My Wedding Ring Confession

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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My Wedding Ring Confession

— by Angie

on January 25, 2011

Hubby Greg knew that I wouldn’t be married to my original wedding ring. So over the last 14 years of marriage, I’ve changed my wedding ring style several times. I hope that doesn’t shock you.

When we got engaged in 1996, Greg selected a gold and white gold wedding ring with a few small, centered diamonds. I was never into the idea of wearing an engagement ring AND a wedding band, so I had two gold wedding bands fused to either side of the engagement ring so that it became a single chunky piece. I absolutely loved it and wore it for a few years with a mixed metallic watch. I have this thing that my wedding ring and watch need to match.

When simple platinum jewelry became all the range in the late 90’s I changed my wedding ring look to a plain, platinum wedding band. I got the same ring for Greg and wore that for a few years. I also changed my watch look to just silver.

My Mum passed away in 2000 and at that moment I really wanted to wear her wedding ring, which is an engraved gold wedding band. I did that for a year or so and wore a mixed metallic watch to match the gold ring. After a while I went back to wearing my plain platinum wedding band with silver watches.

In 2003 I stumbled across a ring that stole my heart. It’s a 1938 vintage estate piece, white gold, pave in design with microscopic scattered diamonds. I’ve been wearing this wedding ring for the longest time and it’s been the favourite so far. And it works well with my white and silver watches.

I am still on the lookout for a chunky brushed gold watch. When I find it, I’ll both wear it with my Mum’s gold wedding ring or the original gold and white gold wedding ring that Greg gave me.

It might seem odd that over the years I’ve changed my wedding ring style and that I am now in a position where I can swap out wedding rings and watches with the rest of my ensemble. But I guess that’s my wedding ring persona! I don’t want to swap out my husband but I do want to swap out the ring.

I’ve already been thinking about my next wedding ring, although I won’t be adding it to my collection any time soon. It will be a Mikimoto pearl and probably in white gold.

Accessories

69 comments · Add a comment

Zoe

What a wonderful collection!! I absolutely adore the last one, the estate ring. Great find!
I was actually thinking about getting a second set of wedding rings for my husband and me in a style different than our original ones, but I always wondered if that was weird. Glad to see that others (none other than the fabulous Angie) are doing it. I’ve been married almost four years now and although, like you, I definitely don’t want to swap the husband, I am itching to try a different style ring. Perhaps for our fifth anniversary–it will give me some time to settle on a style.

January 25, 2011 at 4:27 pm

qfbrenda

Veteran

I love that you have changed your rings and kept the husband. My favorite is the one on the lower right hand corner… gorgeous!

I would have fun choosing another type of ring, but I’m not sure if my hubby would be as excited as me. LOL

January 25, 2011 at 4:32 pm

Becky

Veteran

I still love my yellow gold band with a diamond princess-cut solitaire, surrounded on each side by a marquis-cut sapphire (my birthstone) and three smaller diamonds. If I were choosing now, though, I’d definitely go with white gold. But I’m just glad I still have the original, both ring and husband!

January 25, 2011 at 4:43 pm

Meg

It doesn’t shock me at all! I don’t think it’s weird at all to want to wear different rings — or no ring at all.

I haven’t worn my wedding band in many months, but sometimes when I do wear a ring I swap out the band with my engagement ring or an anniversary ring (basically, the engagement ring but in white gold instead of two-tone gold).

January 25, 2011 at 4:44 pm

sarah

Veteran

OK, this is so weird – the other day I was thinking, “I wonder how Angie incorporates her wedding ring into her outfits, and how did she/Greg ever choose one that would work with everything?” Now I know : )

January 25, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Kari

Veteran

I think the important part is that you’re keeping Greg even if the wedding ring may change along the years. I love your ring collection. I’ve never been a ring girl myself, so I’ve always been curious how I would feel about wearing a ring every day if I ever marry.

For the first 25 years of marriage my mom had a gold wedding band and a gold engagement ring with a simple diamond. (Simple, but pretty and elegant.) She and my dad were considering getting a larger stone or setting, but getting a setting around such a small diamond seemed strange, and my mom felt sad about leaving behind the diamond from her first ring. Then a relative passed away, and in her house – in this random box of junk – my grandpa found a diamond ring, and the cut, size, and clarity of the diamond were a near exact match to my mom’s. You can’t see the difference unless you are looking through a microscope. It was uncanny.
My grandpa gave that ring to my mom, and she used the two smaller diamonds as a setting for a larger diamond that she and my dad picked out. For a while she had a hard time getting used to having much more “bling” on her finger, but it really is tasteful and pretty, and she loves that her original diamond is part of the new ring.

Women in my family have also often worn their mother’s rings on their right hand when their mothers pass away – my grandma, aunt, and my mom have all done this at one time or another. I love seeing the familiar rings that graced my grandmothers’ fingers still being worn regularly.

January 25, 2011 at 4:49 pm

Fitzie

Active Member

I love this idea Angie! I have a sapphire diamond ring that I adore and it’s my “real” wedding ring, but I also have a plain stainless steel band that I wear when I want to wear other rings or jewelry that doesn’t look right with my fancier wedding ring. Or sometimes I wear no ring – depends on my mood. I am inspired to add to my small collection now.

January 25, 2011 at 4:55 pm

LoP

Veteran

This makes me chuckle. Hubby and I both have two rings. I have white set and yellow gold band in addition to my late Mom’s that I sometimes wear. He has a gold band that matches mine and a light titanium one that he prefers. Even so, we often forget to wear them.

January 25, 2011 at 4:58 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Sarah, that’s so weird and coincidental!

LOP, we just spoke about this and are on the same wavelength. High Five.

Kari, what a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing and so nice for Mum :-). Also, you get very used to wearing a ring each day. You don’t even feel it after a while. But you feel it when it’s not there.

Meg, I don’t think you have to wear a wedding ring either. I’m also not into wearing two rings but want to keep it to one wedding band. A very stylish friend of mine who has been married for 25 years wears a $10 000 Chanel watch as her wedding ring!! I love that idea – not the $10 000 part, but that she’d prefer to wear a watch instead of a ring. Adore non-conventional ideas like that.

I have never been a diamond girl and never will be. So Greg has been spared of gifting his wife with ultra expensive diamond anything. I sort if make up with it on the handbag and pearl side of things though

January 25, 2011 at 5:01 pm

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

My wedding ring is starting to get a little loose and I am thinking about getting a new and different ring if it ever gets too loose to wear. Ironically, it was so tight when we got married that they had to stretch it three times. They stretched it so much that they distorted part of the design on it. I only wore it a couple of years, because with my first pregnancy it got too tight and I never could get it back on. I’ve only been able to wear it again the last year or so.

January 25, 2011 at 5:21 pm

bella

(website)

Veteran

Where I come from, the couples buy matching rings for their engagement and wear it on their right hand until the wedding, at which time they switch it to left ring finger. Ours is a plain gold band (similar in width and appearance to your platinum band). I wear this either on its own, or together with a diamond solitaire that hubby gave to me when he proposed (like a US engagement ring) or with a five-stone diamond ring that my husband’s parents gave to me again for the engagement. I was recently given by my grandmother an heirloom ring, which I also like to wear from time to time with my wedding band. I really like having matching rings with my hubby and I would be upset to move onto a new set. But, our marriage is still relatively new (going on to almost five years), so I might think differently about it in the future. The sad news is, he seems to have misplaced his ring, so for now he is ring-less. He thinks he will find it sooner or later but I don’t have much hope.
I have a weird thing about wedding rings and watches as well. I find it really bulky to have them on the same hand, so when I got married, I started wearing my watch on my left wrist!:)
(Additional fun trivia about the engagement ceremony: the rings are tied to one another with a red ribbon, which is cut by an elder person in the family such as a grandparent or parent during the engagement ceremony. It is customary to give small pieces of the ribbon to your friends, so that they, too, get married soon!)

January 25, 2011 at 5:22 pm

bella

(website)

Veteran

A quick correction to my previous comment: When I got married, I started wearing my watch on my right wrist, not the left, duh!

January 25, 2011 at 5:29 pm

marianna

Veteran

Very interesting idea! I have thought about this exact thing but felt guilty about it! I only have an engagement ring so far and am not too keen on wearing a band plus engagement ring either… but I haven’t decided what I’m going to do! I like the idea of fusing two bands to it, but that won’t work with my engagement ring style…

January 25, 2011 at 5:49 pm

Sihaya

Veteran

Angie, what a beautiful collection. Each one is gorgeous in its own rite. I have a diamond engagement ring that my husband designed himself. I love it and wear it almost every day. I have a white gold and red gold puzzle ring as a wedding ring. I wear that occasionally. Like you, I don’t like wearing both rings at the same time.

January 25, 2011 at 5:51 pm

mamark

It’s so funny you posted this, as just today (before I saw your post) I switched out my platinum and diamond set for my husband’s grandmother’s 10mm wide gold band. My original rings capture water underneath when I wash my hands and give me a kind of dermatitis, but only in the winter (not sure why.) So I came up with the idea of wearing the gold band, and I’m loving how it looks! I’m wearing more gold jewelry now -I guess that’s my nod to the 1970s – and the gold band looks great with all of it.

January 25, 2011 at 6:02 pm

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

What an interesting post! I think it’s great that you knew what you wanted right away and that Greg both accepts and understands your approach. I guess this is just one representation of a fabulous partnership!

January 25, 2011 at 6:03 pm

mamark

p.s. I love each and every one of your rings, but the idea of a mikimoto pearl ring has me salivating!

January 25, 2011 at 6:05 pm

Lisa

Veteran

I’ve never thought about switching my wedding ring style over time. Both my engagement and wedding rings are very classic in style and I have a stainless steel watch to match. I do like my wedding rings and watch to match. I am more prone to swap out my ring on my right hand. Often daily. Either on my ring finger or middle finger, I have a rotation of 4 rings right now, 3 white gold and one yellow gold. I don’t mind when the yellow gold on the right does not match the white gold on my left, as long as the metals don’t cross the line of my body my two hands don’t have to match. My wedding band doesn’t match hubby’s. I thought about it, but he wanted a plain band and I wanted diamonds in mine so that idea didn’t work out. I figured, I may not always want to wear my engagement ring, so if my wedding band had some detail to it, wearing it solo would still look nice.

I’ve always wondered about pearl rings. They tend to stand tall in the setting. My clumsy hands would not fair well to raised settings. And this shows how clueless I am, can you wash your hands with a pearl ring?

My favorite of the bunch is the antique ring, it’s lovely. My second is the first one, stacked together. It reminds me of my grandmother’s ring and that makes me happy!

January 25, 2011 at 6:17 pm

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

I’m so happy to hear I’m not the only one! I made our original wedding rings myself but was never in love with them. I’m on ring #5 now and adore it. I loved #4 too but alas, it was lost.

January 25, 2011 at 6:18 pm

Melllllls

This was a very interesting read for me. Back in college, I used to joke that I could never commit to one ring, therefore how could I ever commit to one man. Well, I have committed to a man, an engagement ring and a wedding band I’ve only been married 3 months so my rings are incredibly new. I do wonder if I’ll ever tire of them or want some thing different. I love the idea of wearing the same rings for my lifetime but I wonder if that will change. My husband picked out my engagement ring with my best friend and one day he did point out to me that he specifically picked my engagement ring so that I could get a larger diamond later on or side stones. So he would be okay with it
also, I wear my grandmother’s wedding ring on my right hand. My dad found it a few months before I got married. It’s a Jewish tradition to use a plain gold wedding band and my wedding band has diamonds. So I got married with my grandmother’s wedding ring and now wear it on my right hand.

January 25, 2011 at 6:53 pm

Meredith

Active Member

Oh my goodness!! I did not know you switched back and forth between wedding rings!

I’ve always loved that ring from the ’30s, but I also like the gold one. Very pretty!

I don’t think I could ever swap out my ring. I’m just a bit too sentimental about it–silly I know.

Big hugs to you and Greg–a lovely couple in any set of rings!!

January 25, 2011 at 6:57 pm

Kristina

I just showed this to my husband and he said, “Well, you’ve finally found your people.”

He’s a farmer and doesn’t wear a ring at work for safety reasons, which means he really just doesn’t wear a ring (better all ten fingers than a ring, I say…).

I’ve had a number of rings over the years, including the one I had made from my engagement ring, a plain gold band, a lovely platinum and 1 ct .emerald cut diamond ring that was my grandmother’s (gave it to my brother when he got married, as he was very close to her), and now a diamond and ruby anniversary band my husband gave me for my 40th birthday.

But one husband suits me fine, too We just celebrated our 22nd anniversary a couple of weeks ago. Maybe he’ll get me a new ring for our 25th.

January 25, 2011 at 7:11 pm

ruthe

Active Member

I enjoyed reading this interesting post. My husband and I have had several rings, in different styles, in our 35 years of marriage. They all have special meaning, but in the end it’s not what is on the finger, but what is in the heart. Go for it Angie

January 25, 2011 at 7:13 pm

Carole

Veteran

I love your ring wardrobe! I never thought of changing out rings, but it makes total sense for you, Angie! Who knows, maybe someday when I get the clothing wardrobe nailed, I’ll be looking for more parts of myself to decorate!

January 25, 2011 at 7:23 pm

Kyle

Veteran

Interesting and touching stories! I, too, did not want a ring and a band…I had a lovely Marquis cut diamond with additional diamonds on either side and I loved, loved, loved that ring. Couldn’t take my eyes off it! I refused to take it off (though I had to to get married). Earlier, when I was about 18, I was given one of my mother’s platinum rings, but could not bear to wear it for years. I wear it now from time to time, most recently last week on the anniversary of her passing. It’s priceless to me. On a cheerier note, my husband surprised me several years ago with a spectacular diamond solitaire “upgrade” ring…and it’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. I’m a lucky girl.

January 25, 2011 at 7:41 pm

taylor

Veteran

That is a great assortment of rings:) And a great story:)

I also have had several wedding sets my self. My fist was a simple gold band. The second was also gold but it had a marquise diamond…I LOVED it. When my daughter got engaged she received a Tiffany ring in white gold…I instantly fell in love with the white metal for the first time. My current set is a princess cut 3 stone in white gold with a diamond pave white gold band behind…LOVE this . Funny how I went from my total love of yellow gold to a white gold wedding set.

January 25, 2011 at 8:03 pm

Jane

I LOVE this idea. I’m a variety girl, and while I am also happy to limit the variety in the husband department (1 guy for 23 years and counting) I am intrigued by having permission to change the ring. Hmm…food for thought.

January 25, 2011 at 8:06 pm

DanaLynn

Active Member

I switch between my plain white gold wedding band and my green sapphire engagement ring depending on the outfit. I was so relieved when we got married and I got the plain band. I have a wonderful collection of large cocktail rings but felt like they were too much with the engagement ring on the other hand. Now I get to switch them out all the time.

My husband selected the most beautiful stone for me though. It’s a soft green tat just glows- no matter what the lighting is. The best part- green goes with everything!

Like other people mentioned I wear my watch on my right hand if I am just wearing one ring. I feel much more balanced that way. But my watch definitely has to match. I have a beautiful pave diamond antique watch that was a college graduation gift. It goes perfectly with my grandmothers wedding ring from the 20’s. When we are really dressed up I switch to that set.

When we were original discussing rings I wanted a pearl. Everyone talked me out of it though. They are jut so delicate for everyday hand wear. I like the idea of having one to switch out though!

January 25, 2011 at 8:16 pm

Marlene

I have had 2 rings over the course of 20 years. When we got engaged, my husband-to-be gave me a diamond that had been his grandfather’s on a simple band . After I agreed to marry him, we went and got a setting designed and put the stone into that. I wore it for 10 years and felt that a change was needed. So we “upgraded” the band with one that is more elaborate and put that same original stone into it. Now we are heading towards anniversary #20 and I plan to upgrade again with a few more diamonds but still keep that same original stone. I am not attached to the band but that stone will always be a part of whatever wedding ring I may be wearing.

January 25, 2011 at 8:55 pm

lulu

Angie, Love the this post bc I love bands instead of a single solitaire design. That’s what I requested to when we were talking about getting married. Granted my husband gave me a beautiful ring, seven years later, I still adore band look. One day!

January 25, 2011 at 10:22 pm

Louise

Veteran

Great timing with this post, I was wondering about the etiquette of this sort of thing the other day. I still love my engagement ring (a gold curved wishbone with 9 teeny diamonds set in a channel) but I do have 2 other showy gem rings (1 I bought with birthday money and the other my nan gave me) which I often wondered about wearing in place of my engagement ring to go with different outfits, might check with BF 1st that he won’t be offended and if he is he can cough up for a new ring I’ve had mine 10 years LOL!!!! x

January 26, 2011 at 1:21 am

Joless

That is *such* a good idea, after all, just wearing a ring on the appropriate finger shows what you want to show, i.e. that you’re married/engaged. I always wondered whether it was ok to swap out my engagement ring for another if I felt like it, and now I know it’s not only acceptable, but a great idea! I love my diamond and sapphire ring, but it doesn’t go with everything!

January 26, 2011 at 1:41 am

Dusty

(website)

Active Member

I haven’t worn my ring in 3 years. I took it off during my last pregnancy and my finger still seems to be bigger than when I got married, even after losing 35 pounds. I keep hoping that it’ll fit again someday, but I think I should just go get it resized.

I like the idea of switching rings, but my ring is so perfect for me that I can’t imagine picking another. My ring (I used my engagement ring as my wedding ring) is a white gold split shank cathedral style ring, pave set along the top and side of the band with a radiant cut diamond for the center. Even after 10 years (our 9 year anniversary is this summer, but we were engaged for a year) I still loooove it.

January 26, 2011 at 4:47 am

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Angie, you are full of surprises. I assumed you’d had that platinum ring from day one. Well, I am in complete agreement with you and my mom is too – I think she’s had four or five rings, always resetting the diamond to reflect the times. White gold, yellow gold, back to white gold … My husband & I will be married 10 years next year, and I’d love to reset my diamond, while keeping the original husband

January 26, 2011 at 4:52 am

Nichole@40daysof

(website)

This is so funny! Good for you.

January 26, 2011 at 5:36 am

Bubu

My husband and I have matching plain platinum bands, since I am definitely a silver/platinum girl all the way. But when we hike or go to the beach I wear a $10 silver band with moons and stars etched in it – fun and I don’t have to worry! I generally wear my wedding band with my engagement ring, which is a plain diamond solitaire in a platinum band (they were a set). We are debating re-setting it for our 10th anniversary – I’d like to add a saphire on each side to symbolize each of my blue-eyed sons, since the diamond sort of symbolizes my husband… but haven’t really checked the price on that yet! (and if it comes down to it I’ll take the trip to Iceland we want to take for our anniversary over the ring…)

January 26, 2011 at 8:24 am

Lisette

(website)

Active Member

Your rings are beautiful and it makes sense that a multi-dimensional woman (and marriage) would need more than one ring to represent it. When DH and I got engaged he gave me a classic Tiffany setting but the jeweler (smart man!) inset the prongs into the band itself since I am not the delicate type. When we married it got paired with a classic coin edge band. For our 10 year anniversary, DH picked out a white gold ring to match the others with 10 channel set diamonds (yes, he’s a keeper!) Guess what I am asking for for my 20th? I wear them all stacked on my finger. None of the diamonds are huge but they are all perfect quality. I like that as I get older it gets a little blingy-er and when my DD gets engaged she can use my engagement ring by then I won’t be able to bend that finger for all the diamonds!

January 26, 2011 at 8:43 am

chellebrate

Active Member

I’m surprised. I guess I’ve never thought of changing my wedding ring.

January 26, 2011 at 8:45 am

Maria Killam

(website)

That is so great, you just gave the planet permission to change their ring and not be so significant about THE ONE, how awesome is that!! You’re the best Angie!
xo
Maria

January 26, 2011 at 8:49 am

Lain

I love your blog. Never posted a comment before, but I am glad to hear I am not alone in having multiple wedding rings. After all they are just jewelry and not the marriage itself.

I have been married 10 years and have (had) 7 wedding/engagement rings. My original engagement ring is an Iolite, which is a very “soft” stone and it scratches easily. Once I got married, I boxed it up and only wear it on special occasions. I lost my wedding-ceremony band, a white-gold Tanzanite, at the gym. I also had a custom-made yellow gold band done to match my husband’s ring. I figured I would alternate between white and yellow to match my metals. But the yellow was terribly uncomfortable, despite numerous re-workings. I’ve considered melting it down and using the gold for something else. My make-up ring to the lost tanzanite ring is a platinum 3-stone diamond band (almost 5 carats total – really obnoxious, but that was the rage in the early 2000s when I got it). I went to work for a non-profit shortly after getting it and it seems too pretentious, so I wear it only when out of the office and on my right hand. We went on our honeymoon to Egypt 7 years after getting married and I got the 24-carat carved yellow gold ring I now wear every day in Luxor. For my 40th birthday, my mom gave me my grandmother’s gold 5-stone ring that was made up of her engagement ring and other diamonds. Its an 80’s vintage “nugget” style. I now wear it with the Egypt band every day. I got over the matching metals and wear this combination every day, no matter the rest of my jewelry. I do match the right hand ring to my accessories.

I also have a sterling silver band I got at Wal-mart that I wear when I travel abroad. It cost me $12 and has been to India, Egypt, Mexico, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Honduras. I feel completely fine leaving it in the hotel safe, in a bag on the beach or on a boat when I dive. I also didn’t fear being robbed on the streets at night in Agra, India or Aswan, Egypt.

Whew, that’s a lot of rings.

January 26, 2011 at 9:30 am

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I’m still really attached to my original solitaire which is simply claw set in an 18ct yellow gold band. My wedding ring was hand made and features a rose gold band sitting above a white gold band, these two bands are flanked by smaller yellow gold bands. Although my two rings blended well together they did not feel quite right until I treated myself to a very slim eternity ring. Now it’s love!

Will I swap? Who knows but at this moment I doubt it.

January 26, 2011 at 11:47 am

Bianca

Veteran

Interesting post Angie. I can respect your need to change it up a bit and its nice to have a selection to choose from….all with their own personalities and sentiments. You have many years of marriage with Greg and that trumps any ring.

I have nearly 8 years of marriage and like to wear my traditional white gold channel set diamond band with diamond engagement ring together. I selected something simple and timeless, so that it would always match.

Every now and then I see another setting that catches my eye, but we are not in a position purchase anything like that right now. *HOWEVER* I would like to hope that we will be doing a little better by our 10th yr and it would be nice to add-on to what I have. I would love to add more bling to my original set.

January 26, 2011 at 11:48 am

Stephani

This is kind of awesome–but at the same time, I’m not sure I’d be entirely okay with doing it myself. While the ring is not the marriage, the ring is the symbol of the marriage and to treat it as nothing more than a fashion accessory seems a tad … I don’t know … wrong? cavalier? But I also don’t think people should take everything in life so seriously and that there’s no room for change. The important thing is that both parties feel the same about it.
That said, I’m not married, nor likely to get married, so it’s a nonissue for me personally. I recently learned though that my mother’s fingers have swelled so much over the years that she can no longer wear her original wedding band, so this Christmas my dad chose a new one for her, and it’s lovely. And for a wonder, she actually liked what he chose. Her original was a simple gold band. No flourishes. The new one is a simple white gold band with a bit of a wave across the top and channel set diamonds. Beautiful and simple. Good job Dad!
I’d be the type to ask for a special necklace or watch or even a jewelry set instead of a ring, as I never wear rings because my fingers swell in the summer and shrink in the winter, making them uncomfortable and difficult.

January 26, 2011 at 12:35 pm

Cathy

Active Member

That’s cool! Wish I could do it, too!

January 26, 2011 at 12:54 pm

Queen Mommy

(website)

LOVE this! Especially love the 1938 vintage ring. Beautiful! I’ve been married 12 years and have the same ring (thin yellow gold band with a marquis diamond solitaire fused with another thin yellow gold plain wedding band), but I definitely have to itch for something different ring-wise. :~) It’s hard for me to spend the $$ on jewelry though because I grew up in a home where my family didn’t wear any (it was a religious thing). Still….I love this, and I’m definitely going to keep my eyes open.

January 26, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Debbie

Veteran

This is something I really have wanted to do but my husband is not on board with it at all. So I have the orginal set that I was married in almost 31 years ago and that’s fine. I would like to have a platium set but obviously it is not a deal breaker.

January 26, 2011 at 1:18 pm

Beans

Hmmm, never thought about switching wedding ring. But then again, I don’t wear watches. I either wear the engagement ring, rarely, or the wedding ring, most of time. I kinda like our bands match so I am not sure about switching. Also, since I have been wearing the same ring for the last 10 years, it sure feel weird whenever I swap it for the engagement ring.

On the other hand, 10th anniversary is approaching, if I want another ring, the time is now

January 26, 2011 at 2:39 pm

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Great hearing your wedding ring stories and descriptions, ladies! Thanks for sharing them.

Stephanie, thanks for sharing your thoughts here too. The most important part in all of this is your commitment to your marriage. That you carry in your heart and head and not on your finger. You don’t even need to wear a ring if you don’t want to. I like the idea of wearing a wedding ring so I wear one. It might be a the so called symbol of my marriage and the aesthetics of it change from to time, but the sentiment of the symbol stays exactly the same

January 26, 2011 at 2:39 pm

valleycat1

I’m apparently in the definite minority here. I have a plain gold band (no engagement ring) & the only time I don’t wear it is in the hospital.

I had a friend years ago who would have a jeweler remake her ring (melt it down & recast in a new design), which I thought was weird enough. I don’t buy in to the multi-ring idea.

January 26, 2011 at 2:51 pm

Jenava

(website)

I would like to add a ring to my setting. Maybe a ring I can add diamonds to over the years?

My set it simple enough that it looks good with anything and hopefully won’t look dated soon (white gold channel set 1/3 carat solitaire engagement ring, and thin wedding band with small diamonds channel set into it all around the band).

When we were married the wedding bands we ordered weren’t ready in time, so we used plan bands that we exchanged for our custom rings when we they were ready. My husband and I were so sentimental about it that we were even a little sad to not have the “real” rings we used in the ceremony.

But, I’d be fine with adding stacks of rings on top of my setting.

January 26, 2011 at 5:17 pm

Linda

For those wondering about pearl rings–I wear a vintage ring on my wedding ring finger that has two pearls set in a leafy design. The pearls are epoxied onto little screws and have come off REPEATEDLY, even though I really try to be good about taking the ring off to wash my hands. I’m starting to conclude that this ring, and maybe pearl rings in general, are not meant to be worn every day.

January 27, 2011 at 6:50 am

Scarlet

Veteran

I also really dislike it when my ring does not match my watch or bracelet, so I would actually love to have another ring or two to swap in/out. Unfortunately this offends hubby’s romantic sensibilities. Until I got my platinum engagement ring I was always a gold girl. Now I am confused.

January 27, 2011 at 12:55 pm

Adrienne

When I got married the second time my husband bought me an engagement ring. My mother was a widow for over 30 years and decided to add her diamond engagement ring which also included her mother in laws diamond. So now I have a diamond ring with three diamonds mine, my mothers and my grandmothers. It looks great and I feel I have created a keep sake to pass down to my daughter.

January 27, 2011 at 1:11 pm

Audi

(website)

I’m glad you posted this, Angie. I don’t see why anyone should have to stick with the same wedding ring design year after year. When Mark and I got married last month we bought some simple silver rings because we didn’t want to spend a lot of money just then, with the intention of changing them out at a later date for some fancier ones. Then I got so excited at the notion of having multiple wedding rings that I told Mark he should get me a new one every year for an anniversary present.

January 27, 2011 at 2:52 pm

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

Our rings were blessed by our minister (my husband’s father, as it happens!)…I would not be comfortable changing to anything else, and they are mixed metal (yellow and white gold, with a platinum setting for the diamond), so I was thinking ahead! lol

January 28, 2011 at 6:06 am

Eva

Love your story, Angie. The most important thing is the relationship with hubby, not the ring. I have always loved the ring you currently wear. I have been married over 20 years and have the same ring that I got engaged in. My sister designed my combined engagement/wedding ring two years before we got married. The picture was stuck on the refrigerator until we got officially engaged and had it made. I love that my sister designed it and that it was unique. While I have had the same ring for 20 years, my hubby has two rings, the original band that is gold and more “formal” and the more durable titanium band.

January 28, 2011 at 6:13 am

Wendy

My other half put my plain gold band on my finger on 3 August 1968 & it has sat there ever since. Even in hospital the staff understand that I don’t take it off & tape over it. I’m not a ‘Stepford wife ‘ or anything ,it is definitely a marriage of equals & the best decision I ever made . I like the rings in your photos & don’t want to sound disapproving , but anything other than my plain gold band would not be my wedding ring.

January 28, 2011 at 8:11 am

Wendy

PS what lovely hands you have

January 29, 2011 at 2:13 am

gina

(website)

Fascinating post. My mother’s been married over 35 years, and she’s had a few anniversary bands and rings that she will rotate with her original wedding rings. Hers are all yellow gold though, as that’s mainly what she wears in all her jewelry.

My first marriage lasted a little over 5 years. I had plain gold wedding band and a diamond engagement ring. I often wore the gold band alone (without the diamond ring) or I just skipped wearing a ring altogether. I also had a silver band that I would sometimes wear instead of the gold; the silver band had no special significance, except that it looked like a wedding band and was silver instead of yellow gold.

If I ever get married again, I will probably either skip the ring altogether or get a silver (or white gold or platinum) ring of some sort, but I won’t wear it daily. I’m not a fan of rings in general on me because I find them too uncomfortable to wear regularly, but I love the look of rings and the symbolism of wedding rings. I’ve thought about wearing a wedding ring on a chain around my neck, and I’ve seen some lovely glass and crystal lockets that I thought would be a perfect way to wear a wedding ring: in a see-through locket on a chain around my neck.

January 31, 2011 at 12:06 pm

klauren

Active Member

Wonderfully cool idea – now how do I talk the husband into it??

February 1, 2011 at 12:05 am

Mander

I think my husband finds it a bit weird for me to switch wedding rings, but I do sometimes wear a different ring on that finger. When I was younger I wore several rings at once (though not quite on every finger!) and I have a decent collection of funky cocktail rings as a result. Sometimes I wear one of them instead of my wedding ring as part of an outfit. He hates the big chunky ones but sometimes they are just the right thing!

We were exceptionally poor students when we got married, and we didn’t have enough money to buy fancy rings for both of us. Since he is unlikely to ever want to change his ring we spent more on his (made from an unusual metal). Mine is an interesting design, but it was cheap. We intend to replace it with something nicer someday, probably for some significant anniversary.

February 1, 2011 at 2:29 am

san

Veteran

I am of the same mind as you Angie. I get bored easily with jewelry. I would love to swap out wedding rings, I don’t know if I will get another actual wedding ring but I am going to start wearing rings that I already have on my wedding ring finger. My right hand is not good looking and I don’t want to draw attention there, but that is a whole other story.
I love all of your wedding rings, and I just love your motto of swapping the ring but ofcourse not the husband.

February 3, 2011 at 12:11 pm

Mitzy

Active Member

My husband and I got married in Australia, and, due to Immigration issues (I was trying to get permanent residency) had to move our wedding date up suddenly. I could not find a ring that I liked that we could afford, so we bought me a ridiculously tiny garnet ring, set in silver, which I wore for several years.
Then the year before my mother passed away, she and I were shopping and she found a lovely Black Hills Gold set which I told her we absolutely could not afford. She spoke with my husband and he and she went back to town and got it for me. Turned out he had been secretly saving to get me something. The next year right before Christmas my mother passed away so that ring had always been extra special to me that she participated in selecting and purchasing it.
Unfortunately, when we decided to move back to the US, my husband (who has dual citizenship with England and Australia) was having some of the same sort of issues immigrating here and was not allowed to work for much longer than we had anticipated and I had to sell most of my jewelery, including that ring. It did make me sad, but when it became a choice between paying rent or jewelry, I was glad we had opted for a fairly good size diamond!! It made me feel all O. Henry The Gift of the Magi, anyway. He sold all but his gold signet ring, which is truly irreplaceable and a family heirloom.
So – long story short – I am looking for a new ring. Might only get a simple band this time, although my husband is lobbying for replicas of the one from Lord of the Rings, yeah, the one with elvish engraving on it. That is the only one I have a firm NO to at this point! LOL

June 21, 2011 at 1:28 pm

designdiva

I felt “validated” when I read your “wedding ring confessions”. I too, wear several different wedding rings according to my mood and my outfits. I received my husband’s great grandmother’s diamond ring when we became engaged in 1998 and it is a lovely, antique, ring well over 100 years old. As expected I don’t feel comfortable wearing it everyday because it is impossible to replace a family heirloom. I have a canary diamond he purchased for me in New Orleans that I love and also a very modern, platinum, gold and diamond Rudolf Erdel band which I wear everyday stacked with a diamond band and a plain gold band. My sister teases me because I have “so many wedding rings” as she puts it, but after reading your confession I must admit that I’m glad to know I’m not the only one! Thanks Angie!

January 5, 2012 at 12:06 pm

Kate

What an absolutely fantastic idea, and how fun! And knowing my husband, he’d love the chance to switch out his ring too. I think we may have to do that ourselves!

January 20, 2012 at 8:35 am

Gigi

I love your wedding ring wardrobe, and the fact that there is a story behind each one so they’re not just simply “jewelry.” I am on my 3rd set of rings actually….the original was a brushed gold band, plain, and matched my husband’s. He is still wearing that one, but when he gave me a diamond ring on our 10th anniversary, I suddenly wanted that “engagement ring — wedding band” look so we bought a plain band to go with it and had them soldered together so it would feel like one ring. These were also in gold, but a shiny gold. Then I decided I would only wear silver-toned jewelry as a result of a color analysis session. So, off to the jeweler’s I went to get these rings dipped in white gold so they would appear silver. Problem: the dipped coating only lasts a few years, and since it comes at a cost, we finally decided to take the diamond from the anniversary ring and have it mounted into a brand-new setting, this one actual white gold to begin with, and that’s what I’m wearing now. It’s also the “engagement ring-wedding band” look and also soldered together to “feel” like one ring. Some of the reason for doing the soldering is because of the knitting I do and because for many years I was a professional flutist and in both cases, having rings twirling around and around was a definite bother! Thanks for sharing your “secret” Angie!

January 20, 2012 at 9:38 am

Mamavalveeta03

I floated the idea past my husband several years ago and the poor thing seemed so shocked and fearful that I decided to give it a rest. (I mean, what did he think? That I intended to trade him in for a younger, sleeker model after 30 years?)

May 4, 2012 at 9:23 pm

Fran

HI, I’ve been enjoying following your updates for quite a while now.
I can’t believe that you swap out your wedding rings as I do.
I’ve been married for 31 years now and have very similar rings as yours.
Also I can’t believe that we both fell in love with the exact same vintage ring. I found mine in the estate section of a flea market, over 20 years ago and it’s still a favorite or mine. Wish I had it on now, so I could take a picture and share it with you, it’s almost exactly yours.
I took the diamonds from my first wedding band and made a sweet-sixteen ring for our daughter out of them. That always makes me smile!
Keep posting, and I’ll keep reading!
Have a great day!

May 5, 2012 at 1:38 pm

AnnieMouse

Veteran

I know this is SUCH an old post, but I just got here from your anniversary post. It’s so lovely to know I’m not alone: My husband and I have a similar thing, where the marriage is strong, but our personal styles change – and with them, our bands. I’ve amassed a few bands that I swap depending on my mood or what we’re doing (we are reasonably outdoorsy, and the thought of losing my engagement ring kayaking is unbearable, even though it has not a single precious stone in it). Thank you so much for sharing your personal story!

December 30, 2016 at 11:40 am

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