Just like the person proposing, how do you decide if the ring is the one?
This week I interviewed a family member that also loves jewelry, and collects it when she goes travelling for work. The rings were just a small part of her collection, but what we realized was, when you have a wedding or engagement ring, maybe it’s not your style all the time!
*Background note: This particular aunt loves the antique style and the art deco style, and doesn’t really get into the modern style of rings (i.e. your pave, halo, or robbins brother’s type rings). To her, they are a classic piece. Her ring collection is a reflection of this.
On the Daily
Aunt Becky has several different rings that she wears on a regular basis. She has her original engagement ring that doesn’t fit her style anymore, but she still loves it, but she often frequents a fabulous flea market in her area that has an antique ring dealer.
Mostly diamonds, style fluctuations on a month-by-month basis, ring finger only. Becky wears a low profile diamond ring (IMG 2) she got from the flea market for traveling and daily work. She realized that her gorgeous 10 year anniversary ring (IMG 7) might be too blingy for gardening or skiing without gloves on. With this diamond engagement ring, she will wear a horizontal baguette diamond band or a family heirloom from her husband’s Aunt in north Carolina.
OG Wedding Rings
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Her husband picked out a custom engagement ring (img 1) from an independent jeweler in the Santa Cruz area. When she got married, she got a ruby wedding band, that got lost during the construction on her house, and she was convinced it was behind the fridge, and didn’t want to give up the search. Finally she waved the white flag, and within a week of actually replacing it, she finds the ring in a purse! (I’ve done this more times than I can count!)
Hand-me-down
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The heirloom band was an anniversary band (img 7) with little divets cut into it, so that every year you could add another little tiny diamond. When she got it, they’d been together for fourteen years, and there were sixteen slots on the ring, and she was like “I planned on much longer than that, fill them all up!”. The only problem was that this ring was not quite the right size, and infinity bands are notoriously the hardest to resize because of their diamond-encrusted nature. They got the ring sized, but now it has a little seam on it, but that’s okay, because it’s the thought that counts!
Her grandmother gave her this emerald and diamond ring (img 4), and sometimes she likes to wear it with an emerald and diamond band (img 3). (I LOVE THIS LOOK!)
FUN STUFF
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Antique sapphire ring and new band (img 5). She loves ruby, emerald and, and sapphire as much as diamond, but she doesn’t wear them as much.
On her right hand, sometimes she’ll wear a jade and diamond flower rings that is super old (img 6). When you look closely you can see the hand made and heart-full design qualities. This one is her fave right now, and loves to wear this as the only ring on her right hand.
Another ring she’ll wear for really fancy things is this antique diamond eye shaped ring (img 7) (I died.) Also Pictured with her husband’s aunts anniversary band and her 10 year anniversary engagement band.
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MY TURN!
Here is how I would wear them. I try to think of comfort and style together. Because Becky realized she has shorter fingers and smaller hands, stacking more than two rings doesn’t work well for her. So for today, we just play in fantasy land and put all the tings on where we like them, with little regard for practicality-this is dress up, right?
To me, the bands are for spacing out the larger solitaire focal style rocks. They create space so you can wear more than one big stone on each finger. This doesn’t always work because some stones are just too big, but it works the best with wider, rather than taller stones, so you can get more rings on each finger.
Take aways
Last weekend I went to a wedding. Everyone has been getting married these days, and engagement rings are a hot list item. I have my own obsession, but I agonize over how I would choose something to wear every day forever. I know people do it, but I am so ADD with my style, I love exploring all of the different options.
Anyway, the pastor said that the rings are a representation on the outside of a love we feel on the inside. That made me feel simultaneously warm and fuzzy and also pretty horrible for ambushing my man and making him watch me try rings on (even though this is socially acceptable for couples!). Is it really that important that he get’s it right the first time? He is Mr. commitment, so he really thinks things through before he makes a decision. I realized that we can have open communication about what I want (when ever the bleep I make a decision), or I can *trust* him to pick out something that is super meaningful that I will love, a family heirloom will pop up, OR I just wear this one for a bit and then get a new one when my tide changes (A ring, not a dude–come on!).
Therein lies the moral: The ring is not the love. The ring is a symbol of love. Let the man love you, and don’t worry that you don’t trust his taste– his aunt’s have great taste 😉
