Ring made from upcycled silver spoon

Ring in your Valentine’s Day — or any romantic occasion — with rings. If you and your sweetie love the environment as fervently as you love each other, you’ll delight in the selection of rings from artisans and DIY enthusiasts who incorporate repurposed elements into their designs. Items such as sea glass. Whiskey barrels. And flatware.

In addition to supporting sustainability, upcycled rings offer an opportunity to decorate your fingers with something fresh, exciting, and enticingly untraditional.

Take a look.

Recycled Whiskey and Wine Barrels

 

Ring made from old whiskey barrel
Photo: Delaney Rings, Etsy

The Delaney Rings Etsy shop sells rings showcasing wood from old whiskey and wine barrels. “People love them for their … unique qualities and as a way of showing their passion for wines and whiskeys,” says Etsy shop owner Matthew Delaney of Las Vegas.

Recycled Guitar Strings

Ring made from old guitar strings
Photo: Fox Design Jewelry, Etsy

Fox Design Jewelry Etsy shop owner Jeanna Fox of Ohio upcycles previously played guitar and piano strings into rings and other jewelry. She says, “Guitar strings are not recyclable by standard methods because they are made of mixed metals … My boyfriend (now husband) was teaching his son to change the strings on his guitar. They went through a couple of sets of strings in just a few days. I set their discarded guitar strings aside thinking they were too pretty to go in the trash. Here we are all these years later.”  Her wedding-ring set is fashioned from upcycled strings.

Her Etsy page states: “If you know someone who plays a stringed instrument and changes their strings regularly, please put me in touch with them. I would like to keep the strings from ending up in a landfill.”

Recycled Sea Glass

Silver ring with recycled sea glass
Sea glass nugget from Seaham on the North East coast of England. Photo: I Love Dolly, Etsy

“I love to work with sea glass, sea pottery and even sea plastic in my (jewelry) pieces,” says Keeley Hogg of London, owner of the I Love Dolly shop on Etsy. “I started this mainly as I love how they look and how they challenge what a ‘gem’ is.”

Recycled Plywood

Recycled plywood ring
Photo: Robin Wood Rings, Etsy

Robin Ablitzer of Switzerland, the owner of Etsy shop, Robinwoodrings, retrieves leftover wood scraps for some of his ring designs.

“I source the wood from a local carpentry shop,” he says. “These are usually pieces that are too small to be used for cabinet making and would otherwise end up in the trash.”

Extra perk: Robin’s Etsy page states that every ring sold plants a tree.

Upcycled Vintage Silverware

Silver spoon ring
The geometric handle design is the highlight of this silver spoon ring. Photo: Funky Vintage Fem, Etsy

“There have been so many talented silversmiths in the past that have created spoons with such amazing designs. It would be a shame not to show these off,” says Femke Whittaker-Treffers, owner of Funky Vintage Fem Etsy shop.

Other Rings With Upcycled Materials Worth a Look

Fluffy ring made from recycled inner tube
Fluffy ring made from recycled inner tube: Photo: Laura Zabo Etsy Shop
Ring made from fork tines
Three-pronged fork ring. Photo: Dremeworks, Etsy

DIY Rings Using Repurposed Materials

If you’d like to try your hand at making a ring using repurposed materials, here are just a few of the many DIY ring projects you can find on the web.

Featured image courtesy of Funky Vintage Fem Etsy shop

By Patti Roth

Patti began her writing career as a staff writer for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Still based in Florida, Patti serves as editor for Fort Lauderdale on the Cheap. She regularly writes about environmental, home improvement, education, recycling, art, architecture, wildlife, travel and pet topics.