Based in Michigan, Benjamin Ripley's path to hand engraving didn't start at an engraver's bench. It started with wire. He was making wrapped jewelry and traveling around Michigan to sell it at music festivals, where he found a whole culture of artisans making handmade, spirit-filled work. The more he sold, the more he wanted to know. He began investing in tools and seeking out knowledge about the craft, and one discipline in particular kept pulling him in: hand engraving.

In 2018, he started hand push engraving in his studio, which at the time was a plastic folding table in his bedroom. It wasn't much of a setup, but it was enough. Engraving took hold of him and gradually became the primary focus of his craft.

Today, that obsession shows in rings that look closer to sculpture than surface decoration. His sculpted, dimensional engraving and gold inlay carry fantasy elements that give each piece a sense of story, and he now creates wedding bands, pendants, and fine jewelry. For an engraver who started at a folding table, he's built a body of work that makes the case for how far a graver can take you