While there is a long history of the uber rich being able to customize anything they want - their cars, their clothing, jewelry, etc, it wasn't always the same for the rest of us. Then the 00's hit and suddenly we could customize things like our phone cases and coffee mugs and we jumped all over it - myself included 100%. But after the dust settled, we all began to realize that we really only want to customize important items. At the end of the day, if you are over 15 you most likely don't care what your phone case looks like. Your Wedding Ring, though, falls squarely into the important items category. In truth, if anything in your ownership is going to be completely unique to you, it should be your wedding ring. Your wedding ring is a symbol of the most important commitment you make in your life. It is a commitment that can create generations of joy if treated with the respect it deserves. Your wedding ring is also an expression of both your own personal journey as well as your relationship. The other good news is that, if you are mature enough to make that commitment, you are most certainly mature enough to design a ring that will be timeless and perfect. The even better news is that, with Minter + Richter Designs help, you can incorporate any personal item on earth into your ring which will make that ring like no other ring on earth. It is a fantastic feeling to receiving a Minter + Richter Designs ring knowing you are the only person on earth with this exact ring. Your marriage is unique to you and your wedding ring should be as well.
While you definitely do not have to incorporate personal materials into your wedding ring in order for it to be unique, doing so certainly takes the unique-ness up a notch. After all, no one else on earth has a piece of your house, your shell collection, your beach, your grandparent's wedding rings, or your coin collection in their wedding ring. But you can! Below are just a few examples of our customers who sent us personal items and the rings we designed with them.
This beautiful couple sent us a piece of lava they had collected themselves from Fagradalsfjall, Iceland.
Fagradalsfjall, Iceland
Wearing their rings made out of their lava...
Their Rings!
We do of course showcase and sell a picture of "their rings" on our site, but if you order those rings, we will either make them with our own stock of lava or you can send us your own. We do not, of course, use their personal lava that they sent to us to make YOUR rings. We keep all personal materials filed under each customer's name so that if/when you lose your wedding ring, we can remake it for you quickly and easily, still using your personal material. Be sure to check out our Premium Lifetime Care options which even covers you for loss, so that if you do lose your ring in the future - we will re-make it for FREE!
Same goes for this cool couple from Florida! They both previously worked as first responders and decided to make quite a dramatic career change to helping preserve Florida's eco-system by culling the herd of Alligators. As we all know, Florida has a severe problem with invasive and non-native species (pythons, iguanas, boar, alligators) eating up all the natural species in the Everglades and beyond. Therefore, it was super fitting that they wanted Alligator Teeth in their wedding rings. We made them gorgeous wedding rings of their own design out of their Alligator Teeth. They were even kind enough to gift us some extra teeth for our own library, that we have permission to use in YOUR rings!
Badass Florida lady
Alligator Teeth
Her Ring - She Gator
His Ring - Sunshine State Predator
We also had a beautiful couple from the mountains of Tennesse send us pieces of their grandfather's mountain cabin!
Grandfather's Smoky Mountain Cabin
It is amazing, isn't it, to think that this structural board below...
Board from Cabin used to make rings
... could turn into these beautiful wedding rings!
Smoky Mountain Cabin Wedding Rings
Below is a list of items sent to us just this wedding season to make custom wedding rings. Some personal materials (like blood, for example) are buried beneath the inlays, while other personal materials are either ground for aggregate (like sand and lava) in an inlay or, like the cabin wood above, are the whole inlay itself.
Personal Materials Sent to us in the Past to Incorporate into Wedding Rings
Baby Crib
Baby Teeth
Blood
Boar Tusk
Bricks
Crystals
Dog Hair
Dried Flowers
Football Field Turf
Horns
Human Hair
Iguana Claws
Military Uniform Buttons
Nascar Racetrack
Old Jewelry
Pieces of House
Plane Parts
Python Fangs
Seashells
Shell Casings
Tennis Court Turf
Wheelchair Parts
Wood
Reasons why you should customize your wedding band
● Customization gives you full control over all the aspects/features of the final product. Since you’ll be wearing this for the rest of your life, you should have control over how every aspect of it is produced. At Minter + Richter Designs, we give you full control.
● You will end up with something personal and unique. Customizing your wedding ring is also a beautiful way to showcase your effort and sentiments behind the decision-making of every feature/design element.
● If overspending is an issue, customization helps you stay well within your budget while still creating a band you'll love.
How Do I Customize my Wedding Ring with Minter and Richter Designs?
You can read even more details on how to customize here, but in general all you need to do is contact me, Minter Richter. I am a real person and I am the owner of the company. The buck starts and stops with me. You won't find yourself lost in some customer service department. Further, your ring will be made by one person, Master Craftsman, Scott Richter - not a factory of "ring makers" who form an assembly line. While there are many companies that make perfectly beautiful rings by employing lots of people to make certain parts of the ring and then pass it off to the next person for the next part in an assembly line, there is a real difference in quality and product confidence when your ring is made by a single craftsman who is dedicating his time to just your ring and your ring only.
If you email me, I will generally hit you back with a few questions about what you are looking for, what materials you would like to use, etc. I may ask if there is a particular ring on the website you like the most. This can help me ascertain what you are looking for and what other options may be similar.
I will also most likely email you a form like the below. This is just general info that will help me put a quote together for you. At the bottom of the form is information about Sizing and our wonderful Lifetime Care Options. 99% of all our customers get both of those so I generally include it in my initial email response.
If you are getting custom Sizers from us (strongly suggested), you will just ship your personal materials back to us in the pre-paid mailer we provide with the custom sizers. We generally pay the postage at $4.30, but if you think your item is heavier, you can just add a little postage.
If you are not getting Custom sizers, then you would just ship us your material on your own to the below address. Please make sure to never ship us material until you have purchased a ring. It is important that we have an order in place before we receive your materials. It is also super important that you include your FULL NAME in with the materials.
Minter & Richter Designs
2 Ainsley Street
Boston, MA 02122
Ring A - ____________________________ (name or description of ring – or name of ring on website you are basing your design upon))
apx. size - __________ (we would base your sizers around this size. Custom Sizers are highly recommended, see below in signature for info.)
width - __________ mm
Finish on metal - _______________________ (satin? Sandblasted? Mirror?)
Shape of edges - __________________________ (rounded? Flat? Pinstriped?)
Any interior anodizing? If so, what color? - ___________________ (blue, green, bronze, sunset, pink, purple)
engraving phrase - _____________________________________________ (if desired)
Ring B - _________________________________ (description of ring – or NAME OF RING on our website you are basing your design upon))))
apx. size – _____________ (we would base your sizers around this size. Custom Sizers are highly recommended, see below in signature for info.)
width – _____________mm
Finish on metal - _______________________ (satin? Sandblasted? Mirror?)
Shape of edges - __________________________ (rounded? Flat? Pinstriped?)
Any interior anodizing? If so, what color? - ___________________ (blue, green, bronze, sunset, pink, purple)
engraving phrase - __________________________________________ (if desired)
Instagram Handle - ______________________ (Do you want to get tagged with a pic of the ring while we are making it?)
Wedding hashtag - ___________________________
wedding date - _________________________
latest must have by date - __________________
Do you want a Lifetime Care Option? If so, which level? _________________ (STANDARD Level, PREMIUM Level – see below in signature for info.)
Full STREET shipping address - ______________________________________________
Choose either STANDARD or PREMIUM LEVEL of Lifetime Care Options: PURCHASE ONCE AND YOUR RING IS COVERED FOR LIFE!
PREMIUM LIFETIME CARE ($275) - WE WILL MAKE YOU A NEW ONE FOR FREE IF YOU LOSE IT!!!
Covers all damage for life
Covers a onetime free re-make should you ever lose your ring.
Not available for Meteorite Rings
Unless waived for special circumstances, must be purchased as part of original transaction.
Includes return shipping
STANDARD LEVEL OF LIFETIME CARE ($200)
Covers all damage for life
Does not cover loss of ring
Includes return shipping
FAQs
Q: How do I get sized?
A: WE STRONGLY SUGGEST PURCHASING MINTER & RICHTER CUSTOM SIZERS to guarantee you get the absolute perfect fit for your ring. The industry-wide standard for ring size carries many variables (different measuring tools, ring widths, ring materials and design). Factory made bands are sized LESS accurately than our handmade bands. Therefore, getting sized at a factory jewelry store does not guarantee that the size will be correct. We offer Sizing Exchanges for life for half price. But getting Custom Sizers ensures that you will not need a sizing exchange. A sizing exchange is 50% the cost of the original if you were not sized on our custom sizers.
- Minter & Richter Custom Aluminum Sizers ($45 for a set of 3 sizers): If you have a general idea of what your ring size might be, we can make you a set of custom aluminum sizers (plain aluminum bands) in three different sizes at your preferred width. This allows you to spend time wearing each sizer for a day or two and finding out which one offers the most comfortable fit. Finger size can fluctuate slightly throughout the day due to water intake, temperature, etc. so this is an excellent way to get an accurate representation of exactly how your final ring will fit. We request that customers purchase their final ring(s) at the same time as the sizers. We will ship you the sizers along with a SASE for convenient return (domestic only – international must pay for return shipping). Once you confirm your ring size we begin making your rings!
(**Please note that sizers can add approximately 2 weeks to order processing.)
Most people can easily finish the entire ring design process via email. Still others prefer Type 2.
Type 2 - Tell Minter You Want to Talk on the Phone or Zoom
If you want to hear my beautiful voice, I'm fine with that! You can call me anytime at 617-326-6671. That is a landline in my studio, not a cell. If I don't answer, that only means I am in a Ring Consultation or it is after hours. If you leave your name and number, I promise, I will call you back. Please speak clearly and slowly, voicemail sucks. If you leave me your email address, slowly and clearly, I will email you my upcoming open time slots for zoom or phone coversation.
If we zoom together, I will share my screen and go over all the options with you. In the end, I will still be filling out that form from Type 1. But it is fun to get to chat and really look at the website with my knowledge of all the materials in your pocket to use.
If you want to dive a little deeper into the Ring Design Process and you are local enough to get to Boston, why not book an In Person Ring Consultation with me? All our In-Person Ring Consultations start at our Minter + Richter Mini-Mansion in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, just minutes from downtown. We will provide non-alcoholic drinks, but if you would like to bring some beer, wine or celebratory champagne, you are welcome!
