Wednesday, December 16, 2009

In Which We Order Our Wedding Bands!

With the house continuing to come along nicely, we've started thinking again about the party we'd like to throw once it's completed. As you might remember, Jer lost his wedding ring in one of the hospitals in Afghanistan after he was wounded. We've decided to get new rings and to make them special by renewing our wedding vows in our finished house surrounded by all of our amazing family and friends, old and new, who have supported us over the past few months.

So we've spent the last few weeks ring shopping, and we've found a jeweler to make our rings! We're so excited-- he does fantastic work! We wanted something representative of our relationship, and after doing a lot of research decided on the rather unusual choice of Damascus steel. Jer loves the look of the metal. I feel like that it is not only beautiful but it is complex and many-layered as well as very strong: just like our marriage. Also a lot of work and craftsmanship goes into making the steel, and it starts out in separate pieces that are forged in a fire to become one. I think that's a pretty good analogy for a marriage, right there!

Our rings will be pretty simple bands just as our old rings were, though these will be more intricate just by the nature of the metal (our last bands were plain white gold). Now I have to figure out what I'm going to do with my old wedding band; we'd originally talked about incorporating it in some way into the new bands, but ended up deciding not to do that. I'd like to hold onto it though, as it carries a lot of good memories with it. Any suggestions?

~Jess

5 comments:

Julia O'C said...

My husband gave me an anniversary band last year and I wear it next to my engagement ring. Not wanting to part with my plain band, I now wear it on my right hand. I didn't realize how attached to it I was until faced with not wearing it at all!

Some people put them on a chain and wear them as a necklace or bracelet charm.

xraevision said...

For many years, I worked for a blacksmith who specialized in Damascus steel knife making. He occasionally took time to show me pieces of the steel he had made, explaining how the technique of layering made the steel strong and also beautiful. He would cradle them in brushed suede lined wooden boxes and lock them up in a cabinet until he was inspired to use them. I know how precious Damascus steel is, and I think it is the perfect stuff for your wedding bands.

Rick from Novell wedding bands said...

I have never heard of using Damascus steel for wedding bands. Sounds interesting. I guess my only question is - can a Damascus steel be sized? Or is it inexpensive enough to replace if you gain or lose weight?

MFA Mama said...

I'd never heard of Damascus steel and just went and read about it. How cool is that! I like the metaphor VERY much and it sounds like the perfect metal for you and Jer's new rings.

gloria said...

Are you wanting your old ring to keep its shape? Can it be molded somehow into a pendant? I also like the idea of wearing it on your other hand.

 
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