Materials and Finishes Used

Everything that goes into a PRWMade piece is chosen to be safe for you and to hold up over time. This page covers what I actually use and how each material behaves, including where it has limits.

The finish: food-safe oil and beeswax

Every piece I make is hand-sanded and sealed with a food-safe oil and beeswax finish. It soaks into the wood rather than sitting on top of it, which is why a finished piece feels warm and slightly velvety instead of feeling like plastic. Sprayed and dipped finishes are faster, but they seal the grain under a plastic shell and the wood stops feeling like wood.

Two honest limits worth knowing:

• Water resistant, not waterproof. The finish repels water and protects against normal handling, spills, and humidity. It will not survive a long soak, the dishwasher, or a swim. Under sustained moisture the protection breaks down.
• It is a finish, not a force field. Oil and beeswax wears with use. That is the tradeoff for a finish you can actually repair at home, which a sprayed lacquer does not give you.

When a piece starts to look dry or the grain loses its depth, a small amount of food-safe mineral oil or my Wood Butter brings it right back. Same principle as conditioning a cutting board. Full instructions are in the Care Guide.

The wood

I work in hardwoods, chosen for grain, density, and responsible sourcing rather than for being cheap or easy to get. Currently in rotation:

Maple, Cherry, Walnut, Hickory, Oak (including reclaimed), Baltic Birch, Red Cedar, Olivewood, Purpleheart, Padauk, Zebrawood, Canarywood, Tigerwood, Wenge, Bolivian Rosewood, Redheart (Chakte Kok), and Orangeheart (Chakte Viga).

Some of these change over time and that is part of the appeal. Cherry warms from pinkish-red into a honeyed amber with sunlight. Purpleheart and Padauk arrive with bold natural color and no dye of any kind. Details on each species are on The Woods.

Color and printing

Where a design needs full color rather than an engraved burn, I print it with a UV printer directly onto the wood. The ink cures hard, so it resists scuffing and does not fade the way an inkjet transfer would. Engraving removes material to expose a darker layer of the wood itself. Printing adds color on top. Different tools, different looks, and some pieces use both.

Hardware

Earring posts and wires are sterling silver or hypoallergenic stainless steel, so sensitive ears stay comfortable. Keychains get a premium metal split ring rather than the thin stamped kind that pulls open in a pocket. Inlay pieces use real stone, including turquoise, lapis lazuli, and opal. Coasters get a cork backing so they protect the surface underneath.

Packaging

Orders ship in plantable seed paper. The card, hang tag, or sleeve your piece arrives on can be planted, watered, and grown into wildflowers rather than thrown away. Packaging is kept to what is needed to get the piece to you intact.

What every order does

Through my Greenspark partnership, every order plants 2 trees, recovers 6 ocean-bound plastic bottles, and protects 20 bees. Details are on the impact page.

Questions I get about materials

Is the finish really food-safe?

Yes. I use a food-safe oil and beeswax finish on everything, which is why coasters, boards, and jewelry all get the same treatment.

Can I get a piece wet?

Brief contact is fine. Rain, a splash, washing your hands with a ring on. Take it off before swimming, showering, or anything involving a long soak, and pat it dry if it does get wet.

Will the color fade?

Natural wood color shifts with light, and I consider that a feature rather than a defect. UV printed color is cured and holds up. If you want a piece to stay closer to how it arrived, keep it out of long direct sun.

How do I refresh the finish?

A small amount of food-safe mineral oil or my Wood Butter, rubbed in with a soft cloth and buffed. Once or twice a year is plenty for most pieces.