Most women dream of finding a Prince Charming who’ll sweep them off their feet and eventually “put a ring on it”, leading them to a lifetime of happily ever after. They dream of wearing a magical wedding dress and having a wedding ceremony at a unique wedding reception surrounded by family and friends. However, as the ever-increasing divorce rate shows, the “after” part of this equation often doesn’t end well.

While most divorce contracts make provision for the divvying up of big-ticket items like the material possessions of the couple, no mention is made of the rings. So the onus rests on the partners as to what will be done with their wedding bands.

Here are 7 Tips on what to do With Your Wedding Band after Getting Divorced

If you find yourself on the other side of a divorce and are unsure about what to do with your wedding ring, check out the following tips for some ideas:

1. Sell It: Hey, you might need the money, or maybe you just want to treat yourself to something nice after going through the stress of a divorce, which can take its toll on anyone. Plus, if you bought the ring from a famous place like Cartier, your wedding band can fetch a handsome amount on eBay or Craigslist than it would when selling it to a jeweler. However, if you do decide to sell it via a jeweler, get it appraised by a professional first who’ll determine its value so that you can get a fair price when selling it and avoid getting swindled by unscrupulous jewelers.

2. Donate it: Now, if you take this path, you’ll find that your options are quite varied. For example, you might have a friend or family member who wants to get married but cannot afford a wedding ring. Or you could donate your wedding band to charity organizations like I Have Wings Breast Cancer Foundation, which accepts wedding band donations and other types of jewelry in order to raise funds. Not only will you feel good from donating your ring to an organization or someone in need, but this will also result in a really nice tax write off for you as well.

3. Save it: Some people choose to keep their rings so that they can hand them down as family heirlooms to their children. Of course, it’s not guaranteed that your daughter will want to wear it or if your son will choose to give it to his future wife, but at least they’ll have it as an option when the time comes.

4. Keep it: Other people choose to continue wearing their wedding bands a long time after the ink has dried on their divorce papers, simply because they see it as a reminder of a very important time in their lives. It’s safe to say that this is not a common practice, and is mostly the case in marriages that lasted for decades or ones that have had an amicable ending. Of course, most people who keep their wedding bands wear do not them on the ring finger anymore, but will shift the band to the other hand or the middle finger.

5. Transform it: You can also take your ring to the jeweler and turn it into a new piece of jewelry like a pair of earrings, pendant or a new ring using the old stones. After all, why waste perfectly good stones when you can wear them as something else?

6. Bury it: Yep! Some people actually bury their wedding bands. However, when you really think about it, this is a form of keeping the ring, with the only difference being that in this case it would be buried in its own mini-coffin to symbolize the end of the marriage and the closing of a chapter in the person’s life.

7. Get creative: If you’re one of those dramatic types then perhaps you can inadvertently give your ring away by tying it up to a helium balloon and letting the wind take it away, or get one of those children’s toy boats and let it float away on a river.

While we wouldn’t recommend it, some people will throw their wedding rings in the trash or out the car window while driving and some will even flush it down the toilet. Yes, it’s a bit extreme (and perhaps even a waste of money) but everyone has their process.

Whatever you end up doing, make sure that you take your time in making the decision. You can keep your ring in one of your drawers while you decide what to do with it, and no-one will judge you for being undecided about the issue.

At the end of the day, the winding up of a marriage can take years and even decades, especially when there are children involved. Also keep in mind that there really is no established etiquette on these things, although the most decent thing to do with an heirloom ring that was passed down to you is to keep it for the next generation so as “keep it in the family” so to say. Otherwise, the onus is on you.

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