In case you can’t tell, I’ve come to enjoy custom designing my own adornments based on whatever design thoughts pop into mind! I’ve noticed lately that a lot of things out there now have a hex pattern on them. Everything from car grilles to enterprise server faceplates seem to be sporting a six-sided grid pattern rather than a boring square or diamond pattern. Well, why not give it a shot and see how it looks?
In case you can’t tell, I’ve come to enjoy custom designing my own adornments based on whatever design thoughts pop into mind! The design for this one struck me as I noticed our kitchen cabinets. When designing the kitchen a few years back, I recalled a myriad of choices regarding material/shape/cut/style/etc - just for the door frames. I remembered that we fell in love with the “pillowed” effect cabinets in a dark, rich stained color. That “pillowed” effect is what served as the inspiration for this design.
After creating two self-designed rings following the successful first custom-designed ring, I figured I was on a roll and should try for some more designs! The inspiring thought for this adornment was to replicate the look of a gem-paved band (like the terribly uncomfortable repurposed bangle experiment) for a “blingy” look. Unfortunately, the realities of manufacturing derailed the design similar to my previous attempt (which still turned out awesome!). Initially I started the design with square-shaped gems featuring a “princess cut” leading to an octagonal topped gem. It looked awesome in the renders and the 3d printed prototype, but a spinning CNC bit can only join four corners together without creating a conical meeting point if all of the lines are on the same plane. In this case, the initial design was to have the lines come together at different angles. It would have looked awful and, thankfully, the engineers caught the probability of failure during design review just before being cut. Working with the Hankin at RapidDirect who helped proxy design reviews with the engineers, another design was put together ultimately leading to the understanding that hex shaped gems just will not work out. So, a final design featuring square shaped studs was put together - and… success!
I loved my first self-designed and created ring so much that I was practically antsy to try making another. As a complete nut for fishnet thigh highs, I thought it would be fun to design an adornment that simulated a fishnet pattern. For full effect, there would need to be a thick border and raised netting. The thought experiment turned out to fail in the real world, unfortunately! A fishnet diamond pattern (taller than it is wide) being raised from the field it is in is not possible because of the conical shape of the CNC bit. Further, the machine really does prefer to stick to 90 degree angles. Having gone back to the drawing board with two or three other designs, this design with 90 degree angles and inset-rather-than-raised is the one I settled on - and it turned out fantastic!
The first in my series of self-designed and created rings, this brick-like offset pattern is carved into a 6061 aluminum body. As a test prior to manufacturing, this was made first on my 3d printer to ensure optimal fit and proportions. The pattern is inset by a few millimeters from a bevel cut edge with the pattern carved into the round profile of the ring. This ring features a perfectly proportioned inner radius to maximize comfort and minimize pinching with an overall width of just under .6" for the perfect distribution of pressure.
As I shared in a prior review, I’ve been smitten by a maker’s most exciting (and dangerous?) thing: new knowledge! Using my newfound knowledge of FreeCAD and where to have a custom ring manufactured, I made another custom creation to match the stainless steel version of my wedding band which itself was inspired by the custom design Andrew at Himeros jewelry created.
The design of this ring is identical to the previous stainless steel design but was adjusted to match the proportions of one of the most comfortable adornments in my collection: the Gear Essentials Plunge. Having another width adornment that matches my wedding band is a nice addition to the collection because the thicker bands can sometimes lead to a little too much bulge.
There are already a few Himeros rings in my collection and I am pleased to add another after some downtime buying higher end rings. I decided to pick Zeus up because I only have one or two gold tone adornments and it gave a very striking appearance in the images Andrew posted while describing the process of making a custom adornment matching my wedding ring as it was juxtaposed beside the finished product.
I was so absolutely excited to work with Andrew at Himeros to produce my wedding band in practically indestructible tungsten carbide material that I became inspired. Working with Andrew and exchanging image proofs of the proposed designs via email, I became motivated take my 3D modelling skills to the next level. I’ve been a long time user of simple modeling tools like sketchup and OpenSCAD and even used them to create some adornments (examples: 1, 2, 3… but they have their limitations in terms of complexity and attractiveness. So I decided to learn how to model with Blender and FreeCAD and see how far my newfound skills could take me in my favorite hobby!
I make no secret about the fact that I adore combination adornments that feature cock and shaft encirclement. I am also extremely drawn to the black leather strap with a polished stainless ring combination because that was actually the second adornment I ever purchased! My first was a neoprene shaft ring at 1 1/4" which proved to be an intense entrypoint to the art given that it was at least 1/8" too small. But… I loved the effect and quickly became hooked, so sought the next level. I settled on a cheap faux leather strap that had a snap loop for the shaft ring and fell in love with the result.
I’m always on the prowl for a new adornment and am especially fond of interesting or alternative materials. Of course, when I saw Broken Lance After Dark was offering adornments through their Etsy shop (among other adult toys), I had to pick one up.
The rings can be made from a number of different woods depending on your personal tastes. Because I wanted the grain of the wood to be on full display, I chose zebra wood - and the maker was willing to create the ring at a 1.875" inner diameter despite only listing 1.75" and 2" on the store front.
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