News: Daring Man Carves Thrifty Engagement Ring Out of Meteorite

When most people say, "Damn, look at that rock," regarding an engagement ring, they're usually not referencing an actual rock—let alone a space rock.

One Reddit user, chadmanx, decided his future fiancée was so special that she deserved the moon and stars, or, at the very least, a meteorite.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself" isn't usually the approach most men take to finding the perfect ring for their happily-soon-to-be wife, but he is totally convinced that this was the perfect romantic gesture to show how their love will last to infinity and beyond.

He posted the entire ring-making process on Reddit, complete with step-by-step pictures and commentary. There were 42 pictures in total, which included everything from the untouched space rock to the finished product. Chadmanx also noted just how much time and money he spent on this project—40 hours and $140, respectively.

The inamorato fashioned this ring by carving a 120 gram meteorite. The first step in this process was creating a homemade vise, which he made out of a wooden board and some long nails. Then, he oiled up the stone and began to cut the inner ring. It was during this process that chadmanx made a tiny error, one that would open up this entire process to criticism—forgetting about the divot in the original stone that would lead to one of the edges becoming extremely thin.

Deciding to power through this small setback, the next step in the process was shaping the outer surface of the ring. Chadmanx mentioned how he decided to take the "slow, cautious route," which is pretty impressive considering he allegedly doesn't spend much time away from his fiancée.

Once the basic outer shape was established, chadmanx started sanding and polishing the ring. This process of hand-sanding took over three and a half hours. Major props to the OP, because I definitely would have already rage-quit and popped on over to Kay Jewelers by this point.

The last things on the list are finishing touches, sanding down sharp edges, and etching the final pattern.

If your future bride isn't a fan of diamonds, and if you casually have forty hours to spend making a custom engagement band, this definitely looks really awesome.

All's Fair in Love & Metalwork

Anytime someone attempts a creative project and posts the results online, there's bound to be come criticism. This post in particular garnered quite a few comments, 1,187 at the time of publication. Apparently, Reddit is a hotbed of expert jewelers. While some praised chadmanx for trying something outside of the traditional ring box, others expressed more colorful critiques.

The live edge of the ring gave some Redditors life:

That is the most fucking romantic thing I have ever heard

Awesome ! I hope there's an update! I'd love to see this ring work out and be wearable. I bet you two are ridiculously cute together. :D Made my day.

While others read him like a book:

that thing looks ridiculously fragile

Personally, while being a really cool thing to do (I know I sure as hell couldnt have done it) I'm not a fan of the execution, I feel there were too many mistakes and imperfections that will ultimately destroy that ring, the live edge is barely enough to keep the ring together, and the patterning just looks like a polished rock.

I know it's the thought that counts, but engagement rings have to be practical and durable in all environments. This isn't. No protective coatings or alloys, just rust prone iron.

This has to be a joke.

If he and his fiance are happy with it, those are the only opinions that matter. Looks like trash with the missing chunk though, and is probably very fragile. Personally I would have just cut my losses and started over.

And, unrelated to the ring itself, one Redditor made sure to ask a hard-hitting question:

Am I the only person that is blown away by OP finding a RadioShack that hasn't closed down?

He Liked It So He Put a Ring on It

Regardless of how you feel, this was clearly a very intense process that culminated with a successful proposal and impending nuptials. Congrats to the happy couple, and we can't wait to see what form the wedding bands will take!

For the full process and more images, make sure to check out the original post on either Reddit or Imgur.

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