Redesigning Your Engagement or Wedding Ring

If your marriage or engagement has come to an end, working out what to do with your wedding band or engagement ring can be quite a challenge.

Engagement rings and wedding bands are more than just jewelry — they’re also a symbol of the love and special nature of the relationship between you and your partner. When that relationship comes to an end, wearing this symbol can often feel uncomfortable. 

After a divorce or broken engagement, it’s common to stash your wedding band or engagement ring away in a bedroom drawer or jewelry box. 

There’s nothing wrong with this — it’s often an important part of the process of moving on from a relationship that’s ended. But after enough time has passed, it’s often possible to breathe some new life into your wedding band or engagement ring by redesigning it into new jewelry. 

From using your existing diamond to make a stylish necklace or pair of earrings to adding new gemstones to your engagement ring to turn it into a new piece of jewelry, there is a wide range of ways to redesign your engagement and wedding jewelry after a breakup or divorce.

Below, we’ve shared five of our recommendations, as well as our expert tips on how to best use each option to redesign and repurpose your engagement and wedding jewelry.

Turn Your Diamond Ring Into a Beautiful Necklace

One of the easiest ways to reuse your engagement ring diamond after a broken engagement or divorce is to turn it into a diamond necklace. 

This option is perfect if you have a solitaire engagement ring that doesn’t feature any side or pavé diamonds. To reuse the diamond, all your jeweler will need to do is remove it from the ring and place it inside a pendant. 

In some cases, you may even be able to reuse the gold from your engagement ring to create a pendant to hold the diamond. 

Almost all diamonds can be mounted into a pendant, with a range of setting options similar to a regular engagement ring. For example, this beautiful four-prong solitaire pendant from Blue Nile shows off the center stone just like a solitaire engagement ring. 

There are even bezel and pavé pendant settings available, which are ideal if you want to create a diamond necklace that’s more durable or eye-catching, respectively. 

If you have a three-stone engagement ring, you can either reuse the side stones in the pendant (this three-stone necklace from Blue Nile is an example of how it can look) or use them to create a matching pair of earrings — an option that we’ve covered in more detail below.

Buy a Second Diamond to Create a Pair of Stud Earrings

Another easy way to redesign and repurpose your engagement ring after a broken engagement or divorce is to turn it into a pair of diamond earrings.

To do this, you’ll either need to have a three-stone engagement ring (in which case, you can use the side stones to create a pair of earrings) or buy a second diamond to match the center stone of your old engagement ring.

Buying a second diamond to create a pair of earrings is a surprisingly easy process, especially if you still have your existing stone’s certification.

Using a trusted online diamond vendor such as James Allen or Blue Nile, you can easily search for diamonds of the same carat weight, color, clarity, cut quality and shape as the existing center stone from your engagement ring. 

After you’ve purchased a second, matching diamond, you can have the new diamonds mounted into a set of diamond stud backings at just about any jewelry store.

Need some inspiration? In addition to their loose diamonds, James Allen stock a great range of diamond stud earring backings, including some that might match the style of your engagement ring setting. 

Convert Your Engagement Ring Into a Right-Hand Ring

If you like the look and feel of your engagement ring but don’t like the significance of wearing it on your left hand, you can redesign it into a right-hand ring.

There are several different ways to do this. The first is simple — just wear your engagement ring on your right hand. If you like the look of your engagement ring and don’t mind it looking exactly the same as before, this is a simple, easy option.

The second is to change your engagement ring’s setting. If you like the center diamond but want to give the ring a different look, consider switching the existing setting for one that features side gemstones, or a gemstone halo.

This gives the ring some additional color and makes it stand out more as a right-hand ring than as an engagement ring.

The third is to keep the setting, but replace the diamond. If you no longer feel attached to your engagement ring’s center diamond, it’s always possible to sell it and add a special sapphire or ruby to the setting to create a new ring with a completely different character.

Create a Stunning Bracelet Using the Center Stone

If you love the beauty of your engagement ring diamond but prefer not to use it for a new ring, a good option is to create a bracelet that makes use of your engagement ring’s center diamond or gemstone.

An engagement ring diamond can look absolutely beautiful as part of a bracelet, whether as the largest of many diamonds or as an eye-catching stone set in a gold bracelet. 

Like with a right-hand ring, there’s also the option to use your engagement ring diamond with a selection of other small diamonds or gemstones to create a beautiful bracelet that breathes new life and style into your existing diamond.

Turn a Multiple-Diamond Ring Into Several Pieces of Jewelry

Finally, if your engagement ring features more than one diamond, you can use each diamond to create a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or for your loved ones.

As we mentioned earlier, if you have a three-stone engagement ring, you can use the smaller side diamonds to create a pair of stud earrings, then use the center stone to create a pendant, bracelet or right-hand ring.

Alternatively, if you’d like to create a unique gift for your children, closest friends or other family members, consider using each diamond (even the smallest pavé ones) to create a unique and special piece of jewelry for each person. 

Conclusion

From turning your engagement ring into a right-hand ring to reusing the diamonds in earrings, a pendant or other jewelry, there are a variety of ways to redesign your engagement ring following the end of a relationship. 

Finally, there’s also the option to sell your engagement ring. While this won’t allow you to reuse it in new jewelry, you’ll generally be able to recover a small percentage of the purchase price, or at least receive some amount of trade-in value towards new jewelry.

James Allen James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab created diamonds online. For a limited time Save 25% during James Allen Holiday Sale!

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What we love about them:

• No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
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• Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
• Provide insurance appraisals
• One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
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• Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
• 24/7 Customer Service
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Blue Nile Blue Nile is the largest and most well known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing. Blue Nile have generously offered our readers an exclusive one-time use coupon. (Click Here to save $100 off $1000 purchase)

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What we love about them:

• No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
• Lifetime Warranty
• Free Shipping
• Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
• Provide insurance appraisal
• One free resizing within the first year of purchase
• High quality images of about half of their diamonds
• 24/7 Customer Service
• 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
• Best in class fulfillment

About the author

Michael Fried Mike Fried has over 25 years experience in the diamond industry working with Leo Schachter Diamonds, Moshe Namdar Diamonds, and joining The Diamond Pro in 2007. He is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as Us, People, Page Six, The Next Web and more.