The Story
Weathered Maple Wood
The historic maple for this wooden wedding ring comes from Asheville North Carolina. The board was taken from a barn built in the late 1800's and was likely used to store tobacco, as was so common in the area.
Weathering the wood is done via an old process, whereby the wood is dipped in water mixed with ferrous sulfate, the same stuff often used as a mineral supplement. The mixture reacts to the tannins in the wood, turning our maple a unique silver color that pairs perfectly with the reddish-brown coffee inlay.
Coffee - Yes, that's right! Coffee...in a ring!
This design was originally conceived for a friend of ours who owns a coffee shop. We used beans from his store in the ring we created for him, but the coffee used in future rings is a bit more unique. We were able to obtain an unopened Hills Bros coffee can from 1952. The coffee inside was still fresh (they really knew how to make stuff back then) and has a great vintage story.
Coffee Rationing
Though we can enjoy coffee in an endless stream today, this has not always been the case. Coffee rationing in WWII began in 1942 - families could only get one pound every five weeks - and the rationing didn't end until 1946. There were a few reasons for this. Firstly, the GI's needed coffee in the field. Secondly, German U-boats were sinking boats with coffee shipments from Brazil making coffee hard to get.
Rationed coffee was packaged in glass containers, which were not only reusable, but also saved precious tin resources for the troops. That this coffee could be purchased in a can was a sign that the war had ended.
For us, the idea of an unopened can of coffee sitting in the back of someone's pantry for so many years is a reminder of the frugality of that great generation which was permanently impressed upon them during the war.
Dual Bronze Inlays
We wanted something to class up our beloved weathered maple and coffee ring and we jumped to bronze because of it's slight reddish hue. It's subtle and helps the coffee pop rather than stealing the attention.
What about gold inlays?
Sure, we can swap gold inlays for the bronze, no problem. Simply select the gold color option before adding to cart. We always use solid, 14k gold in our rings.
Custom Coffee Option
If you have a favorite coffee shop and would like to use their beans, we can make that happen. Simply select the option on this page. We only need about 2 tablespoons of coffee beans (ground coffee may work as well). If you would like to send along more beans than necessary, well, coffee is always appreciated in the shop ;-).
Please send coffee to:
Rustic and Main
11959 Ramah Church Rd.
Huntersville, NC 28078
