The Definitive Koa Wood Ring Buyers Guide: What to Know Before You Buy
What Actually Makes a Great Koa Wood Ring — and How to Spot One
Crafting an exceptional Koa wood ring really comes down to five essential characteristics: verifiable Hawaiian Curly grained Koa wood (without that, what’s the point), a core metal that can take a beating, a comfort fit so you forget you’re wearing it, a waterproofing clear resin layer and a maker who will stand behind their work and still be around when you need them. If you get that mix right, you’ve got a ring that looks like nothing else on earth. Get it wrong and you end up with a strip of dyed “acacia” wood glued into a band that’s likely to delaminate before summer.
I should know, I was the first to create the koa-inlay tungsten ring - and we’ve destroyed a few in the process before dialing it in to perfection. Before Pono Woodworks, I was a remodeling contractor: hard on my hands and harder on my wedding ring. I had found a guy that made titanium rings with bloodwood inlay.. that sounded about right for the promise! I loved the ring but wore it out heavily and then lost it in the surf. Only a few months in, I figured I needed a better solution…something tougher…something I could replace at will. I was installing Koa kitchen cabinets at the time and stumbled upon tungsten rings for their hardness and that they were scratch-proof. A few months of boiling, steaming, sanding, curling and snapping toothpick size chunks of Koa in the evenings after everyone went to bed and I had a breakthrough and figured out how to get Curly Koa wood to bend. I love pounding nails but it seemed a good exit strategy and Pono Woodworks was started. That was over 13 years ago and we keep innovating.
I tried to write this guide as if guiding a friend through the noise and what to know before buying one.
What is a koa wood ring, exactly?
A koa wood ring is a band of metal- usually tungsten or titanium -with a channel of Hawaiian Koa wood inlaid into it to create a continuous band of Koa surrounded by the metal. The metal gives it strength, the resin sealant makes it waterproof, and the Koa gives it soul. We use only 5a rated Curly Koa, the rare figured grain that looks like tiger stripes and shifts and undulates in the light as your hand moves.
If you want the full story on the koa itself, I wrote a whole guide on what curly Hawaiian Koa actually is. The short version: Koa only grows in Hawaii and was once reserved for royalty. Regular Koa is rare and super expensive these days but less than 1% of Koa available has the amazing looking curly grain pattern…this makes it highly prized and uber expensive.
How can you tell if it’s real Hawaiian Koa?
The short answer, you really can’t. The truth is Australian Acacia wood looks remarkably similar and individual pieces can have the curly grain as well. That said, you’re unlikely to find curly Australian Acacia as it’s too much work if your just trying to knock off rings. This is what is used often to imitate Hawaiian Koa wood in rings and is used pervasively with companies claiming Koa rings that have no connection to Hawaii. You can find them all over Amazon and many larger brands as well. I’m not here to bash anyone..they probably don’t know the difference either. They just order “koa” rings from an overseas manufacturer and call it good.
Our process can trace the Koa in our rings back to the side of the mountain where the tree fell down on the Big Island of Hawaii. Hawaii’s environmental laws are very strict but insure we take care of the Aina (land) while harvesting the dead or dying trees. It also ensures we can account for where the tree came from and tag it accordingly. The massive cost of Koa helps ensure the landowners can care for the land properly…call it a virtuous cycle.
What makes your Koa rings better?
Simple put, it’s attention to the wood. Since we’ve established the baseline for an acceptable ring, let’s talk about what makes an exceptional ring. Acceptable uses real Koa wood, quality tungsten or titanium and has perfect resin work over the wood…that should be given. The one factor that makes our rings exceptional over a sea of mediocrity, is the quality of the Koa wood itself. Since the ring is such a small cross section of wood, it is important that the Koa have a massive amount of curl (ripple pattern) in the small space. Koa that would be amazing and command $30k on a bed or dining room table will even fall short here. The color of the Koa also matters as the rich brownish, golden, reds that mix together to create that definitive look only come available very rarely. The current log of koa we use took 8 years to find me. We also hand finish all the koa in our shop in Honolulu to bring out the most intense shine and depth.
Tungsten vs Titanium - which is better for the ring?
The short answer..both are great but for different reasons so it will depend on your preference.
Tungsten is a heavy and dense metal…so dense in fact it won’t scratch. That’s the main beauty of using tungsten, the shine on the ring will last a lifetime without dulling over time. The other thing people like is the heft on your finger…it feels premium and substantial.. not like you’re doing barbell curls but like an item that can be with you for a lifetime. The hardness also can cause lower quality tungsten to crack or shatter with enough blunt force. In 13+ years, I think we’ve only had 6-8 rings come back shattered. If you shatter your tungsten ring, you’re probably lucky it was there to take the force. The Tungsten we use is hypoallergenic and has only trace amounts of nickel as a binder..not enough to bother 99.9% of people with nickel allergy.
Titanium is featherlight, hypoallergenic and extreme tough - a great choice if you’d rather forget your wearing a ring. Titanium will pick up micro abrasions over time and will start to look brushed instead of gloss over time. The patina is part of the journey.
Are Koa wood rings durable and waterproof?
For everyday life, absolutely. The resin layer over the wood (we figured that one out after fixing a surfboard) makes the ring waterproof and it will hold up to hand washing, surfing, swimming.. whatever you throw at it. That said, it’s a soft spot in a hard metal ring so it’s not bulletproof. The biggest weakness is the resin over the wood can pick up scratches. After years of construction and working with my hands, I started taking it off when doing tiling or something aggressively abrasive. The ring could handle it but the resin would start to look brushed instead of polished. The resin can be polished but the back and forth is not easy. If your ring does crack or the resin delaminates, let me know, we have a lifetime warranty.
How do I get the right size?
The best way is to visit a jeweler or check a current ring size. Comfort fit bands fit a little different but it’s a standard sizing used the world over. We created a ring fitment guide to try and make it easy. If all else fails, we have a free exchange and return for the first re-size. We try and make it easy.
Are Koa rings for weddings and anniversaries?
It seems most of our rings are destined to be a wedding ring or anniversary gifts that are a reminder of the Hawaiian connection to the big day.. a honeymoon, beach ceremony, or home..you get the idea…it’s a daily reminder of something special. Koa is a natural fit for the wood themed “fifth anniversary” gift and sure beats a 2x4 as a present. We get a ton of couples having a Hawaiian beach wedding that want koa wood wedding bands that actually mean something to them beyond gold or platinum. If that’s where your headed, those guides go deeper. Given the price of gold and platinum these days, its a bit more palatable when you end up loosing your ring.. or maybe I’m the only one : ). The shimmer of koa as it catches the light is always a good reminder.
What’s the bottom line?
A Koa wood ring should be two things at once, tough enough to disappear into your daily life and beautiful enough that you’ll notice it every time the light catches it..that’s the whole idea. Hopefully bringing you back to a place and time that brings a smile to your face - every ring is one of a kind - have a look at our koa wood ring collection.