Everyday "engagement" ring for 10th anniv.

[maestramommy]

Our 10th is coming up, and we're thinking of an everyday ring for me to wear in place of my engagement ring. A little background: It's a diamond flanked by 2 sapphires, and is carved all the way around, set in platinum. When we got it, I had it sized for my RH because I was tuning stringed instruments all day and I soon found it was incompatible with wearing a stone ring on my LH. When we bought wedding bands, we got simple matching platinum bands that are unrelated to my engagement ring.

Fast forward to now. Since the kids started coming I barely wear my engagement ring. One reason is my knuckles have gotten bigger, so even now at pregnancy weight I sometimes have a hard time taking it on and off. My LH fingers are a bit smaller, so usually I wear it there, but it doesn't really go with my band. Mostly I wear it for date nights, sometimes at church, and special occasions. But, last year we had a fright when I thought I lost it at an outdoor wedding. We were searching for 30 minutes before I had a thought and called my neighbor to see if I left it on the counter while putting on lotion (I did). That's when Dh said, "why don't we get you an everyday ring so we don't have to freak out like this? you can save the engagement ring for special occasions?" Because the truth is, that ring has more sentimental value for us than the wedding band.

I saw cchavez's thread on the everyday ring, and really liked some of the rings on the Sundance site. But I'm wondering, how strong is sterling? Can it stand up to every day abuse? I'd like to have a ring in the same color, so platinum, white gold, or silver. I'm also undecided as to whether I should try to get a ring that will fit with my wedding band, or just go for something I can wear on my RH for everyday. I'd like something with blue stones.

There is an independent jeweler here who makes jewelry. I've also heard he will buy gold and put it towards credit. We were thinking of going to see him with a picture or something.

here are some of the ones I liked from the Sundance website:
http://www.sundancecatalog.com/product/handmade+jewelry/unique+rings/multi+stone+rings/siren%27s+3+stone+ring.do?sortby=ourPicks

this one with blue stones
http://www.sundancecatalog.com/product/handmade+jewelry/unique+rings/multi+stone+rings/green+glory+ring.do?sortby=ourPicks

http://www.sundancecatalog.com/product/handmade+jewelry/unique+rings/multi+stone+rings/tip+of+the+iceberg+ring.do?sortby=ourPicks

http://www.sundancecatalog.com/product/handmade+jewelry/unique+rings/multi+stone+rings/crisscross+pearl+ring.do?sortby=ourPicks&page=2

Also, do you think an independent jewelry maker would consider it insulting to make a solitaire ring using CZs instead of a diamond?

[wellyes]

Sounds really nice!!

[egoldber]

We are planning to do something like this for our 20th. My engagement ring was DH's grandmother's ring, and it is too large and ornate (in an old-fashioned way) for everyday wear. The prongs that hold the largest diamond are also weak and I am always scared the diamond is going to fall out and I won't notice. Our wedding bands are plain gold.

For our anniversary we want to get bands that are custom designed. More elaborate than plain gold, but yet suitable for everyday.

[crl]

My everyday band is partly silver (from Sundance :love-retry:) and it looks fine. But dh's original wedding band is silver. He abused it regularly (put it on his key ring when he went fishing to avoid losing it, wore it during training in the Marine Corps, etc) and it looks pretty beat up. If you want to wear it everyday and are rough on things, platinum might be a better choice.

Catherine

[MommyofAmaya]

I did this since I never ever wear my engagement ring. Diamonds aren't really my style and my very modest wedding band looked kinda silly all by itself. This Etsy seller was awesome to work with. He uses silver, rose and yellow gold. Most of his pieces have a rustic finish but he made mine smooth to go with my wedding band. I can't recommend him enough. I can't wait until I can get another stacking ring to go with the set.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82708420/hydrangea-stacking-ring-sterling-silver

[cvanbrunt]

I lost my wedding band when I was working in a lab during my sabbatical. We had to triple glove so I ended up shoving my rings into my pocket. One day my very simple wedding band was gone. So for our fifteenth anniversary we had a custom ring made that incorporated the diamond from my engagement ring. I love it.

[nfowife]

This etsy seller has a similar feel to the sundance stuff and he does nice custom work. He's very well thought of at pricescope (very large diamond/jewelry forum). You could email him and get a quote. Doing bezels, especially in silver is not easy. I would also look into using white gold or palladium white gold as it would be more durable. You could sell your gold locally and use the money on something from anywhere.... I would hesitate to use your local guy for a custom work unless you know his bench does very good work. Custom work is not easy to get done well. Repairs are one thing, crafting a custom ring is another IMO.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/danielmjewelry

[hellokitty]

The one with the three green stones is so pretty! Plus, each stone could represent one of your daughters. I love the look of it! For our 10th anniversary (I was 8 mo pregnant with DS3 so we couldn't go anywhere), DH got me a diamond anniversary band. My wedding band has always been a point of contention for me, since my mil talked DH out of getting the one that matched my engagement ring and then had the audacity to order one that SHE liked instead (which didn't fit OR look nice on my small hands). I had to re-order at the last minute and the band is very thin (think a key chain loop) and completely plain, so thin that they could not engrave it, so it looks blah when I wear it alone and when I wear it with my engagement ring, you barely even notice it. I wear my 10 yrs anniversary band on my right hand, and have just started wearing my wedding set again (fingers have finally gone down in swelling), BUT my engagement ring is set pretty high up and has been caught on things many times before. I definitely prefer the 10 yr anniversary band DH got me. It has five diamonds set in it to represent our family of five.

[MamaMolly]

I did this since I never ever wear my engagement ring. Diamonds aren't really my style and my very modest wedding band looked kinda silly all by itself. This Etsy seller was awesome to work with. He uses silver, rose and yellow gold. Most of his pieces have a rustic finish but he made mine smooth to go with my wedding band. I can't recommend him enough. I can't wait until I can get another stacking ring to go with the set.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/82708420/hydrangea-stacking-ring-sterling-silver

OMG! These are so beautiful! I want one of each of the stacking rings! :heartbeat: