The Wedding Ring Dilemna---To Wear Or Not To Wear?

Do you ever wonder about your wedding ring? Do you wonder what people will say if you take it off? Do you wonder if you'll ever get another one? Have you thought about changing it in any way?

During the first year, I loved my wedding ring and had no intention of ever taking it off. I felt loved when I looked at it, I felt safe and connected.

But slowly, my feelings began to change. It made me sad to look at it. Then something happened that helped me take it off without that naked, empty feeling on my finger: my parents gave me a ring that had belonged to my grandma.

My grandma had always looked for pretty things, and I was at a point where I wanted to look for pretty things in life again, too--the everyday beauty around me I'd been overlooking--bright red cardinals, snowflakes, the companionship of our chocolate labrador at my side (mmmm, yes, and chocolate!) . . . So whenever I looked at my grandma's ring on my finger, I also began to open my eyes to the beauty around me.

Yet I didn't like the thought of my wedding ring just sitting in the jewelry box. Why let a perfectly good diamond go to waste like that? I didn't know what to do. Should I save it for my son to give to his bride some day, put it in a pendant for a necklace, just outright sell it . . . ??? None of those ideas sat quite right.

What would you have suggested? What will you do with yours? (Wearing it the rest of your life is perfectly fine too).

Here are three previous comments about this topic:
     *I couldn't stand the reminder, and took it off immediately, much to the dismay of my family and friends. They didn't understand at all. I wore my wedding band and his wedding band on a necklace for about 2 years...
     *I intended to wear my rings for a long time. But...they were slightly big since I'd had them resized during my heavier, post-baby days. Then after my husband's death, I lost weight...and when I took my daughters to the ocean this summer I was so afraid I would lose my rings in the water. Making the decision to remove my wedding rings was very difficult.
However, I chose to reset my engagement diamond in a setting with sapphires (my husband and I were both born in September) and I wear this beautiful new ring all the time. Buying and subsequently wearing this ring has been the most significant turning point in my grief journey thus far. There is beauty in my life / on my hand, and it is all because of my husband's influence and presence in my life.
     *I haven't wore my wedding rings since three months after my husband passed away. They're tucked away in a safe, but I really like the idea of having them reset in a new ring. I'm going to look into it.

"M" reset her diamond
with her mother's and her
grandmother's diamonds.
 

Feel free to comment about your ring, or send a picture to me at WCplace and I'll add it in here anonymously for you. We all love looking at jewelry, and we can really learn a lot from each other's experiences.

♥ ferree

M. just sent me this comment: I had the diamond from my engagement ring reset with the diamonds from my mother's and my grandmother's rings. I wear it on my left hand. I love it and many people comment on it. That gives me a chance to talk about my loved ones.


This ring photo was just sent in by the anonymous lady with the second comment below. She says, "This is my wedding ring along side of my widow ring that I purchased, which is a pave’ setting with 64 black diamonds in white gold dipped in black rhodium. I wear these both everyday and always will."

Your comments are so interesting, and I love the different ideas and beautiful pictures. Ann, that's quite a story about the waffles! (first comment below). Thanks everyone, and feel free to continue sending those photos in. These are great ideas!