Introduction Wood rings are different than metal, stone, or acrylic rings, in that they are made with a “living” material. Even after a tree becomes the small pieces of wood that make up rings, the wood will continue to change with heat, humidity, and exposure to light. Heat and humidity will cause the wood to expand and contract slightly, and exposure to light will cause the woods to naturally change color. Some wood’s color will deepen and become richer, others will fade. Eventually all wood will change to be some shade of brown (some woods take decades for this to happen).
Care tips As with any wood piece, water is the worst enemy for long term integrity. This is the reason you don’t put your wood cutting boards or wooden utensils in the dishwasher. Those who have done this know how quickly the wood will deteriorate. To ensure that the rings last as long as possible, the following should be avoided:
Submersion in water (swimming, bathing, doing dishes, etc.)
Exposure to chemical cleaners
Working with hands (construction, lifting weights, sports, etc)
Hand washing (exposure to the soaps can cause the finish to breakdown)
The more exposure to the above conditions, the sooner a ring will breakdown. Breakdowns may appear in the following order (or may appear at any point):
Micro cracks/abrasions in the finish – these may or may not be perceptible
Blushing/hazing due to moisture under the finish – these are indications of a crack in the finish someplace. Limiting exposure to the above will slow the continued breakdown
Flaking/chipping finish – typically caused by impacts or strong compressions (lifting weights, construction work, etc.) or from micro cracks connecting. Continued exposure to the above will speed this up and cause it to spread.
After widespread finish flaking, wood deterioration will begin. Depending on the woods used and the hardness of the wood, this can be fast or slow, or localized to a specific area.
Glue failure between wood joints can occur. A waterproof glue is used in all my rings. More likely is the wood fails next to the glue joint. This would be likely evidenced by wood falling out of the ring.
Considerations Some people wear their rings all the time, realizing that they are shortening the life of the ring. The amount shorter depends on how hard you are on the rings. They accept that the rings are short term investments. Others work hard to preserve their ring. Taking care of your ring can result in many years of use. Where you fall on this spectrum is up to you. The intent here is to give you the information to make an informed decision for your needs. Within the first year I will refinish rings 1 time for free (you pick up the shipping costs). After that I will refinish rings as needed at your expense. Rings that have not progressed past step 3 should be able to be refinished. Once you start into step 4, refinishing the ring may or may not be possible and the refinishing process can destroy the ring.
