The Meaning of Rings & Things - Our Mission & Values

Our goal is to provide a counter-weight to the world of negative news cycles, internet trolls, and daily stresses. We strive to offer superior customer service, and also to provide that service with a friendly, helpful attitude that leaves you feeling good. ** Thank you so much for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. **

It doesn't matter whether you are starting out on your first jewelry project or whether you're a professional artist who's been honing your craft for years... sometimes, questions arise. Our staff knows how to use our products, so they can better help your fulfill your artistic dreams.  ** We are happy to help you via email or in-person! Visit our showroom, contact us via our website, or reply to our e-newsletter or any account/order emails you have from us, and we'll help you figure out new techniques or find just the right supplies for your new project. **

Our founder, Russ Nobbs, began working with jewelry in the 60's, and knew that the jewelry industry hasn't always been the friendliest industry to Mother Earth. As a result, Rings & Things does what it can to tread lightly on the planet. Efforts include an extensive recycling program, incentives for employees to use commute alternatives, the use of eco-friendly corn-starch packing peanuts (whenever possible), and downsizing our footprint to use less resources. Currently, we also donate a portion of the sales of all Bee-related jewelry items to the Pollinator Partnership, and Leaf, Tree and Earth-related jewelry-making supplies to Conservation International.

As the internet progresses, so do we. Our goal is to achieve and maintain high standards in web design, site speed, and usability. We want you to feel secure and comfortable navigating our store and educational materials. Not only that, we want you to have fun. Admittedly, sometimes with technology and security upgrades, we lose a bit of the fun, but we're always striving to bring the fun back into our website and daily work, while keeping your data secure.

We live each day not in isolation, but within the communities around us - both our local community, and the worldwide community. At the local level, Rings & Things has actively donated to food banks, community radio, and other grassroots efforts that improve our hometown of Spokane, Washington. In the worldwide community of crafts and jewelry makers, we donate products to a number of organizations and charities, and offer wholesale price breaks to registered 501(c)(3) non-profits.

From our humble burgh in the Northwestern U.S.A., we have a global vision to share our spirit of superior service around the world. We've always offered reliable worldwide shipping, and we're ready to serve customers no matter where you live. ** 2022 Update: Many customers around the world are reporting shipping delays. Packages that normally take 1-2 weeks are sometimes taking more than 4 weeks to arrive. Please keep this in mind, check the news for shipping delays in your area, and consider using an insured shipping method. **

Our History

Rings & Things' founder Russ Nobbs started his jewelry career in the 1960's, selling handmade wire name pins and beaded wire earrings at state fairs, first at the 1964 World's Fair in NYC, and then at state fairs throughout Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington. In 1972, after several years on the fair circuit, he opened a tiny retail jewelry store in Spokane, Washington. Over the years, the store's earrings were joined by Navajo turquoise rings, hand-crafted sterling silver jewelry from around the world, beads, art glass... and a whole lot more.

When the original store's location was torn down to build a bank, Rings & Things moved to a nearby downtown skywalk shopping mall where the retail store expanded to include a small mail-order business. Our original 19-page catalog of findings and earrings grew over the years to become a 750-page print catalog. Now, instead of a print catalog, our thousands of items are available 24/7 in our online store.

In 2000, we closed our downtown mall store to focus on growing mail-order and online business -- Rings & Things had become a jewelry supply resource for the nation and the world! When we outgrew our downtown mail-order digs, we moved to our own warehouse in 2005 (and then a new single-story warehouse in 2020, with better parking). In our current home, we're ready as ever to help you with your jewelry-making needs! Our Spokane Showroom features thousands of items on display and holds regular demos and hands-on workshops.

Rings & Things is now a second-generation family business. Founder Russ Nobbs passed the business on to his daughter and son in 2014, who are excited to continue the family tradition of excellent customer service, quality jewelry-making supplies, and stewardship of the earth.

Although we carry 10,000+ jewelry-making supplies, and ship around the world, we're still a small family-run business, juggling the usual family and work responsibilities. Family leave and COVID leave both can affect our day-to-day functioning, but we try to keep everything running smoothly even when key people are out of the office (or warehouse).