Best place to sell wedding ring??

[angwill]

Out of curiosity, what would you have done if you found yourself in my shoes -- married five years, skin under your rings broken and bleeding from an allergic reaction, and the dermatologist telling you no more gold or silver?

We took the diamonds from my engagement ring to a jeweler who created an identical ring out of platinum and I got a platinum wedding band (different than my gold one, but it looks better with my engagement ring), so the set is basically the same but with a different metal, but they're still not the original rings. I have friends who were heartbroken for me, but luckily I was ok with it. Tomorrow is my 14th anniversary, so I've had the "new" rings longer than the "old" ones!

I think what you did is a great idea. It had to be heartbreaking to know you could not wear the original wedding ring and a relief to know that you could still use the same stones with different metal. That said some people feel differently about personal items and their feelings attached to them can range from no feelings to very deep feelings.

 

[angwill]

Yes,I realize that. But considering we paid $5,000 for it, and it almost 3 carats total...I would hope to get a couple thousand. It's still a lot of gold and diamonds.

My MIL used to work for a jewler and she claimed jewlery has the highest mark up of anything sold. If I remember correctly it is like 70-80 percent so if they are paying 20 to 30 percent to buy what they sell imagine what percentage they are going to pay to buy it back.

 

[disney1990]

Out of curiosity, what would you have done if you found yourself in my shoes -- married five years, skin under your rings broken and bleeding from an allergic reaction, and the dermatologist telling you no more gold or silver?

We took the diamonds from my engagement ring to a jeweler who created an identical ring out of platinum and I got a platinum wedding band (different than my gold one, but it looks better with my engagement ring), so the set is basically the same but with a different metal, but they're still not the original rings. I have friends who were heartbroken for me, but luckily I was ok with it. Tomorrow is my 14th anniversary, so I've had the "new" rings longer than the "old" ones!

I would have done exactly what you did, but this is an exception.

 

[pryncess527]

Out of curiosity, what would you have done if you found yourself in my shoes -- married five years, skin under your rings broken and bleeding from an allergic reaction, and the dermatologist telling you no more gold or silver?

We took the diamonds from my engagement ring to a jeweler who created an identical ring out of platinum and I got a platinum wedding band (different than my gold one, but it looks better with my engagement ring), so the set is basically the same but with a different metal, but they're still not the original rings. I have friends who were heartbroken for me, but luckily I was ok with it. Tomorrow is my 14th anniversary, so I've had the "new" rings longer than the "old" ones!

I probably would have done what you did since it seems clear you had no other choice, but I would have been a bit heartbroken about it. I am pretty sentimental about my rings. My wedding band has not moved one centimeter since my husband put it on my finger 9 years ago, and god willing it never will.

 

[scbelleatheart]

I would try to salvage the stones. DD sold hers for $600. New price was $5500. Divorce but what can you do?

 

[Alexander]

Divorce is a completely different animal.....

It is not the metal and stones that I am sentimental about. It is about the fact that my husband went to the jewelry store, picked out a ring, had it sized and gave it to me. That is why it is sentimental. Also the fact that our priest blessed our rings prior to our wedding.

If I found I could not wear the ring, I would have still kept it, and either worn it on a chain or just kept it in my jewelry box.

My ring also is not huge or worth tons of money, but it was what he could afford at the time and he picked it out for me. It was present at my wedding and was placed on my hand. That is what is sentimental. Replacing it does not qualify it as a wedding ring IMHO.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

But how is it different than a spouse getting their partner (hey I'm equal opportunity here ) another gift of jewelry through their marriage? If OP's husband is paying for the upgrade and it's what OP wants, why is that any different than him getting her a necklace or something? She'll have something that he gave her still, and maybe he'll even be all romantic again and place it on her finger again. It'll still serve as a token of love and what have you, just in a different form. Would it be just as "unsentimental" if she had lost her ring and her husband replaced it because it wasn't the original?

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I hope you come to a solution you are happy with! I have little sentimental attachment to my wedding ring so I would replace it in the future if I felt like it. I don't know if I could get rid of it completely, though!

 

[wlake]

Divorce is a completely different animal.....

It is not the metal and stones that I am sentimental about. It is about the fact that my husband went to the jewelry store, picked out a ring, had it sized and gave it to me. That is why it is sentimental. Also the fact that our priest blessed our rings prior to our wedding.

If I found I could not wear the ring, I would have still kept it, and either worn it on a chain or just kept it in my jewelry box.

My ring also is not huge or worth tons of money, but it was what he could afford at the time and he picked it out for me. It was present at my wedding and was placed on my hand. That is what is sentimental. Replacing it does not qualify it as a wedding ring IMHO.

I do still have the original wedding band hidden away (miraculously not found when our house was robbed!). The chunks of gold from the remains of the engagement ring are another story. DH still put the new rings on my finger , just with less ceremony. He did get a little pale at the thought of how expensive replacing the gold ones was going to be because platinum isn't cheap, but a friend of mine told him that he could buy me new rings or let the world think I was available. He bought new rings. Love the man, especially considering that I wore them for about 6 months and then stashed them away for 3 or 4 due to a particularly chubby pregnancy!

Poster who has gone 9 years without removing your wedding ring -- I'm impressed! Allergy notwithstanding, between pregnancy and getting sticky stuff on the inside of it, I wouldn't have been able to do that!

 

[Blessed_wth_Triplets]

Soviet been doing even further searching as our budget just isn't big enou for what the local Jewelers are charging, and EBay has some settings that are very similar to what I would like, but less than half of the cost of local Jewelers! Now know they aren't the same, but they are Jewelers with good ratings and it says real diamonds and gold, and a return policy...of course they are in China...but does it really matter??

 

[wlake]

Soviet been doing even further searching as our budget just isn't big enou for what the local Jewelers are charging, and EBay has some settings that are very similar to what I would like, but less than half of the cost of local Jewelers! Now know they aren't the same, but they are Jewelers with good ratings and it says real diamonds and gold, and a return policy...of course they are in China...but does it really matter??

On one hand (no pun intended), I would be super cautious but on the other, why not if you can return them? You can have a jeweler look at them for you to make sure you're getting what you pay for. I would go over the return policy with a fine tooth comb though! There may be something I'm not thinking of though.

 

[ellone]

On one hand (no pun intended), I would be super cautious but on the other, why not if you can return them? You can have a jeweler look at them for you to make sure you're getting what you pay for. I would go over the return policy with a fine tooth comb though! There may be something I'm not thinking of though.

Returning to China can be a pain. It's cheap for then to send items here since their government subsidizes it. For you to send back it can be expensive. If it's under $250 you need online tracking which means priority mail. If over $250 you need a signature which means UPS or FedEx - USPS does not have online signature viewing for international. Many times the Chinese sellers only have their addresses written in Chinese characters which no carrier here will accept-you need the English version of their address. I would not buy anything from china where I need to rely on the return policy.

 

[mrsklamc]

Replacing it does not qualify it as a wedding ring IMHO.

Sure it does. If someone gets robbed at gunpoint, they can't ever have a wedding ring again?

It's just a symbol, and in fact they've said that at every wedding I've been to.

 

[drgnfly30]

Sure it does. If someone gets robbed at gunpoint, they can't ever have a wedding ring again?

It's just a symbol, and in fact they've said that at every wedding I've been to.

Agreed... and 'not for nothing' but aren't we talking about replacing the OP's Engagement, not wedding, ring? (Or perhaps she's replacing the set?)

I am on my 4th set in 24 yrs.... (I do have all my old ones) as it so happened I got an upgrade every 5 yrs.. although I doubt I'll get one for my 25th Anniversary next year!! I'd rather spend it on a vacation!

 

[Handbag Lady]

So some of you are saying here that my wedding ring isn't my wedding ring because it is the second one I have?

I'll be sure to tell the jerk who robbed me at gunpoint this the next time I see him so he'll give me my "real" ring back.


ETA: The SOB took both of my rings: wedding and engagement.

 

[angwill]

Soviet been doing even further searching as our budget just isn't big enou for what the local Jewelers are charging, and EBay has some settings that are very similar to what I would like, but less than half of the cost of local Jewelers! Now know they aren't the same, but they are Jewelers with good ratings and it says real diamonds and gold, and a return policy...of course they are in China...but does it really matter??

First I would look up the import and taxes collected by the post office on purchases from China on the amount of the ring and add that to the cost. Personally, I would never chance ordering anything that expensive from overseas unless I could afford to loose that money and get nothing but that is just my opinion.

 

[angwill]

So some of you are saying here that my wedding ring isn't my wedding ring because it is the second one I have?

I'll be sure to tell the jerk who robbed me at gunpoint this the next time I see him so he'll give me my "real" ring back.


ETA: The SOB took both of my rings: wedding and engagement.

That really sucks that someone would steal that from you. That said it doesn't matter what others feel about their wedding rings and the meaning it has for them. What matters is the love you and your spouse have in your heart for each other. If my husband gave me a new wedding band just because he loves me or I had to replace it because it was stollen if your marriage is filled with love for one another a ring given in love is simply a symbol of that love no matter what day it was given. How many people have a wedding ring that was once given with love but that love is now dead and gone and what feelings does that ring now have for them? That's my view on it anyway.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I am on my third set. And there may be a 4th one day. I am more attached to the guy than the ring (30 years next month by the way)

 

[bumbershoot]

I would not buy from China unless I were traveling in China with a trusted jeweler.

Have you checked Costco, by the way?

Look up the prices of metals. That and labor are where your coats are coming from. There was some point in the last ten years where the price of gold was higher than platinum. Freaky. If only we'd bought my ring then.

I had to take off my ring within two months of our wedding due to pregnancy. I'm particularly prone to swelling, always have been, and my fingers were the first to go. With a heavy platinum band, having it on a chain wasn't going to happen. I think I wore it for a few months when DS was maybe two then I gained back a ton of weight and off it went again! That sort of thing will make you realize that it's just a symbol very quickly.

An when you add to that the fact that I accepted DH's proposal withOUT a ring, so there was no secret shopping etc. And thank goodness as he was still under his mother's influence at that time and who knows what he would have chosen?

Marriage is funny. Biggest life decision you'll ever make without actual conversations but with a surprise and a bit of glittery stuff you don't get to keep if you say no, and it's a time when someone else gets to pick what YOU are expected to wear forever. Funny thing, marriage!

 

[wlake]

I am on my third set. And there may be a 4th one day. I am more attached to the guy than the ring (30 years next month by the way)

How funny! I've always joked that if I need a third set of rings, I'd need a second husband! I think he secretly agrees, too!