Choosing a meaningful yet brief sentiment to engrave in your spouse's wedding band can create a challenge — how to possibly sum up all the love in your heart in such a tiny space?
Many brides and grooms keep it simple by inscribing the date of their nuptials, along with their initials. More romantic types turn to evocative phrases such as "Faith, hope and love" or "Two shall be one." A quixotic twist: To translate the message into another language (Latin, Italian or French) for amplified romance.
Some nontraditionalists take it a step further and leave a message guaranteed to stump anyone apart from their soul mate, while others engrave half of a sentiment in one ring and the remainder of it in the other. Couples with a flair for the unusual may etch messages around the edges of their rings, so that the words can be seen only with a magnifying glass.
"Color my world," "My china doll" and "Don't throw this one away!"— these stand out in the minds of Anita Adam, store manager of Fink's Jewelers at Chesterfield Towne Center, and her staff. One particularly memorable couple used the phrase "2 pigs in a pod" because "pig" was the pet name the husband had for his wife.
"God, the best maker of marriages" stuck with Taylor Cowardin of Cowardin's Jewelers, near Willow Lawn. He also remembers "Don't lose me!" and "Property of," with the spouse's name. Many husbands, Cowardin notes, request the wedding date inside the band, too, so that they have that helpful reminder for the years to come.
Daniel Eaves of Dransfield Jewelers in Shockoe Slip remembers hand-engraving Chinese characters as well as the infinity symbol — a popular trend for the past decade — onto bands. One couple he'll never forget were scientists and asked for mathematical formulas as their engravings.
Rick Santackas, manager of Schwarzschild Jewelers at Short Pump Town Center, speaks of a young teacher who returned from a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, intent on using an expression she had seen in a collection there. However, she could recall only part of the wording, so Santackas contacted the museum and solved the mystery for her. The complete sentiment: "From my heart to your soul."
The team at Fink's say they'll never forget the young wife who came in to purchase a third wedding band for her husband … and had their telephone number engraved on the inside, in case he lost it once again. In fact, stories of lost rings abound — and husbands are the worst offenders by far.
The right inscription, these jewelers agree, is the one that fits your personal style. Make the message sentimental, funny or wacky, but make it your own. For more inspiration, visit e-weddingbands.com and click on "Ring Engraving" for a list of more ideas.
