I first began making these rings while working at Kamimoto String Instruments, a musical instrument shop in San Jose, CA. We changed a lot of strings for customers that came in, and the old strings went into the trash. I was fiddling with a broken cello string during my lunch break one day and looped it around itself, creating something about the size of a bracelet.

It didn’t take long for me to start fishing other old, broken, or discarded strings out of the trash. Breaks and slow days saw me experimenting with different ring sizes and wrapping methods.

Trapping the ends of the strings turned out to be the biggest challenge. I tried gluing them at first, but I couldn’t find a glue that consistently stuck to every kind of metal the strings could be made from. Eventually I settled on wrapping the rings where the strings ended with sturdy wire.

Over the years, I’ve gradually refined my design, and now these rings are one of my best selling products. Since they’re sourced from a variety of instruments including violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, zither, and harp, they vary widely in color, thickness, and material, ensuring each handmade ring is unique.

Customers have the option to choose the band thickness and wire wrap color (silver tone, copper tone, or gold tone). I also take custom orders for specific combinations; for example, a medium black ring with a green wire wrap. I’ve also made matching sets of my musician rings, and one customer requested a two-color wrap in red and gold.