I Ditched The Rings!

After nearly five years of my wedding/engagement rings gathering dust in a box, I finally sold them.

For nearly five years, I intended to sell them… I intended to gather all the paperwork for the diamond and make a handsome little profit. But I didn’t. Because I’m lazy. I wasn’t desperate for money and therefore I didn’t care… I mean, it’s not like I’m the one who paid for them, right? There was no pressure to recoup my investment.

Tonight, I retrieved them from their box, along with some other miscellaneous pieces of jewelery that I never wear. Memories of when I first laid eyes on these pieces of jewelry soon came flooding back, and I have to say, it took me a few minutes to compose my emotions. I remember my partner telling me the story of how he weighed up the pros and cons of the jamesallen.com vs bluenile.com debate, in order to make sure that he picked the nicest ring for me. And he did well, very well in fact. So, taking it out of its safe place was unusual for me, but it was the right thing to do. I tucked the shiny elements into a little black case and I drove them to the jewelery store where I had my engagement ring sized way back when I was some other person living some other life. Upon entering the glittery showroom, I was delighted to discover a fluffy puppy lounging on the floor.

“Hello, can I help you?” a smartly-dressed man asked me.

“Hi,” I replied as the dog stretched out and rolled over so I could rub her belly. I made him tell me her name before letting him know that I was there to get rid of some jewelry.

I browsed the showcases while he weighed each piece and calculated the amount they were prepared to pay today. When it came time to examine the diamond ring, he removed the stone from the setting and spent a considerable amount of time cleaning it and examining it under a fancy microscope. While he worked, I played with the dog. I was quite glad she was there… the stuff in the glass cases was nice, but expensive jewels aren’t my thing. Puppies, on the other hand… puppies are special.

After a few other eyes peered at my gem, the smartly-dressed man returned and made me an offer which sounded rather pathetic. I’m sure the disappointment was written all over my face. After a short conversation regarding the full retail value of the ring, I made the decision to part with it. After all, I am lazy. I didn’t want to deal with the process of listing it, answering questions, showing it to strangers… risking a run-in with a Craig’s List Killer…. I figured, I was there and I had the chance to dump it in exchange for a check on the spot. Why not? (it’s all profit to me, right?)

In the end, I walked out of the store with a check totaling about 20% of what Ex Husband supposedly paid for the solitaire-symbolizing-forever. I know I could’ve done better, probably much better… but now it’s done. I don’t have to think about it any more. For nearly five years, I wondered what it would feel like to part with that bling. And you know what? I don’t feel any different… no sense of loss or longing for what might have been… nor am I especially happy or relieved. I’m simply content.

Readers, have any of you sold your wedding rings? What was the experience like for you?

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23 Comments

  1. Ya know, I think I would feel the very same way. I still have mine and keep meaning to do the same…and I think I will, even for 20%…it is profit and hey, at this point, why not. Cheers to that!

  2. Not got to that stage yet. Though I’m not wearing them – I haven’t done for over a year now. But I can’t bear to part with them. My engagement ring was an antique and I still really like it! So I’ve left it to one of my nieces!

    Well done you though. And spend the money on something you want and will enjoy!

  3. I loved the diamond in my engagement ring and wanted to keep enjoying it, so I had it mounted in a new setting–as a gift to myself on the first anniversary of my divorce! I kept the original wedding band (with inscriptions inside) stored safely away, figuring that one day my kids might want that or the original diamond and setting from the engagement ring. Tough to predict whether or not they’ll have any sentimentality toward those, but am keeping them for them just in case.

  4. Every once in a while I wonder what happened to the (very) expensive engagement ring, wedding band and matching first anniversary band I bought for my ex.

    From a man’s perspective, I still have my wedding band. Tucked away in a box in my safe. Along with the gold chain she gave me.

    Don’t know why I still have them.

  5. I still have my wedding band and engagement ring. Apart from a few really inexpensive pairs of earrings, they are the only jewelry I own. As a child, I appreciated seeing my grandmother’s wedding band and engagement rings even though I never knew her. Perhaps my future grandschildren will enjoy seeing mine.

  6. Tara, you have given me an excellent post idea. I’m sure it will be a tad bit controversial. But it should be fun.

    I still have my band, at this point. It wouldn’t be worth the gas it would take to get to the pawn shop to sell it.

  7. I still have my band, somewhere. But the next time I come across it, off to the jeweler’s I go! Thanks for preparing me for what little I will probably get. I actually had thought of having it melted down into something else? But, I truly just want to be rid of it.

    As for the diamond, I lost it sometime during the last two years of that marriage. It was a sign, I’m sure. The funny thing is, right after I was married one of my “friends” judiciously inspected my ring and declared that it had a huge flaw! (I know, nice, huh?) But apparently that, too, was a sign 🙂

  8. Pingback: The Divorce Dilemma. What about the ring? » ChopperPapa - A single dad at full throttle.

  9. My x has 5 rings now, why do some women like to collect them? She tells men what they want to hear, then change?

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