Hey every one out thee in Instructable-land here's my very first instructable so bear with me.

After being married for a few years my wife began hinting that she was looking for an upgrade of her .5 karat diamond ring. Being young and of limited funds the next time she asked for her "One Karat" ring, a plan began to formulate in my mind..... Muhahaha.

Step 1: Selecting a Carrot

I checked the fridge and found a few carrots in the crisper. Make sure they are free of cracks we're talking full sized ones not those shaved and cut "baby" carrots.

Step 2: Sizing the Ring.

I selected a carrot that had the approximate diameter of a quarter. I checked my wife's rings and found her wedding band was about the same size as my pinkie finger.

Step 3: Cutting the Carrot.

I took the carrot over to the chopping block and trimmed off the end. Once the end was trimmed I cut a large section about 1 1/2 inches wide.

Step 4: Coring the Slice.

I then marked where I wanted to core the carrot and carefully cored out the center using a paring knife, leaving the sides about 3/4 of an inch thick.

Step 5: Drying the Ring.

I preheated my counter-top toaster oven to approximately 275 degrees and then put the cored slice in. Anyone who has ever eaten a Maruchen Cup-O-Noodles can attest to the texture of freeze dried carrots so I figured the carrot slice would attain the same leathery consistency.

You will have to check on the ring regularly. Make sure the ring is drying, not cooking. After about an hour or so I thought mine was ready. I took the ring out, cooled it, and sized it to my pinkie finger. I found it to be the perfect size. At this time the ring was pretty thick but very leathery.

Step 6: Presentation.

Once your ring is dried and properly prepared you can put it into an old ring box for the best reaction.

This was a fun prank to pull on my wife and she thoroughly enjoyed my wry sense of humor.

So if your wife starts asking for that "One Karat" ring give this one a try, good luck and have fun.

P.S.

(My wife actually wore the ring for about a week before taking it off and leaving it in the car. The heat of the interior of the car continued to reduce the outer size of the ring and it became very hard close to the consistency of hard leather.)