A 35,000 sq. ft. building tucked into Lindon’s industrial area earns regular visitors. As a still-growing region, it’s more functional than flashy — roaring semi trucks and mammoth-sized warehouses are common, with seemingly more storage units and pool supply stores than people.
Duck your head inside the property with an all-caps MANLY BANDS pronouncement on its outside, and it almost looks like a jewelry store, with glass display cases all in a row, each containing rings. There’s a chandelier pieced together with deer antlers hanging from the ceiling. The walls are painted black. There’s a cowhide throw rug. And when an associate offers to take you on a tour of the space — offering that over 80 percent of Manly Bands’ rings are made right here — it takes only a few minutes to uncover the truth: this spot is the antithesis of a stuffy jewelry store. It’s practically an updated take on a bachelor’s pad. It’s a man cave with rings.
“This is our Fender collection, which has rings with acoustic guitar strings," says my tour guide, Manly Bands Administrative Assistant Sadie Post. The ring is made entirely out of ebony wood and, in addition to its bronze guitar string inlay, it has authentic Fender tweed fabric inside. The tiny box it comes in resembles the world’s smallest guitar case.
Post showcases more unique rings, including one that’s made of Jack Daniel’s whiskey barrels. Rings with actual meteorites embedded. Rings with bits of archaeologist-provided dinosaur fossils and/or shards of Sherman tanks blended in. There’s an entire “Lord of the Rings” collection approved of, signed off on and celebrated by the family of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Since 2016, Manly Bands has provided men’s rings that rarely fit a standard mold. The company was formed to provide a wider range of sizes and styles to men about to get married, creating bands that are unique to their customers’ hobbies and passions. This hardly seemed a radical idea at first, but it evolved into one. Manly Bands founders Michelle Luchese and John Ruggiero have since become disruptors in the industry.
“That was the exciting part. We’re not jewelers; we’re marketers and entrepreneurs,” Ruggiero says. “We wanted to design rings all along, but it was a process to discover how we could help other guys like me who either had big fingers or wanted options that went beyond a traditional gold or silver band. That resonated then and resonates now.”
Ruggiero’s nuptials were the starting point for the business he shares with his wife. Finding rings that fit him was no easy task, and he ultimately felt like there might be others like him who shared his plight. Nearly a decade into their journey, he’s more than proven that inclination right.
One size fits some
But disrupting an industry isn’t what Ruggiero and Luchese had in mind when they were trying to get married; they just wanted a little variety. Options. Something that would go past his first knuckle.
“Not only did the stores not have my size, they couldn’t size me, period,” Ruggiero says. He wears a size 17 — far larger than most stores carry, as ring sizes for men average between 9 and 13. Instead, he was handed a catalog with a few simple choices and then told he’d receive it from overseas in four weeks. He wasn’t ready to stop looking, but after striking out at several stores in a row, John’s final recourse was to order from Amazon.
While what they ordered wasn’t anything flashy, at least it fit. After getting married and moving from Los Angeles to Florida, Ruggiero and Luchese thought more about their experience with securing a wedding ring. They’d done their share of research, and it sparked ideas.
Ruggieroe ran a marketing agency, Luchese was an actor, and both their parents were entrepreneurs. By combining their creativity, they felt they could be a solution to the problem nobody had solved.
“You’ll only buy a wedding ring once,” Luchese said in a 2023 Utah Business article. “Maybe twice, if you’re part of the national average — the point is, it’s a special thing, and it’s something we assume you’ll be wearing for years and years. It should be personal.”
Within their first year in business, the couple knew they had something to offer, and customers agreed. Sales grew. Ruggiero handled marketing and Luchese tackled customer service as they shipped products out of their garage for their first year and a half. The company grew from five people who wore a few hats each to a staff that’s now 45 employees strong, creating up to 180 rings onsite and shipping between 300 and 500 packages daily.
A ring with a story
While many customers choose rings that align with their interests, sometimes a ring connects someone to their family. For example, Phil Marascalco of West Virginia bought one that tied him to his late grandfather. The ring — called The Patton, after the famed Sherman Tank commander George S. Patton — is made of tungsten and includes a genuine World War II Sherman Tank metal inlay. More than 50,000 Sherman tanks were produced between 1942 and 1945, making them one of the most commonly used American tanks throughout the war. Now, Marascalco wears a piece of one on his finger.
Marascalco’s grandfather, who fought in World War II, passed away a few decades ago. He was a tank driver in Patton’s army, and Marascalco recalls the stories his grandfather shared when he was still a teenager. His ring is a constant reminder.
“There is that connection to my grandfather with the ring, including all the people his age who chose to put their lives on hold — men and women, both fighting and working in factories to win the war,” Marascalco says. “They were truly the greatest generation.”
When a business owner finds that emotional connection between them and their customer, Ruggiero says, “it’s everything.”
“We’re lucky because a lot of happy customers have told us their stories,” he continues. “It’s often a special moment, especially if they’re getting married. There’s a lot of happiness.”
Not just another jewelry store
Because Ruggiero and Luchese didn’t have a background in jewelry, their take on rings differed from the norm. By licensing with brands like Jack Daniel’s, Fender, Jeep and the DC Universe, they’ve tapped into pockets of enthusiasts excited to see their interests reflected in ways they hadn’t before. “We started approaching what personalities would accompany our collections as a way of helping people find their place [in them],” Luchese says.
Licensing makes Manly Bands stand out from its competitors and elevates the brand with credibility. Other companies and competitors may have generalized whiskey barrel rings, but only Manly Bands hail from the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Tennessee. Barrels are sent and chopped into pieces before being smoothed on a lathe. The ring even comes with a certificate of authenticity.
“That resonates with people who like whiskey,” Ruggiero says. “Some don’t [enjoy whiskey] … but they still like Americana, and it becomes a conversation piece.”
Licensing the universe
Many of Manly Bands’ licensing deals result from leadership seeking out the brands that most interest them and their customers. The three rings in their most recent launch — a collaboration with NASA — represent the moon, deep space, and satellites in orbit by using materials like titanium, crushed opal, black zirconium and gold, respectively.
Securing a NASA license is another dream realized for the Utah company, one Ruggiero never expected at its onset. He believes others will want to share his vision of being connected to space in a unique way. It’s the company’s latest way to offer customers a chance to be connected to history — and, more than that, a chance to display a connection that extends far beyond the everyday.
“What do guys get excited about? The outdoors, history, the military, space, things made of wood, deer antlers,” Ruggiero says. “Why not wear something that matches your personality? The idea of a ring is a symbol of your commitment. Why can’t the ring be a little different?”