How It All Started: Part 2
Because of its uniqueness I got asked about the ring quite often. I had many members of the church say how awesome the ring was. About a year later, I left to go to school in Utah. My cousin lives there and when he saw the ring he thought it would be a good thing to make and sell. At the time, I ignored the suggestion, thinking, "no, this is something special and just for me". But after a while, the idea grew on me - that if I made temple rings, they could be something special and meaningful for a lot of people.
If you are wondering what that original, hand-carved-in-wax-with-an-exacto-knife ring looked like, I have included a picture of it:
This same cousin (who is always on the cutting edge of technology) hooked me up with a program so I could design the rings on a computer, and a little desktop CNC machine to cut them out of wax. I then made my first prototypes based on the temples I loved and or that I personally have been to.
Fast forward a few years later, when it was time to start selling the rings I found my current business partner and between us the name of the company sprang into existence. "By Small and Simple Things" are great things brought to pass. (Alma 37:6-7). Wearing the San Diego temple ring has given me many opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is also a great reminder of temple covenants, forever families, and in times of trial to keep things in the eternal perspective.