Last Friday, I had the opportunity to play dress up in some very fancy gowns. I was asked to participate in a fashion show to benefit cancer research and children's education about the desert environment. The event was spectacular, Eco-elegant was the theme and elegant it was. I wore wedding attire by some pretty famous designers and some really expensive shoes and that got me thinking-really, daydreaming about doing my wedding all over again. A new dress, more yummy cake, reaffirming our vows; and dare I say it, a new ring?
This leads me to a burning question: Is it okay to upgrade your wedding ring and if so are there mitigating circumstances to receiving a new ring?
I find myself thumbing through the jewelry catalogs every now and again. There are so many new and beautiful styles, more then I remember seeing back when my husband and I were ring shopping. Albeit, I really didn't look or even care much what my ring looked like. Like most brides-to-be I assume, I had stars in my eyes and every diamond I picked up I loved. The jewelry store did mention that we could trade in our rings and use the value towards new ones. Just like getting a new car, very tempting!
Sometimes I long for something different, I just don't know if that makes me a selfish wife. I don't wear the same style clothes as I did 10 years ago so why can't my taste in jewelry change?
Young couples in love, just starting out in their lives may only be able to afford a 20 dollar ring but as time goes on and paychecks get bigger life gets better. Is it vain to want to illustrate that success-both economical and the success of their enduring marriage off?
Or, a man hands down his grandmother's ring to his fiancé and it's not anything like what she would have picked out but she accepts it with love and wears it lovingly for many years. Is it wrong to want something made just for her?
There are lots of reasons why someone may want to upgrade, however, whether a simple ring of gold or an extravagant platinum piece of bling it's still just a ring. An inanimate object, that means whatever you want it to mean.
Everything, or nothing at all.
Your marriage may be forever but is your wedding ring?
Photo credit: stock.xchng
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Very interesting article. In short I think it is good to upgrade on different anniversaries 5th, 10th etc..
I know anniversary bands are quite common. My grandmother, my mother and my mother-in-law all have anniversary bands.
I think your point about taste in jewelry styles changing is quite valid. My bridal ring set is yellow gold though for years and years I've worn mostly silver/white gold/platinum/sterling silver jewelry. I wonder what I was thinking when I wanted yellow gold all those years ago! But personally, I could never change my rings. It's definitely a very personal decision.
Malia, You can change your yellow gold to white gold by having it dipped. That could be a change without actually changing the set….
I'm still up in the air because I did pick out my set, but I still want something else! I think if I did upgrade it would be hard to trade my set in. I really would want to keep it, even if it's just to look at…
Interesting article Erika. My personal opinion is that a couple should have no issues with upgrading their rings. While it may not be the same ring, it still represents the same sentiment and feelings. I think everyone deserves to love their ring(s) especially considering they have to wear them every day.
I was fortunate enough to be in a position before I proposed to spend some money I had saved to get a really beautiful ring that I dont think will ever need to be upgraded. My fiance LOVED the style (i had some help
) and I had the diamond set in platinum after speaking with our jeweler about its superior durability. To top things off, she loves the heft of the ring, and the extra weight that always reminds her that its there.
Anyways, I may have side tracked there for a moment but yes, I think that people should be open to upgrading a ring. The ring is a vessel and representation of your love and relationship, regardless of the ring, it still represents those things.
I've had my ring sized a couple of times, and the last time my hubby asked me if I wanted to change the way the side diamonds were set. They're trillions, and they are bezel set so they look dark. They are actually higher quality stones than the center diamond, so they should be shown to their benefit, right? I had some reservations about changing the ring, but hubby said that since we were doing the design together, it's very similar to how we worked on the ring in the first place.
I ended up just getting it sized and saving the renewal for our 20 or 25 year anniversary. I suppose that's very similar to just getting a new ring.
i'm a romantic traditionalist whose advice would be to keep the original! won't you miss it? don't you want to keep it for a keepsake? if so, why not get a 'signature ring'? you know the right-hand ring finger ring-of-your-choice? i love daydreaming about how i'll adorn that finger one day… ☺