Telling a Story of Motherhood: Ricki's Custom Wooden Ring
May 06 2022 – Summer Yarbrough
Ricki joined Team Rustic six months after the launch of the company.
Who better to highlight on Mother's Day, than our very own work mom here at Rustic & Main?
“I’m mom around here,” said Ricki, our shipping and receiving lead. She proudly claims the title, and we’re proud to claim her.
Ricki’s seen just about every ring that has gone out of Rustic & Main’s doors, so creating a custom band for her needed to be something special.
When Ricki finally got around to customizing her own Rustic & Main ring, she chose to commemorate her motherhood.
The Elements of Ricki's Ring
Ricki had memories of a particular dogwood that she often watched her five children scale up and down. She chose wood from this tree for the base of her ring, which had two inlays: one of a serpentine weave of rose gold and silver and the other of dried dogwood blossoms (also from her tree) mixed with flecks of silver.
Ricki's Crafter
When it came time to choose a crafter, Ricki hand-picked Kassie for the job. Ricki and Kassie have had a special bond since Kassie first started working here as a crafter. Kassie coins Ricki as her “Work Mom”.
“Ricki has five kids, and I’m the oldest of five,” said Kassie “She homeschooled, and I was homeschooled. We just have a lot of things in common.”
This work mom and daughter duo support each other through the ups and downs of life. One of these many special moments Kassie and Ricki bonded over was crafting Ricki's ring, which was not an easy venture.
The Crafting Process
First off, if you know Ricki, you know she has small, delicate hands. Our typical band sizes were too thick for her fingers, so Kassie scaled the ring down to a mere 4 millimeters wide band.
The Twisted Metal Inlay
Secondly, was that serpentine or twisted metal inlay. Twisted metal inlays are an unfamiliar technique to many of our crafters. In fact, this is the first and only ring Kassie has made using the serpentine metal pattern. She took some advice from a fellow crafter, Eric T., who had experience with the technique, and went to crafting Ricki’s ring.
Keep in mind that Kassie was also working on a much smaller ring than Rustic & Main crafters usually make.
“I was working in hundredths of a millimeter to put that metal in there while also getting that dogwood flower edge with the little silver flacks,” said Kassie.
The Wood
Kassie was able to give Ricki’s dogwood ring even more flare when she found a knot in the dogwood branch. A knot in the wood grain is as good as the fingerprints on your hands. No other wood will ever look quite the same as the dogwood in Ricki’s ring.
Kassie showed her high level of craftwomenship and put together a truly, one-of-a-kind band for this special lady.
Ricki's Staying Rustic for Five Years
Ricki has been a part of Rustic & Main’s storyline from almost the beginning. Ricki started working for Rustic & Main five years ago and has been friends with Summer and Mike for 18 years. The three friends have watched the company grow from a home garage operation into the national brand Rustic & Main is today.
Why Ricki Stays At R&M
Ricki’s been here for both the good and the bad, but she especially treasures the silly moments, like the day Summer stomped around the office wearing a T-Rex costume for a video or when Mike randomly shows up dressed as Jimmy Buffett. “We’re just a goofy bunch of people around here, so it’s always fun,” said Ricki.
Ricki The Coworker
You can trust Ricki to speak her mind and make sure everyone who wants a cupcake gets one. She also makes sure everyone’s feeling well in both body and soul. “She’s a very understanding and caring person,” said Carolina, our Order Fulfillment Specialist.
Ricki The Mom
No one could agree more than David, a Rustic & Main’s ring crafter, who also happens to be Ricki’s son.
David joined Rustic & Main about six months before Ricki came on to help with shipping and receiving. They have had tons of funny moments while working at Rustic & Main together.
Caffeine Overload
One day, the difference in Ricki and David's caffeine thresholds became rather apparent.
"I gave her a tiny, the tiniest sip of my energy drink," said David, "and she was like a little squirrel, just bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day."
(We like to think she got even more shipments done that day than usual.)
She's Always There
While they have their funny moments, David also knows that his mom will support him at the end of every day. "She's always there for me," said David "She's my number one fan."
Team Rustic's Mom
Whether she’s your work mom or actual mom, the team at Rustic & Main can all agree that we’re thankful to work with Ricki and are even more grateful that we got to create a ring that tells the story of her motherhood.
Celebrate Your Mom with Rustic & Main
Want to celebrate your mom with a special gift? A custom ring made of sentimental materials like Ricki's band may be just the thing to tell the story of the special lady in your life you call mom.
Check out our ring customizer tool to see the possibilities or take a look at Rustic & Main's women's collection of handmade bands, which features designs in different types of lavender and wood.
