Wedding Bands Makeover – Loving Your Jewelry Back to Life

Gold wedding band in box

Debbie’s Grandfather’s Gold Wedding Band. A Symbol of Love, Yet Unworn.

A Makeover for My Wedding Band? Many people have a gold wedding band, or a platinum one for that matter, that needs some care and love to bring it back to beautiful life.

In a way, we still see our band as how it looked when we received it and don’t notice that it’s changed. Sort of like me thinking of my adult son Dan, as frozen in time at 13. (He’ll love that!)

In this post, I’ll show you four projects changing gold wedding bands. Also there’s a platinum one with a makeover and some love. Read on…

Back to Wedding Bands!

I’ll share the four projects I’ve done recently that have brought the wow factor back into my client’s wedding bands. And a client’s re-do that ended up in a magazine.

Project #1 – Debbie’s Grandfather’s Wedding Band

Gold domed wedding band with hand engraving, Calla Gold Jewelry

Debbie’s Grandfather’s Gold Wedding Band, Sized for Her and Hand Engraved. What a Transformation! The before picture is a the top of the page.

Debbie loved her Grandfather and inherited his wedding band. She couldn’t picture how to wear it. It sat in her jewelry box about 15 years.

Our first step was to size it down to her size. Then because she is feminine and petite, I suggested some wonderful swirly engraving on the band. It worked and now Debbie’s Grandfather’s love is on her hand.

Project #2 – Steve’s Gold Wedding Band

Steve’s ring was way too tight and we needed to get it off. And re-sized larger. A total candidate for a wedding band makeover.

I brought my ring saw to his home to be prepared, as he told me he couldn’t get it of.

Did you know that if your wedding band is too tight certain jewelers can saw it off for you? See my blog post on sawing off too tight rings.

Hammered flat top wedding band in 14kt yellow gold by Calla Gold Jewelry

Steve’s Ring With a Hammered Finish. It Looks Like He Got a New Ring.

If you are interested in the steps to take to remove your ring I also write about that.

Happily while trying the bag of crushed ice and olive oil and twisting method, we thankfully pulled it off. His wife commented that it used to have a cool texture. After showing them some ideas they decided on doing a hammer finish.

First, we sized it larger, then out came the hammer. That was fun. Now Steve’s ring fits well and looks great!

Project #3 – Cheri’s Platinum Wedding Band

Worn down engraving on platinum wedding band.

Cheri’s Worn Engraving is Lackluster.

I was called in for a simple sizing of a platinum wedding band. She was concerned about what would happen to her engraving when the sizing was done. It would be messed up in the area of sizing.

When we at Calla Gold Jewelry size an exterior-engraved ring like this, we restore the engraving that gets worked off during the sizing and post-sizing polish steps. But if the engraving is old and worn down, the area we hand engrave will look like the Star of India (a big, famous diamond) next to a piece of glass.

In Cheri’s ring’s case, and in typical platinum style, since platinum is quite malleable (movable), the engraving had been pounded down to a softer more indistinct look. Her patterns weren’t really that visible anymore. My blog post about why platinum gets so dull so fast.

Hand Engraved Diamond Wedding Band

Cheri’s Platinum Wedding Band After Hand Engraving. It Makes Her Ring Look Like the Day She Got Married! Click on image to see details

I mentioned that I was familiar with the designer who had made her ring and that his engraving patterns were beautiful. She said, “Yes, it looked so nice when I got married. Two kids later, my waistband has expanded and my ring patterns are muddy!”

I said, “How about bringing those patterns back for you?”

“Worth a try I suppose.” She said.

After sizing her ring, all the engraving patterns were engraved back on in detail. This was done by my skilled hand engraver. In the end, her ring looked distinctly patterned and gorgeous again.

Project #4 Debra’s Mom’s Little Gold Wedding Band

Omega Slide with ruby and diamond and older wedding band

Debra’s Precious Mom’s Wedding Band Made Into a Necklace

In an earlier blog I told the story of Debra and her mom’s little wedding band. She wanted to wear it, but as a plain band she just wasn’t. As a plain band it wasn’t her style.

When you inherit something meaningful but it’s not your style give yourself permission to change it so you can use it.

So we turned it into an element on a pendant she cherishes! Here’s my blog post about that project: Inherited Jewelry, From Unworn to Cherished, Debra’s Story.

Her necklace and story of her mom’s life were featured in Dr. Oz’s magazine The Good Life.

My Message for Your Wedding Bands

Do you have a wedding band makeover candidate? They can be sized. They can be brushed to a matte finish, they can be hammered, they can be polished to a bright finish again and they can be engraved. And there are more choices for textures.

Don’t let the patina of wear make your wedding bands ordinary looking. Bring back their beauty or infuse new style with a trip to the jeweler who will love your jewelry back to life.

Jewelry Beautician,
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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Nancy Geng Vassilakis
9 years ago

Dear Calla:

I found your blog post so inspiring. I too am working with a customer on repurposing her inherited jewelry. I agree with you — it is great fun!

Best regards,
Nancy

Tracey M.
Tracey M.
9 years ago

Calla, this is such inspiring information.I know how you can just forget to look at your band after a while and then you just don’t think to make changes.
Yet the wedding band changes, or makeovers you’ve shown here are great.
The hammer finish, I just love. And that re-engraving you did on Cheri’s engraved band is really a big and pretty change. I need to share that re-engraving idea with a friend.
Tracey

Tania
Tania
9 years ago

Calla I love all of these stories! My favorite is the story of Debra’s moms wedding band. I found it incredibly beautiful that you were able to take an old abandoned little thing and make it a truly remarable piece that not only could Debra wear but also allow her to have her mom near and dear when she did. Beautiful story!

Linda Menesez
9 years ago

I’m so impressed with your creativity and flexibility, Calla! I love that cherished rings can be made-over, and sometimes almost recreated, so that the people who value them so highly can again enjoy wearing them.

Linda