Can I Redesign My Wedding Ring?
A very common question we get asked is: "Can I redesign my wedding ring?"
Wedding rings are very symbolic items as they always evoke a lot of emotions. They symbolize the union between you and your spouse and will always remind you of your love and commitment to one another. Nothing compares to the excitement of choosing a wedding ring or the overwhelming emotions of seeing the ring on your finger on your wedding day. Every time you look at your wedding ring, those feelings can be rekindled as you remember how special a little piece of jewelry truly can be.
Yet, while wedding rings are pieces of symbolic jewelry, it does not mean that they have to stay the same forever. In reality, you have the freedom to redesign your wedding ring for various purposes that will serve you.
A well-done redesign can give an old ring a new life and help you remember why you married in the first place.
If you want to start your redesign journey, contact us at Carats and Stones! We are San Francisco-based jewelry experts specializing in transforming outdated wedding rings into new and truly unique pieces that you will fall in love with all over again. It doesn’t matter if the redesign is for you or for a loved one you are passing the piece on to. The jewelers at Carats and Stones will guide you every step of the way to create something truly perfect.
Reasons for Redesigning Your Wedding Ring
People inquire about redesigning their wedding ring for many reasons. These can be happy or bittersweet, depending on the circumstances. For instance, you may want a significant change after a divorce or the death of a loved one, and redesigning your wedding ring could help you move on.
But to redesign your wedding ring, you don’t need to wait for divorce or lose your spouse. You can actually redesign it to commemorate an important milestone in your relationship. Let’s say that you are celebrating your silver anniversary; having your ring redesigned is a good way to refresh your vows with your spouse.
Perhaps you are following the latest fashion trends or have decided to change to your tastes. Everyone’s taste and personal style change over time, and it only makes sense that you would want to update something as important as a wedding ring to your current style.
Another reason for redesigning is when you want to pass your wedding ring to your children for their upcoming marriage. While many people prefer a brand new wedding ring, others find a connection to their family by wearing a mother’s or even grandmother’s wedding ring.
Read on for more reasons why you might want to redesign your wedding ring, and for more inspiration on this popular subject, check out our Facebook page!
Divorce
Aside from updating the look of their ring, some people in the Bay Area and beyond may also want to redesign their wedding ring after the relationship with their ex-spouse ended. People who went through a divorce often have little to no desire to wear their wedding rings.
However, throwing the ring away is impractical, neither is selling it below its actual value. Having it redesigned is a much better way of changing the symbolic meaning of the ring.
Redesigning a ring after a divorce or separation can change it from something you hate to something you love again. The redesign can help you move on and restart your life on a beautiful note.
Moving On After Death
Mourning the passing of a loved one is an indescribable and heartbreaking event. Some people want everything to stay exactly how it was before to preserve the memory. For others, making important changes can help them move on.
A ring redesign can honor the old memories while creating a new and beautiful memory in their honor. Even just changing the setting or general style of the ring can help it feel special again. You can also redesign your wedding ring into a right-hand ring, especially if you want to create closure after the loss of your spouse.
1st Anniversary Redesign
Marking an anniversary is always a good reason to consider a redesign! The first anniversary is exciting because your marriage is still just starting, but you get to celebrate your first milestone.
Traditionally, each anniversary has a theme. Some couples like to stick to each theme and try to get each other gifts that align with the tradition. The theme of the first anniversary is paper. Notebooks, books, and even wooden clocks are common gifts for the first anniversary.
But if you’re thinking about your wedding ring and the changes you can make to it, consider the gemstones for each year. The first anniversary is generally marked with gold jewelry, but pearl is a common alternative. If you’re looking into fun and traditional ways to update a wedding ring, consider changing the band to white gold or adding other gold elements. Gemstones with a golden color, such as citrine or amber, could also incorporated.
Not sure if you should redesign your wedding ring for your first anniversary? Call us at 415-875-9438 to speak to one of our expert consultants.
25th Anniversary Redesign
If you’ve made it to your 25th anniversary, congratulations! The 25th year of a marriage is a huge milestone that deserves a special celebration. This is commonly known as the silver anniversary. As the name suggests, the theme of this anniversary is silver. The stunning material symbolized the beauty and brilliance of a strong relationship. A great way to incorporate the theme into a wedding ring redesign is to replace your band with a new silver band. Or you could take silver from another piece of meaningful jewelry you have and melt it down into a band to incorporate into your wedding ring.
50th Anniversary Redesign
If you’ve made it all the way to your 50th anniversary, you and your partner are in it for the long haul! You’ve made it further than most couples, and that’s something to celebrate. Like the 1st anniversary, the theme of the 50th anniversary is gold.
But this time, you should take your redesign a step further. After all, you’re celebrating 50 years of love and commitment. Go for a total redesign of your ring, or buy an all-new spectacular ring and redesign the old one.
Fashion Trends
There are many reasons why people want to pursue a redesign wedding ring service in San Francisco. As seasons and fashion change, the topmost reason why many women want to redesign their wedding ring is that they no longer like the overall design of their ring. This is especially true amongst women who did not take part in the process of shopping for their wedding rings.
It can be frustrating when a woman receives a wedding ring that is not her desired style. Of course, it’s the thought that counts, and it can be hard to know exactly what style to get, especially if the proposal is supposed to be a surprise. But there’s no reason she can’t have a ring redone in a style that suits her taste.
Tastes Change
To some, it simply feels dated, while others firmly believe that it is no longer an accurate representation of who they are now. As people grow and change, their style and the things they like tend to change. After wearing a wedding ring for 20 years, many people might want to refresh it and change it to a new style. Looking at redesigned rings before and after can give you an idea of how amazing and refreshing a good redesign can be. Changing from a style that you don’t like anymore can feel like a breath of fresh air.
Gifting the Ring
There’s something special about passing on a wedding ring to the next generation. It does more than give your blessing. It connects generations together with an unbreakable bond. But before you pass the ring on, you’ll want to ensure it’s the right style for the new owner. Different generations tend to have different fashion trends, so don’t be afraid to mix it up and update your wedding ring from a classic style to a trending one.
Bought a New Ring
Sometimes, when a young couple gets married, they are just starting out in their careers. They don’t have extra money and cannot afford their dream wedding rings. When this happens, many couples will decide to get new, more expensive rings at some point in the future when they can afford them. And that’s a great system because it keeps couples from buying something out of their price range.
But when the day comes that they can finally get their dream rings, what happens to the old ring? Well, now they can have some fun and have their old wedding rings redesigned!
Redesigning For Different Genders
If you are redesigning a ring with the intention of passing it down to someone in your family, it may not go to someone of the same gender or gender expression as you. Consider changing the design to be better suited or more comfortable for someone else.
If you are repurposing your wedding ring for a male relative, consider that men traditionally have simper wedding bands than women, with small gemstones or no gemstones at all. They also generally have larger hands, and a thicker band will be more comfortable because it won’t dig into their finger as much.
If you pass your wedding band down to a female relative, the ring will generally have a larger gemstone or a more intricate design, and the band will be thinner. However, a large piece might be uncomfortable on a small hand, so consider the size of the gemstones. If the gemstones are too large, they may be at risk of hitting things and chipping.
In both of these cases, the person’s preferred style and look should take precedence. For instance, thicker bands on women’s wedding rings are becoming more popular because they are more comfortable for some women. Don’t assume a relative will want a specific style because of gender.
And, of course, there’s a possibility that the relative you decide to pass your wedding ring to will identify as nonbinary. In that case, it’s more important than ever to consult the relative and learn about their style preferences. They may want something traditionally masculine, feminine, or a unique blend of the two. Listening to this relative and considering their wants and needs will show that you respect and love them and will help you design the perfect piece of jewelry for them. When redesigning, keep in mind you can create brand new pieces: including rings, earrings, clasps, broches, and so much more!
Benefits of Redesigning Your Wedding Ring
Here’s an outline of some of the wonderful benefits that come with redesigning your wedding ring.
Cost:
The great thing about working with a professional jeweler is that they’ll listen to you and your ideas and make it work within your budget. They can suggest the best materials and styles for you while staying true to your vision and budget.
And redesigning a ring will cost less than buying an all-new ring. That’s because you already have all or most of the needed materials! If you want to learn more about our custom pricing structure, reach out right here and we will connect with you and give you all the details!
Control over the design:
Redesigning a wedding ring can be such an exciting activity, especially if you weren’t involved in the original design or had to settle for a design you were not crazy about. A great jeweler will discuss your ideas and what style you want and create a design that suits you. And if you already know exactly what you want, that’s great! Your jeweler will do everything possible to bring that design to life.
Working with a professional of your choice:
Even if you love your wedding ring, there are some elements that you might want to change. Working with the professional of your choice is a significant part of initially choosing a ring, but is also part of the redesign process.
Hear from one of our current customers about the redesign process with Carats and Stones! "An exquisite and magical experience from begging to end. Linda is an an amazing jeweler and designer. She designed the perfect heirloom engagement ring for my betrothed. I will be honest I had no clue how to go about looking for an engagement ring, until divine inspiration came in the form of a question: What if someone could take my parents engagement wedding rings and design something for my Beloved. Within minutes I was running to Carrots and Stone with rings in hand and ringers crossed. Linda listened to what I had in mind and within minutes started to sketch out what became the absolutely perfect engagement ring. The ring is beautiful beyond words and is dazzling to look at and my now fiancé loves it.
I still have no idea how to shop for an engagement ring but I certainly know if you are looking for a one of kind experience and engagement ring there is only one place to go, Carrots & Stones.
Sincere Gratitude, ~Sandra A."
See how we melted down the jewelry for our client Sandra A. in this quick clip:
How to Start Redesigning
There is no hard and fast rule as to why people should not enjoy the process of redesigning their wedding rings. Whatever reason you might have for redesigning, the important thing is that you, the wearer, are happy with what you are wearing.
Look for Inspiration
The first thing you need to do is to look for inspiration everywhere. Our suggestion, the best place to look is on the internet. While you can update the look of your wedding ring by adding new elements to the ring, you can take the ring apart and make a piece of new jewelry out of it altogether. Your options are endless, and your creativity is the only limit when it comes to redesigning your wedding ring.
Find A Good Jeweler
Once you have a design in mind, the next step is to find a San Francisco jeweler who is a good listener, has creative design skills, has lots of experience, and is willing to take on this very important job of redesigning your wedding ring.
In most cases, the jeweler will create a new three-dimensional design of your envisioned wedding ring to guide them during the process of recreating your wedding ring. During the planning process, it is important to ask questions about your ring such as the type of metal band used and the possible designs that can be done on your ring. During this time, you can make the final adjustments to the design proposed by your jeweler.
Ideas to Redesign Wedding Ring
There are many options that you can implement in redesigning your wedding ring. There are no rules that you need to follow, so feel free to splurge. Below are some great ideas on what you can do to your old wedding ring to really make it into something you will cherish.
Add more stones: If your wedding ring has a solitary diamond, you can add smaller gemstones to update its look. This also adds more sparkle to your simple wedding ring.
Change the ring setting: There are times when the setting of the ring is too simple and it does not stand out at all. You can make alterations to the setting of the ring to make it look more modern.
Change the cut of the stone: when you don’t like the shape of the stone on your wedding ring, you can have it cut or replaced with a new stone of your liking. If you prefer to cut the stone, the excess cuts can be used as additional embellishments on the band, as not to waste any portion of the diamond.
Have a jewelry set created from one ring: If your wedding ring comes with several stones such as a large center stone and smaller accent gemstones, you can have the center diamond made into a necklace while the smaller gemstones can be turned into earrings. This is a great way to repurpose an old wedding ring!
Have the band updated: You can have the band updated. There are many ways to update the band. Instead of focusing on the design of the band from a simple solid gold band into a twisted band. You can also change the material of the band used from gold to platinum. Depending on your jeweler, you can even have elaborate designs added to the band and the carriage of the stone.
Turn it into a cocktail ring: This is especially true if your wedding ring contains a lot of colored gemstones. This will give your wedding ring an updated look that you can wear every day and feel comfortable wearing.
Cost of Redesigning a Wedding Ring
The costs involved in redesigning a wedding ring depend largely on the type of ring, the jewels involved, and the material from which the ring was made of. A simple redesign could be in the low hundreds of dollars, while an extensive redesign could be a few thousand dollars. The cost also increases as you include additional elements in the new design. In other words, incorporating a new and unique design will make it more expensive than just having a few embellishments added.
For example, when it comes to our pricing, a customer can expect to start with a minimum of $2,800 - $3,000 as a starting price for our redesigns. The price will go up or down, depending on several factors. Our staff will ensure you know exactly what you are paying for in terms of design, staff time, and materials upfront.
To start with Carats and Stones, simply book an appointment and we can get started on this fun and unique journey together!
Redesigning Your Wedding Ring With Carats and Stones
Are you considering redesigning your wedding ring in the Bay Area? Then, do not hesitate to connect with us!
We have multiple methods to helping you redesign your wedding ring, one of which is our exclusive shopping appointments. Choose from forty-five to 120-minute appointments where Caracts and Stones provide our jewelry experts (Linda herself is an option!) for consultations and try-on sessions, a High-Tea or Charcuterie experience, bring a friend, and much more.
Discover why four generations of jewelry connoisseurs shop with Caracts and Stones! To get your questions answered call us at (415) 875-9438 or for a complimentary jewelry consultation, book a timeslot right here.
