The loss of a loved one is one of the toughest things you will ever have to go through, and learning how to go about your daily lives while grieving will feel close to impossible on most days.
As you go through the business of living, especially after the demise of your parents, you’ll be forced to make more tough decisions like deciding what to do with their parents’ wedding rings.
Of course, this is a lot easier for you if you are an only child because you’d not have to have discussions and arguments about the use of the wedding rings after. Even then, you need to make sure that you do something worthwhile, meaningful, and memorable for the wedding rings.
In this article, we’ll be sharing insights into what you could do with the wedding rings of your deceased parents.
What to do with deceased parents wedding rings
The bottom line is that at the end of the day, dealing with loss and their beloved things will be a tough thing to do, but you need to make sure that whatever you choose to do will ensure that their memories are cherished and easily passed down your generations.
Here are some of the things you could do with the rings:
1.Go with the wishes of your deceased loved ones
In some cases, loved ones will make directives regarding what to do with their assets and even their valuables like rings.
So, if they instruct that they are buried with the rings, then you’d have to follow these directives and bury them with the ring.
That said, this is not always the easiest approach because some of your living relatives, even siblings or your aunts, would argue that the rings don’t have to be buried with the deceased – because it doesn’t make sense or they just don’t wish to honor such ‘ridiculous’ wishes.
In such cases, you may end up with endless back and forth arguments, but at the end of the day, it will be best to honor the wishes of the deceased.
2.Transform the ring into something new and meaningful
There are many cases where the parents do not leave any instructions on what should be done to their rings.
In such cases, especially if you all agree on what to do with the rings, you could opt to take the rings to the jeweler for a redesign.
You could, for example, opt to have the ring transformed into a cross pendant, a ring in a different design, a brooch, a pin, or anything else you may be interested in.
3.Redesign the ring
This is the other thing you could do with the ring of your deceased loved one. Ideally, if you really love the ring but want to make it a little more meaningful, you could opt to redesign the ring by adding some diamonds or other gemstones.
This is often easier if there are no squabbles regarding the jewelry inheritance, and if you don’t have to explain to your siblings or other interested parties what it is that you would want to do with the ring, then you could easily get it redesigned.
This will be the perfect solution for you if you are getting married soon or if you are planning to propose.
Not sure what to do with the ring to recreate it? Well, you could try something called a legacy ring. These rings come in different designs, and they can be quite meaningful, for example, a ring with three soaring spirits that symbolizes a rich heritage for generations to come.
4.Keep it safe
Safekeeping the ring is the other thing you could choose to do if you have rings that you want to keep in the family.
Essentially, you don’t always have to do something with the ring after your loved ones pass away. Sometimes, just locking the rings away and safe is enough.
Some Excellent ideas for inherited wedding rings
What are some of the other things you could do with your inherited wedding rings?
1.Turn it into a Celtic-knot-inspired necklace
Find an experienced jeweler, then have them craft that ring into a simple, elegant, and meaningful necklace. Why the Celtic knot?
Well, the flow design of the Celtic knot and the circles are a symbol of togetherness – of your parents and your family.
2.Make a heart pendant from the ring(s)
This is another unique and deeply meaningful thing you could do with the rings of your loved one.
The heart pendant from the ring is not only beautiful but also symbolizes the love shared and held through the ring.
It is quite creative, and it allows you to carry a piece of your parent with you everywhere.
3.Transform the ring into a unique engagement ring
Most of the time, rings from deceased loved ones are passed down to different generations, and they allow you to keep the memories alive across generations.
While doing this, you have the option of personalizing the wedding ring, turning it into a unique and elegant engagement ring.
Repurposing the ring in this way requires a great deal of expertise and technique but also allows you to have a ring that carries some of you and the deceased parents.
Get this done skillfully by an expert in jewelry redesign. One of the unique ring designs that you could come up with would be something like a heart that encircles the center diamond.
This carries a deep meaning while keeping the original ring in the family.
4.Make a cross out of the ring
If you have wedding rings in two metal colors, for example, you could have the rings turned into a cross.
The best part is that the cross doesn’t have to take the basic cross shape, and it could look like an anchor-like cross. This would then work beautifully as a pendant.
5.Convert the rings into one
How about turning the rings into a unique His & Hers pendant necklace? How?
Well, you’d have the jeweler turn one of the rings into a heart shape, perhaps with a diamond, then get the other ring to encircle the heart ring. This creates unique masterpieces in the world of jewelry, and you will be happy with the changes and the uniqueness of the result.
Alternatively, one of the rings could be shaped into some other meaningful shape, such as an eternity symbol or any other kind of meaningful insignia to sit at the center of the other ring. Generally, the symbol you settle for should be a poignant and meaningful symbol that touches your heart.
A tiny cross at heart encircled by the two rings would also be something you want to try out. This would require that one of the rings is melted and a part of it used to make the cross while the two rings are soldered into one.
Conclusion
Essentially, there are many creative designs that would result in the most meaningful transformations for your deceased parents’ wedding rings.
The creative ideas above are some of the best ones you could try out, but you could come up with anything else and even more creative designs as long as you come up with something meaningful.
Keep in mind that if you are not ready to do anything with the rings, you shouldn’t rush it, just take your time.
Read more useful tips here or here!
Stephanie is a jewelry lover when she was a teenager. Her major was fashion design when she was in college. She is a jewelry designer at SOQ Jewelry and other design companies. Now she is also a writer for our website. She writes a lot of designs&brands posts with very actionable tips.