Your wedding and engagement rings are one-of-a-kind symbols of your love and devotion as a couple. So why not make them even more special by engraving a special message in the band?
Engraving personalized or romantic inscriptions on rings dates back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance when lovers exchanged “poesie” rings as pledges of devotion. The rings were engraved with bits of poetry or other romantic sentiments. Indeed, the habit was such a common means of demonstrating a romantic connection that Shakespeare referenced poesie rings in his plays!
So why not continue the tradition with an engraved ring of your own? Whether it’s your engagement ring, your wedding band, or a promise ring, an engraving can share a special message with your loved one and stand as a beautiful (and hidden) bond between you both.
With the ability to custom engrave your ring, the options are endless. But here are 15 romantic ideas we love for unique inscriptions:
“I Promise” Ring
If you’re going with a promise ring, make your pledge clear with an “I Promise” engraving. The words “I Promise” should do the job, but you could take it a step further and engrave your actual promise inside the band: to love and cherish, to marry you, etc. Whatever your pledge may be, make it known with an engraving.
Engrave Your Romantic Vows
Include a version of your vows or an expression of your love on the band. It could be something as simple as “I love you” or a single word, such as “Forever” or “Eternity.” You could write the words “Soul Mates” or something to express how perfect you are for each other. Or there is the option of doing something a bit lengthier, such as “To have and to hold” or the metaphorical “You have my heart in your hands”. Choose a phrase or word that you feel best sums up your love.
Old English Inscriptions
Since “poesie” rings began in the Middle Ages, you could opt for a phrase that would have been found on a ring at that time. “In thy breast my heart doth rest;” “Accept of this my heart with all;” “Hope is the life of love;” “All I refuse and thee I choose;” and “a token sent with true intent” are just a few of the classic options available to you. Find a historical phrase that carries personal meaning for you.
Add Some Romance with a Romance Language
If you like the idea of using an older phrase but want something a bit more romantic and unique, consider engraving a phrase in a different language. French, Italian, and Latin are three of the most popular options. You could do something as simple as “My Love” or “I Love You” in a foreign tongue or you could select a more poetic phrasing. In French, there’s “Joie sans fin” (Joy without end), “Pour tous jours” (For all days), and “Mon coeur est a vous” (My heart is yours). In Italian, there’s “Il mio cuore è tuo per sempre” (My heart is yours forever). Latin also has some beautiful and enduring phrases, including: Semper amemus (Let us always love) and Amor vincit omnia (Love conquers all).
Engrave Your Message in Your Native Tongue
If you or your loved one speaks a foreign language or comes from a particular foreign background, you may want to engrave the ring in your native or ancestral language. For instance, if you’re Jewish, you may choose to inscribe a Hebrew phrase (like the “Beloved” wedding ring pictured above). If you speak Chinese or Japanese, consider inscribing a message in characters on your band. No matter what language you choose, an engraver can make it happen.
Make the Engraving Message Your Names
Maybe you like the idea of an engraved ring, but you want to keep it simple. Engrave each other’s names inside the band. Each person could wear a band with the other’s name, or you could put both names in each ring. If you have special nicknames for each other, consider making it more personal by inscribing those.
Rings Signed with Love
A popular, even more personal twist on having names on your rings is to engrave your names in your own handwriting! Modern technology has made it much easier for jewelers to create custom designs, from entirely custom-made rings to signature engravings in your own handwriting. Whether this works for you may depend on your partner’s handwriting, however. Flourishing signatures can make for a beautiful inscription, but a small, particularly messy signature could look like scratches on your band—which may ruin the overall romance of this choice.
Simple Romance with Initials and the Wedding Date
Commemorate your special day inside your band by inscribing both of your initials and/or your wedding date. It’s beautiful, and as a bonus, if you forget your anniversary, you can always check your ring!
Engrave Your Favorite Quote
Do you and your special someone have a favorite quote? Maybe it is a line from literature that you bonded over or a movie line that you both love. Consider inscribing that on the band as a symbol of your shared connection and the things that brought you together. For example, Star Wars fans could inscribe “I love you” on one band and “I know” on the other in reference to the iconic exchange between Han Solo and Princess Leia.
The Sentimental Fingerprint Engraving
If your spouse has left his or her fingerprints on your heart, this is the perfect choice for your engraving. The “fingerprint” wedding band engraves the fingerprint of your spouse on your wedding band so you can always keep him or her close to you. Every human being has a distinct and unique set of fingerprints, so it’s a spectacular way to share a bond that is highly specific to each other. Get a matching pair of rings with a yellow gold heart for even more romantic flair!
Engrave a Line of Poetry
If you’re a hopeless romantic, there’s nothing more fitting than a line of poetry. Choose a line from a romantic poem that expresses your feelings. Whether you go with Shakespeare, Cummings, or an anonymous snatch of poetry, there’s no engraving more romantic than a poetic one.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
If you’re more visual than verbal, you can select an image to be engraved. Cost and size will play a role in this type of engraving, but the possibilities are endless. You can choose a traditional symbol representing love (such as a heart) or eternity (such as the trinity knot often found in celtic engagement rings), or go with imagery that’s more personal, expressing your relationship, personality, or life together. For example, couples who love the outdoors could get a beautiful forest-engraved ring. Modern technology allows precision laser engraving that can amaze you with its versatility.
Celebrate Family with Your Engraved Ring
Do you have a strong family bond? Maybe you already have children together or perhaps you were brought together by parents or grandparents. Consider honoring them in your engraving by engraving their names or birthdays.
Use an Engraving to Commemorate How You Met
Do you have a really cute story of how you met or of your first date? Maybe you went to college together or you met at a sporting event. Perhaps you met working on a play, or your first date was to a movie. Honor that first moment of connection with your engraving by selecting a phrase that pays homage to that, whether it be a school motto, a team name, or a quote from something you encountered on that date. Some couples get the longitude and latitude coordinates of the place they met engraved inside their bands.
Engrave the Stone Itself
If you want something truly unique and secret between you and your spouse, consider engraving your romantic message on the diamond itself! You can send your loose diamond to the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), who can engrave a phrase or even a small symbol into the girdle of the gem with a micro-laser. The engraving is microscopic and invisible to the “naked eye,” so it can only be viewed with a magnifying glass. Talk about a romantic secret! And as an added benefit, your engraved stone will never be in question as your diamond.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to choosing a unique and romantic engraving for your ring! Pick from our list of suggestions, or make your own romantic message. Tell us what you engraved on your rings in the comments!