Elk antler ring
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: DonVathome
18-Nov-22
Any idea what it would cost to have part of an elk antler, or deer for that matter, made into a ring?
From: Scrappy
18-Nov-22
No idea on cost, but it would be to fragile once it was cut down to wear.
From: Altitude Sickness
18-Nov-22
When I bought this one they had antler options instead of the two wood varieties I choose
From: Jaquomo
18-Nov-22
I got the elk antler option from Manly Bands. I think it was $249? The base is titanium.
From: craigmcalvey
18-Nov-22
I make antler rings on my lathe and it’s not difficult but what I found is that they aren’t as durable as I’d like. The cost really isn’t that bad as most ring making materials are relatively inexpensive. The biggest issue I had was finding antler the correct diameter. Should be easier with elk than it was with whitetail antler.
Craig
From: Keefers
18-Nov-22
Jay I got that same ring but with wood inlays . Man we think alike brother lol.
From: Bill in MI
18-Nov-22
Final design next to extra piece of antler. I can make these or other designs for you guys. I'm a jeweler by trade and have my own store.
Final design next to extra piece of antler. I can make these or other designs for you guys. I'm a jeweler by trade and have my own store.
Trimmed antler
Trimmed antler
cut the antler in 2 pieces and prepping the casting. I designed the casting with a taper so that the antler would press fit into position.
cut the antler in 2 pieces and prepping the casting. I designed the casting with a taper so that the antler would press fit into position.
antler pieces rough fit and epoxied ready for final trimming.
antler pieces rough fit and epoxied ready for final trimming.
Here is one I designed, cast the insert in white gold, and assembled. I pulled a vacuum with thinned resin to fill the natural porosity of the antler.
From: craigmcalvey
18-Nov-22
Bill I like that design a lot! That kind of insert would be much easier to work with. Beautiful job!
From: RonP
18-Nov-22
very nice bill!
From: Altitude Sickness
18-Nov-22
Those are nice Bill, wish I would have known. I’d rather have bought mine from you.
From: Grunter
18-Nov-22
Heres a DIY model. My girlfriends dad found a whitetail shed many years ago. We gave it to the dog. When it got pretty small, i took it and made it into a ring for her. So she thought it was better than any diamond ring i could have bought her.
I used a drill and sand paper. I think it turned out pretty good for a 1st attempt. And she loves it! The rings above are beautiful! Really nice work guys!
From: GhostBird
18-Nov-22
Beautiful work.
From: t-roy
18-Nov-22
Very cool stuff, Bill in Mi!
From: drycreek
18-Nov-22
Nice work Bill, wouldn’t mind having one myself. I lost my original one a few years ago, I think it came off in a rubber glove after I gutted a deer but I couldn’t find it. I now wear a cheap one from Amazon. Yours looks much better.
From: Zbone
19-Nov-22
Way cool Bill, thanks for sharing...
From: BULELK1
19-Nov-22
Damn Nice Bill
I've had mine for years.
From: DonVathome
19-Nov-22
Thanks guys! I was actually looking at manly bands! Bill, very nice!
From: midwest
19-Nov-22
Bill's your man! A true professional and a great guy!
From: ElkNut1
19-Nov-22
Wow, you guys have out did yourselves there, great job, they look fantastic!
ElkNut
From: PiYoung
12-Sep-23
I saw your post about wanting to make a ring out of an elk or deer antler and thought I'd chime in, even though the thread is a year old. The cost can vary depending on several factors, such as the complexity of the design, the craftsman's experience, and any additional materials you may want to include. On average, you might expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $300 for a basic antler ring. However, if you want intricate designs or embedded stones, the price could go up considerably.
If you're still interested in this project, you could also consider getting the ring made to change colors based on your mood. Have you ever heard of mood rings? Don't you think this would be a unique twist to your antler ring?
From: Slate
12-Sep-23
Bill that is awesome love it.
From: Corax_latrans
12-Sep-23
“ The base is titanium.” A buddy of mine is an EMT with a LOT of experience (also Airborne) — he told me EMTs hate Ti bands because they can’t cut them off when they need to.
That can cost you a finger. My band isn’t Ti, but I still leave it someplace safe when my hands are at particular risk of injury.
Just sayin’… Be safe!
From: smarba
12-Sep-23
Heard the same caution about titanium rings.
From: Buckdeer
12-Sep-23
Yes they are almost impossible to cut off but usually you just slid them off the other end because they don't break.I made a ring out of a silver dollar by rotating round and round and you just keep tapping with a spoon and it will start to curve.When done you can read date of ring on inside of ring.My dad did learned this is the military.Kind of like trench art
From: switchback229
14-Sep-23
switchback229's Link
Rogue Antler Arts
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
14-Sep-23
I have a whitetail antler ring…my wife bought it for me… I’m not quite at bills level to make something that fantastic!
From: Bill in MI
16-Sep-23
As a jeweler, I can weigh in with some experience. Titanium rings are easy to cut through with a high carbon steel blade. Ti is pretty malleable and ductile. The confusion and issue is with TUNGSTEN carbide rings which are cheap and as you know really popular. But TC is super hard...in fact brittle. These cannot be cut with the traditional saws EMT's and goldsmiths use for getting a stuck ring off. The trick is to use vise-grips set SLIGHLY tighter than the diameter of the ring. The compression/shear force will cause the tungsten to crack and if done correctly will not squeeze your finger to a dangerous level. In the early days of the alternative metal wedding ring (25 years ago ish) people were losing their fingers because emergency personnel didn't know how to get them off. But...The real bitch are the cobalt/chrome/molybdenum alloy rings that are tough and super hard (the alloy was used in medical implant devices like ball joints etc). These are NOT brittle. It can take an hour with coolant and a dremel-type tool to cut them off.
FYI, in my ring design/build above, the client opted for the white gold tapered sleeve to which I attached two hoops of resin-stabilized (under vacuum) elk antler.
From: t-roy
16-Sep-23
Thanks for the info, Bill. Do you have a pic of the finished product of that ring?
From: Bill in MI
17-Sep-23
From: Bill in MI
17-Sep-23
Here you go
From: BoggsBowhunts
17-Sep-23
If I ever find a gal that will tolerate me, I’m gonna be giving Mr. Bill a call!
From: t-roy
17-Sep-23
Beautiful work, Bill!
