Creating a ring for my man

If you have been following along, you will remember that I selected Mr. Buttons' wedding band from an awesome Etsy vendor: Fabuluster. But, if you don't remember, you can refresh your memory: here! Well, now that the decision had been made, it was time to get my fingerprint molded!

The artisans at Fabuluster sent me a kit with detailed instructions on how to make my imprints. After reading the instructions about 100 times to make sure I had the process down pat, it was time to begin!

To start, I had to soak my finger in water for 10 minutes to get my fingerprint to rise (aka, my finger had to get pruny!). I sat on the couch with Mr. Buttons and watched a little TV while we did this. When the 10 minutes was up, it was time to heat some water up in the microwave to get the imprint strips started! They included 4 strips to imprint, so that if you make a mistake you had backup! I am very glad that they did this, as my first attempt at making an impression was rather pathetic. As in, I didn't press hard enough to make a single mark in the strip! Oops.

After letting an imprint strip soak in the hot water for 30 seconds, it was time to press! The instructions said to press hard, and boy did you have to! I smashed my finger into the imprint strip and applied as much pressure as possible for the required amount of time.

I may or may not have made some faces during this process...

When the imprint was done, I ran my hand under cold water for 30 seconds, then slowly peeled the strip off of my finger...and voila! My imprint strip was complete.

I repeated this process for 4 strips, which I then sent back to Fabuluster to create Mr. Buttons' wedding band! They will select which of the 4 strips has the best imprint to use on the ring.
Currently, his ring is in production, and I should receive it in the beginning/middle of May (I know, I'm cutting it close...). I am so excited to see the finished product!

Did you have to wait for a wedding band to be created? Was the suspense about to kill you???

A ring for my man...

Ok, I'll admit it: so much of the wedding planning process is a "me me me" thing, that I sometimes can neglect Mr. Buttons a bit! My head is filled with visions of flowers, wedding dresses, bridesmaids dresses, and the like...

Oh wait...this is a day for us to celebrate our love and commitment to one another...NOT for me to look really pretty and have everyone admire the hard work I put into the event? Darn...

I kid, I kid. But hopefully you get the point! So...lets get back to the topic at hand: marriage. And...the outward symbol of that marriage that Mr. Buttons will wear on his left hand. I'll admit; I put ring shopping off for months and months. I am not sure why, because I was more than excited to hound Mr. Buttons to purchase mine (I know, I'm a jerk, right???). Plus, I love to shop...so it should have been no problem for me!

However, I was hung up. Mr. Buttons and I did go to a few jewelry stores to price out their wedding bands. The problem is that Mr. Buttons is a relatively simple guy. He doesn't want anything too "fancy," and I agree. But, the plain gold or white gold wedding band was just not doing it for either of us. It is classic...my dad has been wearing one just like it since my parents got married, and it works just fine!

Source

But, with the amazing job that Mr. Buttons did with my ring, I felt like I had to do something a bit more personal or unique.

Enter Etsy. I spent a few days scouring the vast expanse of wedding bands offered. There were some very unique pieces, and I was intrigued!

I kept stumbling upon rings featuring rosewood. I love the rich color and the unique look of it!

Hawaiititanium

ZoeAndDoyle

This ring was also very intriguing to me; if you didn't like the rosewood on the outside of the ring, you could sneak it to the inside! Apparently the wood will darken naturally over time when it is in contact with your skin; neat!

ZoeAndDoyle

Sadly, Mr. Buttons vetoed the rosewood rings; he was worried about the upkeep, and was questioning whether or not he would still want to wear it when he gets older (it might be too "trendy" for his liking). I did stumble upon a similar ring style featuring titanium and carbon fiber that had a lot of potential:

ZoeAndDoyle

I also enjoyed the hammered look...it is unique, yet still traditional enough for Mr. Buttons' taste!

Seehara

But then I stumbled upon Fabuluster, and my search came to an abrupt conclusion. My heart skipped a beat when I saw these rings. They are the perfect blend of sentimental, traditional, and funky...and I adore them! Seriously, take a look at some of the rings in their Etsy shop:

(following images are from Fabuluster)

As you can see - the outside appears to be a traditional wedding band...but wait! Look inside - what is that? Oh...its a fingerprint...and not just anyone's fingerprint...it is your own!

The artisans at Fabuluster send you an impression kit that you imprint your finger on. To make a long story short, they take your imprint, and using a wax casting process they form the ring with your fingerprint on it! The print can be on the inside, or on the outside, if you're feeling adventurous...

But, which one did we pick? I decided to opt for the classic...I'd like to think that it is business on the outside, party on the inside:

Also, I know it is really sappy, but I love the fact that my hand will essentially always be touching his...and that perhaps this ring will become a great keepsake for future children/grandchildren/etc. I'm really excited to start the impression process and receive the final product!

Did you have a hard time shopping for your SO's wedding band? Which style(s) did you gravitate towards?