What should people do with their wedding bands and or engagement rings after they are divorced or seperated?

Obviously there are no hard and fast rules here. If you are separated you should hold on to your rings until the situation is more definitive. Put them in a safe place, or wear them on the other hand.

If you are divorced, you have a lot of options. Gold is at an all-time high right now, if you need the cash, see what you can get out of them. A lot of jewelry stores are buying gold right now; some pay rather well.

If there is sentimental value attached, you can wear them on the other hand, put them in a safe place (maybe a son or daughter will inherit them and use them), or have them reset -- same gold and stones, new cocktail ring or necklace! I know someone that put her rings in the collection plate at her church after her divorce; it might not be the right solution for you, but it gave her peace. I gave an old engagement ring to a young male relative, who wanted to propose to his girlfriend but was a student and had no money for a ring.

She accepted!

There might be a legal precedent involved with this decision... but, I think that should depend on weather or not the rings were family heirlooms. If they are family heirlooms the rings ought to be returned, if not... Jackpot! You get to get rid of the loser and score some spending cash.

See you in Cabo.

I am going to have my rings melted down and along with some other jewelry that I got during my marriage... and I am going to have something made for both of my sons....

Usually this depends on the circumstances of the separation or divorce. If the break is amiable, then the items might be kept as a sentimental memorabilia of that person. Or it might given back, especially if it is an heirloom.

Or it might be repurchased. In the case of a bitter break, the ring might be kept out of a feeling of entitlement or revenge or even symbolically thrown away. Sometimes there is a feeling of duty, even in a bitter breakup, and the ring is returned.

Here in Toronto, we make fun of this guy youtube.com/watch?v=NSQVVHyvOZU youtube.com/watch?v=4nBIpwnMW9s But this type of service might be a good route.

They could sell their wedding bands or engagement rings. They could also trade them in to a pawn shop. They could also give the wedding band or engagement ring to their child or children as a memory of their parent(s).

They should pawn them. Pawn shops have been around since the late Renaissance - the three balls over their shops actually derive from the coat of arms of the Medici family.

I think that if you have children, give to the eldest child. I think that it will mean something to them. They might even use it when they get married them self.

If no children then I would say melt it down and make something special for yourself that makes you happy.

If it was a bad split I would purge it by tossing it into the ocean or something similar. Burying it in my garden maybe? I would not give a ring that was part of a divorce to someone else to use.

Pawning it is okay.

If the couple has children, then the rings should be used to benefit the kids. I suggest that the mom's wedding ring be held for one of the sons to use to propose to his future wife. Though the mother may have divorced the father, both parents are still part of the child.

Some people may think there is some "bad luck" in such an idea, but I don't subscribe to such superstitious notions. The father's ring could go to the same child for his wedding ring, could be melted down and reforged for the child, or sold to help with wedding expenses.

I think, the ring must be returned to the other one. Then it can be melted down or donated to charity.

I would wait until the market is really good, then sell it. Just keep an eye on all metal prices per ounce (gold, silver, platinum) and if you know the weight of it, put it into this calculator to give you an estimated price of what you'd get for it. dendritics.com/scales/metal-calc.asp Here's a live market view of what the price per ounce is for each metal.

kitco.com/market.

It depends on the situation. If the rings were extremely expensive, there may be a legal battle involved with who gets to keep the rings. By law, if the ring was given as an engagement ring and the marriage did not happen (separation before they actually got married) the ring goes back to the groom.

If the marriage did happen, the bride has a good chance of winning the court case. If the rings were heirlooms, the courts usually decide that the side from which the ring came gets to keep the ring. If there is nothing really special about the rings, such as the El Cheapo Wal-Mart version you can pick up for the same price as two gallons of gas, the rings are usually either taken back to the store or sold to jewelry stores for their value with regards to any precious metals they may contain.

Generally, people don't keep their old wedding rings if there is no sentimental value to it and one should never, ever, ever, ever reuse an old wedding ring. It's a bad omen!

I believe in the old days, this is how it worked... Men bought the women engagement rings as if to say this is my territory. If the woman cheated before or during the marraige or decided to end it, the man got the ring back, because she wasn't faithful to her end of the deal. If the man cheated or decided to end the marraige the woman got to keep the engagment ring and do with it what she wanted (Made up for the dowry that was given in the old days)... I believe that is how it worked.

Now there are probably laws, or stipulations about it, but I think it is mostly just decided on a case by case basis.

Give it back to whomever gave it to you! It is a judgment call, as there is no real social norm or general consensus on what one should do in this situation. I am a real believer that after a divorce or extended separation, the parties involved should be put back into roughly the position that they were in before the marriage was created, but like I said its a judgment call.

If you are really having trouble deciding, you or someone you trust should ask if they would like the ring or band back and if the answer is no then keep it.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.