In last issue’s eZine editorial, Rob advised against making wooden jewelry – basing his opinion on some of the plans from the Woodworker’s Journal archives, circa 1980s. Here’s what some eZine readers had to say on the topic. – Editor
“Come on, Rob. What wife wouldn’t be thrilled to have her husband walk into the house, all covered in man glitter, and hand her a necklace with a huge wooden heart?” – Allen Wagner
“I am 37 and came along at the very tail end of the ‘70s, September of ‘79 to be a little more precise. I come from a place in Indiana that is far enough away from ‘normal folk’ that those from Hazard, Kentucky would consider us kin. Even with me coming from those roots, I wouldn’t consider jewelry anything made from wood. Nope. It came from pretty and precious metals. Things like IH tractors, you know, the once-shiny bright red tractors, or the chrome bumper off of my uncle’s K20 truck he harvested an unknown amount of whitetail deer with. You know, anything pretty and shiny you can bait a coon trap with will make a good ring. With that said, where’s the pictures of these women? I sure would like to see the pictures you are talking about.” – Kevin Hanes
Kevin: see above. – Editor
“I made a couple of bracelets for my wife. She said she wanted them but has never worn them. Oh, well.” – Bob Mayfield
“Agree with your thoughts regarding wives, girlfriends, etc., but there is another side to be looked at. The St. Louis Woodworkers Guild supplies toys to several hospitals in the St Louis area. So far, we have donated more than 5,000 toys for the children to assemble and/or paint. One of many items I submitted was a necklace to be painted.” – Rich Sanders
“I chose my wedding ring 30 years ago. It is a band of ironwood with a groove holding a pressure fitted pure gold band. It is beautiful and durable and, unlike my watches and other jewelry, it doesn’t give me an allergic reaction! It was made by a professional jeweler who worked in unusual materials. I would not recommend this to a home woodworker! I won’t even try a pen! But wooden jewelry, if done right, is a thing of beauty and joy!” – Carl Carter
