Teen entrepreneur makes rings out of antlers in Lake Country

Lake Country teen Rocklin Broad is turning donated antlers into unique-looking rings he’s selling on his website and at local markets. 

The outdoorsy 15-year-old loves working with his hands, and when he was given a set of moose antlers, it sparked his imagination.

“I’ve always been a crafty person and when a friend gave me antlers I went to the internet for ideas on what to do with them,” he said. “I made some rings and my mom thought they were pretty good.” 

Broad took his rings to local markets earlier this year and learned many customers wanted more sturdy options, so he added stainless steel, titanium and gold-plated tungsten antler rings to his inventory.

He buys steel inlay kits that are already sized for some of the rings. For the plain antler rings, he drills a hole in a piece of antler, spins it on a lathe into the right shape and sands it to the desired size.

“Antler is a very odd material to work with, it’s not like wood or steel, it behaves in different ways,” he said. “The outer area is hard antler and is good but the inside is more porous and will absorb everything which isn’t as good for ring making.”

Broad wears protective equipment when working with antler as it can be dangerous.

“An antler had blood flowing through it that can carry diseases and it flakes off into tiny pieces so breathing it in will harm your lungs,” he said.

It isn’t the first time the young entrepreneur came up with a successful crafting idea. When he was 11 years old the Harry Potter fan made hundreds of hand-designed wands out of poplar branches he collected from his property.

“I’d start with a stick and strip it down to the size I wanted and carve a handle and a design,” he said. “Then I’d torch or stain and add engravings, no two wands were ever the same.”

He sold so many of the wands at local markets and online that he was able to buy a 1953 Mercury truck he is fixing up with his dad. When sales eventually slowed down, Broad was given a set of moose antlers and the new creative idea was sparked.

He has a continuous supply of antlers being donated by friends and fans of his work.

“Amazing people have donated some incredible antlers and tell me to keep up the hard work,” he said. “Sometimes the donations are a trade for a ring.”

When asked if he’d take his rings to a more global market, Broad said he is focussed on making smaller, handmade batches.

“If I get too much into production, they won’t be what I want,” he said. “I want them to be perfect so everyone wearing them has the best ring and I know I did my best work.” 

Broad will be set up at the Downtown Kelowna Thursday Night Market in Kerry Park from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the next few weeks.

Go here to see all of Broad’s handcrafted works, check out the prices or make a purchase.