Several years ago, long before any of my welding or glassworking escapades, I found a little old wrench in my great-grandfather's workshop. Using his old framing hammer and bench vise, I banged that wrench into a ring. I remember listening to Shel Silverstein music and watching the sun come up while I rounded out the band of the ring. Every few years since, I have made another ring for myself.
On the far left is my railroad-spike ring. Band is new steel stock that I bent and hammered into shape. I took a slice out of a railroad spike and welded it to the band. The surface of the slice was smooth after cutting but I wanted it to look like the exterior of an old railroad spike, so I gave it a hammered finish.
Next to that is the wrench-ring described above.
Third from the left is my square-nail ring. The nail was already quite old before I bent it out of shape; I found it in the hardware collection of my mother's godmother's father. He was a Depression-era dad, never threw anything away, and she maintained his odds and ends until passing. After she died, I inherited much of the hoard.
Far right is the only ring that I didn't make. It was given to my grandfather by my grandmother when they were engaged in 1961 or '62. He gave me the ring a few days ago, just before the move to MN.
Finally, the only non-ring piece of jewelry I wear; the necklace. My grandfather gave me his coin collection some years ago, he'd gathered it over the years and on various trips around the world. In the collection were two coins that already had holes in them: an 1838 2 Pence from Great Britain and an 1825 United Kingdom Penny. Wearing those, I always know I'm holding onto the oldest thing in the room, or else I'm in the presence of something quite interesting!
So, now that I've showed off... What shiny stuff do you hang on yourself?
