You love your engagement ring, right?
It’s a beautiful expression of your love, reflects your unique story, and is the sweetest reminder of how far you and your spouse have come together. But, after years (maybe even decades) of wear, tear and everyday use, it might need a little sprucing up.
We’re not saying that just because you’ve been looking at your engagement ring for years that you’re suddenly bored with it—but a lot of people out there update their engagement rings for a ton of different reasons (adding a family heirloom, swapping styles with preference changes, finally being able to afford a dream ring, etc.).
And guess what? That’s totally OK.
If you’re wanting to revamp your beloved ring ever-so-slightly without breaking the bank and without changing your ring up entirely, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve come up with a few simple, subtle but super effective ways to give your engagement ring the makeover it needs without having to deal with the hassle (or the emotional journey) of a total ring swap.
Five Quick Ideas to Subtly Update Your Engagement Ring
It’s finally time. You’ve made the decision to give your ring a little refresh (and opted out of switching it altogether). There’s just one problem.
How exactly do you go about this?
There are a ton of unique, creative ways for you to update and tweak the ring you already have—you’re only as limited as your creativity. But, if you’re in the market for a little ring update inspiration, we’ve laid out a few common (but striking) ways you can upgrade your engagement ring.
Give the Sides a Little Love: If you love your engagement ring and don’t want to change anything too major (like the center stone or the band itself), consider adding something a little extra to give your ring the pop you so desperately want—side stones. Whether you choose smaller diamonds to complement your main stone or want something a little bit edgier like a colored gem or a modern cut, there are endless combinations out there to update your ring’s look.
Stack, Wrap or Enhance This is a great option for folks who aren’t looking to do any major changes to the actual ring—i.e., they’d like to leave the center stone, the band and the style itself alone. Stacking bands, diamond wraps and beautiful ring jackets are a great way to upgrade the look of your engagement ring without making any real, permanent changes. This gives you the option to add temporary flare that you can change at a moment’s notice.
Level Up Your Band If you’re feeling a little bored with your same-old, same-old wedding band, try to give it a modern, tiny facelift by swapping out a dated metal type for something a little trendier. Think rose gold, or platinum—no matter what your heart desires, it can be done. This can also be a chance to include the engraving you’ve always wanted on the inside of the band, or create an exciting mixed metal look.
Add a Pop of Color If you look at your engagement ring every so often and find it simply lacking something special, we suggest you consider giving it a little bit of color. How? There are numerous ways! But a common practice we often see is people adding in colored gemstones on the sides to subtly enhance your dominant, center stone. We’re talkin’ major pops of color, too.
Rubies? Yes. Sapphires? Why not! Emeralds? Do it! Looking to go a different route? Don’t look past your band. Switch up the band color (go from yellow gold to rose gold, etc.) for a little extra brilliance.
Swap Out Your Center Stone This one’s not always an easy swap, but for people looking for major edits to their original ring, it’s a very common update. With this engagement ring upgrade, you can swap out one cut for another, go for a larger stone (in the same cut, if you like), or choose a different stone altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions About Updating Your Engagement Ring
There are a ton of ways to update your beloved engagement ring. And, spoiler alert, those are just a few ideas out there—we barely scratched the surface. Updating your ring doesn’t have to be a huge hassle or a huge expense, and you don’t need to make major changes for the results you’re looking for.
Despite engagement ring updates being a very common practice, questions on the subject are still common. And that’s OK! We’ve compiled a few of the most frequently asked questions on the topic to help clear up some of the assumptions, myths, and more about updating your engagement ring.
Does Upgrading Your Engagement Ring Damage the Band?
It all depends on what you do to your ring, but likely, probably not. If you’re looking to resize your band—whether that’s larger or smaller—it’s possible that your band will become weaker. That being said, a professional jeweler should have no problem resizing a ring that’s in great shape. If you’re looking to upgrade your center stone, add in a few side stones, or switch out your band, you will likely not deal with any damage.
Isn’t Upgrading the Engagement Ring Expensive?
It doesn’t have to be! Again, it all depends on what you’re envisioning for your perfect ring. If you’re trying to do major renovations to your existing ring (adding in a much bigger stone in the center, swapping out the band for something in a totally different price bracket), you will likely end up paying a reasonable price to do so. And small fixes, like purchasing a ring jacket or adding in a few, small side stones likely won’t run up your bill. This is especially true if you opt for an affordable stone type like lab grown diamonds.
Does Upgrading an Engagement Ring Mean Changing Your Ring’s Look Entirely?
Not always! If you’re simply looking to give your existing look a little bit of a refresh, there are plenty of things you can do to simply revamp the ring’s current style. You don’t have to go all-out with an extreme makeover when you’re upgrading your ring. Although, if you’re looking to totally change your ring’s look, that’s not difficult, either. You’d be surprised how different a ring can look with a few minor adjustments. You have the power to upgrade your ring’s current look or totally revamp it.
Wait—Isn’t Upgrading Your Engagement Ring Bad Luck?
Hey, we’re not here to tell anyone that bad luck and good luck do or don’t exist, but if you ask us, there’s nothing bad about upgrading your engagement ring to something that’s going to bring you more joy. What could possibly be bad about that?