We were delighted to be able to create this very unique Sterling Silver wedding ring for Jonnie. It’s always a pleasure being able to work together with our customers and help bring to life their ideas. Jonnie recently emailed us with these lovely comments:
"Rab and Tanya were incredible from the first contact we had with them, and really demonstrated an understanding and genuine care for what we wanted with this ring. We came to them with a general idea; knowing that we wanted the volcanic landscape of Ardtun (Mull) to be represented on the ring, but not quite sure how. We asked for their creative input and the artistic representation they came up with was better than anything we could have imagined. This is a really special place for us, as the location where we got engaged - and we're so happy to carry a reminder of that around on a daily basis. What a great experience and choice to work with these guys!"
We recently had the privilege of working with Alicia to create a Sgian Dubh as a gift for her husband. This was a lovely commission to work on which resulted in this unique piece. Alicia kindly sent the following on receiving it: “I have always wanted to surprise my husband with a custom Sgian Dubh and I am so happy I found Rab and Tanya. I didn’t know much about Sgian Dubhs let alone creating one, all I had were a few ideas on how I would like for it to look. Rab and Tanya were so helpful in taking my vision and how they could make it come to light! My husband and I live in Wisconsin and he loves the Wisconsin Badgers and had sketched up an amazing Badger design years ago and I knew it had to be part of this piece. Rab helped me find the best place to put the design and I couldn’t have been happier! My husband was speechless when he opened his gift. He was in awe of the details and how well his badger design, he created years ago, turned out! The craftsmanship and artistry is beyond compare! Pictures don’t do it justice and it looks 110% better in person. I would highly recommend Rainnea Ltd. to my family and friends! I have loved working with Rab and Tanya and appreciate all of their hard-work, emails, and dedication to their craft! One happy customer and one happy, surprised husband!”
Whilst visiting Scotland from France, Fabien and his family made an appointment to commission a special pair of our Sgian Dubhs. It was lovely to meet them all and help with choosing everything, from the Isle of Jura Whisky Barrel handles, pommel stones, along with the metalwork and blades to make each one special to the individual recipient. For example, Fabien loved the Pictish Bear so his Sgian Dubh has the design engraved on the ferrule and embossed on the sheath. Once finished we were able to ship the Sgian Dubhs to France in time for Fabien’s birthday and were sent this lovely email from his daughter: “They are more than happy with what you have done. Jean-Michel (the grand-father) was really emotional when he opened it, he told me he had some chills and was amazed by the object. My father was also really emotional and even though he knew what it would look like he is delighted with the result. They said that it is like having a piece of Scotland with them. They arrived in perfect condition thanks to how carefully it was packed. Both of them are really happy to have such an incredible unique and personal object made by hand by a craftsman. They loved every details from the wood work to the blade and the jewelry and the customized leather.”
We had the privilege of creating this very special pair of Sgian Dubhs for a father and son, both called Scott, to wear at young Scott’s wedding. The stunning blades were crafted for us by our friend Chris Grant from a very unusual piece of Damascus steel which incorporates steel from a Leopard tank barrel. The handles we carved from Bog Oak from the Culloden area just outside Inverness and the lower Sterling Silver ferrule of each was engraved with the owner’s initials. Our friend Renato Forno at Scottish Gemstones made the amazing pommel stones for the Sgian Dubhs and provided the matching kilt pins and cuff-links. Young Scott had searched for and found a lovely piece of red Agate for his set while Scott senior chose a beautiful piece of Skye Marble which Nat had found. We received the following lovely emails after the Sgian Dubhs had been collected: Scott Senior: “I first thought about getting a custom made Sgian Dubh over 10 years ago, but for some reason never did. It was not until my son was getting married that I thought of the perfect wedding present. We both visited Rab and Tanya up in Inverness and the journey and creation began starting with the approximately 4,200-year-old Culloden bog oak coupled with the Leopard 1 tank barrel Damascus steel blade. Rab had two of these blades, so the decision was easy, I was going to have to buy the other one. The big reveal came the other day when we went back to Inverness, I had not told my son that I had used the remains of his stone to make cufflinks and a kilt pin. We entered Rab’s workshop and just like the TV program The Repair Shop”, they were hidden below a piece of cloth. One, two, three, the cloth was removed and there was silence, what we saw did not disappoint, they were everything we expected if not more, amazing craftmanship and just perfect, unbelievable. We were like two kids in a sweet shop with both hands in the sweetie jars, scared to move in case the illusion disappeared. I talked to my son the next day and he said he kept picking it up and looking at it all night, we both laughed, but I did not tell him I did the same” Young Scott: “All I wanted to say was that you’ve gone above and beyond with how much care and attention regarding what my dad and I were hoping for. The Sgian Dubhs have surpassed my expectations and I now have something that can be passed down to my. Amazing job from start to finish”
Tim contacted us to design and create this unique engagement ring. The design outline was for a minimalist styled titanium ring engraved with a Puffin, Ben Nevis and entwined Thistles reflecting the couple’s love of Scotland. We were sent a lovely email from Tim when he received the ring: “…it is an amazing piece of art. I am truly impressed by the level of fine detail. Thanks a lot for making it possible.”
We had the honour of creating this unique commemorative kilt pin in Sterling Silver. The centre of the cross is engraved with “Never Forget”, a pair of fire axes and “343” in memory of the fallen firefighters at the Twin Towers on 9/11. The design features an adaptation of a Celtic Cross with an overlaid sword engraved with ‘Tada Gan Iarracht’ in Irish Gaelic meaning ‘Nothing Without Effort’ and the outline of a shamrock. It was a real privilege to be asked to create this piece and we received this lovely email once the kilt pin had arrived with its recipient: “Wanted to let you know that the pin has been received in Colorado and very well received! Michael really loved it and your craftsmanship is absolutely beautiful. Once again, thank you so much for your time, your talent, and your kindness.”
Rab has been making Sgian Dubhs for well over 20 years but this one is very special and personal; it was also crafted with help from some friends. Greg Marr ( Glittering Edge ) forged the billet of ‘Dramascus’, which in this case was Damascus made from a combination of Jura whisky cask hoop, 52100 and O1 steel. Chris Grant used his metallurgical expertise to advise on the steels in use then took the Dramascus and crafted it into the stunning blade and created the sheath from deer leather. Renato Forno ( Scottish Gemstones ) cut and polished the pommel stone from a pebble Rab collected from the beach at Jura Distillery. Rab carved the handle from a stave of a Jura Whisky cask and inlaid a Sterling Silver crest he engraved with a stag head, while the lower ferrule is engraved with the Paps of Jura. This was a very special and personal project as Rab grew up on the Isle of Jura where the family farmed at Feolin and would often collect hot draff from the Jura Distillery to feed to their cattle. He’s had the pleasure and honour of collaborating on various different projects for a number of years with Chris, Greg and Nat who are all exceedingly talented craftsmen in their own fields. This has been a great opportunity to bring their skills together for Rab’s own Sgian Dubh.
We had the pleasure of creating this Walnut handled Sgian Dubh for Andrew’s wedding. The Sgian Dubh features a Caithness Greenstone pommel with Brass fittings. The lower ferrule is engraved with the McLean motto “Virtue Mine Honour” whilst the leather sheath is embossed with the castle and leaping salmon from the McLean Clan Crest along with 2022 in Roman numerals. Andrew kindly emailed us: “The Sgian Dubh is absolutely incredible, it is a real thing of beauty and such a special memento to have from the Wedding day. The crest has turned out beautifully and with the brass and the Greenstone it is a real heirloom.”
Philippa and Roddy asked us to craft this unique pair of matching Titanium wedding rings. Roddy had proposed to Philippa whilst walking on Ben Eighe so we engraved the couple’s own hand drawn skyline of the mountain-scape for them. It was a real pleasure to create these rings to capture a place of special meaning to them. The couple kindly emailed us after their wedding with this beautiful picture of them wearing their rings: “We had our wedding day on 2 July and so are wearing our beautiful custom made rings. We are very pleased with them and have attached a picture of them when we were on honeymoon in Mull last week.”
We repaired and refurbished this Sgian Dubh for Scottish author Andrew James Greig. This was worn by Andrew’s grandfather, Gordon Stewart Greig when he was wounded at Gommecourt on the first day of the battle of the Somme. Fortunately he survived his injuries and was later commissioned into the London Scottish Regiment. Andrew has written about the history of the Sgian Dubh and his grandfather at his blog. The Sgian Dubh was missing its pommel stone so we made a new top ferrule from a sheet of nickle silver to match the rest of the metalwork and this holds a Tayside Amethyst pommel stone which our friend Nat at Scottish Gemstones cut for us. The blade needed treated for rust and the old nickle silver fittings required gentle cleaning and were re-secured. The wooden handle was in better condition so just needed a little cleaning and tidying and an application of preservation wax. Andrew kindly wrote to us; “Just to say the Sgian Dubh has arrived safely and I’m blown away – you’ve transformed a sad-looking relic into what will be a family heirloom… I am immensely impressed with how you’ve been able to restore the sgian dubh yet keep its provenance intact and I am grateful that I can pass this down to the next generation and beyond.”
We had the pleasure of designing and creating this pair of complimentary Pictish Wedding bands in Titanium specially for Catherine and Martin. Each band was engraved with specific Pictish symbols for the bride and groom with scalloped edges that flowed around the engravings. The bands were given the same polished finish to ensure they complimented each other perfectly. After their wedding the couple kindly emailed us with these lovely comments: “The rings were great thanks and we were very happy with them. Our guests were looking at them and thought they were unique and lovely. The young bridesmaids loved the unicorn too. Thanks for making them, Best wishes, Martin and Catherine ”
Alex commissioned this special pendant for his wife Morna’s anniversary gift. We had previously made their wedding rings, along with a few other pieces in the intervening years. This design of the 3 Pictish Kelpies are inspired by a pair of ‘Kelpies’ or sea horses carved onto a beautiful Class II Pictish stone standing in Aberlemno Kirkyard. The pendant was cut from aerospace grade titanium which was anodized to display a range of suitable water-like blueish tones which shimmer slightly as the angle of the light changes, showing subtle purple tones on the bodies of the Kelpies. The centre stone is a water-blue agate. Alex kindly commented; ‘amazing, beautiful and stunning craftsmanship and artistry as ever. A wonderful piece for wife’s well deserved anniversary gift!’
We crafted this Sgian Dubh and matching Sgian Brew for a wedding last month. Craig used his Sgian Dubh to cut his wedding cake, whilst the Sgian Brew was for his brother. The pair were made from a piece of cast antler which our son Max found whilst on the nearby hill, helping our neighbour with his cattle. The top and bottom of the handles are capped with Culloden Bog Oak and the blade and bottle opener are in Damascus steel. Craig kindly sent his review; “A huge thank you to Rab and his family for creating my Sgian Dubh and matching Sgian Brew! I cannot emphasise enough the care and craftsmanship that has gone into the pieces and the quality of work is amazing. He made the whole process very enjoyable from design through to completion and really made it that bit more special knowing who has made the Sgian Dubh rather than picking one off the shelf. Thanks again, it will serve me well for a very long time.”
We were delighted to be asked to make this special pair of matching Sgian Brews and Kilt Pins for Andreas and Thomas’s wedding. They were able to provide us with some lovely Danish Amber, which we asked our friend Nat Forno at Scottish Gemstones to make into pommel stones for the Sgian Brews and a matching pair of cabochons for the Kilt pins. The Sgian Brews have handles carved from 5300 year old Bog Oak and Damascus Steel ‘blades’, the fittings are made from Sterling Silver. On receiving their commission, the couple kindly emailed us with the following: “Thank you so much for making them for us. They look even better than we imagined them. I was born into a family of artisans where good craftsmanship always has been highly valued. Therefore it’s extra special for me to be able to wear something truly handmade for my wedding.”
We were commissioned by Isabel to design and create these unique pendants as wedding presents for Morag and Robyn whose pair of Pictish wedding rings we recently made. The pendant design complements the rings and is engraved into Titanium, then set with beautiful Tayside Amethyst which was cut and polished for us by Scottish Gemstones. We developed the hues of the titanium to harmonise with the colours of the Amethyst.
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