Today we’d like to introduce you to Spencer Rascon.
Hi Spencer, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Hi, my name is Spencer Rascon and I am the owner and founder of My Roots Jewelry where we offer alternative wedding bands crafted from rare and exotic woods from around the world. I got my start soon after getting back from my 2 year LDS mission in D.C. South. After spending 2 years fully consumed in proselyting and serving others, I honestly had a bit of an identity crisis being back home. In a way, I was lost because I didn’t know what it was that I wanted or was passionate about. Truthfully life felt empty.
I came to Utah to go to BYU, I am originally from Houston, Texas. So I was in an unfamiliar place just trying to figure out who I was. Something I always loved growing up was using my hands to craft things, particularly with wood because of the rich grain, color variants, and overall natural beauty. So, since most nights I was alone without much of a social life, I began researching different types of crafting and found some how-to guides on crafting a ring from wood.
As mentioned earlier, my mission experience was great, but I lost who I was in many ways. This project to craft a ring was a catalyst for my journey of reconnecting with my deepest roots. I remember my first project vividly. I ordered some basic tools, and put together a playlist of all my favorite Lo-Fi beats, and hit play. I remember playing music fairly loudly so that I couldn’t help but sink into the rhythm as I carefully crafted this ring. The details of the grain and color were mesmerizing, it’s material that was once a tree from somewhere around the world. It reminds me of “the giving tree”. This particular “tree” gave me back my roots.
From there, I was addicted to the craft. It doesn’t take much material to craft a ring, and I had a lot to use. So I got plenty of practice. I made some for friends, family, and myself of course. And it wasn’t until I had been crafting for over a couple of years that someone finally challenged me to try selling some. I started with Etsy, and soon that became my part-time job while in college. What surprised me was that clients were purchasing these rings as their wedding bands! I was amazed. They shared their stories of how the nature of the product brought them back to their happiest memories surrounded by earth’s beauty and their loved ones. It became clear early on to me that all of us have roots that keep us grounded, that give us purpose and passion for life. So I decided to name it My Roots.
Growing out of Etsy and into a full-time e-commerce wedding band store did not come easily. There is the craft that can be tedious and time-consuming, the managing of operations, marketing, finances, etc. All of it can easily distract from the purpose of My Roots which is to provide a carefully handcrafted wedding band that serves as a daily reminder to the wearer of their roots. Our clients are what keeps this business focused though, it’s a daily motivator to hear from them how we helped guide them to find & craft the piece of jewelry they will cherish for a lifetime.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Rings are small and the detail can be so finite, it was s struggle to figure out how to train others to help me craft these special jewelry pieces for people’s weddings.
There has been a lot of innovation, literally designing new tools and products that would fit my needs. But that was also the fun part, I use tools that don’t exist on the market simply because this is not a standardized craft. I take a lot of pride in being a core innovator of wooden ring crafting.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Many of our clients are outdoor fanatics. From trail hikers to full-on rock climbing and surfing professionals. This is in part because we craft mountain and wave designs into our rings, we fill them with precious stones such as turquoise, malachite, and opals. Many of our clients are growing tired of fast fashion, which includes overly engineered and overpriced wedding rings.
They want something that they can own, that is like no other ring so they can feel proud. What’s amazing about our materials is that the wood grain and color always vary slightly, you look into two or three, or ten of one given ring with a mountain design and each one has its own unique characteristics! This is the selling point for many of our clients. The fact that nature can produce these materials and offer a completely unique variant in every ring is amazing to me.
Of course, we are 100% committed to sourcing these materials sustainably. Fortunately, it is not difficult to find ethical sources that harvest these materials, we are fortunate to provide a wedding piece that not only has all of these amazing characteristics between each ring but that each ring is the most sustainable choice of jewelry you can find on the market. It’s just one of the badges of honor we are proud to wear.
What matters most to you?
These clients matter to me. We are committed to a long-term relationship with our clients. People want to be more intentional and mindful with their purchases, and I am continually exploring new ways to meet these needs. On top of that, my team of artisans is important to me. Being a business owner is stressful, no doubt. But I hold the power to create whatever type of work environment I want.
I am empowered by this because most jobs are not enjoyable, there are too many stereotypes and cliches of jobs being no fun or worse, borderline abusive. I put a lot of work into creating an environment where my artisans feel empowered being here crafting these pieces.
I am constantly following the latest “work experiments” whether it’s a 4-day work week or some other tactic to provide more balance and control in employees’ lives. That is extremely important to me.
Pricing:
- Simply Wood Rings start at 300$
- Wooden bands with stone inlays 350+
- Mountain stone inlaid bands 475$
- Waves stone inlaid bands 475$
Contact Info:
- Website: Myrootsjewelry.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/myrootsjewelry
- Facebook: Facebook.com/myrootswj
Image Credits
Erica Rascon Photography
