Like Meghan Markle, More People Should Redesign Their Engagement Ring Without Judgement
What in your closet could you commit to wearing every day for the rest of your life? I’m talking 5, 10, 20, 30 years from today, regardless of where you are or what you’re doing.
That’s the expectation that we as a society put on engagement rings. The person doing the proposing is supposed to inuit their partner’s dream ring, and then the wearer is supposed to love it without question and wear it every day, forever.
All of this is about to change.
Royal engagement ring styles are all but guaranteed to set off styles for decades after the royal wedding. Just in the past few years we’ve seen Kate Middleton revive the sapphire engagement ring trend that her mother-in-law famously started decades before, and just last year Meghan Markle made three stone engagement ring the new classic.
The next big trend from across the pond: remodeling your engagement ring.
Browse Remodeled Diamond Engagement Rings here
Eagle-eyed royal watchers just noticed that Meghan appears to have secretly redesigned her engagement ring; the one that she’s had for just over one year.
In photos from a recent event, her engagement ring looks to have the same three stone design, but the band is completely different: much thinner and covered in pave diamonds as opposed to the original’s thicker, solid yellow gold band.
(Photo courtesy of Town and Country)
Though nothing’s been confirmed (this is the royal family after all) people are speculating that the repurposed diamond ring could either be a push present, an attempt to make the band more comfortable for swollen/pregnant fingers, or simply that dainty jewelry is just more of her style.
No matter the “real” reason, the case for redesigning the ring within a few years simply because she wanted to is definitely the most compelling, and if it’s making you feel some type of way, please read on.
Creating new jewelry from old jewelry, or just using the diamonds in a new design is a common practice for custom jewelers, but it’s still relatively under the radar and it raises a lot of questions and weird feelings like, Shouldn’t you just be happy with whatever ring you get? If you are lucky enough to inherit an heirloom ring, shouldn’t you be grateful and accept it as is?
We say no.
Most people are surprised by this, but many, many of the custom engagement rings we design are created from heirloom jewelry and with repurposed diamonds, just like Meghan Markle’s. The reasons to remodel your jewelry vary widely, but include inheriting jewelry that’s not quite your style. Sometimes we get clients who just straight up tell us that they never really loved their original engagement ring, but this is rare. It’s typically under the guise of an “engagement ring upgrade.”
Read: I Don’t Like My Engagement Ring, Now What?
Here’s a bigger issue here, and one that people don’t like to talk about:
Women don’t necessarily like whatever engagement ring they are given, and they aren’t under any obligation to love something that’s not quite their style. When women don’t really like the ring they look at every day and that people ask them about all the time, at one point or another they’ll want to redesign it or “upgrade”.
This doesn’t mean that the fiancé is bad or failed or that the relationship is doomed, it just means that, yeah, it’s really hard to secretly pick out a ring. This also goes for heirloom family rings that get passed down through the generations. It’s an unbelievably lovely sentiment, it’s a beautiful tradition, and yes, it potentially saves a LOT of money, but that doesn’t mean you have to wear it for the rest of your life without question.
Because really, what one thing are we expected to stick to our whole life?
Homes? Nope.
Furniture? Nope
Cars? Nope.
Jobs? Nope.
Appliances? Nope.
Clothes? Not a chance.
Partners: Nope. Not always!
You name a thing, and I can bet we change it throughout the course of a lifetime. Sometimes many times.
Why? Because change is the only constant thing in life. Because if we are not changing things, we are not changing or growing, and we are all desirous of growth, because it makes us feel like we’re progressing, advancing, and being better versions of ourselves.
Back to the ring.
Why is it that as a culture, it’s not popular or even acceptable to switch up the ring? Why don’t you see or hear about more women redesigning their original engagement ring or talking about it just no longer being their style. Really, do married women rock the same hairstyle they had on their wedding day? Or the same car? Or the same job? Same apartment? Nope. All of it changes.
So, I say rock on Meghan. Take the royalty, ditch the old design and the antiquated idea that you have to wear things that don’t feel right. Recreate that ring with the same meaning, but do it your way. It’s your marriage, it’s your ring. You should do it your way. All women should.
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