Design your own ring experience

My job is to channel their feelings into a design that expresses their special bond, and that is my most favorite part of all.

When did you start Minter and Richter Designs? Why?

While Minter & Richter Designs was officially incorporated in 2009, it really began well before that. Historically, Scott (Richter) was a sword and knife maker and achieved quite a lot of acclaim for his creations which were sold to collectors worldwide.

After a fabulous whirlwind romance, Scott and I were married in 1999. He made me rings while we were dating as well as our wedding rings. They all came out so beautifully that I began to think this could be a great business. Scott and I were lucky in that our marriage brought together his amazing craftsmanship and my love for the business venture. We count our blessings that we had both sides of the coin there. In the beginning, we made wedding rings for friends and then friends of friends – all word of mouth. It grew steadily from there. In 2008, we decided to take the plunge, quit our other jobs and devote ourselves entirely to the business of love.

While of course there is a lot of work that goes into running your own business, I have to say that making wedding bands brings so much joy into our studio every day that it really does make the work fun. When people come to us, they are excited and happy. They are at the beginning of the greatest adventure of their lives. That energy is all quite contagious.

My job is to channel their feelings into a design that expresses their special bond, and that is my most favorite part of all. Once the client and I have landed on the perfect design, I give that to Scott and away he goes! His unique ability to so perfectly create the clients wedding set from all my drawings, photos and explanations always astounds me and, happily, the client as well.

We’re proud to be part of a new tradition of alternative jewelry metals that don’t fuel civil wars (i.e. diamond trade) or destroy ecosystems (gold mining). Our environmental and social conscience has evolved along with our business – realizing the timeliness and importance of our product.

Why do you focus exclusively on titanium? What are the advantages of titanium?

We do not actually focus exclusively on titanium. We have a love of all metals but stay away from those that hurt our earth or the people on it (gold for example). We use both titanium and steel to make our rings because both are extremely durable, eco-friendly, and amazingly beautiful. The main difference between titanium and steel is the shade or color. Titanium has a soft, gray undertone, while steel has the whiter, brighter shade of platinum or white gold.

So many companies and products have jumped on the “green” bandwagon that it’s become a bit of an eco-blur for most consumers. We started with titanium and steel because Scott knew them well (and quite plainly, loved them) from his knife and sword making work. We thought that these super durable, shiny and beautiful metals would make great, quality rings.

Educating our customers about titanium has been an important part of the business too since titanium isn’t traditionally associated with romance. Luckily, the ecological conscience of many people today has been heightened and they’re no longer willing to blindly follow outdated marketing campaigns. We’re proud to be part of a new tradition of alternative jewelry metals that don’t fuel civil wars (i.e. diamond trade) or destroy ecosystems (gold mining). Our environmental and social conscience has evolved along with our business – realizing the timeliness and importance of our product.

All the materials we use to make our rings are either sustainably harvested (the woods), reclaimed (for example, Ancient Kauri wood), naturally shed (Moose Antler, for example) or otherwise eco-friendly (concrete, M3, etc.)

What is the process for having a ring custom designed? How long does it take?

It all really starts with a conversation. I ask the couple about themselves. How and where did they meet and/or fall in love? Where are they from? What do they do for a living? What are their favorite things about each other? It may seem strange, but these are the sort of questions that really help me glean a concept for a couple’s perfect ring set. Once we finish the design, it takes 3-4 weeks as a NON-rush Order to have the rings ready. But we also have Shotgun Rush Order available.

• NON-rush Order – 3-4 week turnaround
• Shotgun Rush Order – we will meet your date, no matter how soon! Shotgun Rush is an additional $100 and bumps you to the head of the line so that we can meet your date.

To show you what I mean:

How and where did they meet and/or fall in love – Was it college? Perhaps we can use colors that remind them of that time. Was it on a beach? Perhaps we can create a concrete ring out of the sand from the beach they first kissed on. Was it in a particular country? Perhaps we can get a piece of wood or horn from that area to inlay into their band. Since we are located in New England, we get a lot of people who want to use inlay materials like Moose Antler, Maple or Concrete made from Cape Cod sand.

We make rings for all types of folks and the ring has to suit more than just their personality. What a person does for a living also affects the width of their perfect band and width has an impact on overall design.

What do they do for a living – this helps me come up with a design that will suit their lifestyle. Someone who works and lives more indoors or in an office does not need a ring with the same durability and protection as, for example, a construction worker or chef or avalanche detonator or cowboy. We make rings for all types of folks and the ring has to suit more than just their personality. What a person does for a living also affects the width of their perfect band and width has an impact on overall design. For example, bicyclists, guitarists, and police officers generally need for their wedding bands to be a bit narrower so that their movement and comfort isn’t impaired while biking, playing or reaching for their gun. So, a lot of thought goes into each and every band.

What is the price range for your rings?

They average around $250 to $500 per band. But we have bands for as little as $120 and as much as $2,000. It all depends upon the design, the time it takes to make it, the number of inlays and what those inlays are. One of our most expensive (yet still very popular) inlay materials is Meteorite. While Meteorite can add about $600 to $1,000 to the price of the ring, it is definitely beautiful, eco-friendly and just plain exciting to have something that is estimated to be about 4 billion years old from outer-space wrapped around your finger. What better material is there to signify long-lasting love than that?

What inspires you?

I’m in a very special position because I get to know almost all of our brides and grooms quite closely. During the design process I learn about their upcoming wedding, how they met, and their plans for their future together. The inlays they pick represent a certain aspect of their partner’s personality or appearance (like blue eyes or a love of surfing) – so it’s a very personal process. Our bands have a very special meaning to me because I remember the people for whom they were designed.

One of our most popular band sets is Starry Starry Night. When I look at that set, I remember this beautiful couple. She came up with the brilliant name “Starry Starry Night”!

There’s another band that makes me remember the couple that inspired it, and how fabulous it was that she matched her SHOES to his band. He named the band “Gotcha” and chose the color to match his favorite car.

When I see the Soul Mates Ready for Battle set, I remember the wonderful day we spent getting to know the couple better – they invited us, along with our two boys Syrus and Ezra, to hand deliver the rings to their farm in western Massachusetts!

There are so many other couples who I get to meet in person because they come into our Ring Room for consultations – like Erin and David who flew up to Boston for an in-house proposal! Or Rachel and Karen who came all the way from Texas. Or the fabulous couple who got married on a roller coaster! Or Shannon and Katie who so beautifully matched their wedding to their purple and blue wedding rings, which we named Behind the Falls.

I can’t forget the fabulous family who designed their ring set to include their children since they were both bringing children into the family. I love it when joining families do this.

I love all of our rings and we get to work with some glorious materials, which are an inspiration themselves. When other people look at our store, they see rings where I see people and love stories. I honestly count myself so incredibly lucky that I get to be such a tiny part of all these people’s evolving stories. That is my favorite part of it all.

What, if any, is your favorite ring?

Oh wow. That changes daily and really depends upon my mood.

One of my other favorite bright and fun sets is Rose Garden, which we made for a British couple who shared a love for gardening. Another funky, fun favorite was made for a local Boston couple and we called it Love’s Parade, which, if you met them, you would realize is the perfect name.

Other days, I feel more regal and stately and that is when creations like Stronger Together and Imperial Jade come to play.

Take it easy and remember that the ring is just the symbol of the real thing, it isn’t the real thing itself.

What advice do you have for couples planning their weddings?

Take it easy and remember that the ring is just the symbol of the real thing, it isn’t the real thing itself. So have fun with it. But after that, enjoy the rings as well as your lives together. It is all an adventure.