# So do I hock my wedding ring? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 29, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844 "2010-08-29T00:57:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/21 "2010-08-29T16:08:33Z")
No it’s too soon to do anything. Simply pack everything away. Sometimes it helps to get shed of the memories. Buy a bunch of boxes and put it away, you can revisit the question of what to do with the stuff in six months or a year. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/22 "2010-08-29T20:04:25Z")
What I did comes in two stages. **Step 1** : I sold my band to one of those companies that buy your old gold for a shockingly low price. **Step 2** : I received the check in the mail, and then lost it before I got to cash it. I may or may not recommend the first step. I definitely would NOT recommend the second. 😉 As for the photographs and memorabilia, I left all of that stuff behind. I was always the sentimental one; my ex never had been. Since our marriage ended in an ugly fashion (never loved me “that way,” decided to sleep with other people), I had no reason or desire to hold on to reminders of what I considered to have been a 10-year lie. It has been nearly a year since I moved out, and I don’t have any regrets about any of that being lost. Having said that, I don’t disagree with the advice in this thread that suggests you not make a decision like that right away. In time, those things may still have meaning for you. I’m sorry for what you’re going through, and I hope the best for your future. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/23 "2010-08-29T20:54:53Z")
I have a beautiful Salish Art-carved ring in silver for my wedding ring. The marriage lasted a month less than two years. It gave me a rash from the start. I still have it. (the ring, not the rash) It could be a man’s or a woman’s ring and doesn’t look like a wedding ring, so I hold on to it. For my son, a daughter in law, or I could wear it myself some day. So, I don’t know. Selling it wouldn’t get the worth, and I think the artist might be getting famous. I meant to check when I was in North Vancouver a week ago, but I never got around to it. I could eBay it, but right now it sits in my underwear drawer. The photo albums are in a box at the back of my closet. some day my 6 year old son may be interested. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/24 "2010-08-29T21:13:58Z")
If you are getting rid of the husband, then definitely get rid of the rings. Give them back, sell them, or throw them away. Do not keep them nor make a different jewelry piece out of it. Get rid of his last name also. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/25 "2010-08-29T21:16:48Z")
My husband gave his first wedding band to his bro when he got married. I think my BIL used it against the purchase of his own ring. When my sis got divorced, she had her rings remade since she loves jewelry. No idea what my daughter will do with hers, but it has no real value - they were broke when they got married. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa\_Ann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Lisa\_Ann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa_Ann)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/26 "2010-08-30T00:49:47Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > If you are getting rid of the husband, then definitely get rid of the rings. > > Give them back, sell them, or throw them away. Do not keep them nor make a different jewelry piece out of it. Get rid of his last name also. How difficult is it to revert to your maiden name? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/27 "2010-08-30T01:08:28Z")
After her divorce, SWMBO had the diamonds in her ring reset into another mounting. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/28 "2010-08-30T14:33:01Z")
> [@Lisa\_Ann](#): > > > [@Susanann](#): > > > > If you are getting rid of the husband, then definitely get rid of the rings. > > > > Give them back, sell them, or throw them away. Do not keep them nor make a different jewelry piece out of it. Get rid of his last name also. > > How difficult is it to revert to your maiden name? Just as difficult as it was to switch in the first place. You’ll need a new driver’s license, Social Security card, and so on, and you’ll have to have your utility bills switched to your new name so you can use them for ID/credit later on. I would let this particular change ride until your driver’s license or passport are expiring anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/29 "2010-08-30T14:42:35Z")
> [@tygre](#): > > I tossed my wedding rings from my starter marriage over Niagara Falls. The story is worth more than the small amount I could have made from hocking them. > > A friend hocked hers and bought herself a piece of meaningful jewelry instead. I’ve always wanted to go to Niagra Falls… Now I’m wondering how much crap is down there? (like all the stuff that’s thrown into Niagra Falls is accumulating in one specific location, preferably in a nice convenient treasure chest) ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/30 "2010-08-30T15:14:45Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > > [@tygre](#): > > > > I tossed my wedding rings from my starter marriage over Niagara Falls. The story is worth more than the small amount I could have made from hocking them. > > > > A friend hocked hers and bought herself a piece of meaningful jewelry instead. > > I’ve always wanted to go to Niagra Falls… Now I’m wondering how much crap is down there? (like all the stuff that’s thrown into Niagra Falls is accumulating in one specific location, preferably in a nice convenient treasure chest) Are you planning to try to get that stuff? Good luck 😃 Of course if you do you will find the ring my ex-wife gave me, right next to the ring **tygre** threw down there. It was so therapeutic for both of us. And every time we go past the Falls now we think of it, and the memory draws us closer. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/31 "2010-08-30T20:47:49Z")
No advice concerning the ring, and my thoughs concerning memorabilia are moot as of post 14, but I’ll throw them out there for anyone else that might find themselves asking the same questions. Keep the albums and other items stuck in a box in the back of a closet somewhere. You may never look at them again, but your children or grandchildren may someday appreciate having them. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/32 "2010-08-30T20:48:17Z")
My parents divorced when I was 5. My mother saved her rings; when I was 16, she gifted me with her wedding band, as “a reminder to make good choices.” Over a decade later, I’ve worn it every day since then. (Note that this is an Artcarved ring that looks something like [this](http://artcarvedbridal.com/images/ArtCarved/02-ARTCARVED-11-WV4309-G_XL_D.JPG), with no gems.) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/33 "2010-08-30T21:45:48Z")
Rule of thumb if you’re emotional and don’t know what to do: do what’s reversible. If you get rid of your rings and photos now, and later you want them, you can’t do anything about it. The reverse, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/34 "2010-08-30T21:57:39Z")
I still have my wedding ring from ten years ago, never got remarried, and all the photos. I keep them in the back of the closet. I keep them because I might want to look at them someday. The ring I’m holding onto in case someday I really need money and then I’ll hock it. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/35 "2010-08-30T22:40:38Z")
many people toss their rings into the river in reno, nevada. the river is very pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/36 "2010-08-31T01:51:04Z")
This is why I had a stipulation in the pre-nup that the ring was hers _as long as we were married_. After that, it was mine. Saved me four figures. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/37 "2010-08-31T01:52:18Z")
… ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/38 "2010-08-31T14:30:07Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > This is why I had a stipulation in the pre-nup that the ring was hers _as long as we were married_. After that, it was mine. :dubious: Do you make a habit of putting clauses on \*all \*your gifts? ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/39 "2010-08-31T14:37:36Z")
When I got divorced, I had my mom go through the pictures and take the ones she wanted (mainly of relatives and friends). I went through the remainder (and kept a few of me and my parents), then threw the rest in the garbage. Ten years later I threw out the few pictures I kept. I have my engagement ring in a box in the drawer. I already have a diamond pendant and the diamond in my engagement ring, while a decent size, is the most unpopular cut and therefore I would get no money for it. My wedding band was an eternity band. I donated it to a charity auction (to raise money for animal rescue) and someone bought it for $100. I donated my wedding dress to a charity that resells dresses and then donates the proceeds to breast cancer research. As far as changing your name back to your maiden name, make sure that clause is in the divorce agreement. I did, and toted the divorce papers to all the necessary agencies (Social Security, drivers’ license bureau). Yes, they did check the papers to make sure it was AOK. My friend did not have the clause in her divorce agreement and had to pay legal fees later to change back to her maiden name. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844/40 "2010-08-31T14:45:39Z")
I traded in my wedding ring for a new used microwave. True story, though it really should be a country song. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-do-i-hock-my-wedding-ring/551844.md?page=3)