20mm Lightning-struck Wood Plain Ring Bracelet

A plain bangle is one continuous circle, no carving, no pattern, the grain and the variation in colour left showing. Simple as it looks, the material is the hard part: no cracks, no fills, and the grain has to run continuously, because a joint that does not line up wastes a whole length of stock. The 20MM in the name is a size call-out, and the listing does not say exactly which measurement it refers to, so ask before deciding. The section should be round, and only when the circle runs all the way around the wrist with no seam showing does it pass.

Lightning-struck wood comes from a tree that was hit. Folk custom values it, with explanations that vary from place to place: some say its nature is fierce, others that it holds things down. These are the sayings of old people, and no one can judge a piece from a photograph. The name says lightning-struck wood and does not name the species, so ask before buying. Plenty in the market carry the label, so keep expectations level. What you are buying is grain, colour and feel. Woods differ in how much oil they hold, and a piece with plenty of oil takes on a polish quickly.

Wood fears water and fears dryness alike. Take it off to wash your hands or shower, dry it at once if it gets wet, and do not set it by a radiator or leave it in sun, because a crack cannot be repaired. Sweaty hands darken it over time; the wood is drinking, which is normal change. Keep it in a cotton bag when not worn and handle it now and then. Too much oil goes sticky and gathers dust. Northern winters are dry, and a basin of water in the room does more good than oil.

The bangle does not adjust, so measure the wrist properly. Run the tape behind the wrist bone, not tight, leaving room for one finger. One size up sits loose, turns as you walk, and knocks on the desk edge. One size down will not pass the widest part of the hand, and forcing it hurts. A plain bangle has no elastic to fall back on, so if it is too big, the only fix is a soft pad set inside the wrist.

Filed under curios and accessories, a plain bangle can be worn alone or stacked with other strands, thick against thin. A size like 20MM has presence, and a tight cuff will catch on it. Wood is light. Anyone used to metal will feel the absence of weight and keep thinking it has fallen off. Keep perfume away from it, because the alcohol carries off the oil at the surface. In summer the wood goes tacky against skin, so wipe it when you get home.