Over about 56 million years, oaks have evolved into roughly 435 species that grow on five continents, about 90 of which are found in North America. Stan Lupo/Flickr Stretching Across Time and Space The tannins slowly release over time, imparting a distinct character often described by connoisseurs as vanilla and licorice notes.īlue Jays plant thousands of acorns each year. ![]() Those water and rot-resistant qualities also makes white oak ideal for aging whisky and wine. Constitution, “Old Ironsides” herself, was famously crafted from old-growth white oak. fleet during the War of 1812 - the U.S.S. A trait master ship-builder Vikings took full advantage of. Archaeologists say this incredible 3,000 year-old vessel is the oldest canoe found in the Great Lakes region, by 1,000 years, and is the earliest yet direct evidence of water transportation there.Įuropean shipbuilders found that English oak limbs often grew at just the right angles for ship frames. A dugout canoe discovered in the spring of 2022 at the bottom of Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota was carved from a single piece of white oak 14.5 feet long around 1,000 B.C.E. For boat and ship builders, it means this wood is a perfect choice for their craft. In nature, this gives them resistance to water-loss and decay, and helps them retain nutrients and stay healthy during drought. They have a closed-grain wood, rich with tannins and cells filled with natural plastic-like structures called tyloses. White oak, and it’s near-equivalent in Europe - the English oak are famous for their use in ship-building. Even today, oak leaves are used as decorative symbols for many military ranks and awards around the world. Ancient kings wore crowns of oak leaves and successfully returning Roman commanders received oak-leaf crowns on victory parades. A sacred symbol of strength and endurance for ancient Druids, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Slavs, and Vikings, it was the mystical link between earth and the heavens and was venerated above all other trees. For thousands of years, peoples across North America, Asia, North Africa, and Europe relied on acorns as an important food source. From as early as the 4th century, ink in much of the world was made from oak galls, or “oak apples”, formed when a wasp’s eggs are laid in oak leaves. Oaks appear so often in the story of humanity that it could scarcely have been written without them - literally. The acorns are approx 5 – 6mm wide and 8 – 10 mm long.It’s hard to talk about oak trees without slipping into tales of myth and legend. Size : The oak leaf is approx 10 mm wide and 27 mm long. Whilst the silver acorns and leaves are made from Edwardian and Georgian sterling silver shillings The golden bronze leaves and acorns are made from Georgian ‘thrupney-bit’ threepence coins. The red copper leaves and acorns are cut from gorgeous worn Victorian and Georgian old half pennies. This is a lovely piece of material which connects your ring to its previous wondrous history. The ring is presented with the ‘donor’ coin from which the leaf or acorn were hand cut. ![]() The design is finished with a lovely hammer textured and faceted sterling silver band also made from 100% recycled silver. ![]() ![]() It is these tools which allow me a close connection with each piece and to ensure your ring will be completely original and special to wear. The design is then ‘pierced’ out with a traditional jewellers hand saw. I then meticulously follow this guide sketch with a traditional hand engraver. The oak leaf and acorn designs are freehand drawn onto the slightly flattened silver, copper and bronze coins. Oak leaf and acorn ring made from Repurposed coinsīeautifully simple, stylish and rustic oak leaf and acorn rings which are not only handcrafted, unusual, completely unique but have also been transformed from recycled ‘out of circulation’ coins. Embrace the eternal power of the Oak tree
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