<p>Yea, there are many options, but mom has to decide when she wants to do it and what she wants to do or it will just keep sitting in the box. </p>
<p>I think she hasn’t decided how she wants to handle it as she has 4 Ds, 3Ss, 2DILs, 3SILs, and 14 grandkids. One brother never married but she wants to be “Fair” and is no nearer to figuring what she wants now than ever. In fact I believe she no longer even muddles over the issue. </p>
<p>I had the mom of all moms. She left her jewelry to be split between my sister and I. Her diamonds were to be split between sister, me, and my son. Clever!!!</p>
<p>Mom’s engagement ring is a 2 k marquis, which no young bride wants these days Her earrings are over 1 k, perfect rounds. Then there is a necklace, also round, etc. I want future DIL to pick her setting, and then we can decide on which diamond to use. After that, sister and I will sell the others. (Or I’ll buy her out)</p>
<p>I am single, but I wore my sapphire ring, surrounded by Diamonds, when first met the current g/f’s parents. My ring could pass as Lady Di’s. The potential future MIL noticed it at once. I think that is why my son wanted something similar for his g/f when they first went looking for rings. Son did mention that Zuckerberg gave his fiancé a sapphire surrounded by diamonds, too. </p>
<p>My mom has several really good emeralds, including rings, necklaces and earrings. They are quite valuable and are already causing hard feelings even though mom is (thank God) living. She has decided that all of the emeralds should be gifted to one grand daughter and one great granddaughter because it is their birthstone. My sister is incensed because neither she nor her wretched daughter will get anything. To add insult to injury, the great granddaughter is from the adopted granddaughter and “isn’t blood.” I hope my great niece will love her jewelry when the time comes.</p>
<p>When my mom died, she left her engagement rings to my sister, and a lovely pearl and diamond necklace to me. She left all of the other jewelry to me with the understanding that I would divide it among her granddaughters. I ended up giving my sister the necklace as well because she had so little other than the chip of a diamond engagement ring from her (now ex) husband. I gave each granddaughter a thing or two…but I did keep a ring that belonged to my grandmother - my mom’s MIL - that she received when grandma died. My D wears that ring almost every day…it’s an unusual art deco platinum diamond and ruby ring from the 1920s.</p>
<p>HImom, Might just end up being left to you and your siblings to decide. </p>
<p>Every family is different but in our family grandchildren are not left anything. It all passes only to the children and in turn they pass things on to their children and nothing is specified. My sister and I will have to sort it out between the two of us. My mom has started to give some pieces of her jewelry to her granddaughters, but not any of the big stuff. My son is the only male grandchild and he will get my dad’s things (what little there is.) </p>
<p>My SIL is single. Never married, no kids. She is a sweetheart. A real doll, but not in good health.She has her (their) mother’s jewelry (not sure what that entails). We have 2 sons, BIL has 3. No girls. SIL has named my DH to be executor of her estate. She is leaving everything to the 5 nephews, skipping over her brothers (my DH and $*^&$^ BIL) because we really don’t need it and BIL will mismanage/misspend it. BIL and the nephews do not know. This thread does have me curious who gets the jewelry, whatever that entails. Don’t really care… just curious.</p>
<p>I don’t wear an engagement ring (have never had one). I don’t wear my anniversary band with my wedding band, as they are different metals and styles. I have seen S & DIL each wear just their engagement rings without the wedding band, and vice versa.</p>
<p>DH doesn’t wear a ring at all. He lost his HS class ring and a ring from his grandfather when he was young, and thought that that he would lose a wedding band and did not want have to face that. </p>
<p>It seems to get a LOT more complicated when there are more folks along the way–grandkids, some of the “kids” married and at least one who isn’t, in-laws, etc. I’m sure things will get sorted out and honestly sometimes the person who is aging really doesn’t want to deal with it and potentially offend anyone. My late SisIL decided to split things between her two brothers, which was clean and easier for everyone. </p>
<p>For our kids, it is just S & D, so there isn’t the level of complication YET that my folks have to deal with. I’m sure things will work itself out at some point and it’s really up to mom IF she decides she wants to distribute ANYTHING. Most of us don’t wear much jewelry anyway, so it wouldn’t really affect anything.</p>
<p>My engagement ring is soldered to my wedding ring, but they are seriously thin.
Of course they weren’t chunky to begin with and it has been 33 years.
Id love for H to get me an anniversary ring or something with the girls birthstones, but he isn’t good at jewelry shopping and if I really wanted it, I would buy it myself, as I think it is silly to tell someone exactly what you want them to give you.</p>
<p>Id rather just say " a chain" or " earrings", but if it is more than a few hundred dollars, I like to pick it myself.</p>
<p>I think I’d probobly suggest, “Hey, for our anniversary, can we go shopping for a new ring set AND a nice dinner, together?” That might make it more fun for both of us and have him be involved but honor your tastes too.</p>
<p>That sounds good, but I have to research all the local artisans, and look at their designs, investigate how long it would take, where they get their materials, what the warranty would be…
It’s easier for my fingers to go naked.
Maybe I will get a tattoo for our 35th.
I might decide on something by then!</p>
<p>I hadn’t been wearing my rings because my knuckles have grown. This thread inspired me to bring them to be resized. It turns out the wedding band had rubbed against the engagement ring setting, to the point where the prongs were nearly worn through. Good thing I brought it in. After the stones are reset, the rings will be attached so that the wear won’t happen again.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that when you have a stone reset, especially if it’s very valuable, you should be right there watching them set it. Otherwise, they could substitute an inferior stone and you would not know. </p>
<p>“My engagement ring is soldered to my wedding ring, but they are seriously thin.”</p>
<p>Isn’t that (supposedly) bad luck? I always heard that. I have the kind with a plain setting and a thin wedding band with a notch to accommodate where the stone juts out, and it’s twisted around on my fingers for the last 28 years but the old saying that it was bad luck still resonates and I’ve never had them soldered!</p>
<p>At the time a friend was a jeweler and he did it, never mentioned anything about bad luck, considering we’ve been together for over three decades and have two healthy adult children, I don’t put much stock in the saying.
He also engraved a message on the inside of each of them plus the date.</p>
<p>My rings have been on my finger since I was married in 1986. Can’t see any thinning yet. Will ask my buddy the jeweler to check it. I’ve only used him as my jeweler and trust him totally. Have heard bad things about some jewelers–nice to have someone you trust. </p>
<p>Re: gifting jewelry to heirs. I’m selfish. My dead body will be burned with my pave ring and my puny diamond studs because no one will be able to pry them off (I do not take them off at all). After scattering the ashes in some remote place, kiddos can have a fight over my scarf and shoe collection (we all have the same shoe size) - that’s where the value is!!! 
Just kidding. But there is really no $ value in my jewelry. </p>
<p>I plan on gifting my jewelry to my D and possibly fDIL and maybe grandkids down the road while I’m around to see them enjoy them. I feel it makes the most sense to gift while I’m around to be pleased that they love the jewelry. I have some nice pieces from H–he bought them while traveling. They are quality but not “blingy,” since that’s not me.</p>
<p>I have never heard that saying about soldered rings! Soldered mine about a year into marriage !</p>
<p>I think a nice option would be to just choose matching engraved wedding bands. </p>