How to Repurpose Parents Wedding Rings
Jewelry is one of those things that holds onto memories. We give and receive jewelry for special occasions, joyful moments, and as symbols of love and commitment. Jewelry also spans generations as it’s passed down from one beloved family member to another. Perhaps you have inherited the wedding rings from your parents. They probably don’t fit, or they may not be your style, so they sit in a jewelry box collecting dust. Wouldn’t it be so much better to wear these rings as a special reminder of the people you loved? A jewelry redesign? Let’s take a look at three different ways how to repurpose parents wedding rings:
1. For When You Like the Rings as They are, but don’t Want to Wear Them as Rings…
I recently had a client whose husband had passed away many years ago. She had lost his wedding band and given up hope of ever finding it again. After she moved, it miraculously turned up in a dresser drawer! She wanted a way to wear both hers and her husbands wedding rings together, but she didn’t want to wear them as rings. It was also important to keep the rings intact. We decided to design a pendant that could hold both rings together. Since her ring fit perfectly inside his ring, we needed to design a piece that would nicely hang the rings on a chain. The result is a pretty necklace that she wears ALL the time.
2. For When You Want to Alter the Rings to Make a New Piece of Jewelry…
One day, a client asked me to recreate his wife’s wedding set. She had worn her original set for more than thirty years and the settings were starting to show some significant wear and tear. They decided to create an entirely new wedding set using the diamonds. The original rings, however, still held a lot of sentimental value and they didn’t just want to scrap the gold. As a surprise, the husband worked with me to design a cross pendant using the gold from the rings and one of the extra diamonds we didn’t use in the new wedding rings. In this project, I cut and shaped the original wedding rings into a cross shape and cut a setting for the diamond in the middle. She could still see some of the original details from her first rings in the new design. It was such a fun way to give new life to some very well-loved pieces of jewelry.
3. For When You Want to Repurpose Your Parents’ Wedding Rings, but You Want Something Completely Different…
Sometimes I have clients who would like to incorporate parts of their parents’ wedding rings, but they want a completely new piece of jewelry. One young man came to me with the wedding set his father had given his mother. His parents divorced when he was little and they had set aside the engagement and wedding rings for him to use when he was ready to get married. The rings, however, were not even remotely the style he wanted to propose with. We decided to design a new ring and use the diamond from the original rings. He also wanted a white gold engagement ring, but his parents’ rings were yellow gold. I purchased the metal from him, and he used that money to help pay for the new engagement ring.
Using his parents’ wedding rings helped this young man save a lot of money. The new ring cost less than $2500. If he had to purchase all the materials new, it would have cost him over $6000. He used the savings to help with the down payment on their first house!
Who Do You Work With?
Now that you have some ideas, where do you go to get something like this done? Most of your chain jewelry stores won’t be able to provide a full custom jewelry service. Your best option is to find a jewelry business that specializes in custom design. This can be through an independent, local jewelry store or it can be a custom jewelry business you find online who works with clients remotely.
Local Independent Jewelry Store
There are a lot of reasons staying local can be beneficial. The pros to working with a local jeweler include:
You won’t have to ship your jewelry (in most cases).
Shipping has improved dramatically over the last decade and almost all packages arrive at their designation safely, but there is always a chance a package gets lost or stolen. When you are working with sentimental items, the possibility of loss or theft may not be worth the risk. If this is how you feel, be sure to ask the store if they do all their work in house. Not every jewelry store has a custom jeweler on staff who can make your design. In this case, they would ship your belongings to the business they hire to build the piece for you.
You can Speak with the Custom Jeweler or Designer in Person.
Not everyone is comfortable talking over the phone or through a video conference. If you choose someone local, you can go and interact with your designer/jeweler personally.
You Support Your Local Community.
Small, local businesses are often your neighbors. This doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a better experience, deal, or design, but if it matters to you to support the people who live in the same community as you, this is a great way to do it.
It’s becoming more and more common to find jewelers who can work with you from anywhere in the country. Here are the benefits to working with an online custom jeweler:
You Have So Many More Options.
Not all communities have a local jeweler. Or they have a jeweler who doesn’t perform the type or quality of work you are looking for. Going online gives you access to thousands more options, styles, qualities, budgets, etc. Every custom jeweler is a bit different, and you can find one who suits your style.
There are a lot of different ways to design a piece of jewelry. Some designers draw their designs for you to consider. Others cut and paste different elements together from existing designs to create your new piece. CAD designs are becoming more and more prevalent and give you a realistic, three-dimensional look at the piece of jewelry you are designing. You might prefer one design style to another, or you may be able to visualize your finished piece better depending on what the designs are created with.
Some jewelers also have tools and equipment that allow them to create different design styles more easily than other jewelers. Some may only work in certain metals or have access to certain gemstones or diamonds. All of these are considerations you can have when choosing a jeweler who can work with you remotely. When you have more options, you can really hone in on what is important to you. You shouldn’t have to settle.
It Can Be More Convenient.
Ever since virtual communication has become mainstream, jewelers can work with clients via video conferencing, email, phone calls, etc. This means you can schedule your jewelry consultation in between the meeting with your boss and the lunch date with your best friend.
The design technology also makes custom jewelry more convenient as jewelers are using CAD programs to create their custom designs. You can have access to life-like images of your design through your email and virtual meetings. Being able to see exactly what your jewelry is going to look like once it is finished can be incredibly helpful in making that final decision to move forward with a unique piece.
Shipping Has Become Much More Reliable and Accessible
Fine jewelry is shipped more now than ever before, and jewelers are using different tools to make sure your jewelry stays safe while in transit. Many custom jewelers who work with clients from around the country offer fully insured shipping to and from their studio. This means that you can ship your jewelry, fully insured, to the jeweler doing the work with much less worry than ever before. If anything were to happen to your jewelry while in transit, the jeweler will work with their insurance company to replace your items at no cost to you. By using other methods like overnight shipping, double boxing, and direct signatures, jewelers can keep your jewelry as safe as possible.
One of the most fun things about being a custom jeweler is getting to work with and create sentimental pieces of jewelry you and your loved ones can wear for generations. Projects where you repurpose parents wedding rings have endless creative options. Once you find a custom jeweler you can trust and you work well with, creating something unique will be a fun and memorable experience. At Virginia Ann Designs, repurposing jewelry is one of my favorite project requests. If you have any questions or if you’d like to see other options, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The first design consultation is always free, and you can schedule through my website. I would love the opportunity to talk with you!
One of the most fun things about being a custom jeweler is getting to work with and create sentimental pieces of jewelry you and your loved ones can wear for generations. Projects where you repurpose parents wedding rings have endless creative options. Once you find a custom jeweler you can trust and you work well with, creating something unique will be a fun and memorable experience. At Virginia Ann Designs, repurposing jewelry is one of my favorite project requests. If you have any questions or if you’d like to see other options, please don’t hesitate to reach out. The first design consultation is always free, and you can schedule through my website. I would love the opportunity to talk with you!
