The Ring My Dad Never Took Off

And why my favorite piece of jewelry isn’t my best work

When people ask me which piece of jewelry I’ve made is my favorite, they usually expect me to talk about the most technically difficult thing I’ve ever made, or the most expensive stone I’ve ever set.

It’s actually neither of those… It's my dad’s wedding ring.

“Can you make me a new wedding ring?”

A few months before he was diagnosed with lung cancer, Dad phoned me up and asked me to remake his wedding ring. He’d been wearing the same 9kt gold wedding band for over 20 years, and he fancied something “a bit chunkier” (in his words).

Now, in typical dad fashion, he couldn’t quite grasp the fact that if you melt down five grams of gold… you still end up with five grams of gold 😆

He seemed to think I could melt it down and somehow stretch it into something twice the size. When I suggested that wasn’t how it worked, his counter offer was:

"I'll buy you a few gin and tonics at the pub for you to work your magic."

Of course I agreed (who says no to free drinks?)

It was never really about the ring

Looking back, I don’t think the ring itself was ever the point. Dad didn’t really care that much about jewelry… he just wanted the most treasured piece of jewelry he owned to be something his daughter had made.

(No, you’re crying 😭)

So, I melted down his old wedding ring and used every last scrap of gold I could salvage in my stash to make the band a little wider and give it more presence.

Making it feel like Dad

Years earlier I’d made Dad a dog tag with a motorcycle tread carved into it, and he absolutely loved it, so I decided to carry that idea over into the ring.

I didn’t copy any specific tire… I just used some saw blades and hand files to carve a tire tread around the outside of the band. It gave it this rugged, mechanical feel that suited him perfectly.

God, it took me forever though. It was one of those jobs where you keep checking every little detail, wanting to make sure it was absolutely perfect. Not because he was going to ask for a refund on his gin and tonics if it wasn’t 😆

But because it was for dad! I already knew as soon as he got it, he’d be down in the pub showing it off to all his mates.

The best kind of compliment

It’s funny, now that I'm thinking about this story, I’ve actually got no clue how I got the ring to him in the end. I probably posted it off? But what I do remember is that he loved it.

And not because it was 18kt gold now 😆 Not even because of the design I’d spent bloody ages perfecting…

But because whenever someone admired it, he could show it off and say…

“My daughter made it!”

Out of everything I’ve made over the years, I don’t think any compliment has ever meant more than that.

The ring he never took off

As far as I know, dad never took the ring off. He was still wearing it on the day he died.

So when people ask the question which piece of jewelry is my favorite, I can answer pretty confidently…

My favorite piece isn’t the most complicated or “valuable”. It probably isn’t even the best piece I’ve ever made (from a technical standpoint, I mean)...

It’s the one that reminds me what this jewelry making malarkey is really all about.

Jewelry is so much more than metal

When we’re learning to make jewelry, it’s easy to get caught up in the technical side of things… perfect solder joins, crisp settings, mirror finishes, invisible seams… and don’t get me wrong, those things do matter. We all want to make beautiful work.

But every now and then, a piece comes along that reminds you there’s something much bigger going on.

A ring stops being “just a ring” the moment it becomes part of someone’s story…

A wedding band that’s worn every day. A pendant that reminds someone of home. A bracelet given to celebrate a milestone. A pair of earrings worn on a wedding day.

Years later, people aren’t remembering how perfectly polished a piece was… they remember who gave it to them, who made it, or what was happening in their life when they first put it on.

That’s what’s so bloody addictive about making jewelry

We get to make pieces that become woven into someone’s everyday life, and every now and then (if we’re lucky), we get to make one for someone we love 🥹

That little gold ring reminds me that jewelry isn’t about metal or gemstones (don’t tell my stash)...

It’s about giving someone a little piece of yourself that they can carry with you every single day. And that will always be my favorite piece of jewelry.

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About The Author

Lucy Walker
Lucy Walker is the Founder of Lucy Walker Jewelry & the Metalsmith Academy, she’s a self-proclaimed crossfit box champ, dog mum, and wearer of a bunch of other hats. With over 17 years in the jewelry industry and 7 years empowering jewelry makers globally, Lucy has created world-class online training designed to take you from absolute beginner to jewelry-making pro! Whether you’re looking to build a business, or create beautiful pieces to wear and share with loved ones, Lucy has created the best community to help you do it.

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