Honoring Parents' Wedding Bands

Losing a parent is one of the most difficult experiences a person can go through, and deciding what to do with their wedding rings after they're gone can be a challenging and emotional process. There are several options for honouring your parents' memory and preserving their wedding bands, each offering a unique way to keep their love and legacy close to your heart.

Wear them as a necklace or pendant

There are many ways to wear your parents' wedding bands as a necklace or pendant. Here are some ideas:

Double Ring Necklace

Instead of melting your parents' wedding rings and making them into something else, you can simply put them on a chain. This way, you can keep the rings in their original form, which is a beautiful way to memorialise something so special. You can also add a fashionable twist to the necklace by joining the two rings together.

Memorial Necklace

If you want to keep the memory of your parents close to your heart, you can wear their wedding bands as a pendant on a necklace. You can even add an engraving to the band, such as a memorial message or the original owner's fingerprint. This way, you can keep the ring's original shape while also making it your own.

Heart Pendant

A jeweller can melt your parents' wedding bands and reshape them into a heart pendant. This is a beautiful way to symbolise your parents' love and to keep their memory close to your heart. You could also ask the jeweller to add gemstones or other decorative elements to the pendant.

Celtic Knot Necklace

If you want to create something truly unique, you can weave your parents' wedding bands together to create a Celtic knot-inspired necklace. This design symbolises the togetherness of your parents and is a beautiful way to honour their love.

Choker

If you want to keep your parents' wedding bands close to your heart, you can wear them as a choker. This is also a safer option if you're involved in activities where a loose necklace could get in the way or cause danger, such as rock climbing or machinery work.

Redesign them into a new piece of jewellery

Redesigning your parents' wedding bands into a new piece of jewellery is a creative way to repurpose and honour their memory. This option may be especially meaningful if you are not planning to pass the wedding bands down to future generations.

There are many ways to redesign wedding bands into new jewellery. For example, you could join your parents' wedding bands and turn them into a pendant or necklace. This option allows you to keep the rings in their simple, pure form, or you could have them melted down and made into something new. Another idea is to turn the wedding bands into a ring or pendant in the shape of a heart, especially if there was an engagement ring with a diamond involved. Alternatively, you could turn the wedding bands into earrings, either by splitting a single band in half or by having two bands for two siblings.

If you are looking for more intricate designs, you could weave the wedding bands together, perhaps in the shape of a Celtic knot. You could also incorporate other symbols, such as a cross, or add engravings. If you have access to your parents' engagement rings, you could combine the wedding bands with the engagement rings to create a new piece of jewellery.

Safekeep them for future generations

If you've inherited your parents' wedding bands, you might want to keep them safe for future generations. This is a great way to honour your parents' memories and ensure their legacy is preserved. Here are some ideas for safekeeping:

Keep Them in a Safe Place

If you're not ready to part with the rings or make any alterations, simply keeping them in a safe place is a valid option. You can put them in a significant spot in your home, perhaps with other family heirlooms or precious items. This way, you know they are secure and can access them whenever you want to feel close to your parents.

Safety Deposit Box

If you're worried about the rings getting lost, damaged, or stolen, consider putting them in a safety deposit box. This option provides the utmost security, and you can still access the rings whenever you wish.

Pass Them Down

You can also choose to pass the wedding bands down to your children and their children, allowing the rings to gain new stories with each generation. Most wedding rings can be resized, so fit shouldn't be an issue.

Keep Them Intact

If you want to keep the rings as they are but don't want to wear them, consider a creative way to display or store them. For example, you could have a pendant designed to hold both rings together, allowing you to wear them as a necklace. This way, you can keep the rings intact and close to your heart.

Combine and Redesign

If you have both of your parents' wedding bands, you could join them together to create a new, sentimental piece of jewellery. For example, you could have them made into a pendant or necklace, perhaps in the shape of a heart or another meaningful symbol. This option allows you to honour both your mother and father in one beautiful piece.

Safekeeping your parents' wedding bands ensures that you always have a physical reminder of their love and legacy, and it can be a comforting way to feel connected to them and your family history.

Donate them to a good cause

If you're looking to part with your parents' wedding bands in a way that gives back, you can donate them to a good cause. This can be a way to honour your parents' memory while also paying their love forward.

One option is to donate the rings to a charity that melts down the metal to craft new wedding rings for couples who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford them. For example, the UK-based charity Gift of a Wedding supports terminally ill couples by providing them with their dream weddings. They hold collection weeks where supporters can donate unwanted, broken, or damaged gold, silver, or platinum jewellery, which is then transformed into new wedding rings.

Alternatively, you can contribute to a project like Tough Angels' Rings of Hope. This project repurposes donated jewellery to fund programmes that empower, protect, and advocate for survivors of rape and violence, as well as educate at-risk street children in South Africa and Kenya. They accept wedding rings, chains, earrings, pendants, and other jewellery items made of gold, platinum, or silver.

While donating your parents' wedding bands means you won't have control over their final destination, it can be a meaningful way to ensure their legacy of love continues to bring joy to others.

Bury them with your parents

If you're unsure about what to do with your parents' wedding bands, one option is to bury them with your parents. This can be a symbolic way to show your love and honour your parents' memory. It is a simple solution and can be a sentimental goodbye.

If your parents have specified in their will that they want to be buried with their wedding rings, it is generally best to honour their wishes, even if other relatives disagree. However, if no specific instructions have been left, you may want to consider other options, such as keeping the rings in the family or transforming them into new pieces of jewellery.

If you choose to bury the wedding bands, you can rest assured that it is a meaningful way to let them rest with your parents. You could also choose to bury them in a significant place on a special date or perform another ceremonial farewell that holds meaning for you.

Ultimately, the decision of what to do with your parents' wedding bands is a personal one, and there is no rush to make a decision. Take the time to consider what option feels right for you and your family.

Frequently asked questions