What can you do with those old wedding bands that are just sitting in a drawer? Maybe you inherited the wedding rings from special family members or suffered the loss of your spouse. Maybe you got new bands on that milestone anniversary and are wondering what to do with the old ones? You'd rather repurpose them, to keep them recognizable and intact rather than melting them down or refining them to make something completely different.
There are actually lots of options, and here at Jewelsmith, we've created a number of projects where bands are combined, reshaped and repurposed all while keeping the original metal and gems intact with no melting required. For more transformation ideas beyond wedding bands, see our makeover gallery.
Turn a Wedding Band into a Pendant
One band transformed into a pendant:
Our most requested wedding band transformation is to repurpose it into a pendant. A wedding band can be used as the outer frame with a simple bail on the top to pass the chain through, and you can add design elements, diamonds and gemstones also. A sweet way to remember a loved one is to form the band into a heart shape as a symbol of your love for them.
photo: A wedding band is reused as a circular frame pendant with parts of another ring used as arcs that artfully cross it and the gems arranged inside, shown in this before and after pairing.
photo: Before and after photos of a wedding band that is repurposed as a frame pendant with the diamond from the matching engagement ring in a U shape so that it hangs in the center of the circle. Even the pendant's bail for the chain is made with parts of the engagement ring.
photo: A red enameled band is suspended by a circle of gold and a red garnet hangs from the bottom to create a pendant. The before photo shows the original band and the after photo shows the finished pendant.
photo: A wedding band is formed into the shape of a heart to create a pendant as a remembrance of a special family member.
photo: Multiple rings are combined into this fun jewelry redesign idea in these before and after photos. The main C shape of the pendant is made from a wedding band that was opened and a white gold disc with diamonds and a ruby added.
Combine two bands into one pendant:
You can put the two rings together into a pendant. You can interlock them or nest them inside each other. If you have other diamonds or gems, they can be added to the new design. With this type of design, the rings are only minimally altered and features like engraving inside the ring are still visible.
photo: Before and after photos of two wedding rings are soldered together in an interlocking arrangement, and diamonds are added from another ring in swirls.
photo: Before and after photos of two heirloom family bands are nested inside each other, parts of other inherited rings are added as arc shaped design elements with diamonds.
Turn a Wedding Band into Earrings
Transform unworn bands into hoop earrings by removing a small section and adding earring posts. This is a great ring redesign idea for two rings that are similar to each other, so they create a nice pair. You can also use two halves of a single ring to make half hoop earrings. This does require a bit more alteration, but they are still mostly intact.
photo: before and after of flush set diamond bands that are repurposed into earrings by removing roughly a quarter of the circle and adding earring posts.
Reshape a Band into a New Ring
The options here may require resizing the wedding bands or more alteration, but it's a great way to combine multiple bands or find a new life for a band. The simplest option is to add a gem or flush set disc to the band to make it look less like a wedding band, but still keeping it largely intact. We have created bypass rings by reshaping a band and adding diamonds at the ends of the "arms" that pass by each other. One of our signature Parts designs has two rails with Parts design elements arranged inside, and these rails can easily be made from heirloom family wedding bands. Another popular design is the bubble ring, with bands as the rails and gems set in the "bubbles" between them. See more examples of transformations in our before and after gallery.
photo: A yellow gold wedding band with a white gold disc flush set with yellow diamonds added to the top.
photo: A bypass ring created from reshaping a wedding band and adding diamonds to the arms.
photo: A Jewelsmith signature Parts ring design made with wedding bands as the rails.
photo: A bubble ring with diamonds and rubies set in bubbles between rails made from wedding bands.
What If I'd Rather Melt It Down?
You can still melt your gold and turn it into new jewelry. If you're not concerned with keeping the rings as recognizable as possible but want to keep the sentiment intact, we offer a process called Same Molecule Refining in which you get your same gold back with the alloy metals removed.
Ready to Repurpose Your Wedding Band?
Whether you want to keep a wedding band intact, combine it with another, or reshape it entirely, there's likely a way to give it new life without losing what made it meaningful. Ready to see what's possible with your own pieces?
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Can I combine two wedding bands into one piece of jewelry?
A: Yes, two or more wedding bands can be combined into a single new piece, such as a pendant, ring, or pair of earrings, with minimal alteration to the original bands. This keeps details like engraving or the bands' original shape recognizable in the finished design.
Q: Does repurposing a wedding band damage the original diamonds or gemstones?
A: No, repurposing a wedding band does not damage the original diamonds or gemstones in most cases. Diamonds and sapphires are durable enough to be reset with minimal risk, while softer stones like opals, emeralds, and tanzanite require more care and are evaluated individually before any work begins.
Q: What if I have a wedding band but no matching engagement ring stones to add?
A: A wedding band can be reshaped into a beautiful new piece with or without additional gems added, such as bending it into a heart pendant or resetting it as-is. Jewelsmith's designers complete more than 500 custom projects a year, drawing on that experience to create a piece personalized to your story even when no extra stones are involved.
Q: How is this different from melting my gold down?
A: Melting a wedding band down gives you more design flexibility but loses the ring's original form, while repurposing keeps that form, and the sentimental connection to it, intact. Both options keep the same gold; the difference is whether the band's original shape and character survive the process.
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