If you are reading this and you’re just looking for some help online, as well as ideas, as you grieve, we’re sorry for your loss. We may never be in a space to fully understand the depth of your pain, but we reckon these are the most challenging days of your life.
But as you try to do what you need to, we’re here to offer some advice regarding your deceased wife’s jewelry. Whether she has a whole collection or just a few sentimental pieces that she loved incredibly, this article shares tips on what you need to know about the jewelry and what you could do about them.
Understandably, a piece of jewelry like your deceased wife’s wedding ring is an important symbol of love, commitment, and dedication to the other person. And so, choosing what to do with such a piece of jewelry after their passing cannot be an easy task.
We hope this article will give you some cool ideas on what to do with the jewelry to honor her memory in the way you know best. So, let’s dive right in!
What To Do With A Deceased Wife’s Jewelry?
1. Wear the jewelry
Many times, widowers, like widows, choose to wear their spouses’ wedding rings for a significant amount of time after their passing, and others keep on the rings for the rest of their lives.
Often, they choose to do this because this allows them to feel safe, and in other cases, the ring or jewelry makes them feel complete or whole because they still feel that they are married to the deceased.
You could do this too, especially if you are not ready to stop wearing or having on your that symbol of love that you shared with the deceased. You don’t need a reason to wear the jewelry, and you should not let anyone bully you into taking it off when you’re not ready.
In case of size differences, you could wear it as a necklace pendant, or however else you wish to, as long as it feels right to you. And remember that there is no timeframe for grieving. It takes as long as it takes, and you get to wear that jewelry for as long as you are comfortable with it.
2. Memorialize the jewelry
You could do this to the wedding ring or even a pendant necklace. It is an ideal option that works great when you want to keep the ring or necklace close, but you want to add something special to it.
Adding a memorial diamond to the ring could be the refresh it needs. You could also get a memorial diamond made from your spouse’s ashes or even a lock of hair added.
Although the jewelry will look a little different, these things would add-in that extra-special element. Just find an experienced jeweler to work on it to your preference. You also get to choose diamonds of different colors, say her favorite colors.
3. Wear it on your chain necklace
Even if you are not big on accessories like the chain necklace, this is one of those times that you can make an exception, and instead of leaving the ring to gather dust, you coud wear it on your chain necklace.
This might be common with women, but men can do it too. Remember that the symbolism of this is what matters, and it allows you to keep the necklace close to your heart while also informing other people of your marital status.
You could wear both rings on the chain too, but it is ultimately a decision that only you can make.
4. Convert the ring into a different kind of jewelry
You could get the ring and other jewelry pieces melted down into a different kind of jewelry; for example, it could be redesigned into a pendant or a pair of small earrings that you can give your kids to wear.
For example, if you fancy a signet ring, you could get the wedding ring redesigned into a signet ring.
Just make sure that you talk to the jeweler to make sure that they come up with something that suits your needs and style preferences. And though the jeweler will offer many ideas, only choose the redesign ideas that you are happy with.
4. Put the jewelry safe
If you don’t want to let go of your deceased wife’s jewelry, the best thing you could do is not to give it out but to keep her jewelry collection safe. Find a safe place where the jewelry will not be damaged, stolen, or easily lost.
And though you may have a change of heart later, keeping the jewelry safe during the grieving period is essential. Later or earlier on, you could have the jewelry’s value reassessed before deciding what to do with the ring and the rest of the jewelry.
However long it takes you to decide what to do with the jewelry, you will have the peace of mind of knowing that the jewelry is safe and that no one can take them or get rid of them.
And when you’re finally ready to value them to allow you to bequeath to family or maybe to sell or just keep them, you must find a professional valuer who will give you the right information about the value of the jewelry.
We recommend getting a safe deposit box or a fireproof box to keep the jewelry safe.
5. Gift the jewelry to your children
If she didn’t have a will, and when you’re ready to settle down the matter of her jewelry, you may want to gather the kids, then talk to them and give them the jewelry.
In the absence of a will or any form of verbal expression regarding what she would like to be done to the jewelry and who gets what, they can choose the pieces they would like, amicably – although you could also use the details of the value of the jewelry to distribute the jewelry evenly.
This should be easier with a will present.
6. Donate the jewelry
Many groups and organizations accept jewelry donations. Most of these organizations will sell or auction off the jewelry then use the proceeds to fund their projects, which makes this a great way of honoring the deceased, especially if they and you love giving back.
It is also a great way to honor the deceased. But before you do this, take time to think things through. Don’t rush the process.
And if you are able to, you could go through all the jewelry to determine what’s there and what you would like to keep and what goes to donation.
If donating everything, including the wedding ring, how will you feel about not knowing where that ring may end up.
You could also talk to the persons running the place you’re making the donations to understand how they handle such donations.
7. Make it your family heirloom.
If you have several jewelry pieces from your deceased wife and you’d love to keep them in the family, you may want to turn them into family heirlooms.
This way, the jewelry goes to your children and is eventually passed down generations.
So, whether you’re talking about pearl jewelry, gold, or diamond jewelry sets, making it into an heirloom is an excellent way of honoring the deceased.
Conclusion
Even with the options above, you still have tough decisions to make. Take your time.
When the time is right, do what feels right, and don’t beat yourself up.
Read More 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.