Water Buffalo Horn Wedding Rings

At Minter + Richter Designs, the base metal of your ring is either going to be Titanium or Inox Steel.  Why?  Because no matter what a factory jewelry store tells you, those are absolutely the best metals to use for long term durability and beauty for a handmade or custom ring.  Both metals are also extremely easy to care for.  Basically, you do nothing.  I suppose if you get some grease on either titanium or inox steel, you may want to spritz it with Windex or some sort of degreaser.  In general, you can just wipe it off with water.

All the inlays we use are as durable as inlay materials can get on planet earth.  Having said that, no inlay material on earth is as durable as titanium or steel.  Just like your clothing, your car, everything else you own, the gentler you treat your ring, the better it will look.  We tend to suggest, though, that you live your life and do not worry about it too much.  After all, we offer Lifetime Care for all our rings.  Be sure to read more about that below.

The Durability of our Various Inlay Materials and How to Care for Them.

WOOD -  All our woods are ultra stabilized, which means that they are impregnated with acrylics under 65,000 pounds of pressure.  They are, therefore, as impermeable and durable as wood can get on earth.  They are made so that you can swim and shower, etc.  If you think you are going to have your ring in excessive water or salty ocean water or steam and you do not want to take it off, you may want to protect it with Minter + Richter Band Balm.  You can read more about that below.

Private Universe - Wood Ring

STONE - Stone is extremely durable.  On top of that all our stones are reconstituted with a resin so that they are not brittle.  Perfect for a wedding ring.   A little windex goes a long way if you get grease on it.

Glory to the Brave - Stone Wedding Ring

RESIN - Also extremely durable.  Man made.  Resin making is its own art form and we have loads of gorgeous resins throughout or store.  Windex will degrease if you get grease on it.

The Pilot and the Flight Attendant - Resin Wedding Rings

BEACH SAND - Also very durable.  Just simply wipe it off or a little windex won't hurt either.

Wood and Beach Sunset - Beach Sand Wedding Rings

M3 MOKUME GANE - Also super durable.  No real care needed.

Satin Son of Adam - M3 Mokume Gane Wedding Ring

HORN/ANTLER - Also super durable.  Moose Antler can be somewhat fibrous so is best if not soaked in water.  No real care needed.

Humble Man of the Land - Horn and Antler wedding ring

WOOLLY MAMMOTH TUSK - No real care needed.

Woolly Mammoth Ocean - Woolly Mammoth Tusk Wedding Ring

Not only do we have our special blend and very protective Band Balm and Meteorite Wax to help you protect your ring from attacks by nature, we also offer the most generous Lifetime Care Package for handmade rings in the USA.  Not only does our Premium Level of Lifetime Care cover you for all damage for life, it also covers you for loss!  If you lose your ring, we will re-make it for free.  That is truly unheard of in the custom, handmade ring world.  Band Balm and Meteorite Wax can only protect your ring, not repair it.  Just as wax protects your car or your cheese, but does not repair it if you crash or take a bite out.

Band Balm - Protective Wax for Wood Wedding Rings

Meteorite Wax - Protective Wax for Meteorite Wedding Rings

Breakdown of Minter + Richter Lifetime Care

We know you love your ring.  And we put a lot of love into making it, still we know life is rough sometimes and accidents happen.  That is why we offer two levels of Lifetime Care.  Purchase once and your ring is covered for life.  We are the only company in the country to offer such an extensive insurance package for our rings.  If you see one that looks more generous out there, you can rest assured the ring is most likely factory made/mass produced.  If you see a ring manufacturer on the internet offering something that smells a little too good to be true, guess what, it is becuase they know they can just pull another ring from the shelf and ship it off to you.  They are not making it stem to stern by hand as we are.  At the most, they are purchasing ring blanks from overseas and just filling them.  Not cool.

We have split our Insurance package into two levels.  Both are exactly the same, except one very special thing.  They both cover all damage.  However, the Premium level of care also covers you if you lose your ring.  That's right!  If you purchase the Premium Level of LIfetime Care, your ring is covered for loss.  That means if you lose your ring, we will re-make it for free.  Of course it is one-time.  You can't lose your ring weekly and keep getting free ones.  But we have discovered that most people lose their ring the first year, when they are still not used to wearing a ring.  Except for doctors, nurses and anyone that wears gloves at work.  Those folks throw their rings away when they rip off their gloves and chuck them into the toxic trash can.  And they keep doing it too.  But that is okay, they at least get one free re-make if they purchase Premium Lifetime Care with their ring!

STANDARD LIFETIME CARE ($200)

• Covers all damage for life
• Does NOT cover loss of ring
• Includes FedEx return shipping 

PREMIUM LIFETIME CARE ($275) 

• Covers all damage for life
• Covers a one time free re-make should you ever lose your ring - WE WILL MAKE YOU A NEW RING FOR FREE IF YOU LOSE IT!!!
• Not available for Meteorite Rings
• Unless waived for special circumstances, must be purchased as part of original transaction.
• Includes FedEx return shipping

Still, life is long and you may come across little accidents that don’t need our help and can easily be fixed by you.  If your ring just gets dirty because you were gardening all day and you forgot to take it off, you can simply wipe it with a damp cloth.  If you get pizza grease or oil on the ring, don’t be afraid to try a mild astringent like Windex.  Just be sure to apply Band Balm after so that your ring is nourished again.

Jack ain’t worried!  He has Windex at home!

Just because we are happy to help when you lose your ring, does not mean that we don't understand or relate to the anxiety and sadness that arises when you finally accept that you have lost your wedding ring.  You have an emotional connection to your wedding ring.  It is not the monetary value that matters; it is the hopes, dreams and memories that are held within that specific piece of jewelry.  The emotional heartbreak can be significant.  For those who are superstitious, another layer of anxiety often comes into the equation given the fear that the material loss is symbolic or prescient of something ominous.

After 25 years of being in this business, I can tell you that the number one way to find your ring is to email me to tell me you lost it and need to use up your one time loss replacement on your Premium LIfetime Care package.  That is why I usually hold off for a few days before initiating the re-make.  But once we do re-make it, believe me, we re-infuse it with all the love and care that we did while making the original.  Further, if we used personal material of yours to make your original ring, don't forget that we keep that on file under your name so that your ring can be re-made with your exact same personal materials. 

After all that, it is important to remember that the ring is a symbol of the thing, it is not the thing itself.  People often forget that when they are in the throws of worry over the loss of their ring.  

In short, Minter + Richter Rings are made so that you can live your life to the fullest.  If you are especially concerned about an activity causing loss or damage, like deep sea diving or something where your wood ring will be sitting in corrosive salt or other elements for hours on end, it is always best to either swap it out for a silicone band ahead of time or opt not to wear it.  It is important to remember that just because your ring is super durable, it can still get damaged or lost.  Minter + Richter Designs rings are pieces of art that are unique to you so it is nice to treat them with the respect they are due.  You are worth it and so is your ring!