What to do With Divorce Diamonds?

Lauren's Vintage Style Marquis Diamond Necklace

Lauren’s Vintage Style Marquis Diamond Necklace Made From a Redesigned Divorce Diamond!

As a Santa Barbara Jeweler, I get asked often what to do with divorce diamonds. I say redesign with them!  You earned that diamond, regardless of how your union ended.  It shouldn’t sit in a safe or the bottom of your jewelry box.

Your diamond should be celebrated in a new way in a new setting and in a new design.  This way, you can create new memories with your new jewelry!

Five Ideas for Setting Your Divorce Diamond

1) Set it as a pendant or as part of a necklace.

2) Make it one half of a pair of diamond stud earrings.

3) Put it in a non-wedding design ring for your right hand.

4) Create a bracelet with it using the diamond in the central design

5) If your ring had several diamonds then turn each into a piece of jewelry with multiple diamonds.  Or give some little diamonds to family, like your daughter in a pendant or ring for a favorite niece.

“What do I do With the Original Ring Metal?”

Some of my clients don’t mind re-using the diamond, but don’t want to keep the ring’s setting.

You could set a colored gem in the old setting and give it to your daughter.

You could use that gold or platinum for a credit toward your new project.

Here are a couple of projects I’ve done in the past to redesign divorce diamonds.

Real Life Divorce Diamond Redesigns

calla-gold-jewelry-divorce-diamonds

Lauren’s old ring, and our new idea!

Lauren loves vintage.  Her original engagement ring had a very simple and modern design to it.

She was ready to leave simple and modern in the dust in her new piece of diamond jewelry.

I showed Lauren a number of style options and this art nouveau style captured her heart.

I modified this design to accommodate her nice long marquis cut diamond.

image of blonde woman wearing her new necklace

Lauren Wearing Her New Diamond Necklace for the First Time!

This design nicely worked to combine her love of curlicues, a feminine touch and art nouveau detail.

We used two different styles of chain that were simple yet went well with our vintage theme. Happily I found tiny baroque shape fresh water pearls.

I feel like the right pearls make a huge difference in a custom design like this. Too big and it overpowers little details and too small and it looks like a failed afterthought.

Lauren is a singer. What made me so happy is that I delivered it on a day she’d be singing and I loved that she planned to wear it happily to her gig.

The finished necklace is up at the top of the post.

A Sensuous Pendant From a Simple Engagement Ring

This Pendent was Created From a Simple Engagement Ring. Divorce diamond

This Pendent was Created From a Simple Engagement Ring.

 

Back before I took before and after pictures, I did redesign jewelry. I found this picture of a fun redesigned engagement ring redesign.

My client had embarked on a more spiritual life after her divorce. She wanted her newly redesigned piece to reflect who she was, not who she had been.

I remember we wanted to create a flowing and beautiful pendant. I loved how it turned out.

Laura’s Break Out Ring

She was browsing Facebook and saw a ring on a friend’s Facebook page that just stopped her in her tracks. She’d been looking for a design for her divorce diamond in her town and surrounds for months. Her new design had to reflect her new direction, her new strength and new energy.

Laura's Black Rhodium Finished Right Hand Diamond and Ruby Ring. Divorce diamond

Laura’s Black Rhodium Finished Right Hand Diamond and Ruby Ring

Laura has a, divorced, divorcing or thinking about divorcing,  life coaching practice. Who better to help that conversation yield helpful insights than someone who has lived it up close and personal?

The ring she saw on Facebook was one of my trinity collection styles. She clicked all the right buttons, because even though she was in Fresno she found my page, then my website and then called me.

A Close Up of the Detail Laura Lavished in Her Vision of the Design

A Close Up of the Detail Laura Lavished in Her Vision of the Design

We connected over the distance and she decided to drive down for the design process, translating what she loved online to her diamond.

We had a blast and stayed in touch via email. When she drove down to pick up her ring it was an emotional experience. Laura felt that her diamond was truly hers and the style reflected her fierce, fabulous self. (My adjectives). I love that she did this for herself and went so out of the box in the details she picked.

“Can I Use my Divorce Diamond in a Ring Again?”

Susan called me a couple of years after her divorce. She told me that, “after 25 years of marriage he wanted the ring back! Can you imagine? Embarrassingly enough, I considered it, because I wasn’t feeling too friendly toward it at the time.”

Happily, she kept the ring. Her diamond was beautiful.  After two years she looked at the diamond differently. She wanted it to be a right hand ring, but she wasn’t sure if that was something that was done.

Here's a Design That Could Easily take a Divorce Diamond.

Here’s a Design That Could Easily take a Divorce Diamond.

I feel strongly that re-using a divorce diamond as a right hand ring is perfectly fine. The most important thing is that you use it! Just use it! Beautifully redesigned of course.

Susan’s ring turned out beautifully. I told you her story because I want to say that the wedding diamond is yours. It was a gift and it doesn’t have to hold memories good or bad. It’s beautiful and sparkling and should be worn with a smile.

“Can I use my Divorce Diamond in my Next Wedding Ring?”

Now we get into an area where some people feel that “you can’t do that.” I do not agree. If you’re worried about bad karma, bad juju or bad energy you can do something about it.

My Healer, Scultptor Friend Francis is Big on Burning Sage to Cleanse a Diamond.

My Healer, Scultptor Friend Francis is Big on Burning Sage to Cleanse a Diamond.

One of my clients is a very spiritual person and a self-described energy worker. She recommended soaking the diamond in sea salt water for a day and a night or burning sage around it.

I’m thinking that all the time it spends in my ultrasonic cleaner getting vibrated clean would bring it back to neutral, but I guess that’s why I’m a jewelry worker and not an energy worker.

As long as your new husband is OK with it, then it’s OK. Many people don’t go there, but I thought since we’re talking about what to do with divorce diamonds that I’d include this.

“What if I just Re-Use My Divorce Diamond and Old Setting  For My Next Wedding?”

No one has asked me yet, but I’ll just say, “never get married to the new guy with the old guy’s ring.”

Take the diamond and create a new design for your new wedding jewelry.

If you did it, everytime someone asked about your ‘pretty ring,’ you’d either have to say, “oh, it’s from my first marriage.” Or you’d lie and say, “George and I picked it out.”

Neither of those options sounds appealing to me.

Do You Have a Divorce Diamonds Sitting Unworn in Your Jewelry Box?

OK, here’s my motto, “Wear it Don’t Warehouse it!” Pull out that ring and make an appointment with your favorite jeweler and make a piece of jewelry that is you! You in a sparkly happy diamond!

Setting Your Divorce Diamonds Happily,
Calla Gold

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About Calla Gold

Calla Gold is a Personal Jeweler and Author who takes pride in working with clients one-on-one to integrate their personal sense of style and taste into custom designed jewelry and repaired jewelry pieces.   Unlike typical Santa Barbara jewelry businesses, Calla Gold has no brick-and-mortar location. Calla Gold comes to you, bringing you the jewelry collection you want to see and collaborating with you to create unique custom jewelry. Calla also works with at-a-distance clients.

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Amy Marie Orozco
8 years ago

I really like how you broach this topic. It’s got to be an etiquette hot potato. You gave your opinion in simple, non-judgmental terms. Really great ideas, too.

Kathryn
Kathryn
8 years ago

Thank you for addressing this subject. I have divorced diamonds and want to reset them so they don’t appear in the same setting they were given. I have a pair of earrings and necklace pendant that I really like, but have thought of making those into a right hand ring or a new necklace. As for the engagement ring and wrap I have…well, they aren’t the best quality, and I have thought of trying to upgrade them for a new project. I, too, was curious about what to do with the gold bands so thank you for the tips. You’ve… Read more »

Judith
Judith
8 years ago

I appreciate the lovely ideas for re-purposing old wedding jewelry. Actually,there could be more rings than just the wedding rings that could need to be re-designed and then enjoyed! Thank you sharing your creative design ideas.

Carol
Carol
5 years ago

I figure don’t ask, don’t tell. If I show up with a lovely new ring, I don’t owe an explanation to anyone. Yes, it’s real, why do you ask?

Gillian Babcock
Gillian Babcock
3 years ago

My sister will get married soon and she wants to have a nice pearl necklace that day. It was explained here that in case of separation she can have the jewelry remade into another piece. Furthermore, it’s recommended to go to trusted shops when in need of a pearl long pave necklace.