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Everyone seems to be talking about wedding rings recently. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the heck to buy Mr. Cream Puff for a wedding ring. Here’s a secret: I be po’. Like, really po’. 
However, I really want Mr. Cream Puff to have a wonderful ring that he can have for all of eternity. I’m very sentimental–I’m not into the idea of ring “upgrades.” I want him to wear the same ring that we exchanged on our wedding day forever, you know?
When I saw Mokume Gane for the first time (on my cousin’s finger–hi Peter!), I immediately thought of Mr. Cream Puff, who is really outdoorsy and loves nature. Mokume Gane is a Japanese sword-making technique where different types of metal are folded together. It ends up loking like wood grain and is absolutely GORGEOUS. As I expected, Mr. Cream Puff really loves the look of Mokume Gane… unfortunately, I can’t afford the price tag, which is usually $1500-$2000.
A few weeks ago a gal on the Knot told me about a website online where you can get titanium rings that look like Mokume Gane, but they don’t look quite like the real thing. Also, I’m not quite sure how I feel about titanium. Here’s the “Mokumanium”:
In my mind, Mr. Cream Puff is going to wear this ring for the rest of his life, and I don’t want to cheap out on him–even though I have no money at all. So I’m on a search for less expensive Mokume Gane with white gold. Any ideas?
I’m getting a tungsten ring for my FH. He likes it because it will NEVER scratch. And the ring he wants is only $200 (from Kay.com). We were going to get a titanium ring at first, but the man at Kay’s Jewelers told us that titanium scratches pretty easily. Since my FH is very outdoorsy as well, we opted for the tungsten.
I checked the Kay’s website, and it looks like they have nothing like the wood grain look that yo want. I would look around and see if there is any possibility of getting that look in tungsten, though.
my hubby and i have titanium rings and they work great for us. my hubby actually really likes how durable and light it is.
my fh wanted the exact same ring. but i just couldnt swing it. we ended up with a ring from Rob and Lean on Etsy (robandlean.etsy.com). it doesn’t look like the Mokume Gane, but I’m really happy with it and he loves it.
Overstock.com has some great titanium rings for “good bargains” - meaning they’re great quality, but for little dough!
I totally agree with you. I could totally skimp on everything else for the wedding–but not the ring he’s going to wear for the rest of his life. So, although I’m really, really against buying things you can’t pay cash for–I’d probably grit my teeth, put it on a credit card, and spend the next year and a half to two years paying it off.
Did you try the jewlerymart in San Francisco? They have wholesale prices and a huge range. You just need to call one of the jewelers there and they’ll put you on the special “list” to get in.
There is a post on kenzie kate’s blot - something old something new from last Thursday that discusses wood and metal rings - might be what you are looking for!
I feel ya, Creampuff! FI and I are getting going the Mokume route because A)we both fell in love with them B) LOVE the idea of having rings that only match each others and C)love having a piece of art on our hand.
I, like you, can’t skimp on our wedding rings. I mean, it’s our WEDDING rings. But- 3 suggestions- 1)considered a mokume inlay vs. a whole ring? cheaper with still the REAL mokume look.
2) check with http://www.newyorkweddingring.com/. He prices according to the gold value on the day versus a brand name. and you can make it yourself in a workshop. or not.
3) if you go with a brand name(aka premium) check wiith several online vendors first.lots of people pricematch. we’re saving over $500 on our combined rings this way. HTH!!!
I’m all for not being cheap about the wedding ring… but practicality is key.
White gold needs maintainence… white gold requires occational upkeep & refinishing due to the yellow discolorization, white gold is expensive right now & white gold scratches easily- especially on men that work a lot with their hands or are clutzy (in the case of my FH LOL!).
Look for a lesser expensive metal that is stronger— titanium… or even tungsten carbide… both IMHO are actually is better than white gold in the fact that it will not change color over time (white gold does- I’ve had to get my e-ring re whited twice in a year)
Check out here:
http://www.boonerings.com/mokumanium.htm
My FH is stoked about boone b/c they have such great prices and customer service is AMAZING… and titanium doesnt scratch as easily as white gold and the fact it is used in airplanes makes him think its just that much cooler!!!
Holy cow, that’s awesome. If you find them (especially in gold, white or especially yellow) lemme know. My FI might be into that.
Oh man, no answers here; just wanted to say that I feel your pain ’cause we’re in the same boat! Mr. T keeps saying I should give him a $15 eBay ring as a placeholder, but it just doesn’t feel right. (Especially after he shelled out on both of mine!)
MISS CREAM PUFF!!! We just got our rings made by Boone Titanium Rings!! They turned out AMAZING!! We actually went over to Bruce Boone’s home and saw all his samples (he is located about 5 miles from us in Atlanta!) and it was by far the best “wedding planning experience” I have had.
We probably spent an hour looking at everything and I got my wedding band, and FI got TWO different bands because he couldn’t decide!! One is going to be for everyday wear (Titanium with bushed band), and the other for special occasions (Rosewood Inlay). All three are beautiful.
Bruce had our rings ready the next day and I could not be more thrilled!! And the price was about 1/4 of what we would have spent in a jewelry store! We were shocked!
heh, here’s another vote for Bruce Boone of Boone Titanium. We went with a titanium ring with a mokume gane inlay, and they’re gorgeous. We both got trigolds (in different sizes), and the inlay covers most of the ring, with maybe a half millimeter of border on both sides. I got the polished finish, which is VERY shiny, and my husband has the brushed finish, which really shows off the mokume gane. If you’re looking for white gold, I’d go for the white gold/silver twist:
http://www.boonerings.com/htmpages/whitegoldtwist.htm
Hello! I came across this website. I thought these designs were really fresh, innovative and beautiful. Plus, they’re affordable for those on a tighter budget. https://www.konzuk.com/home/
I empathize with your sentiment “In my mind, Mr. Cream Puff is going to wear this ring for the rest of his life, and I don’t want to cheap out on him.”
Two things:
1. Although you won’t be able to learn mokume gane in one day, you could ensure Mr. CP’s ring is unique by making it with your own hands. Have a look at: http://www.AWeddingRingExperience.com.
2. This quote is from a medical journal:
Some hardened materials recently introduced for use in jewelry, such as titanium alloys and tungsten carbide, can pose a considerable risk of secondary damage if no appropriate cutting tools are available in the ED.
In the event of any significant hand injury or broken bone in the hand or the finger, you might lose the finger. Even with only a broken finger, by the time you get to the ER, there’s usually swelling.
With gold, platinum or silver, they have the tools to just cut the ring off easily with a pair of side cutters, even around a swollen finger.
With Titanium or tungsten, that’s simply not an option. If you’ve ever machined or ground any, you know the tools needed and heat generated.
Because of the swelling, while they’re trying to figure out how to cut through your ring, your finger has no circulation. Not good.
I love the faux bois… I also love this sterling silver birch bark ring that etsy seller esdesigns custom makes, at only $45 it’s quite a steal. It’s not as smooth as the ones you are looking at so it may not be your style, but I just love it!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9842421
Just a note my father has lost 4 wedding rings over the 39 years my parents are married. So you may want to go with a less expensive ring since men tend to take them off more often to do like yard work and stuff.
I live in SF and we’re going to make our rings with Adam at http://www.sanfranciscoweddingring.com/
We’re going to make a mokume gane band for my FH and a simple platinum band for me. The prices are pretty reasonable and I think it will be fun to make them. He can also make them for you, I think. Good luck!
Thanks for the tips, you guys!!!
Lisacase–I would generally agree with you on this, except that Mr. Cream Puff is religiously careful. I’d be more likely to lose mine (god forbid!)
Melissa–that looks SO awesome. I talked to Mr. Cream Puff about it, but I still think it might be a bit out of our price range, but it looks like it might be worth it!!
Here’s another route: Damascus Steel
http://www.chrisploof.com. We’d originally wanted Mokume as well, but it was a bit out of our price range. We are looking at these instead.
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Mrs. Cream Puff, San Francisco Bay Area Age and Occupation: 25, Illustrator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 31, Merchandise Planner Engagement Date: May 27, 2007 Wedding Date: August, 2008 Blogging Since: February 7, 2008 Venue: Ceremony at Crissy Field and Reception at the Green Room About Me: I never dreamed about my wedding as a little girl because I was too busy playing in the mud or pretending to be Martha Stewart–but now that it's here, I'm having a fabulous time DIYing everything in sight! We’re planning a very fun multicultural wedding (I'm Jewish and Mr. Cream Puff is Chinese), filled with as many personal details as I can muster.
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