Heirloom rings can be priceless, especially since they’re so deeply involved with family memories and personal emotions. Using your grandmother’s engagement ring or your mom’s wedding ring for yourself can really make your wedding special,
But before you accept that ring your future mother-in-law offered you, or your great-grandma’s platinum wedding band, remember these important considerations.
Sizing
That heirloom ring may look beautiful— but if it doesn’t fit, you might not be able to use it. Unlike new rings, which can be made smaller or larger to fit your ring finger, antique rings are often unsizable, mostly because their age makes them too delicate to work with. Also, some jewelry stores refuse to size antiques (depending on the age of the ring), because it’s not in their best interests to attempt to take on such a valuable responsibility as caring for a priceless heirloom.
If you’re unsure as to whether or not your ring will be able to be sized, take it to a jewelry store. Many jewelry stores will examine rings for free to determine if they can be sized, and give you a pricing estimate.
Soldering
To avoid the awkwardness of having two rings on one finger, some brides choose to solder their wedding band to their engagement rings. This can keep the rigs from rubbing your finger raw, and can help you more easily remove and keep track of them when you’re doing the dishes, taking a shower, or cleaning them.
However, soldering might not be an option if you’re using an heirloom engagement ring. For one thing, soldering means that the rings probably won’t be passed on to your grandchildren (since they’ll probably plan to have separate engagement and wedding rings, as well), which means that the passing down of the ring from generation to generation will be over. For another thing, your relatives might object to the soldering, and might feel hurt that you’d alter a beloved piece of jewelry so much.
Soldering an heirloom ring to a newer ring can be done, but it’s more complicated than soldering two new rings together. Consider carefully whether soldering is really the right thing for your rings.
Matching the other ring
Want to plan your wedding down to the last detail? Brides who want their wedding and engagement rings to match or complement one another might have a difficult time finding a match for their antique rings.
If you purchase new rings, you could try buying a set; some wedding bands are made specially to coordinate with a certain engagement ring, and some are made to actually fit over or around the engagement ring. But if you’re using an heirloom ring, you might have a tough time finding a coordinating ring. Styles and trends in jewelry may have changed drastically since then, and you might now be able to find a ring that suits your heirloom ring perfectly.
Emotional considerations
Before you agree to use an heirloom ring, remember how sensitive your relatives or in-laws could be about such possessions. Always make sure that the giver of the ring is willing and eager to part with it; don’t pressure your fiancé’s grandma to hand over her mom’s ring if she doesn’t seem ready to part with it yet. Also, make sure that the ring hasn’t already been promised to someone else, even if it was only promised lightly or as a joke. You don’t want to start any family feuds now— weddings are for celebrating, not arguing! A good way to ensure that no one’s feelings are hurt is to sit down with the ring’s current owner and have an honest, open conversation about how you both feel.
Heirloom rings can be incredibly meaningful for some people, and making sure you’ve considered all the issues that come with such rings will help ensure that you have a stress-free wedding day. Remembering and embracing your family can really help make your wedding day special!
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