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I got a brand new engagement ring for Christmas! Ok, well, maybe not brand new: it’s the same beautiful diamond Kyle proposed with…and the setting I always wanted! I actually went for a really big change, and since so many of you guys wanted to know more details about the process, I decided to write a blog post to share all about it.
The entire idea started when my engagement ring band cracked for the third time in October. I had already gotten it repaired twice (we’ve only been married for seven years), but every few years or so there would be an issue with it. When I took it in to be repaired this last time, the jeweler told me that the style of the band was to blame. He explained that a big issue (for active ladies) with infinity diamond bands is that they can crack from the pressure over time. My band was even particularly thin so the issue was worse. The jeweler told me that at some point, it would be smart to reset my band so that the diamonds didn’t go all the way around, or to get a thicker band. I left my ring to be fixed anyway, but I brought the issue up with Kyle later that day.
I thought it would be a longer conversation, but he just said “Well, I think you should just reset your ring anway. We were so young when we got engaged, and I didn’t ever ask you what you wanted beforehand. I think you should redesign it and get exactly what you want.” I was shocked! I mean, I always considered the setting kind of emotional, especially for him, and I mentioned that. But he just laughed it off and said it was time to investigate something new. And then he had a really genius idea and added, “And we can keep the original setting and put a pretty stone in there to keep as a family heirloom for the kids!” Heart eyes galore.
My original engagement ring is platinum, eternity band, 2.5 carat round brilliant cut diamond. The gallery of the ring is what made it really special, though: Kyle put my name in cursive in it! It’s kind of cool as an heirloom because there is a literal inscription of the original owner, which will be really sweet as the generations pass by. I love the idea of saving it for future generations to enjoy and even propose with!
I went in to a jeweler that week to investigate settings, and I’ll be honest that at first it was totally overwhelming. I kind of felt like I was cheating on my engagement ring! LOL. At first I thought about keeping the overall ring design the same, but making the diamonds stop halfway around. But I didn’t like that because it just felt like a strange imposter version of my old ring. I also started second-guessing the platinum. If you are familiar with my blog, you know I wear gold jewelry ONLY. Well, once in a blue moon I’ll wear platinum but nearly never! And the type of gold I wear the most is rose gold. After trying on some rings, I spent a week on Pinterest scouring solitaire settings. I realized that what I wanted was a simple setting that was still elegant and felt modern, with the diamond set low against the band. And dare I go for Rose Gold?!
I went back to the jeweler, and they drew up a few plans. I had them make the band thinner and a bit rounded, and had them add a tiny bit of intrigue to the gallery but not much. I LOVED the design of the ring, but I still wasn’t sure which metal I wanted since the rendering on the computer doesn’t communicate metal tones very accurately. I was worried that the rose gold would be too pink, or too much. Would I get sick of it?!
The next step was trying on a wax model of the ring setting, with a cubic zirconium diamond set in it that was the same size as my own diamond. The wax was GREEN…so talk about confusing me even more about the metal! LOL. But I loved the ring and how it looked on my hand and decided to just take a leap of faith with the rose gold. I was nervous but excited!
The hardest and weirdest part was not having a ring on my finger for the next month. I kept switching out other rings I had in its place, but nothing felt right. On Christmas day, Kyle gave me my new ring…and it was PERFECT!!! I gasped when I opened the box. I felt like I was getting engaged all over again! But this time it really was with my dream ring and my dream setting. When I slipped it on my finger it felt like it had been a part of the family this whole time.
I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out, and I wanted to share the closeup pics with you today! I hadn’t noticed when the ring was being designed, but I actually think that the setting of this ring has an “E”, “V”, and “A” in it if you look closely! How crazy, right? I haven’t gone on yet to replace the diamond in my original setting with a stone– but I think I’m going to do pink sapphire when the time comes.
I get a lot of questions about the other rings in my stack, so today I wanted to share the details!
My Rings…
- Rose Gold & Diamond eternity wedding band: Kyle and I had our wedding bands custom made at a little jeweler down the street from our old apartment in Santa Monica.
- Blue Nile thin diamond eternity band: I just loooove this band so much. It’s super thin and gorgeous, and mixes up the look of my wedding stack so nicely.
- Rose gold Sydney Evan “Love” ring. This ring gets knocked off all the time, but the original is obviously the best! Kyle gave this to me as my Push Present when I had Marlowe. I love how it stacks with my other rings.
Have you ever reset your engagement ring? I’m curious what your experience was like!
Photographs by Julia Dags.
Eva, I love the simplicity of your new setting. You did a great job!! It’s beautiful….You can clearly see the EVA. That is crazy.
Thank you!
Beautiful! I had to have my engagement ring reset a few months after I was married because I was allergic to the white gold (which apparently has more alloys in it that other metals). I now have a rose gold and platinum combination that I love but also switch it up and wear three eternity bands similar to yours (two rose gold bands for my two girls, and one platinum for my son).
I love mixing metals also. I think it’s so modern and chic!
My engagement ring has been in the family for over a 100 years and was starving to thin out. I was scared of having any work done on it as I wanted to make sure they wouldn’t ruin the authenticity of the ring. I am grateful for the jeweler who fully understood my worries and simply cut the band that was worn down to replace it with a stronger one. They also changed the prongs around the diamond so I wouldn’t have to worry about losing it. I couldn’t be happier with the result and cannot wait to pass it down to my own daughter.
That’s amazing– the history of your ring sounds so special!
Wow this is gorgeous!! I was actually curious how you picked rose gold vs yellow so tha ks for clearing that 🙂 and I just love how it looks with your diamond. You can clearly see the EVA how special is that?!
I too just reset my engagement ring after 22 years of marriage. Your right tastes change a lot! I have an emerald cut diamond that had banquettes on the side circa 1996 and I went for a simple classic setting that shows off the stone more. Your ring looks great I wish I was daring enough to try a rose gold I stuck with platinum. Also my husband was all for it too. Happy wife happy life!
Ha! Happy wife happy life for SURE
It looks so beautiful, such a great choice and I think the main stone really stands out more on its own. If you look closely, you can see an upside down “m” as well. Love it!
I actually got a whole new engagement ring after 4 years. The reason was, that my ring size was so small so that the smaller stones always looked a little lopsided in the setting, as I did have an half way around eternity band. Now my ring looks similar to yours. With a really beautiful crown to hold it and a very simple white gold band.
That sounds gorge! Isn’t it amazing to feel like you have exactly what you want? It almost is like getting married all over again. LOL
It’s absolutely stunning! I’ve been looking forward to this post, as I’m in the market for an engagement ring! I’m chronically indecisive but I’m intrigued by the custom process with the wax model. It’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, definitely don’t rush it! You want to make sure it’s exactly what you want!
It’s so gorgeous!! And thanks for sharing about your other rings as well. I’ve definitely wondered about their significance too!
I almost got entirely new engagement and wedding band once because we thought my husband had LOST them! Long story, but we did eventually find them, thankfully! It’s was so stressful though! As you can imagine!
AHHHHHH!!!! I’m nauseous even hearing that. I’d die!!!!
Love it! So simple and elegant all stacked together. Can’t wait to see what your original setting looks like with a different stone.
Did you ever give any input to Kyle before you guys were engaged? I am always torn between telling my boyfriend exactly what I want and letting him follow his heart and design it himself! Curious on your thoughts about this?!
We were only together 8 months total when he proposed, and had lived together for 3 of them. I didn’t see a proposal coming AT ALL so he really had no idea! I hadn’t even dropped hints!
Hi Eva! Did you ever consult with Kyle before you guys were engaged in what kind of ring you wanted? I go back and forth between telling my boyfriend exactly what I want or letting him follow his heart and choose the design himself! Curious on your thoughts! Xx
So stunning! A great choice- it really shows off what an amazing stone you have!! Such a chic and timeless design. Pairs perfectly with the rest of your stack.
My dad passed away when I was 11 years old, and for awhile after, my mom still wore her engagement ring on her left hand. And then sometimes she would just wear it occasionally. And eventually when I was 16, she got it sized to fit on her right hand (her right hand fingers are a tad bigger). I’m 22 now and lately she’s been talking about taking the diamonds (there’s 5: three princess cuts in the middle and two pears on each end) and making them into a necklace of some kind and eventually giving it to me one day. I have such mixed feelings over this. I know my dad wouldn’t care what she did with it since he’s not here anymore, but I personally like what the ring represents. My parents had a great marriage. It wasn’t perfect, no marriage is, but they were true equals, and my mom always talks about how much they helped and loved each other throughout the years. Also, it’s just a gorgeous ring. I have NEVER seen another engagement ring like it. It’s extremely unique and that’s what drew my mom to it in the first place. My parents went into a locally owned family jewelry store in Memphis and saw it there. They picked it out together. My mom loved the ring so much, she even told my dad that she didn’t want a wedding band. So I hear all these stories and don’t really want her to make a necklace, but then I think of how selfish I’m being because it’s not my ring, it’s hers. I love my mom, and I want her to do what she wants with it, because her changing the setting but keeping the actual diamonds is just kind of a symbol of him always being with her in spirit but it’s different now. I’ve just been struggling with that. I don’t know what compelled me to share this but you saying you kind of felt like you were cheating on your ring and then keeping an heirloom for your kids reminded me of what my mom has been wanting to do.
Have you thought about asking your mom to keep the original setting, and then putting the stones back in when she passes it on to you? That way, your mom can have a piece of jewelry she enjoys, and you still get to keep the symbol of your parents’ marriage. Just my two cents ?
This story is making me tear up! It really comes across off the page what a beautiful relationship your parents had. I love the idea of you keeping the ring intact. I bet if you explained it to your Mom she’d understand
My diamond gets loose every year or so. I always have to go get it tightened. They tell me that the stone is too big for 4 prongs but I’m not hearing that. I love how the diamond looks in 4 prongs. I started researching new settings last year but quickly became overwhelmed. I love how yours doesn’t look like it sitting so high, and that’s what I’d want. I also love how it’s sort of a rounded basket prong. Maybe this will be my summer project, and thanks for recommending the jeweler 🙂
Thank you for sharing! I’ve admired your rings for SO long, I’ve actually screenshot them before just so I could zoom in and see them better? the pics of your rings are amazing! I love how Kyle was so wonderful and supportive AND to have the idea of using your old setting is so sweet and incredibly sentimental ? can you have Kyle call my hubby?
He’s the best 🙂
It’s so pretty and modern. Very cool!
I love the idea of the christmas morning present feeling like an engagement all over again. I wear four rings: my non traditional diamond engagement ring (that I still love), my great grandmothers super simple gold band (as my wedding band) a baguette shaped diamond ring (gifted by my cousin) and a five stone rainbow gemmed ballerina ring that I had designed to represent our five year anniversary. I switch their placement all the time and that is as far as I am going with ‘resetting’ for now. xx
Sounds super pretty!
This is everything!
Your new setting is gorgeous and SO you!
Thank you!
Gorg ring! Love the simplicity of it and the non-traditional metal choice <3
Just beautiful, enjoy it and where it in good health.
So what do you plan to do with your wedding ring now?