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Miss Camel, Athens, GA Age and Occupation: 29, high school teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, high school teacher Engagement Date: March 2012 Wedding Date: May 2013 Venue: Cloverleaf Farm About Me: I'm a high school social studies teacher who started her career teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. I love photography and history. I also like to travel and take naps---two things that you would think contradict each other, but somehow they don't. My heroes are Dwight Schrute, Liz Lemon, the Dude, and T.E. Lawrence. I traveled the world throughout my 20s only to fall in love with the social studies teacher in the classroom next door to mine. He just happened to be the kindest, most compassionate, and selfless person I had ever met and each day I'm so thankful to have him in my life. We are planning a whimsical, relaxed countryside wedding with a little Marie Antoinette flair thrown in for good measure. Please join us on our wedding planning adventures!
About Miss Camel

My Antique Wedding Ring

March 4th, 2013 @ 6:01 am by Miss Camel

Hey guys! I’m here to happily report that February was a month of extreme wedding progress for the Camels. We got a lot of the big wedding to-dos crossed off the list, and I know you ladies realize what a relief that can be!

So what have we been up to? Well, we booked our honeymoon flights and hotels. We also bought Mr. C a suit and gave suit instructions to the groomsmen. I finally found some bridal accessories that I can envision wearing on the big day, and so I’ve picked out a hairpiece and possibly a pair of shoes. I booked an appointment to discuss wedding hair and makeup at a local salon. I purchased my rehearsal-dinner dress and I can’t wait to share it with you guys! I’ve also booked my first wedding-dress fitting at the end of March. Oh, and my favorite completed task thus far? I bought my wedding ring!

My Antique Wedding Ring :  wedding athens rings Wedding0115 Wedding0115

Finding a wedding ring to match my 1920s engagement ring has not been easy. I’ve been scouring the internet for several weeks now. I looked into purchasing a thin 1.5 mm platinum wedding band from a local jeweler, and they quoted me at $1,200! I know that the price of platinum has been rising, but that was particularly high when you can often find beautiful antique wedding rings in the $300–$700 range online. I knew that finding the right size was important too because re-sizing an engraved band without interrupting the design can be difficult. Plus I didn’t want to spend the extra money (if possible) for re-sizing.

My Antique Wedding Ring :  wedding athens rings Wedding0116 Wedding0116

This adorable Eiffel Tower ring holder was a Valentine’s Day gift from Mr. C!

So let’s take a look at my wedding band criteria:

  • Platinum
  • Thin band: 1.5 to 2 mm in thickness
  • Somewhere around a size 4.5 to 5.5
  • Preferably from the 1920s
  • Preferably with an engraving from the previous owners

I found a few bands that I loved, but they were just way too big. Others were priced out of my budget. But then, lo and behold, I found this lovely on Ruby Lane (an antique/vintage site that is run like Etsy) a few weeks ago. I love this wedding band for a few reasons. First of all, I love that it is from the same decade as my engagement ring. It is also made of the same metal (platinum), so they will match with their aged patina. It has a design of stylized flowers that have been worn down with wear. Secondly, it has an inscription, which I find terribly interesting and romantic. In fact, I was searching specifically for bands with inscriptions. The hand-engraved inscription reads: “LFT – LM – 7-3-26.” The year is 1926 and we are getting married on the 26th, so I thought that would be a fun coincidence for this ring. Funny story, I actually found a wedding ring with our exact wedding date on it (from 1934), but it was 18K white gold and it had just been sold. I was totally heartbroken! But that one had diamonds and I think the difference in metals would have bothered me over time. I’m so happy I held out and was able to find the one I have now.

There isn’t much room for adding a new inscription, but Mr. C and I might look into adding something, even if it is just our wedding date or perhaps even the year. I love that we are giving this band a second life!

My Antique Wedding Ring :  wedding athens rings Wedding0117 Wedding0117

Showing off the new ring, wearing Essie’s East Hampton Cottage nail polish

So, the ring is pretty much perfect. The only problem? I need to stop trying to wear it out of the house! For a while I was even considering nixing the wedding ring and just wearing my engagement ring because I didn’t think I would be able to find something I loved that had the right price. Now that I’ve found “the one” I don’t want to take it off!

Did you have a hard time picking out the perfect wedding ring? What is your wedding ring like?

Tags: athens, rings |
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21 Responses to “My Antique Wedding Ring”

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1.
BookishBelle
Member
BookishBelle (message)  1,276 posts, Bumble bee

Love it! It looks just like my late grandmother’s wedding ring, which I was given to wear and keep on my wedding day. I wear it on my right hand now whenever I have a day I feel I need some luck (it’s a tiny bit too tight to comfortably wear everyday, but I’m too lazy to get it resized, lol)

 
2.
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Bee
Mrs. Wallaby (message)  1,734 posts, Bumble bee

Dang girl you have small fingers!! I love the ring you picked out. It looks just like my great-grandmother’s wedding band I wore on our wedding day – it even has the same type of engraving (she has her initials and my great-grandfather’s, and their wedding date, which was in 1929). It matches your e-ring so, so well…I love them :)

 
3.
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Bee
Mrs. Bracelet (message)  1,112 posts, Bumble bee

What a beautiful wedding ring! Your efforts in looking for a period match really paid off. Mr. B had my engagement ring designed, and I picked a simple 2mm white gold with a few tiny channel diamonds to match it. They look like the were meant to go together despite different origins, like yours.

 
4.
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Bee
Miss Airplane (message)  188 posts, Blushing bee

It’s beautiful! Great find — and I love the date inscription. 1926 — wow!

 
5.
mimi123
Member
mimi123 (message)  420 posts, Helper bee

I have an e-ring from the 1920′s that belonged to my FI’s grandmother. We were going to make a custom wedding band to go around it but it was too expensive. Finding a wedding ring to sit next to it and not leave a big gap though has proven challenging though so I plan to wear my e-ring on my right hand after getting married. I still have to get the wedding ring and we only have a month to go!

 
6.
mimi123
Member
mimi123 (message)  420 posts, Helper bee

Are you going to keep wearing them on the same hand after you are married?

 
7.
Miss Care Bear
Member
Miss Care Bear (message)  185 posts, Blushing bee

Great find Miss C.!I am definitely struggling to find a wedding band to match my antique e-ring which belonged to my grandma. We might have to get something custom made :S Nothing sits flat against my ring and I really don’t like the gap :(

 
8.
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Bee
Mrs. Treasure (message)  1,354 posts, Bumble bee

Man, I am a sucker for art deco. I love your rings!

 
9.
new york bride 13
Member
new york bride 13 (message)  334 posts, Helper bee

I love it!

I was constantly wearing my wedding band, so now its at my parents’ house so I’ll stop!

 
10.
missmess
Member
missmess (message)  92 posts, Worker bee

It’s beautiful! I have an antique engagement ring myself, and I’m becoming more and more tempted to go the antique wedding band route myself, especially seeing how well your two rings go together.

 
11.
notbridey
Member
notbridey (message)  476 posts, Helper bee

thank you! I am going to stalk this site! I have a ring that was my great grandmothers and was given in 1925, it’s platinum. And I’m looking for something to match it…something in the 1.5mm to 2mm range. Hopefully I’m able to find a match as good as yours! Yours is wonderful!! :)

 
12.
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Bee
Mrs. Pony (message)  8,386 posts, Bumble Beekeeper

Your rings look gorgeous together, what a great find!

 
13.
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Bee
Miss Camel (message)  330 posts, Helper bee

@mimi123: Yeah absolutely. They might have a little gap, but it doesn’t bother me. Plus I think they look great together.

@notbridey: I have tons of sites bookmarked with even more vintage wedding rings if you are interested!

@missmess: Of course I’m biased, but I think you should totally go the antique wedding band route! ;)

 
14.
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Bee
Miss Camel (message)  330 posts, Helper bee

@Mrs. Wallaby: Yeah I have freakishly small child hands! It made it really hard to find a ring in the right size that didn’t need to be re-sized. I saw the photos of your vintage engagement and wedding rings in your recap photos and they are so beautiful! Do you plan on ever wearing them or keeping them as keepsakes?

 
15.
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Miss Palm Tree (message)  411 posts, Helper bee

Love this, Miss Camel! I think it fits perfectly and a bonus: it photographs SO well!

 
16.
fronkinzankinsbride
Member
fronkinzankinsbride (message)  106 posts, Blushing bee

Love them both! My engagement ring is from 1926. :)
Please share your ring shopping bookmarks. I still need to find wedding rings.

 
17.
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Bee
Mrs. Toadstool (message)  2,411 posts, Buzzing bee

I love the band and the background just makes it perfect.

 
18.
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Miss Camel (message)  330 posts, Helper bee

Hey guys, here are some of my bookmarked links for wedding bands:

http://www.marleneharriscol.com/categories/AntiqueWeddingBands.html (you can sort by antique, vintage, or estate)

http://www.gesner.com/antique-vintage-jewelry/wedding-bands (Mr. C bought my engagement ring from these guys)

Also check Etsy and Ruby Lane. I did searches for antique platinum rings and usually had some good finds!

 
19.
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Member
love108 (message)  3,186 posts, Sugar bee

Thank you for sharing! I remember asking you before you got engaged what you thought you were going to do! I’m hoping to find something to work with mine.. I’m afraid if it doesn’t fit perfectly it might damage the ring, and its’ delicate as it is! I have similar requirements: around size 4.5, platinum, thin, with historical engraving :)

 
20.
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Bee
Miss Camel (message)  330 posts, Helper bee

@love108: So nice to hear from you! I wish you luck in finding the perfect wedding ring. Definitely check out the links I posted in my comment above yours. There are a lot of Etsy and Ruby Lane too, the trick is just finding the right search terms so you aren’t getting modern platinum bands. I’m sure you will find something you love!!

 
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Miss Camel
Miss Camel

Miss Camel, Athens, GA Age and Occupation: 29, high school teacher Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, high school teacher Engagement Date: March 2012 Wedding Date: May 2013 Venue: Cloverleaf Farm About Me: I'm a high school social studies teacher who started her career teaching English in Japan with the JET Program. I love photography and history. I also like to travel and take naps---two things that you would think contradict each other, but somehow they don't. My heroes are Dwight Schrute, Liz Lemon, the Dude, and T.E. Lawrence. I traveled the world throughout my 20s only to fall in love with the social studies teacher in the classroom next door to mine. He just happened to be the kindest, most compassionate, and selfless person I had ever met and each day I'm so thankful to have him in my life. We are planning a whimsical, relaxed countryside wedding with a little Marie Antoinette flair thrown in for good measure. Please join us on our wedding planning adventures!

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