Learn About Hardwood by Lashbrook

hardwood The woods in these rings are natural, rare, imperfect and beautiful... as is the love shared in marriage.

perfectly imperfect

When you really love someone, you love them completely, naturally accepting all flaws and imperfections. This kind of love doesn’t happen quickly, nor does it happen often. It isn’t the passion, emotion and magic that surrounds the act of falling in love. This kind of love accepts someone as they truly are, even with all the quirks, funny habits, and things that drive you crazy.

This is the kind of love that is the foundation for a lasting relationship.

One that can last a lifetime.

The juxtaposition of loving someone for both inherent beauty and imperfection perfectly represents a hardwood wedding ring. The wood in these rings are natural, rare, imperfect and beautiful, as is the love shared in marriage. The variation in color, character, pattern and quality of the woods make every ring unique, with no two pieces alike. Lashbrook imports hardwood from all over the world, inlaying it in a variety of metals and designs to make a one-of-a-kind piece.

Why? Simply because the beauty that lies in hardwood is as natural as truly loving someone.

where is it from?

Lashbrook uses ethically sourced Hardwood for wood rings. Lashbrook buys hardwood only through reputable channels to support the sustainability of hardwoods and to avoid the illegal exporting of protected species. While very rare, the hardwoods used in Lashbrook rings come from secured and sustained supplies.

the woods The wood species represent 13 of the most beautiful, rare, and exotic hardwoods available in the world, all coming from a variety of countries and representing nearly every major region of the world.

Lashbrook has three types of woods: Normal grained, Burl woods, and Spalted varieties. Normal grained woods are regular grains with some figuring and slight variation. Burl woods have deformed grains with small knots and dormant buds. Spalted woods feature unique black streaks along the grain.

Desert Ironwood

Arizona, USA and Mexico

Desert Ironwood is a very rare tree with a very attractive grain pattern, good contrast and some figuring. It is highly sought after amongst craftsman for small turning projects. This wood is very hard and dense – so dense, in fact, it is among the few species that sink in water.

Koa Wood Hawaii, USA Koa Wood has great variation in color, but is usually between a medium brown to a red brown, almost always with contrasting dark streaks. The wood comes from a flowering tree on the Hawaiian Islands, and it was traditionally used to build canoes, surfboards and body boards. It has since been recognized as a tone wood, used in instruments from ukuleles to acoustic guitars.

Padauk Wood

Africa

Padauk wood color varies from bright, vivid orange to deep, orange-red. Regardless of the initial color, Padauk will fade in color over time.

The jewelry grade sealant Lashbrook uses will slow the aging process, but the wood will eventually fade to a warm, slightly red-brown color. It is a moderately dense, hard and stable wood with good rot resistance. Historically, Paduak served as an herbal medicine for treating skin and fungal infections. Today it is a favorite wood amongst wood turners, hobbyists and guitar makers.

Leopard Wood

Central and South America

Leopard Wood has a unique spotted pattern, resembling the pattern on a leopard’s fur. The color varies from brown to red-brown with unique spots of light brown to grey. This wood is very dense and hard.

Mexican Cocobolo

Mexico

The color in Cocobolo varies from light yellow highlights to dark brown, with the most popular color being a red-orange brown. This wood is hard, heavy and very dense – it too, is one of the few species of wood that will sink in water. It’s natural oils help protect the wood from rot and insect attack, making it a popular wood to use for grips on pistols and musical instruments.

* Wood varies in batch due to natural characteristics.

Osage Orange Wood

Argentina

Argentine Osage Orange is very hard, dense, resistant to rot and characteristically yellow-orange. As part of a national project in the 1930’s, Osage Orange was planted as wind breaks in the plain states.

Spalted Tamarind

Africa

Spalted Tamaraind is a pale yellow color with black streaks throughout the wood veins. The Tamarind tree is known for its fruit, which produces a sweet/sour flavored pod used extensively in world cuisine.

* Wood varies in batch due to natural characteristics.

Honduras Red Heart

Honduras

A bright red hardwood with variations of lighter pink-red, watermelon red, and darker brown-red. In either case, the color will eventually fade to a darker, more reddish brown color.

Wenge Wood

Africa

Wenge Wood is a dark brown wood with unique black streaks in the wood grain. It’s distinctive dark color marks, consistent pattern, and hardness makes it ideal for furniture and luxury wood paneling. It’s also used in high-end drums and other musical instruments.

Boxelder Burl

Northern Utah, USA

A white burled wood featuring a highly figured grain pattern. This species of tree is most commonly known for its characteristic pale white color. It is most often used for hobby work, small projects, pen blanks and as a base for dyed wood. This wood is soft but durable and very light in color and weight.

Canxan Burl

Brazil

Canxan Negro Burl is a dark, greyish brown burled wood with a dark swirling grain pattern. It is extremely rare, and Lashbrook buys only a few pieces from time to time to support the species’ sustainability.

Maple Burl

USA

Maple Burl is a rare growth of a common tree. It varies in color from honey brown to medium brown, and features a prized pattern of tight swirls in the grain. When polished, the wood has a slight sheen.

Thuya Burl

Morocca, Algeria, Tunisia, and Spain

Thuya Burl varies in color from orange to red-brown, with many tightly arranged ‘eyes’. It grows from knot clusters of the roots of the Thuya tree. The Thuya tree is a small tree that has the ability to regrow itself from a stump, giving it the ability to regenerate after wildfire.

unique characteristics Each piece of hardwood varies slightly in character, color, and grain pattern, ensuring every wood ring is truly one of a kind. Wood’s raw, organic nature and inherent beauty is both rustic and refined. Its rich origin and exclusive markings speak to its distinctness amongst traditional metal wedding bands.

Lashbrook seals Hardwood rings with a layer of resin to protect it from moisture, scratching and other damage, offering unique durability. Hardwood rings by Lashbrook are sufficient to survive daily wear, however it is important to manage the expectations of customers on how to wear and treat a wood inlay and sleeve. The durability of hardwood rings is dependent upon the care received.

Hardwood rings should be treated as fine jewelry, and should be removed during harsh activities or in environments that would be potentially damaging to the wood.

benefits Real, exotic hardwood Rare foreign species including burls and spalted varieties Variation between each inlay and sleeve in color and character makes every ring unique Sealed for water protection and durability

by the numbers

13 TYPES

100% Ethically sourced and

OF WOOD

ONE OF A KIND Completey Unique

technical details A Hardwood ring begins as a solid block of hardwood. Skilled artisans cut circles from the solid block and then secure it to the ring. After it’s been secured, the hardwood is sanded, polished and sealed with a jewelry grade resin.

Lashbrook’s jewelry grade resin protects hardwood rings from moisture and water damage, and scratching. It also acts as an insulator to the hardwood, protecting it from cracking from daily wear.

In the case of the resin being scratched, Lashbrook stands ready to refinish the ring anytime for free.

customization & Personalization Hardwood is available as an inlay in any metal, either contemporary or precious. Wood inlays start at 3mm, as anything smaller than this would be both too brittle and too small to highlight the wood. Wood sleeves are now available on basic styles, rings with carvings and rings with precious metal inlays.

Sizes:

6 - 16 in whole, half and quarter sizes.

Ring Width:

4 - 12+ mm

Sleeve Width:

Sleeve width matches ring width.

Inlay Width:

3 - 8 mm

Personalization:

Any Hardwood inlay can be personalized on the inside with a laser engraving. Engravings can be as simple as a phrase or as complex as a detailed image. Engravings cannot be applied to Hardwood sleeves.

wear & care Inlays and sleeves are protected from water and wear with a resin layer, which seals the wood from moisture. However, it is recommended to avoid prolonged exposure to water and chemicals.

Cleaning:

Hardwood rings can be polished to return the hardwood to its original beauty. Lashbrook will factory refurbish these rings anytime for free.

Replacement:

All Lashbrook rings carry a lifetime guarantee. If a piece should ever fail because of defect, it will be replaced free of charge. Lashbrook similarly guarantees the hardwood inlay or sleeve for life in the case of cracking or breakage, and any ring that is lost or stolen may be replaced with the payment of the claim fee.* This policy does not apply to custom rings. Call to inquire about the cost to exchange or replace a custom ring as the cost will vary based on the complexity and style of each custom ring.

* 40% of the original wholesale cost.

FAQS Q: Why doesn’t the ring look like the stock piece?

A: Wood color and grain varies. It is important to prepare customers that the wood inlay may not have the same color and character as the stock piece.

Q: I understand that color varies, but this ring is completely different then the stock piece. What do I do?

A: Call our office. We may have you send in the ring, where we can either re-inlay it with a new strip of wood or choose a different wood altogether. We’ll take care of you and your customer.

Q: What if the wood inlay or sleeve breaks?

A: All Lashbrook rings carry a lifetime guarantee, including the case of cracking or breakage. We will re-inlay and re-finish the ring at no cost to you or your customer.