Unless you use an epoxy of some sort, they’re quite prone to breaking over time — I only used natural beeswax.

(Plus, quite a few broke while I was iterating on my technique…)

To be clear, this is one of the reasons my then-girlfriend wanted one, to ensure a speedy engagement!

If they are made by cutting a ring shape out of wood, the grain is too weak for long term wear.

I more common method for wooden rings is to cut a long thin rip at 1/16th”. Soak it water for 30 minutes. Wrap it around something finger size, put a rubber band around it and let it dry. You can get a good imitation of a glossy epoxy finish with CA/super glue. This gives a lot more strength than a cutout.

Why not just use epoxy? It’s pretty easy to work with.

> Why not just use epoxy? It’s pretty easy to work with.

CA glue is easier for me to work with than epoxy and has done a fine job for me.

Thin CA will wick into the grain of thin veneers acting as a stabilizer. Epoxy is thicker and doesn't penetrate as deeply.

There are methods to get epoxy deeper, but they require significant equipment. Search for "stabilized wood" if you're curious.

I don't think that is true- I build and restore both wooden and fiberglass boats with epoxy, and have used it in almost every possible way. There are different thicknesses of epoxy with different properties, but the ones specially designed for penetrating deeply into wood - such as clear penetrating epoxy sealer will indeed penetrate extremely deep into wood, the manufacturer claims 9-16". In practice, almost any epoxy will penetrate at least 1" into wood.

If anything, epoxy often has too much penetration, and I end up doing a first coat or two that disappear fully into the wood, and another thickened one so it actually stays on the surface or joint.

Fingers change size, but wooden rings can't be stretched.

They can be sanded, just get a thick ring!

Yes, but that's generally not something you want to be doing the week before a wedding. It's _very_ easy to forget to do, and hard for the best man to run around and fix while you panic.

I had enough trouble SHINING MY SHOES. :)