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Repurposing a wedding ring

(29 Posts)
Biscuitmuncher Fri 04-Mar-22 18:28:28

My dear mum's wedding ring is just sitting in my jewellery box, I couldn't wear it as a ring, I thing a wedding ring is such a personal thing. But it seems a shame, should I have it remade into a pendant? What's everyone's views please

Germanshepherdsmum Fri 04-Mar-22 18:38:39

I have inherited several old wedding rings and had this dilemma. Charities are pleased to receive them.

CanadianGran Fri 04-Mar-22 18:41:00

Yes by all means do it. Rings do go out of style, and a plain wedding band will just sit tucked away for years.

Getting jewellery remade can be expensive, but a good goldsmith will give you some ideas and a quote. Then you will have the knowledge of the gold that was on your mother's hand for so many years has a place next to your heart.

Calendargirl Fri 04-Mar-22 18:42:30

I would have loved to inherit my mum’s wedding ring, and would have worn it proudly. As my sister is older, it seemed only right that she had it though.

ShazzaKanazza Fri 04-Mar-22 18:42:46

Biscuitmuncher love the name. I would wear it as a necklace if it’s very sentimental to you.

Redhead56 Fri 04-Mar-22 19:24:54

It would be a nice idea to sell them for scrap weight it’s a good rate at present but changes every day. Buy a gift for loved ones with the money. I most certainly would not hand them in to a charity shop.

Visgir1 Fri 04-Mar-22 19:39:05

I know of someone who had lots of gold odd bits of jewellery, rings, broken chains etc
She took them into a jeweller who makes bespoke items. She asked them to melt the lot together and then drop (I believe) into cold water. It made an amazing shape. She asked them to attached a chain , then wore it as a pendant.
It was stunning and so different, she remembered every one who contributed to it.

Germanshepherdsmum Fri 04-Mar-22 19:42:44

I wouldn’t hand them to a charity shop either but charities’ head offices will accept old jewellery and turn it into funds by selling it for scrap. I should have made that clear. I wouldn’t have wanted my old rings to be worn by someone else.

M0nica Fri 04-Mar-22 20:11:43

I have several wedding rings and I am going to have them made into another ring, possible using sapphires from another ring or a couple of opals I have.

I will commission a jewelry designer to design something for me.

varian Fri 04-Mar-22 20:25:48

I have never taken my wedding ring off my finger since it was first put there by my husband on my wedding day and so I would like it to remain on my finger after my death.

I'm not sure what happens if a body is cremated complete with gold ring. Do you think it would inevitably be taken by someone in the crematorium?

grannyticktock Fri 04-Mar-22 20:39:00

I think it's rather nice to let a wedding ring have a new life with someone else. Mine is an antique wedding ring (1879, 22ct gold) and I like the idea that it will once have been on the finger of someone of my grandmother's generation. Maybe someone else will wear it one day...
But like the original poster, I have two gold rings in my possession, that once belonged to my father and his second wife, my stepmum. I don't really know what to do with them.

Biscuitmuncher Fri 04-Mar-22 20:46:03

varian my mum died wearing her ring, it was returned to me by the undertaker

Hellogirl1 Fri 04-Mar-22 21:37:37

I inherited my grandmother`s wedding ring from her first marriage. When she married again, she had it made into a signet ring, with her new initials on the front, and her first husband`s initials inside. I`ve asked my daughters to make sure it stays in the family. It must be quite old, as she died 66 years ago, aged 78.

halfpint1 Fri 04-Mar-22 21:45:49

We had a few inherited rings and decided to have them remade for my daughters' wedding. The groom's family did a similar thing with their old rings. It was lovely to see them being recycled

grandMattie Fri 04-Mar-22 21:49:45

I was given my mother’s wedding ring and wear it on my right hand. When my fingers swell too much, I remove my own wedding ring, put it on the chain round my neck, and transfer mum’s to my left, as it is bigger…

Nonogran Fri 04-Mar-22 21:57:08

You are so lucky to have your mums ring. My mum gave me hers (married 1948) & I put it away. Ages afterwards I came across it & by accident ditched it in the bin with some tissues I had in my hand.
My mum is still alive and very frail. I can’t bring myself to think about my mistake. I worry about it quite a lot.
The ring was a post war skinny lightweight 9carat little beauty and I beat myself up for my carelessness.
If I still had it I would certainly have it remodelled along with other bits of gold I’ve got, into a pendant.
Makes me sad to think about what I did.

Jangran99 Fri 04-Mar-22 22:17:36

My own ring had to be cut off. I had my Mum's, my Gran's and my Mil's rings. All were melted down and made into two rings the same profile as my Mum's ring. With all our initials engraved I first wore them on our Golden Wedding. Our two grand-daughters will inherit.

dolphindaisy Fri 04-Mar-22 23:58:15

My daughter was only 8 years old when my mother died but she has such lovely memories of her granny she wears her wedding ring on her right hand

Esspee Sat 05-Mar-22 00:00:56

varian

I have never taken my wedding ring off my finger since it was first put there by my husband on my wedding day and so I would like it to remain on my finger after my death.

I'm not sure what happens if a body is cremated complete with gold ring. Do you think it would inevitably be taken by someone in the crematorium?

Jewellery is removed by the undertaker and returned to the family. They do not allow jewellery when a body is cremated.

absent Sat 05-Mar-22 06:58:30

I wear my grandmother's wedding ring, dating from the 1890s. It is 20 something carat gold, paper thin and I asked my mother for her permission to use it for my second marriage. Since then, I have inherited a number of wedding rings from family members. When my daughter was having a serious cash problem, I gave them to her to sell, which she did. My dead aunties would have been glad to help her.

Thorntrees Sat 05-Mar-22 07:36:20

My Mum and an elderly Aunt died within weeks of each other some years ago and I inherited quite a lot of rings,gold chains etc.
I took them all to a local jeweller who worked out how much they were worth and with the money I bought a lovely pearl and gold chain necklace that I wear everyday.
I was also able to buy a necklace and ear ring set for my granddaughter so she too has a memento of her great grandmother. I was lucky that the price of gold was high at the time.
I did keep my Mothers eternity ring that I wear on my right hand.

Witzend Sat 05-Mar-22 07:43:11

A childless aunt of ours had very considerately prepaid her funeral and stated what she wanted. The instructions included ‘all jewellery to be passed to the family’. We were glad she’d said this, otherwise we wouldn’t have known whether to leave her wedding ring on, to be cremated with her.

IIRC it was sold, and the money added to her ‘pot’.

Georgesgran Sat 05-Mar-22 09:12:11

I like white metal jewellery, so I had my Mum’s 22carat yellow gold wedding ring rhodium plated and wear it on my right hand. DD1 has done the same thing with my GM’s wedding ring. DD2 will get my Mum’s ring after I’m gone. I think jewellery is meant to be worn, not sit in a box.

Anniebach Sat 05-Mar-22 09:25:30

I have my maternal grandmother’s wedding ring, she died giving birth to my mother, my mother suffered a badly scalded
hand and the ring was cut off her finger,

I don’t know what to do with it , don’t want to give it to my granddaughters, can’t throw it away

Lexisgranny Sat 05-Mar-22 09:52:07

My mother was very proud of her platinum wedding ring (bought in 1938) which I understand had been quite expensive. She really liked platinum and they had economised by getting engaged (two years earlier) at Christmas so she only had one present!, It had originally had a pattern on it, but over the years it had worn off and was quite smooth. The care home where she died returned it to me (understandably) listed as ‘1 ring, white metal’. She would have been mortified! Recently I have been considering having a ‘loop’ attached to it so I can wear it as a pendant,