Conversation with Your BFF: ‘What Do I Do with My Engagement Ring After Divorce?’

BY REBECCA COOPER 

Like most women, I like diamonds. There I said it! One of my favorite pieces of jewelry was my engagement ring. It has a beautiful center diamond with smaller ones on each side, but obviously, I can’t wear it since I’m divorced, because it does look like an engagement ring. Since I divorced, I will try it on just to see how pretty it is and then put it back in the jewelry box. One day I started thinking, ‘Is it weird to still like my engagement ring? And what can I do with it after divorce?’ Well, I’m so glad I asked myself that.

Repurpose the Diamonds

The day I seriously began thinking about recycling my engagement ring, I asked my BFF what she thought about the idea. Her reply, ‘Personally, I put mine away and never look at it. I’m afraid if I made it into another ring, I’d look down and chop my hand off!’ As you can tell, her marriage didn’t end on a positive note, other than she’s positive she’s glad he’s gone. So maybe she wasn’t the best one to ask. I have a different take on the ring and the diamonds in it; one of the best days of my life was when I was proposed to and one of the best days of my life was the day I took that ring off. My divorce was mutual and a good thing for both of us, so the diamonds represent positives in my life. Therefore, I designed a ring to take me into my next chapter of life.

Jewelers suggest taking the jewels from your engagement ring and fashioning them into a new creation, perhaps a necklace, a bracelet, or another ring like I did. My design doesn’t resemble an engagement ring, which was important to me.

Save It for Your Children

If redesigning your ring for yourself isn’t of interest, you could save the ring to give to your child or child’s fiancée one day; it will serve as a token of marriage that was tough but led to a beautiful moment of new love in your child’s life. If you and your ex had a friendly co-parenting relationship after divorce, that will help remove some of the negative feelings possibly associated with the ring.

When All Else Fails, Sell It!

For some, like my BFF, the mere thought of seeing anything associated with your marriage makes you physically nauseous.  If this is how you feel, then redesigning the jewels may not work for you.

Once one of the most important relationships of your life is over, any item associated with that ex can cause pain. The whole process of divorce is based on change and letting go. When you sell the ring, it’s not just about getting rid of an item you no longer need; it’s about removing the physical reminder that may undermine the process of healing. Should you decide to sell your ring, get an appraisal from a reputable jeweler to determine the ring’s value. Once you know its worth, you are more prepared to sell it, either to a jeweler or to a pawnshop. The act of ridding yourself of the ring can help you to start the new chapter in your life and that is just part of deciding to move on in life.

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