When You Realize Your “Starter Ring” Became the Forever One: A Love Story in Bling
Engagement rings hold a special place in our hearts and on our fingers. Whether it’s a dazzling diamond, an ornate gemstone, or a vintage-inspired design, each ring carries a story that transcends mere metal and stone. But what happens when the “starter ring”—that initial piece you thought would be temporary—becomes your forever ring?
The Journey of the Starter Ring
For many, the engagement ring is a symbol of commitment, but it can also represent a budding relationship, filled with excitement and the promise of a future together. You might choose a more modest “starter ring,” thinking it’s only a stepping stone before a grander piece to mark your forever love. But as time goes on, something beautiful happens: you begin to see past the materials and focus on the sentiment.
How did your “starter ring” become your forever ring? Was it a sentimental reason, or did you grow to appreciate its unique charm?
Sparkle and Sentiment: The Real Value of Your Ring
In our community, we encourage sharing not just images of your rings but the stories behind them. These rings often embody pivotal moments in our lives.
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Personal Touch: Perhaps your starter ring includes a family heirloom stone or was even crafted by a loved one. Its backstory might make it more precious than any diamond you could purchase off the shelf.
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Changing Perspectives: Many members may relate to the journey from viewing their engagement ring as simply a placeholder to realizing how much it represents your love story.
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Everyday Reminder: Your starter ring is often the one you wear every day. Over time, it picks up scratches and stories from your shared journey, transforming into a tangible reminder of your life together.
Show It Off!
Now, let’s talk about showcasing those rings! We invite you to post pictures of your engagement rings—whether it’s that “starter” piece or your upgraded version. Let’s flood this thread with sparkling gems and personal narratives!
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Ring Features: What kind of band do you have? What gemstone or cut did you choose, and why? Share your thoughts on settings—do you prefer classic solitaires or intricate vintage designs?
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Lessons Learned: What advice do you have for others currently in the process of choosing their rings? Perhaps you learned about different types of gemstones, the importance of ring maintenance, or the thrill of customization.
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Future Dreams: For those of you planning to upgrade or choose a “forever” ring, what are you hoping for? Are you moved by modern designs or something more timeless?
Join the Conversation!
Your engagement ring is your story, and it deserves to be shared. This thread is all about celebrating those moments. If your once “starter ring” evolved into your forever piece, share your journey with us and inspire others to appreciate the beauty of love in all its forms.
Let’s celebrate the rings that symbolize not just the promise of forever but the incredible journey of love itself. Post your photos, share your stories, and let’s create a tapestry of memories, gems, and the love that unites us all! 💍✨
Me. Never thought I’d replace it but 16 years later, here we are.
I know it’s a thing to upgrade or get another set years later. But that feels trendy to me (no hate!). My grandmother and grandfather celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in August and she still wears the same engagement ring my grandfather gave her 76 years ago.
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You get me that man’s number that ring is getting upgraded next extra money he gets 😂
I have an upgrade, but I wear my original more.
Still wearing my e-ring from 1990. Actually have never wanted to upgrade
No hate to anyone who does ‘upgrade’ but for myself, any other ring would just be ‘a new ring’ to me and no longer be my engagement ring. My engagement ring is the one he got down on one knee with and asked me to marry him. Maybe he’ll get me another ring in the future to mark another occasion someday but it won’t replace my engagement ring.
Husband and I couldn’t afford much when we got married. I have a sapphire ring.
There’s things id have done differently if I’d known more but this is the ring my husband bought me and I picked so it will likely stay my forever ring.
If I ever got an upgrade I probably would wear it on my right hand. I don’t think I could bring myself to give up my original ring. It’s too sentimental.
It’s our history, that ring saw everything 💙 no hate on anyone wanting a new/different one, and good luck 🍀
I replaced mine after a year and a half-ish? But mine had always intended to be replaced and was a placeholder—I have metal allergies and my husband (then fiance!) didn’t want to spend a ton of money on something that would make me bleed and tear off my skin. It was a gold-plated cz, but it had cute little blue pave around the band and was twisted. So when we got my “real” ring, I found something as similar as I could (blue pave and twist) that wouldn’t hurt me and had a real stone
Yes! I only stopped recently after almost 25 years because my finger size blew up from menopause 😔
I’d rather just add an anniversary band than rewrite the story of my original rings.
We were young and dirt poor when we got married, so my ring was pretty cheap (about it $400 in 2007), we said at the time we could upgrade it later. Now 17 years of marriage later, my husband is encouraging me to upgrade it if I want and I’ve looked at several stores, but nothing catches my eye, it’s not MY ring. The leaves are my favorite colors and it’s too sentimental to replace at this point. Can’t get a better picture, camera and Reddit are being stubborn
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Sentimentality SHOULD ALWAYS beat sparkle. Your ring is literally ONLY A SYMBOL of the start of something beautiful. I do not understand how anyone could give that up just for something with more bling that costs more. “Upgrading” is just another industry trick to force consumerism.
I have upgraded my ring twice. Now I have the ring I’ve wanted since I was 14. I’m very happy. At the end of day, it’s just a piece of jewelry. You should love it.
Nope! My husband has a problem sometimes of remembering what I say I definitely don’t want and getting that lol I didnt like the princess cut but he got that. Honestly I still loved the ring but after a few years he took it to get it cleaned and came back with an upgraded round. I cried I was so happy. Now when he talks about upgrading it to a larger one I always say not to bc it’s perfect.
I do want to upgrade mine eventually but I was the one who proposed to him. My ring came later and we both designed it, and I don’t love the design I picked. It just didn’t turn out how I thought it would based on the mock up photo. So yeah, I’ll definitely upgrade eventually.
I already have an upgrade picked out for when we hit ten years together. But honestly, when the time comes I’ll probably choose to keep my current ring. It’s so beautiful to me. My husband had it custom made with everything I could want in a ring.
My husband suggested upgrading mine and I said no way. He got me exactly what I wanted. A round solitaire on a gold band. The biggest carat size for my taste, too. 5 years later and I’m still obsessed with it!
My wife and I have rings for now. I eventually want to find the antique ring of my dreams and she’ll get something incredibly specific made. I know that she’s planning on incorporating her existing stones into that ring if possible.
We always planned on upgrading at 10 or 20 years but here we are at 23 years and haven’t done a thing. Turns out I really appreciate where we were when we got married, what we’ve been through, and where we currently are and this little set symbolizes all that! Plus it’s pretty unique.
Having said that, I did receive a fairly substantial right hand ring 🙂
I’m wearing the same 1/4 carat he gave me 31 years ago. That’s my ring. (I am hopeful for an anniversary band for our 30th, though)
Oh no! If your prongs are actually crooked PLEASE get them checked and fixed!!!! We don’t want them to snap off or become loose and loosing the stone!!!! Seen too many tragedies happen that way!!!
Well my husband didn’t buy my engagement ring to begin with, so I didn’t have a sentimental attachment to it in that sense. I don’t trust him with picking stuff like that – for good reason, and he’s fine with that. I ordered myself a gorgeous old mine cut solitaire moissanite ring in 14k gold from a reputable overseas vendor for about $400. I planned on designing my “real ring” with him, but honestly ended up loving my moissanite “placeholder” so much and was so underwhelmed by diamonds in comparison (the rainbow sparkle is the winner!) that I didn’t bother.
Now, I have purchased more than a few other rings that I wear as both wedding and engagement rings in the nearly two years since then. Mostly second hand. But I’m a magpie and I like to treat myself. So it’s not so much an upgrade as an addition, 😅
I really thought that I’d maybe “upgrade” down the line, but now even though we could afford a larger stone, especially with the advent of lab diamonds, I just think anything much bigger would probably be too much AND I would never get rid of this ring or my wedding band. Now I’m looking at some possible right hand rings to scratch the itch.
My ring is so special and unique i would never “upgrade”. Maybe I’d get another ring for a big anniversary but I wouldn’t call it an upgrade.