New York Wedding Ring

The weekend we spent, mid-​blizzard, in Sam’s studio, making our wedding rings, was the highlight of the whole run-​up to our wedding. We were relaxed, comfortable, warm and entertained — and the weather didn’t matter at all. We were together without interruptions or any stress or hassle for hours and hours, just focusing on the various steps we each needed to do next to make the ring for the other. Very mindful «work» in a really pleasant environment where we could enjoy each other’s company in a low-​pressure way.
Along the way we learned an enormous amount about the properties of different precious metals, the tools and processes needed to work with them, and not only what to do but why it would work. We also knew that even if we made a misstep, Sam was there and was reassuringly confident that «I can fix it».
At a pre-​consultation with Sam I had him evaluate some family heirloom rings I had in my possession. We determined that we could use my mother’s ring and my grandfather’s ring as liners for my fiancé’s ring and my own, and my grandmother’s ring could be molten down and alloyed with some other special metal to be the solder between layers. Under Sam’s guidance we resized those original rings and then made the outer parts of the rings from new stock. Without any rush or worries everything worked out perfectly and we have ended up with beautiful, unique rings that we made ourselves to our own choice designs incorporating priceless family pieces to extend the family line connection. We also came away with some lovely souvenir photos of our adventures in metalworking.
If only all the rest of the wedding preparations could be as easily joyous as this! Thank you Sam. Oh yes, and last point for you Unilocalers — there’s a super pub very near to Sam’s place so if you too come here in the middle of a blizzard it’s very easy to hop out for a lovely lunch without getting too cold or having to clamber through a lot of snow piles.

Sam is fantastic. His attention to detail, honesty, and easy way makes him such a pleasure to be around. We discussed the color, weight, and feel the the rings I wanted and he was a great listener and asked helpful questions. I strongly believe that the personal story of a seller and the buying experience can greatly add to the pleasure and enjoyment that one derives from an inanimate object. Knowing Sam and his story has greatly increased the satisfaction that I get from this beautiful ring. He is a great guy, a skilled craftsman, and a true artist. Thank you Sam!

My fiancé and I made our rings with Sam at NY Wedding Ring in November. It was an amazing experience!!! Sam was very personable and patient. I made my fiancé’s ring and my fiancé made mine! We chose to make simple platinum bands and we can’t believe how great they turned out. We highly, highly recommend the experience! Sam took photos throughout the process to document what we were doing. He gaves us the photos at the end of the session and we are going to use them in our wedding slideshow. Thank you again, Sam, for the amazing and special experience!!!

My wife and I had a great time making our wedding rings with Sam last year. We love our rings (palladium that we then had engraved on the outside). And one year later, after a quick shine, they look the same as the day we made them. People get such a kick out of the story and are amazed that we made our own rings. I made my wife’s ring, and she made mine.
Sam is a perfect blend of hands-​on help while also letting you do all of the work, so you can really call the rings your own at the end of the day. Sam is also funny and laid-​back, which is important when you consider you’re spending an entire day with him. In general, it’s not a full day of romantic ring-​making (although there is some of that), it’s a more relaxed, casual atmosphere that feels like you’re hanging out with a fun friend who’s an expert ring-​maker.
I highly recommend making your own wedding rings — it makes the symbol of the ring that much more special. And Sam (NY Wedding Ring) is a great person to walk you through it!

ok, well, im just gonna say it… this was my favorite part of the whole getting-​married madness… yes, really, it was that awesome… my then-​betrothed and i made our wedding bands with sam, who patiently walked us thru the process. from prep to finish, sam was helpful and accommodating. but also, he’s a fun guy to hang out with all day, which is pretty important, cuz it gets to be a pretty long day. ours took about 13hrs… but it really flew by.
if u r considering this — really, seriously, stop ho-​humming thru online reviews and go do it… itll be fun and special… and romantic too, if u r into that kinda stuff…

My boyfriend and I just spent Saturday making our wedding bands with Sam. We had a great time! I wish I knew more people getting married so I could recommend him to even more people.
It was so neat getting to do the ring-​making process from start to finish. I feel like I learned so much and Sam was happy to answer any questions – from jewelry to living in NYC – we had. We did a lot more of the ring-​making than I thought, which I am happy about, and it made it so much more meaningful than just buying bands at a shop.

I wanted a mokume gane engagement ring. Mokume gane is the Japanese name for the woodgrain look made by blending two metals together – similar to Damascus steel. I researched galleries in New York and didn’t find anything I wanted to give her. I came upon Sam Abbay, who runs (and is the sole teacher) of
Easy-​going, personable guy who loves what he does. I brought my fiancée along to the initial consultation and the three of us figured out what I was going to make. I chose the metals, woodgrain pattern, & band shape while she cared about the gem, overall color, and comfort. Sam ordered the gold, silver, and sapphire. Sam then coached me through making the ring over two days while my fiancée watched and made a simple ring on her own (which ended up being my wedding band). Great experience for both of us. Here’s a picture of the final product:

So I started my search for engagement rings on the dreaded 47^th street thinking that I could power through all the sleezy-ness…but I was wrong. 5 minutes walking down the street dashed any thoughts I had of picking up something unique or any possibility of not getting screwed over on prices.
I then started doing searches for custom and vintage rings and stumbled upon Sam! He runs a great one-​on-​one session workshop at his studio and helps you make your own engagement ring or wedding bands from your own design.
He took time to sit with me, talk about my ideas for the design, picked up the Sapphire I wanted, and helped me through the process of making a custom engagement ring.
It was an amazing experience especially since I was expecting to have to deal with pushy-​money hungry sales people and instead found a trust-​worthy, cool guy telling you like it is every step of the way.
I’ll definitely be going back for my wedding bands as long as she says «yes» :)