Why You Shouldn’t Feel Guilty About Selling Your Diamond Engagement Ring
An engagement ring is a token of love. It signals that two people cared enough about each other to want to make a lifelong commitment. Unfortunately, between 40% and 50% of marriages in the US end in divorce. In addition, many of the couples who get engaged won’t make it up the aisle. In both instances, a once treasured engagement ring ends up shoved in the back of a drawer, gathering dust.
If your marriage or engagement ended on a sour note, you probably don’t want to look at a sparkling engagement ring. It has lots of negative feelings attached and putting on a ring that’s associated with unhappy memories is enough to make any woman miserable.
Many women keep their engagement rings. They have a vague idea about giving the ring to a daughter or son at some point. Your child might only be two-years-old, but still, you hang on to that ring. After all, you think, it’s better to keep it for now.
Men, too, hang on to an engagement ring if the woman they loved hands it back, or worse, turned it down. They spent a small fortune on the ring, so they are not ready to let it go. Besides, they reason, I might need it for someone else!
Seriously?! That engagement ring you have hidden away is not doing you any favors. Your kids won’t want it, it carries too many unhappy memories. No other self-respecting woman will want it either. What are your options?
Engagement Ring Etiquette
You can do whatever you like with an engagement ring, but there are some rules of etiquette to follow if you want to ‘do the right thing’.
Family heirlooms should always be returned to the person to whom they belong. It would be poor taste not to give back your ex-husband’s grandmother’s engagement ring.
Rings named in a divorce settlement must be returned to the designated recipient. A failure to stick to the divorce settlement could cost you dearly.
If an engagement ended by mutual consent or the woman broke it off, etiquette says the ring belongs to the man. If the man ended the engagement, the woman can keep the ring.
Don’t Feel Guilty
It is worth remembering that unless a court decides, these rules are not set in stone. An engagement ring gifted to you is yours to dispose of as you please. And if you decide to cast out all the unhappy memories and start with a clean slate, there is no need to feel guilty about selling the ring.
Guilt is a wasted emotion. At the end of the day, that engagement ring is yours. Now that you and your ex are no longer together, you are free to make your own decisions. The money you make from selling the ring might not be a huge sum, but it all helps. You can spend the windfall on anything you like.
Selling the Ring
Instead of burying the ring at the bottom of your sock drawer, have it valued to see what it’s worth. Bear in mind that a used engagement ring isn’t worth as much as a brand-new ring. Even enormous sparklers lose value when they are resold. Most people prefer not to start a life together with a ring that carries someone else’s unhappy memories. Unsentimental types won’t care a hoot, but the rest of us do.
Scout around for a reputable place to sell your old engagement ring or contact us for a price. A designer ring or a ring with a significant stone will fetch more than a cheap mass-produced ring with an inferior stone. You may even find that your ring is worth nothing second-hand. If so, keep it as costume jewelry for your kids.
Once you have a price, consider whether you are ready to let the ring go. Selling a diamond engagement ring is the first step to moving on. It’s day one of the rest of your life!
Repurposing a Diamond Engagement Ring
One other option worth considering is to have the stones repurposed into a new piece of jewelry. Turn your diamond engagement ring into a diamond pendant or have the stones reset into a new design. It’s the same, yet different. This is worth doing if the stone or stones are excellent quality and you like nice jewelry. If you won’t want to wear the new piece, keep it for your children or grandchildren. It could become a treasured family heirloom one day.
Once you have successfully sold your diamond engagement ring, have a look in your jewelry box for any other unwanted pieces you no longer wear. Cash in those diamond earrings your ex gave you on your 5th wedding anniversary and spend the joint proceeds on a nice vacation or new car!
Need advice about selling your engagement ring? Call us today.
