A wedding or engagement ring is the ultimate symbol of love, so what do you do when you want to discard it and move past the relationship that the diamond is tied to? (See under: I'd throw this ring off of a cliff if it wasn't worth so much money).
Keeping emotions in check is key, according to an article by CNN's Liane Yvkoff. Yvkoff stressed that winning the ring is half the battle. In the state of California, a woman has the right to keep the ring if her fiance broke off the engagement. If she breaks the engagement, he can ask for it back. Even once you win ownership, you are at an even tougher crossroads: what to wear instead?
Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives to simply getting rid of it. Here are some ideas:
Sell bad memories for a finer piece of jewelry
Parting can be such sweet sorrow when selling back a wedding or engagement ring that once symbolized true love. It could be argued that no one knows the sentiment of bittersweet selling than engagement ring buyer Eric Smith, who shared his tale of love and loss to GeekOSystem reporter Eric Limer. After buying his girlfriend the dream ring, Smith found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him. Not one to be defeated, he sold it on eBay. In Smith's case, he bought a full-scale suit of armor modeled after Master Chief from Halo, but your purchase doesn't have to be anything even nearly as outlandish.
Of course, not everyone wants to get rid of their ring. For them, recycling might be the best option.
Rock the ring in a different form
Sometimes it's hard to separate yourself from a beautiful piece of jewelry. Rocking the ring on a different finger and being asked about it isn't very appealing, so why not think outside the ring box? By melting the gold or taking the diamond and centering it into a necklace, bracelet, or other piece of jewelry, the old becomes the new without any separation on your part. A jeweler can take components of your ring and do wonders, including making cost effective pendants out of a gold chain with your diamond attached.
For those who want to start from scratch, there are plenty of options for brand new jewelry, including a new trend -- divorce rings.
Turn the old into the new with a divorce ring
Divorce rings might be in vogue right now, but they have actually been around since the 20th century, according to Abazias Diamonds blogger Christina. Divorce rings can take the shape of traditional rings or can be clearly focused on separation. From quality to size, divorce rings vary as much as engagement and wedding rings. Christina shares her experience with the types of divorce rings she has seen:
"Divorce rings vary in style. Some rings, for example, are quite clear about the message they send," Christina said. "They may feature a design that is cut in half -- clearly indicating a recent divorce. Other divorce rings are designed with more of a hopeful message. The materials used in the rings also tend to vary, much like engagement rings. Some, for example, are cast in gold while others feature platinum or silver."
What will you choose?
My diamond engagement ring sat in my safety deposit box for 10 years--the shattered symbol of love, hope and promise. But, when I received the publisher's advance for writing The Smart Divorce, I decided to rethink what that symbol of love, hope and promise meant. I took part of the book advance to a jeweler to redesign and reset my engagement ring. That diamond ring has now become my "empowerment ring" and a new symbol of love, hope and promise, but with an entirely different connotation.
It means:
Love - of myself
Hope - of having a fulfilling and good life and,
Promise - to empower me to be a role model for my children and others to move forward with focus, hope and confidence.
I wrote about my "empowerment ring" and you can read about it at http://www.more.ca/relationships/single-life/how-your-divorce-can-be-empowering/a/37626/2
Deborah Moskovitch
Divorce Consultant and Educator
Author of The Smart Divorce
www.thesmartdivorce.com