Wearing your engagement ring and wedding ring are symbols to show the world you are in a committed relationship and/or married.
So what happens when you decide to get divorced? When do you stop wearing your rings and what do you do with them?
I often get asked both these questions by my clients going through divorce. My answer is that it’s a completely personal choice.
When to stop wearing your wedding ring
Some people remove their rings as soon as they separate or decide to divorce. Others continue wearing them until they are formally divorced. Others somewhere in between. There’s no rule about it.
What to do with the rings
Female clients of mine have also made different decisions about what to do with their rings once they stop wearing them. Some examples are:
- Gifting the ring/s to their children/ grandchildren
- Commissioning a jewellery maker to use the metals and stones to make new pieces of jewellery that they can enjoy wearing. (One of my clients had the stones from her engagement ring made in to earrings for her daughter’s 18th)
- Selling the rings to; purchase a new piece of jewellery for themselves or their children/grandchildren, to go on holiday or to buy something new for themselves
- Donating the rings or sale proceeds to charity
- If the rings are an heirloom of either the husband or wife’s family, they may need to be returned to the family
- You could of course decide to keep them and put them safely away in your jewellery box.
It is totally your decision. There is no right or wrong. Go with what feels right for you.
If you have found the tips in this blog useful then you will find lots more in my ebook “Tips for Coping with Divorce” which you can download here: free ebook.
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