There’s a lot of decisions to make when it comes to selecting your wedding bands. For some, metal allergies can take a toll. For others, having something environmentally friendly and ethically-sourced is key. If these factors are impacting your wedding ring shopping decision, or if you’re just trying to find something unique, look no further than OddwoodDesign.
Shawn, owner of Oddwood.design, discovered his passion for creating bentwood-style rings while living in Portugal to propose to his then-girlfriend (now wife). Using an old piece of flooring, a knife, sandpaper, a tiny chisel, and tons of elbow grease, Shawn made the engagement ring and fell in love with the process.
Using a wide array of materials, such as Damascus steel, Purpleheart wood, and even crystalized dinosaur bone, Shawn’s designs are anything but odd. Rated as a Star Seller on Etsy, Shawn’s shop includes his-and-her designs, rings inspired by comic books, and even Hawaiian-inspired designs. Now settled in Canada, Shawn ships his rings worldwide.
“All my products are handmade by me,” says Shawn. “From bending the wood, cutting Damascus steel to packaging. I have spent uncountable hours studying, experimenting, and practicing different techniques to make sure I deliver the highest quality, water-resistant and durable products for my customers.”
There’s lots of reasons why an individual would want to opt for a wooden ring, rather than the traditional gold or silver. On top of being environmentally friendly and cruelty-free, Bentwood-style rings are hypoallergenic, are more resistant to scratches or breakage, and are completely one-of-a-kind.
“My big dream would be to be able to continue to create rings of all sorts for people all around the world. I like using super exotic materials and would love to keep creating things unique for every customer, no matter how odd the request.”
Starting your own business can be scary, especially when you’re entering the large industry that is the wedding ring business where there’s lots of big-box players.
“The biggest struggle was definitely to learn the different algorithms to help propel my store all over the internet,” said Shawn. “The more I learned, the more layers I found that needed to be addressed. It's an ongoing learning process, but a very interesting one.”
Once Shawn was able to overcome his obstacles, he found great success, and says that every moment of running his business makes him proud.
“I started this myself, on my own, and I get to keep learning everyday. I am proud of where my small business has brought me so far, and where it is going. I get to work on my own terms and hours, which allows me to spend more time with my 7-month-old son and wife. To me, that's success.”
We asked Shawn why he loves his .design domain, and for him, the answer was simple:
“I found that having this as my domain looked cleaner and more professional than ".com" did. The name of my business also has "Design" as a last word, so it worked perfectly for me.”
For other designers who are looking to start their own business or side hustle, Shawn says “Do it! Why do like everybody else when you have sweet options?”
To check out Shawn’s creations, follow OddWoodDesign at any of the medias below: