Tuesday, September 1, 2009

The Rings…


So I warned of wedding overload for the next few weeks but I promise we'll be back to our regularly scheduled program soon! I have had lots of requests to see all the details of my wedding planning and crafting as I go, and since I don't get 'personal' all that often here, I figured this was the perfect chance to do both.


If I could photograph my entire wedding all by myself, I totally would (and don't think I havent considered it), but since that would be just a little tricky, I did find a photographer for the day. That doesn't mean, however, that I can't still do the fun stuff myself! So here are some pictures of our rings, and of course, there is a little story behind mine.


The engagement ring is an antique, circa 1900. It was not passed down through our family or anything cool like that, we found it an an antique store, but after all these years I'm sure it has a little history of it's own that I'll never really know. The square stones were originally sapphires, and while I wanted to keep them (and the original diamond), they were in very bad shape and the diamond eventually chipped apart. Luckily Tyler's uncle is a jeweler who specializes in antiques, so off to Wisconsin the ring went for a little facelift. He had the proper sized stones just 'laying around' and since pink is one of my favorite colors, I couldn't pass up those pink rubies.



When it came time to find a band, I knew it would be tricky, seeing as the ring has such an odd shape. I figured I would need to have something made but first step was back to Wisconsin where sweet Uncle Jerry dug through his antique stash and ended up finding a simple band (what I wanted), from the same time period as my ring, with the same etched design and after a days work, he was able to bend it to fit around my ring just enough.


The best part is that it has an engraving inside from one of its (possibly many) previous owners. There are four initials and the date 4-10-37, which I think is pretty darn cool.


Tyler's band is simple, and not antique, but I think it looks nice with my ring. Most importantly, he likes it, and that's what matters. By the way, that is his tie for the wedding in this last pic – yep, pink :)

The backgrounds and elements in the other photos are all other pieces and parts of the wedding details and decor, more of which I will be sharing with you later this week, stay tuned!

16 comments:

thelittlereddoor said...

gorgeous rings, really wonderful :)

Erin said...

Wow! These are just beautiful--and you'd never know that the band didn't match the ring! When I saw the first pictures, I figured you'd found a set while antiquing! So wonderful.

I've got an unusual (though not antique) engagement ring, and I absolutely love it. (It's four threads of white gold with 8 diamonds of varying sizes [from TEENY to small] scattered over them.) When I see other folks' standard-looking rings, I always admire them and think they're beautiful, but I also feel a little frisson of happiness that mine is so different.

Janelle said...

your rings are beautiful! i love those pink rubies and it is an amazing match. How lucky to have an Uncle Jerry! :)

Cottage In The Sun said...

Your ring is fabulous! So awesome that everything worked out so perfectly. Can't wait to see more!

Aveen said...

I love antique jewellery and your engagement ring is one of the prettiest rings I've ever seen! It's so lovely to be able to wear something with a history behind it. I have a 1930s diamond ring (not my engagement ring, just a very extravagant impulse buy!) and when I wear it I always wonder what parties and dances and so on it might have attended in its previous life :)

I wish I had an Uncle Jerry too!

Unknown said...

In Israel we usually use only a wedding ring - I thought the 2 rings are one!
Really great story!

loriaj61 said...

Your rings are beautiful! I love them. I have my grandmother's wedding rings and just love them. They are a treasure. Even though these weren't passsed down in your family. Maybe you can start a new tradition, someday. Best Wishes!

JLMadro said...

just beautiful Nicole, I love antique rings, I myself have an antique ring circa 1930s, i love that there's a mysterious history to it. Love the pink too! and hey you don't have to get a something "old" cuz you already have it! :)

Kristin Friesen said...

My husband wore a pink tie when we got married too :)

Lyndsay said...

the most beautiful set i've ever seen!

April was in CA now MA said...

Simply stunning!

Wear Your Wild said...

Those rings are gorgeous! I love antique wedding and engagement rings.

Southern Lady's Vintage said...

The rings are beautiful!!

Anonymous said...

I love vintage rings!
Very good taste!

Unknown said...

my engagement ring is an antique from the 1900's and my husband's wedding band had the original engraving on it from 1907 and we married in 1997 :) i have my wedding band created on the mold of a Victorian band :D

antique jewelry is awesome!

Aleksander R. Rødner said...

Gorgeous rings, and a cool story!

I got engaged this summer, and can't wait to get married. I got her a gorgeous simple one-stone ring, and she got me a plain band in white gold to match hers.

I'm pretty sure we'll go for yellow gold for the wedding rings.

All the best!