An eternity of love for wood…

In these uncertain times we all need to support each other, and not just emotionally. We all share a love of wood and that’s something that unites us collectively.

For many of us, this love of wood remains a hobby, whilst for others it has become their livelihood.

What started out as a hobby for Sam Hawkins became his business, making unique jewellery some years later.

Having always had a passion for making things from wood, Sam would design and make wooden love spoons, keyrings and name plaques as gifts, a complete contrast to his ‘day job’ in the Armed Forces.

Once Sam was settled into family life, it became apparent that a military life no longer suited him and he decided a career change was in order. It was only when he discovered ‘bentwood’ rings on YouTube that Sam knew this was the route his new career would take.

In the last few years of his military service, Sam spent all his spare time learning about this craft, watching jewellery videos and reading relevant books. It required minimal tooling, was relatively inexpensive to start up and was pretty much a unique type of jewellery.

In 2017 Sam formed his business ‘Sam Hawkins Unique Jewellery’, selling beautiful bentwood rings. He has subsequently taken a silversmithing course to be able to incorporate precious and semi-precious metals into his stunning creations.

Many of his bentwood rings have an inner band which is made from a piece of wood veneer, carefully formed into a circle, with an outer band of metal, whilst others are predominantly made from metal with a wood veneer detailing.

Exquisitely made by hand, his YouTube channel illustrates just how every ring is justifiably unique, owing to the very nature of both Sam’s craftsmanship and the beautiful wood veneer itself.

As you would expect, Sam only uses the best materials and frequently chooses veneers from The Wood Veneer Hub, due to both the quality of our products and the diversity of species that we offer!

So, if you’re looking to surprise a loved one with a totally unique gift during these unprecedented times, or simply looking to embark on a new hobby, why not dip your toes into the fabulous world of wood veneer?