Simply Wood Birth Flower Ring
This post was sponsored by Simply Wood Rings and I received an item for review. Scroll all the way down to enter the giveaway.
To kick off Earth Month’s eco-friendly brand features, I want to orient the discussion around our planet in the broadest sense.
I’m interested in coming to understand the way we’ve anthropomorphized and even worshiped the earth through the character of Mother. An earth goddess exists in several of the world’s ancient religions, including those of the Inca, Algonquian, Mesopotamians, Indo-Europeans, and Egyptians. And in ancient Rome, Gaia stands in as the ancestral mother of all life.
As one character in a larger, polytheistic narrative, these earth goddesses interacted with others gods, as well as humans, on a regular basis in tangible, everyday ways.
You don’t have to adopt particular religious beliefs to see the value in the symbolic figure of Mother Earth. Framing the earth as a mother strips back the dominating, industrial narrative of the last few hundred years and forces us to imagine what an interpersonal relationship would look like with this humming, diverse planet.
Mother is a role of origination and sustaining, of protection and discipline. As a child, I saw my mother through a lens of respect, gratitude, wonder, and deep love. If we could consciously see the earth and its ecosystems through this framework, I think much could be accomplished for sustainability.
Simply Wood Rings brings this ethos of respect and wonder to its sustainable, eco-friendly wood rings.
About Simply Wood Rings
Simply Wood Rings is a Chicago-based ethical business that produces one-of-a-kind, custom made rings for any occasion.
Their business model is community based in that all raw materials are sourced through an organic network of friends, clients, and small businesses. Wood is gathered from local cabinet makers, donated from clients’ home projects, salvaged from fallen branches in local woods, and even saved from an old xylophone and marimba factory.
Flowers for inlays are taken from friends’ and families’ gardens, or purchased from small scale etsy sellers. And gemstones are purchased from vendors and co-ops that prioritize US-based, sustainable industry, including turquoise scraps from Alltribes artisans.
Being able to wrap a beautifully polished piece of tree around my finger makes me feel rooted. It’s a reminder that the most meaningful things in life are simple: a laugh between longtime friends, birdsong, sharing a meal, walking through the woods, watching a child play pretend.
I’m wearing Simply Wood Rings’ new Birth Flower Ring in these photos, customized to represent meaningful dates in my life. Coming full circle, the Simply Wood team made this ring with mothers in mind, with the intention of having the mother select wood that represents her birth month and floral inlays to match the birth months of her children.
Since I don’t have children (and my mother was unlikely to wear a ring), I selected the components of my ring to represent Daniel’s and my relationship.
The base wood is cherry (July) to represent Daniel’s and my wedding month, as well as strong expression and compassion. There are two floral inlays: Aster (September) for my birth month and magic, mystery, love, and daintiness, and Gladiolus (August) for Daniel’s birth month and moral integrity, infatuation, and fortitude.
Birth Flower Ring Review
The Birth Flower Ring makes a definite statement without feeling clunky; in fact, it feels quite feminine in a modern way. I plan on making it one of my everyday rings in addition to my wedding and engagement rings. For me, it symbolizes the continuing, everyday relationship Daniel and I share. It’s so much more than that single wedding day, so much more vibrant, deep, and all-encompassing.
As we look toward year 8 of marriage this summer, it feels right to honor our marriage with a stunning piece of jewelry, just as much a keepsake as the rings we exchanged on our wedding day. (This piece, all in, totaled about $310, but costs vary by complexity of design and materials used, so if you’re interested you can fill out a commission form here.)
I can highly recommend Simply Wood Rings for their quality, beauty, sustainable ethos, and professionalism. My ring came packed in biodegradable cardboard and tissue paper, and was cushioned in a little wood tray.
Whether you’re looking for a Mother’s Day gift, a wedding ring, or commemorating another event in your life, Simply Wood Rings will work with you to make a ring that suits you distinctly, and with the sense that there was equal nurturing given to you and Mother Earth.
Leah Wise is the founder of StyleWise Blog. She has been writing, speaking, and consulting on sustainable fashion, the fair trade and secondhand supply chain, and digital marketing for over ten years. An Episcopal priest, Leah holds a B.A. in Religion from Florida State University and an M.Div. from Yale Divinity School. When not working, you can find her looking for treasures at the thrift store.