid are hollowed out on the lathe. After that a small hole’s drilled through both and a wooden hinge bar secured in place. The bar allows the lid to swing open and shut. Lastly, a small copper pin is threaded through the bar to hold it safely in place (see detail photo above).

Inside the box are two felt pads, one in the box and one in the lid. One pad has a space for one ring and the other holds two rings. So the box can be used as both a proposal and wedding ring box.

wood selection

I always use branch wood that’s the right size because I can retain the bark on the outside and reveal the growth rings on the top, bottom and inside. The rowan chosen for this box was a piece of ‘crotch’ wood. Crotch wood is found on a tree where two branches meet. It’s harder to cut as the grain swirls around and runs in different directions, but the resulting swirls remind me of the ripples made by dropping little pebbles into a pond.

There’s many different woods that can be used to make ring boxes. I have pieces of many native trees such as yew, silver birch, scot’s pine, box, apple, ash, rowan and oak available. If you’re not sure which wood will suit you best I’m happy to talk you through their different characters to help you make a choice. If you have a favourite tree I’ll do my best to source it sustainably for you.

custom wedding ring box

So if you’d like a rustic wedding ring box made specially for you or you have any kind of commission in mind please get in touch using liz@loveheartwood or fill in the form below.

commission form

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