Home » I Asked A Jeweler To Make An All-Terrain Tire-Themed Wedding Ring And He Blew My Mind

I Asked A Jeweler To Make An All-Terrain Tire-Themed Wedding Ring And He Blew My Mind

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I’m currently the middle of wedding prep, and that means emailing/calling vendors; following up with invited guests; and buying all sorts of random things like wedding card boxes and “Just Married Signs” and suits and, of course, wedding bands. As I’m not one to go the traditional route on pretty much anything, I decided against a standard gold band; I wanted something car-ish, so I thought to myself: “What car-like thing is the shape of a wedding ring?” Then it came to me: A tire!

It turns out, tire rings are a thing — I had no clue. But it seems like there are all sorts of vendors on Etsy making custom rings that look like tires. Unfortunately, the first vendor, named Racerings — a big one in the tire-ring space — stopped making tire rings out of Titanium, which is the material I wanted (since I think its color would look the most accurate, and it’d be durable). But then I happened upon an Etsy vendor named Jason Olsen, who runs VentureCustomShop out of Nebraska.

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I peeked at a few of the rings in his online store, and asked if he could make me a custom one out of Titanium. I was trying to decide between the classic look of a BFG All-Terrain or my favorite off-road tire, the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac.

Jason said he could do either. In fact, after I sent him the exact tire treads, he even scanned them both into his software:

Icm Fullxfull.709563460 7kcojcqvv68ss4ssw4sk Icm Fullxfull.714715721 Mphigexs440cw0kk400s

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Look at how detailed the tread is! Surely the final product won’t have sipes, right? Surely they’re far too small?:

Icm Fullxfull.714715743 Gjf76skx7i80kgg4s8kc

After just a couple of days, Jason sent me a few photos of my titanium ring, right after sandblasting and before any coating had been applied:

Icm Fullxfull.715043077 Foiot8psvio80ck44404 Icm Fullxfull.715043071 O1a3lzjqz1wccko0g0sc

Then Jason added a “Battleworn” finish, which he says hold up extremely well to abuse, which is good, because when I wrench I destroy pretty much everything (my phone has taken a beating over the years).

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It looks pretty good:

Icm Fullxfull.710692018 8hjude52desk4go8wwsc Icm Fullxfull.715043375 Gzfwa3amgc8w0koc4880

Then Jason sent me this glamour shot, and my jaw hit the floor:

Icm Fullxfull.710693032 1g3hlqf3qe74cw84804g

Holy smokes! That looks like an actual Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac!

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Within fewer than 10 days of my initial request, I had this box at my front door:

462549581 1872882909787427 468288208191018326 N

462556534 448124325003097 7895236603318106288 N

Look at how absurdly detailed this thing is!

462542013 3869764233304072 2817258159405265412 N 462552670 557243157068936 3311572295030256996 N

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Total cost was $320, which is significantly cheaper than a standard gold ring. Yes, Titanium isn’t as precious as gold, but boy am I blown away, and excited to wear this thing everyday.

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Stef Schrader
Stef Schrader
5 days ago

That is gorgeous!

Only piece of advice: don’t wrench with rings on. “Degloving” is a thing. A gross, scary thing. I know it’s a wedding ring! I know it’s supposed to be there forever! Still, designate a safe place to put the ring when you’re elbows-deep in engine. I have one of those freebie jellybean tins from Pelican Parts to stash jewelry in so my rings don’t get lost in my purse when I’m fisting a 944. Maybe designate a specific pocket in your pants to put it in? If you put it in the same place every time, there’s less of a chance it’ll get lost.

Last edited 5 days ago by Stef Schrader
Morgan van Humbeck
Morgan van Humbeck
5 days ago
Reply to  Stef Schrader

This is good advice. I worked with a dude who’s wife got mad at him if he ever took his ring off. He has nothing resembling skin on his ring finger now.

Freelivin2713
Freelivin2713
6 days ago

For some reason, I saw the headline and thought “Ha ha, she’s not gonna want a tire ring! Typical DT, ha ha” and then realized it was for him

Scaled29
Scaled29
6 days ago
Reply to  Freelivin2713

That’s exactly what I thought too

Morgan van Humbeck
Morgan van Humbeck
5 days ago
Reply to  Freelivin2713

I assumed it was for her, but that she’d specifically requested it. Shrug

Roofless
Roofless
6 days ago

That’s awesome! That’s super well done. Love titanium, too – the feel, the weight, the sound, it’s such a unique metal. Good choices all around!

Doug Kretzmann
Doug Kretzmann
6 days ago

Gold is fine. I’ve been wearing my gold ring for 36 years now, have not taken it off in that time.. goes wrenching, swimming, up and down mountains, etc.
It’s a bit battered but then so am I 😉

that is a good-looking ring tho, nicely done.
My mother had a platinum ring with a braided weave, this ring reminds of it a little.

Rob Rex
Rob Rex
6 days ago

As a married wrencher – my only advice, get also a silicone “workout” band if you want to wear a wedding ring while working on your car.

Isis
Isis
6 days ago
Reply to  Rob Rex

I just had my Claddagh tattooed on my finger. No more forgetting to put it back on after playing with electricity. . .

Joshua Moser
Joshua Moser
6 days ago

That is easily the best wedding ring I have ever seen! Congrats.

Lockleaf
Lockleaf
6 days ago

Now that is a very cool ring. But I’m in the camp of running it full time.

I’ve been rocking Tungsten Carbide argyle for 15 years now. Since I put it on, I think the time it has been off my finger can be measured in hours, not days. Those rare times I take it off my left hand, it pretty much always gets put on my right hand, just cuz my finger itches or I need a little extra space when wrenchingl

Much like old cars, I’ve made a decision that the value derived is well worth any additional risk the ring adds.

Scott Wangler
Scott Wangler
6 days ago

Impressive

sentinelTk
sentinelTk
6 days ago

Ok, wow….that price is ridiculous and honestly a case of someone undervaluing their work (presuming it is actually titanium).

No Kids, Just Bikes
No Kids, Just Bikes
6 days ago

I too bought my ring on Etsy. Mine’s paisley-engraved copper around silver. It is now roughly D-shaped from daily activities. After reading about Jimmy Fallon nearly accidentally ripping his whole ring finger off I don’t wear any rings unless dressing up for an event.

In my tiny town everyone knows me and my wife so it doesn’t matter. I didn’t find that people cared much about a wedding band in L.A., either.

Cool ring, though!

Thirdmort
Thirdmort
6 days ago

I (used to before kids) rock climb and up until recently did a lot of prototype car builds for work. I’ve gotten so used to wearing a cheap silicone as my daily that I hate wearing my real wedding ring and will only do for special occasions too.

Nicklab
Nicklab
2 days ago

I also got my ring on Etsy, but its “Fordite” and titanium. I also have a silicone ring for wrenching just in case.

Tim Beamer
Tim Beamer
6 days ago

Looks awesome, DT!

Crimedog
Crimedog
6 days ago

Um.
Does want.
(Not yours, of course, but mine own)

TheNewt
TheNewt
6 days ago

Been wearing a Ti ring for 24 years now. It has held up very, very well considering everything I put it through. Good choice.

Óscar Morales Vivó
Óscar Morales Vivó
7 days ago

Well if you ever go full-fledged tire-themed supervillain, this is how we’ll find you out.

Geoff Buchholz
Geoff Buchholz
7 days ago

Wow, David, what an awesome ring. You must be so stoked.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
7 days ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Be sure to pace yourself. You don’t want to be too tired for your wedding.

Amberturnsignalsarebetter
Amberturnsignalsarebetter
2 days ago
Reply to  David Tracy

When the tread is worn down, you’ll know it’s time to renew those vows.

Yngve
Yngve
7 days ago

Shockingly cool ring.

As a fellow titanium wedding ring wearer, I’ll pass along some wisdom that a cyclist friend of mine picked up from an ER doc he frequently rides with:

Don’t wear this while riding/skiing/doing any activity where it is possible/likely that you will break or dislocate your ring finger; most ERs don’t have the equipment to cut a Ti ring off a hopelessly swollen finger.

I swap over to a silicone ring for that stuff (concerts and football games too…clapping hurts with a solid ring).

Congrats!

ProfessorOfUselessFacts
ProfessorOfUselessFacts
6 days ago
Reply to  David Tracy

I daily drive silicone as well after splitting my tungsten ring in half. It held up to 10 years of restaurant work, wrenching on 3 cars, and a lot of woodworking as well.

BolognaBurrito
BolognaBurrito
6 days ago
Reply to  Yngve

A Ti ring can be cut off with a standard ring cutter, which is something most ERs, fire departments, and lots of ambulances actually have. Not only that, you could also use a pair if sidecutters. Ti is not hard to cut. Why does this falsity keep getting passed around in this thread.

If an ER doesn’t have something to cut off a titanium ring, that means they are unequipped to cut off a gold, silver, or platinum ring too.

Andrew Bugenis
Andrew Bugenis
6 days ago
Reply to  BolognaBurrito

Yeah, it’s my understanding that it’ll mess up the cutting blades and they won’t be *happy* with you compared to using it on softer metal, but titanium can certainly be cut.

Óscar Morales Vivó
Óscar Morales Vivó
6 days ago
Reply to  BolognaBurrito

IIRC Tungsten is the one you want to avoid as that one just won’t get cut.

BolognaBurrito
BolognaBurrito
6 days ago

You fracture tungsten. All it takes is some vise grips to do. Alternatively, some bolt cutters will fracture it, same with a bench vise. The problem is, these tools are far less common in a ER, though, I’d wouldn’t be surprised if they started having a set a vise grips available (this is just a big fat guess though).

Ian McClure
Ian McClure
6 days ago
Reply to  BolognaBurrito

Yeah, people have this notion that titanium is some ultra-strong supermetal. It’s not really, it’s about as strong, based on physical dimensions, as good steel. It’s just lighter and more corrosion resistant.

Last edited 6 days ago by Ian McClure
Nicklab
Nicklab
2 days ago
Reply to  Ian McClure

It does tend to eat tools faster than stainless though. We had to replace taps and end mills faster when running Ti parts. And at my current job the Ti plates destroy the threads on our removal tools quite quickly

Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge
Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge
7 days ago

Brings new meaning to ‘Ring time.

Does “Elise” know how to to do the installation and balancing?

Last edited 7 days ago by Jesus Chrysler drives a Dodge
Parsko
Parsko
7 days ago

Titanium stains porcelain. I stopped wearing mine after I realized that too late. This is an awesome idea and result !!!

TurboCruiser
TurboCruiser
6 days ago
Reply to  Parsko

I don’t think it’s your ring leaving those stains on the toilet.

Parsko
Parsko
6 days ago
Reply to  TurboCruiser

Lol!!

Erik McCullough
Erik McCullough
7 days ago

that’s pretty wild and cool. Good luck.

Urban Runabout
Urban Runabout
7 days ago

That rough texture is gonna fuck up your hand dude – particularly the interdigital fold between your ring finger and middle finger, and the ring side of your middle finger. That’s fairly sensitive skin there.

And that’s before you start doing any actual work.

You’ll find out fast why wedding rings are generally fairly smooth.

Goblin
Goblin
7 days ago

Weren’t these abundantly advertised on the last two pages of Cycle World all throughout the 90’s, along with the “Human Pheromone X” ads with the ugly lady doctor something something, that was the same ad for about 20 years – almost as persistent as the Jonathan Zizmor tight skin ads in the NYC subway ?

Last edited 7 days ago by Goblin
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
7 days ago

That’s an awesome ring DT! (it really is!)

I would suggest that you get yourself an Ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Due to your frequent wrenching that ring is going to collect some serious dirt.

(add it to the Bridal registry) 🙂

Last edited 7 days ago by Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
6 days ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Well, you’re all set then! 🙂

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
7 days ago

So will “Elise” be getting one too but with diamond studs?

Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
7 days ago

The level of detail on that is amazing!

We made each other’s rings for our wedding, and I specifically went for nice soft gold so it can be cut off. Also she made it with a hammered and brushed finish because that’s how it’s going to end up looking anyway.

Her ring needed a weird custom bend in it to fit around her engagement ring, and the jeweller overseeing the ring making insisted that I spend four hours carefully filing platinum to shape, rather than let me spend half an hour making a press tool and engineer it to shape.

Pappa P
Pappa P
7 days ago
Reply to  Captain Muppet

Yeah my ring would need a cut off wheel or a pretty serious side cutter at 10k. I’m guessing yours can be cut off with a pair of scissors?

Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
7 days ago
Reply to  Pappa P

I work with a lot of different metals, and gold, silver and aluminium are so much softer than platinum, which is much softer than steel, which is slightly easier to cut than titanium, which is a dream to machine compared to tungsten.

ProfessorOfUselessFacts
ProfessorOfUselessFacts
6 days ago
Reply to  Captain Muppet

Tungsten is easier to crack than cut. Smash it hard enough and it will split. Ask me how I know, lol

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