By: WC Editorial Team Read Time: 3 mins Jewelry
August 23, 2023
Promise rings symbolize love, loyalty, and commitment. Engraving the promise ring with a sentimental message can make this special gift even more meaningful. In this post, we'll review why some choose to engrave promise rings, some common engraving methods, a list of ideas to get you brainstorming and some considerations as you select what you want to engrave. Whether you're buying a promise ring for a man or a woman, engraving adds a special touch to a romantic gesture of your love.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why Engrave a Promise Ring Engraving Methods Engraving Ideas Considerations for Engraving
Why Engrave a Promise Ring?
Engraving something special on your promise rings makes the symbol even more personal and intimate. It's a thoughtful, meaningful gesture of your love that is special to your relationship. It adds a special touch to a symbolic gift.
The engraving is specific to your relationship - perhaps it's a special reminder of your first date, the coordinates of your first kiss, or a location of where you met. You have plenty of options for engraving (keep reading for some ideas as well).
Engraving Methods
All metals can be engraved. In addition to customizing the message, you can also select the type of engraving you prefer:
Machine Engraving:
Machine engraving uses power-driven gravers that work off of templates or computer-aided designs (CAD). The jewelry is inserted in the machine (securely held by a vice grip), and the message gets automatically inscribed. The engraving isn't deep, but the letters are uniform. See what types of fonts are available - some only offer block lettering so it's important to check in advance.Hand Engraving:
This is more unique, and a rarer form of engraving that provides an old-world feel and offers more customization options. For example, you can choose different styles of lettering (font sizes and styles) and symbols. Hand engraving is done with a tool called a graver that's like a miniature chisel. Variation of thickness within one letter or symbol is a high point and advantage when having hand engraving done on your ring. Hand engraving is typically more expensive than machine or laser engraving.Laser Engraving:
It uses a high-powered laser beam to etch the surface of the metal. Sometimes this is also called laser etching. Like machine engraving, the design gets programmed into the computer and the machine engraves the message into the jewelry. flexibility, especially in terms of size and font style selection. Ask about the various font options available.
Engraving Ideas
As you consider what to engrave on the promise ring, think about your relationship and what means most to both of you. The following list will help you brainstorm engraving ideas for your promise ring:
- An important date/time/location (where you met, how you met, when you met, first date, first kiss, anniversary, when you said you loved each other)
- Location coordinates
- Initials of you and your partner or your names
- Nicknames for each other
- Meaningful saying in your relationship
- Favorite quote (movie, literature, etc.)
- Romantic line of poetry
- “My love” or “I love you” in another language, or perhaps in your native language. For example, "Para siempre" which means forever in Spanish.
- A heart or infinity symbol
- Line from a favorite song
- Inside jokes
- The meaning of your promise ring (to marry you, to my future wife, to love and cherish, etc.)
Considerations for Engraving
As you think of engraving ideas, there are some important considerations to keep in mind:
- Consider the length of your message. In general, the simpler and shorter, the better.
- Most rings can accommodate between 15 and 30 characters (characters include letters, numbers, and spaces). For example, I love you would amount to 10 characters.
- Consider the font: Block style font and script style font are popular options for engravings. Script is pretty if you're just engraving initials or a date, while block style is more suitable for a slightly longer text.
- Engraving your promise ring is usually easy, but if the band is too thin, then the engraving needs to be smaller as well, which may affect its visibility. If you plan to engrave your ring, choose a ring that doesn't have a thin band.
- Make sure your ring is sized before getting it engraved.
- Favorite quote (movie, literature, etc.)
- Romantic line of poetry
- “My love” or “I love you” in another language, or perhaps in your native language. For example, "Para siempre" which means forever in Spanish.
- A heart or infinity symbol
- Line from a favorite song
- Inside jokes
- The meaning of your promise ring (to marry you, to my future wife, to love and cherish, etc.)
FAQs
What should you engrave on a promise ring?
Engraving options are endless. You can choose initials, nicknames, special dates or locations, meaningful sayings in your relationship or symbols. The engraving can be specific to your relationship and make the promise ring even more personal.
Can you engrave a ring after it is made?
You can engrave your ring at any time! So if you’d like to engrave it at a later date instead of when you buy it, it’s not a problem at all. It’s important that your ring is sized before it gets engraved so resizing does not alter your message.
Does engraving decrease the value of a ring?
Engravings are custom details that make the ring more special, but it could affect the value somewhere down the line. Engraving is a romantic, personalized touch that is special to you, so don’t let your ring’s value be too much of a concern when considering an engraved message.
How many words can be engraved inside a ring?
Most rings can accommodate between 15 and 30 characters (characters include letters, numbers and spaces). For example, I love you would amount to 10 characters. In general, the shorter and simpler the message, the better.
