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If you got divorced at some point, what did you do with your wedding/engagement rings?

(132 Posts)
MaryTheBookeeper Mon 27-Jul-20 21:48:39

I'm wondering what to do with mine? They have sentimental value but what's the point of them just sitting in the drawer? I don't want my dc to use them, I'd rather they had their own fresh start. Flogging them for scrap feels heartless. What did you do with yours?

Barmeyoldbat Fri 04-Sep-20 18:21:04

Only had a wedding ring and I threw it out along with him, his clothes and his belongings. Best thing I ever did.

gulligranny Fri 04-Sep-20 18:14:22

When I got divorced (way back in 1989) I got depressed. Went to the doctor to request something to lift my mood; he waggled his eyebrows and said "What you need, my dear, isn't available on the NHS".

Made me laugh so much that on the way home I dropped my wedding ring down a drain and never looked back! And shortly afterwards I got a toy-boy - but that's another story ..

Alexa Fri 04-Sep-20 16:43:21

I sold them for the gold value

maryrose54 Fri 04-Sep-20 15:46:46

I sold them both. The break up had been my fault but he didn't ask for them back and I had nobody to pass them on to. We were both young and had married too soon, at least on my part. I wasn't mature enough and had just married as I wanted to leave home. When my mother ran away and left us we found her rings in her jewellery box. Can't remember what happened to them.

trustgone4sure Fri 04-Sep-20 14:34:37

Pawned wedding /engagement/eternity ring and had a weekend away.

tinaf1 Fri 04-Sep-20 14:19:44

After he said he wanted them back , which was a massive cheek seeing as I bought and paid for them I pawned them

Allie2 Fri 04-Sep-20 13:44:03

I had the gold melted and the diamonds set into a pendant that both the jeweler and I designed. It’s a lovely piece and I wear it often.

BryanthePigeon Sun 16-Aug-20 00:08:08

I made a solitary grand gesture the day after receiving my decree absolute and threw them as far as I could into the middle of a local lake we used to visit together when we were married.
That was nearly 40 years ago and I have been happily remarried for the last 36 years, but I quite like to think of them sitting in the bottom of that lake from time to time!

Magrithea Sat 01-Aug-20 10:24:35

When I worked in a jewellers a lady came to collect an eternity ring that had been made from the stones and metal of her old engagement ring - 3 diamonds and 3 blue topaz - it looked stunning!

Daftbag1 Wed 29-Jul-20 18:31:29

I gave them to my daughter I felt that they belonged to her.

Happygirl79 Wed 29-Jul-20 17:25:18

Sold both engagement ring and wedding ring to help pay for food for our children as he wouldn't pay maintenance

Madmaggie Wed 29-Jul-20 17:03:44

Gave my first engagement ring to my only daughter (I had paid for it anyway) a very simple solitaire. The beautiful ring her fiance had commissioned also was a solitaire but much larger and sat very high up on her finger. She loves it but was afraid of losing or damaging it in a former job she had which meant digging out soil samples on building sites etc.Suggested she could wear my ring for work and her ring at other times. (I fear she has misplaced it plus another ring she admired which first husband, her dad, had bought me for a birthday). My second marriage ended and I had chosen a dress ring not your typical engagement ring. I have kept that one because its a dress ring & pretty but too small now. I now have two gold wedding rings in my jewellry box and often wonder about having them made into something else. The price of gold is rocketing. Could be worth getting an estimate of value if a jeweller would do it for free.

LadyJus Wed 29-Jul-20 15:02:12

I donated my platinum wedding ring and diamond & platinum engagement ring to my local hedgehog support hogspital for them to raffle off, hopefully they'll raise at least £1000 - half the value. I'd had to purchase the wedding ring myself so it held bitter memories. I could have had them melted down but tbh, it would have cost more money than I was prepared to pay.
I only had my engagement ring left from my 1st marriage, I weighed it in and didn't look back!

Kim19 Wed 29-Jul-20 07:17:21

This item makes me smile. Many years ago I received a Dear John (thoroughly unexpectedly) from my then fiancé. My oppo observed from a distance but gently pursued the ring disposal prospects in due course. When she heard of my somewhat dramatic and lovelorn plan, she said something to the effect of 'heck no. We could have a few good slap-ups if you sold it'. Duly done and appreciated thoroughly helping kick my sad heart into touch. Though now long since widowed, still wear my rings with reflective joy.

vampirequeen Tue 28-Jul-20 21:48:27

They're in a drawer or a box somewhere. I don't really know but I wouldn't have thrown them away. They were gold and I'm a Yorkshire lass. We don't throw things with cash value away grin

mrswoo Tue 28-Jul-20 21:10:18

I never had an engagement ring but I sold my wedding ring for much needed cash. My ex had betrayed me, (and our young son) and I really didn't attach any sentimental value to it
Eight years after my divorce I married my second husband. At the reception I was excitedly showing off my lovely new ring when my tactless sister asked if it was a new ring or whether we were just using the one from my marriage to my first husband. shock.

NanaPlenty Tue 28-Jul-20 20:45:17

Took the diamonds out of my engagement ring and had it remodelled and sold my wedding ring as it didn’t fit and I knew I wouldn’t wear it.

Shandy3 Tue 28-Jul-20 20:03:54

Stones taken out and reset together with new stones into a fantastic new peice of jewllery ?

Alioop Tue 28-Jul-20 19:49:56

Left them on worktop and then I left him!

Knittynatter Tue 28-Jul-20 17:42:59

My wedding ring was cut off when I broke my finger and my daughter has my engagement ring. I do wear my Gran’s and my Mum’s wedding rings. My sister had my mum’s ring for her second, very happy, marriage but when she died her husband gave it to me as her knew it had been Mum’s.
They both fit my third finger so one is on my left hand. I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’m a very happy single Granny and not wanting another relationship. ??

Worcester4lady Tue 28-Jul-20 17:20:45

Sold mine and gave the money to my son to buy himself a toy!

Grannyshome Tue 28-Jul-20 17:10:57

I took my rings off and kept them in my jewellery box without giving them much thought. 28 years later I remarried and my old wedding ring was melted down to make a new one. 22 carat gold is so expensive it seemed such a waste to buy new. My "new" (we'd lived together for years) husband is, like me, a practical sort and thought it was a good idea. I'm sure it cost him more to have a ring custom made than to buy one off the shelf but I guess he felt it was a nice way of leaving the past behind.
My first engagement ring is still in my jewellery box and will in time go to my only granddaughter, as will all of my other jewellery including the wedding ring and engagement ring I wear now.

Arto1s Tue 28-Jul-20 17:04:25

I sold my wedding ring and engagement ring from my first marriage to buy my second husband’s wedding ring!

TwiceAsNice Tue 28-Jul-20 16:43:56

My wedding engagement and eternity rings are in a small velveteen bag in a drawer. I haven’t thought about them for ages. Due to the fact that my children hate their father and never see him I doubt they would want them. The granddaughters might like them but 3 rings 2 grandchildren doesn’t go

I bought myself a ring afterwards which I wear on my right hand which sort of symbolises my freedom for me . Perhaps I’ll ask them what they think and flog them/ melt them down

bridie54 Tue 28-Jul-20 16:33:21

My first husband had been unfaithful with a work colleague and who I thought was a family friend too. So when he told me our marriage was over I boxed up all the very thoughtful gifts she had given me over the years and posted them to her taping my wedding ring to a card saying that “You may as well have the second hand ring to go with the second hand husband“. She had designer engagement and wedding rings made but 25 years later they have never married. I didn’t have an engagement with him but he did once give me a beautiful silver and amethyst ring which I still have and wear.