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If you want to incorporate your family history into your marriage, heirloom engagement rings can be the perfect place to start! Especially if your girlfriend loves antique jewelry, this can be a wonderful way to give her a ring that’s authentic and one-of-a-kind.
Heirloom rings can also help you save money since you won’t be shelling out money for a new diamond. Ultimately, if family is the guiding force behind your marriage and you have a ring that has sentimental value over multiple generations, why not make it a part of your marriage?
To create a magical proposal, try some of these best practices for proposing with your heirloom engagement ring.
Honoring the Sentimental Value
In many cases, heirloom engagement rings don’t come from immediate family members. They may be from an aunt or a distant cousin, and sometimes, they might not be a traditional wedding ring–they could be a promise ring, a brooch, or a coveted gem. Start by planning an honest discussion with the giver of the ring to get their blessing and make sure they’re willing to share the jewelry with your future partner.
If you think your girlfriend might want to make changes to the ring–such as adding small diamonds around the center stone or altering the ring to match her future wedding band–be sure to mention it when you’re talking to the giver of the ring. Certain family members might be opposed to alterations, while others might be completely open to it. No matter what, it’s important to respect your family’s opinions when proposing with an heirloom ring.
Choosing the Heirloom
If you have heirloom rings on both sides of your family, you’ll have to determine if one has more sentimental value than the other. If one has been passed down over five generations, but the other is from a distant cousin, the ring with the deepest history might be the most meaningful choice.
Also consider the people closest to your partner. Does one of your family’s heirloom rings belong to a deceased family member who made a major impact on your partner’s life? Proposing with this type of ring can be an emotional way to pay tribute to your loved one.
While sentimentality is one of the most important parts of your proposal, your bride’s style is important, too. Pay attention to conversations that happen among family members. You may find that your girlfriend frequently gushes over one of her grandmother’s rings or asks to try it on. At the end of the day, you want to make sure the ring has personal meaning to her.
The Next Steps
As you prepare to propose with your family’s heirloom ring, consider investing in a continued service plan so you can protect the antique for generations to come.
The Hearts Bandits can also help take care of the details of your proposal, making it sentimental and personalized for both of you. Don’t forget to think about how you’ll protect and store the ring–Ring Stash makes compact engagement ring boxes that are perfect for protecting heirloom rings!