Tag Archives: wedding ring

On which hand should I wear my wedding and engagement rings?

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People often ask us how they should wear their engagement ring after they’ve gotten married. Here are some options:

1. Wear your wedding band and engagement ring together on the left hand. This is very common in the U.S., and is probably based on the fact that the heart is on the left side of the body. The wedding band is typically worn inside the engagement ring (closer to the heart). Wearing the rings on the left hand is particularly advantageous for right-handed folks, because the left hand generally stays more protected.

2. Wear your wedding band and engagement ring together on the right hand. This is popular with guitarists, violinists and other musicians, and those who need maximum dexterity in their left hands. It can also be a good choice for left-handed people whose right hands will be less active than their left hands.

3. Wear one ring on each hand. (This is what I do.) Depending on the style of the engagement ring and wedding band, they may look better each standing alone. Wearing one ring on each hand helps protect from wear caused by rings rubbing against each other, and it reduces the bulk on any particular finger. Because I’m right-handed, I wear the more delicate ring on my left hand, because it doesn’t get as much wear there.

But of course, you can do WHATEVER you want! Plenty of people choose not to wear their engagement rings after they’re married, or only for special occasions.

If you’re in the market, be sure to check out our wedding rings and engagement rings!

 

Elvis Presley’s rings being auctioned today in Memphis, TN

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At Turtle Love Co. we appreciate jewelry with a different kind of design and there are few men in recent memory who had a collection of jewelry as different as the rings owned by Elvis Presley. Today in Memphis there is an auction taking place less than ten miles away from Elvis Presley’s famous Graceland Mansion that features many rare and interesting items from the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, including some unique pieces of his jewelry.

Elvis Presley's ring featuring a gold coin and diamonds

One of the pieces of Elvis’s jewelry up for auction, a pinky ring built around an antique gold coin surrounded by diamonds in a 14K gold setting (picture from Heritage Auctions)

At the auction, which is being billed as the “2012 Ultimate Elvis Auction II,” is this 14K gold pinky ring featuring a circle of tiny diamonds and an antique gold coin worn by Elvis in the documentary Elvis: That’s the Way it Is. The ring has a starting bid price of $17,500 but is expected to go for as much as $42,000.

The most interesting thing about the rings for sale is the particular stones and unique designs that Elvis favored. According to Elvis’s friend Charlie Hodge, who is selling one of the rings given to him by The King, Presley was fond of turquoise jewelry and at one point had between 10 and 12 rings featuring the stone.

Elvis Presley's gold, diamond, and black sapphire ring

Elvis Presley’s gold, diamond, and black sapphire ring (picture from Heritage Auctions)

The rings also show some insight into Presley’s personality. One of the rings, a large, intricate 14K gold piece that looks similar to a tree top with small diamonds and black star sapphires as apples scattered through the gold branches, was gifted by Elvis to his friend Alan Fortas who explained that ”Elvis believed the wearing of sapphire jewelry was supposed to signify generosity, good manners, wisdom, and noble thoughts.”

Priscilla Presley's engagement ring

Priscilla Presley showing off her diamond ring in 1967

 

 

 

Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding rings:

Elvis’s second wedding band from his 1967 marriage to his wife Priscilla (the first ring having been lost shortly after the wedding) was auctioned in 2006 for $90,000. The wedding band, chosen by Priscilla, is a platinum setting with baguette cut and round cut diamonds. The ring Elvis chose for Priscilla is equally impressive and has a three carat diamond at its center with a surround of 20 smaller diamonds.

Vintage Style Council Member of the Month- Sweeter Salt

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At Turtle Love Co. we believe that part of the secret to being happy is having a balanced life, a view shared by Laura from Sweeter Salt, our Vintage Style Council Member of the Month for August.

Laura from Sweeter Salt, Vintage Style Council Member of the Month for August

Laura from Sweeter Salt, Vintage Style Council Member of the Month for August

For Laura, life is all about balance and contrasts: “Maybe it’s wearing a thrifted skirt with a designer bag, or eating a healthy (but delicious) meal and saving room for dessert. To add a little sweet or salt to your life I say save when you can, but don’t forget to splurge. Shop at Goodwill, don’t blow your budget on trendy items, and always eat your greens. On the other hand, wear what makes you happy, save up for a big purchase (like Turtle Love Co. Jewelry!), and have a slice of cake once in a while.”

Laura, who joined the Vintage Style Council in April of 2012, finds that the best thing about vintage is its uniqueness and mystery. “To think that this ring or dress has been around so long- what a tale it has to tell! Of course I don’t always known what that story is, but I like knowing that there is a history,” she says. “I also like that with vintage you are wearing something that is rare- you don’t find it at a mall or big box store.”

Laura from Sweeter Salt's engagement and wedding rings

Laura’s engagement and wedding rings

Since our speciality is wedding and engagement jewelry, we couldn’t help but ask Laura about her own engagement and wedding rings. Here’s what she had to say: “my wedding ring is very simple- just a white gold band with channel set diamonds. My engagement ring has a little more pizazz. Yellow is one of my favorite colors, so I knew for years that I wanted a yellow diamond in my ring. I actually went shopping with my then-fiance to pick it out (I know, not the most romantic, but he knows how picky I am). We found it at one of the first stores we went into, a goldsmith in my hometown of Concord, NH. There it was: a yellow center stone with two clear diamonds on either side in a simple setting. It was perfect. We bought it that day and he proposed a few weeks later.”

To read more from Laura about mixing the sweet and salty elements of life (plus outfit posts, delicious recipes, and more!) you can visit her blog, Sweeter Salt.

 

Currently Loving: Diamond Wedding Band by Michele Scholnick

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Today’s “Currently Loving” post comes to you from one of the newest members of the Vintage Style Council, Alivia from Brunch in April. Alivia created a Pinterest board around our Diamond Wedding Band. The ring, handcrafted by Michele Scholnick in Venice, California, is a 2mm wide brushed sterling silver band faceted with eight 1.5mm conflict-free diamonds with SI2 quality and GH color.

Turtle Love Co. Currently Loving Diamond Wedding Band

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alivia chose images of a quiet, rustic summer getaway that reminded her of her “summer happy place”:

“ If I could transport myself anywhere, it would be in the woods, or close to it, surrounded by good people and good food. The people are optional ;) I love the look of sheer, flowing fabrics, intricate lace, and crisp white linen incorporated into nature’s wildness. It started being a planning board for a pretend engagement party, but ended up being a sort of summer party, complete with a menu and were I’d like to wake up and go to sleep!”

To see the images Alivia chose to accompany our Diamond Wedding Band click this link to go to her Pinterest

 

Cool Rings in Real Life: Maggie’s “Space Diamond”

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We love the rings our new friends Maggie and Jorge chose to represent their love. They found a designer named Tamara McFarland who custom-made their sustainable, eco-friendly jewelry - a moissonite engagement ring and a wedding band with lab-created rubies.

Pictures used with permission from Tamara McFarland from McFarlandDesigns.com

Turtle Love Committee: What is your favorite place in the whole wide world?
Maggie: The beach. Any beach. Preferably one that occupies the same space as 80 degree weather!

TLC: Childhood ambition?
M: I had an opportunity to study abroad in Siberia when I was in high school. Ever since then I’ve been determined to see as much of the world as I possibly can.

TLC: Current ambition?
M: In one and a half years I’ll have completed my course of study for licensure in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. My goal is to make Chinese medicine affordable and accessible to as many people as possible.

TLC: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
M: I’d pay off the student loans that my husband and I have accumulated over the course of almost twenty-five years of schooling. I’d also invest in organizations and institutions that are promoting health care accessibility, holistic care, and sustainable health care practices.

TLC: Who is your partner?
M: My partner is a healer, a gentleman, a hunk, a romantic, a comedian, a scholar and my husband.

TLC: How did you and your partner decide to get married?
M: We couldn’t imagine life without the other and we wanted to share our commitment with our friends and family.

TLC: What does your wedding/engagement/commitment ring look like?
M: They’re beautiful, simple, honest, ethical and eco-friendly! My engagement ring is a moissonite set in recycled sterling silver (moissonite is a stone that was originally discovered in a meteorite; it’s since been replicated in a lab and is similar in hardness to diamond) and we affectionately refer to it as my “space diamond!” My wedding ring is made with lab-created rubies also set in recycled sterling silver.

TLC: What do you think about your ring(s)?
M: When we knew we were going to get married we considered not exchanging rings at all (for a variety of reasons). It was challenging to find a local, eco-friendly jeweler, so we were pretty excited to discover Tamara McFarland’s work. She created a custom design based on our input and her style. I was so thrilled to have such a unique ring that really represented who we are as a couple.

TLC: What’s your favorite color?
M: This totally depends on the context, although pumpkin orange is always a safe bet.

TLC: Pets?
M: We live in a small apartment in San Francisco which doesn’t allow pets, but we’ve already named our future cat (Bubbles) and our future dog (Meatball).

TLC: What are you passionate about?
M: Healing. Travelling. Love. Baking. Lists (although I’m trying to wean myself from them). The beach. Creativity. Art Nouveau. Coconuts. Elvis.

TLC: What is the last book you read?
M: “The Time Traveller’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger.

TLC: Favorite beverage?
M: Coconut milk, hands-down!

TLC: What is your favorite physical feature?
M: I don’t have a favorite physical feature, but in terms of my personality, I’m grateful for my ability to see the positive aspects in any situation. I think I inherited that from my grandfather.

If you would like to tell us about your super cool ring for our blog, we would love to hear about it!

Feel free to email us!

Cool Rings in Real Life: Melissa’s Emerald

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When we found that we had a new friend also in the eco-friendly wedding business, we knew instantly that we wanted to feature her on our blog. Melissa Wagner, owner and senior event planner of Emerald Events & Weddings, had a wonderful emerald ring we thought fit in just great with “Cool Rings in Real Life.”

Turtle Love Committee: What’s your favorite place in the whole wide world?
Melissa: I think I was a mermaid in a previous life because I love the sea so much! My favorite places to go “be one” with the waves are Bermuda and Oregon’s coast. Both are absolutely beautiful but in very different ways.

TLC: Childhood ambition?
M: I wanted to be a world famous mystery writer.

TLC: Current ambition?
M: Making a decent living doing something I love and believe in with a flexible schedule that allows me to spend time with those I love. That’s the reason I started Emerald Events & Weddings, my very own eco-friendly event planning business. I help clients save the planet while they throw amazing parties and events, AND, I can still make it to my niece’s school play! That makes for a happy Melissa!

TLC: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
M: Half would go to charities I support like the Cystic Fibrosis foundation and Heifer International; with the other half I’d pay off all my family’s debts, buy everyone a new car, and maybe a second home near the beach for me!

TLC: Who is your partner?
M: Erich is the love of my life. I went through a LOT of frogs before finding my prince! He’s a techie with a wicked sense of humor, is one of the smartest men I know, and can cook gourmet meals like nobody’s business!

TLC: How did you and your partner decide to get married?
M: It was a surprise to both of us actually. We were sitting on our couch one night and I was upset that I’d been so busy I hadn’t been able to spend much time with him that week. He told me that was okay, “because we had the rest of our lives to be together.” He then took a deep breath and said “Will you marry me?” I asked him “Are you sure?!” about forty times before saying yes! It turned out that he’d actually planned to propose to me after the New Year when things calmed down, but his proposal ended up being completely spur of the moment and I loved the fact that it was so spontaneous.

TLC: What does your wedding/engagement/commitment ring look like?
M: I have a white gold ring with a lab created emerald-cut emerald with several small diamonds on each side. The front and back of the ring have lacework which allows light to shine through the emerald at all times.

TLC: What do you think about your ring(s)?
M: love it because it’s not cookie cutter in any sense of the word and it’s definitely a “me” ring. Since the diamonds and emerald are lab-created, I didn’t add to the destruction and suffering caused by mining those gems in the wild, which was important to both Erich and myself.

TLC: What are you passionate about?
M: My passions include time with my family and friends, traveling to exotic destinations, writing my how-to-books for greening events and gardening in our backyard. We raise hops (Erich homebrews beer) as well as vegetables, herbs, and heirloom flowers.

TLC: What is the last book you read?
M: Diana Mott Davidson’s “Fatally Flaky.” Her heroine, Gold,y is a caterer who, like me, is spunky, from Colorado and just a bit fluffy. She writes well and also includes several wonderful recipes in each murder mystery which I love to try out!

TLC: Sweetest indulgence?
M: Port and dark chocolate with my honey in front of a roaring fire.

TLC: What is your favorite physical feature?
M: I love my smile and it’s a good thing because I do that a lot!

If you would like to tell us about your super cool ring, we’d love to write about it!

Feel free to email us!

Cool Rings in Real Life: Conor’s Sapphire

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When we heard that our new friend Conor loved dinosaurs as much as we do, we couldn’t help but be thrilled when she agreed to being in our “Cool Rings for Cool People” blog! And she definitely has a very cool ring (with a very cool story about it to match!)

TLC: What is your favorite place in the whole wide world?
Conor: Anywhere where my backpack’s behind me and my son in front of me.

TLC: Childhood ambition?
C: To dig up dinosaurs and put them back together again.

TLC: Current ambition?
C: Not let today slip away, bake a five layer cake with homemade frosting, perfect my Spanish, get on airplane without knowing where it’s going.

TLC: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
C: Hand out twenty dollar bills like parking tickets and get on an airplane without knowing where it’s going.

TLC: Who is your partner?
C: An occasionally shy, always humorous British boy with a killer crooked smile and a way with building furniture.

TLC: How did you and your partner decide to get married?
C: We stopped thinking and dove in. Literally- he proposed next to a swimming pool (because we wanted the ring to evoke the moment we took the literal and figurative plunge) and then he threw me in!

TLC: What does your wedding/engagement/commitment ring look like?
C: It is a sapphire with two small diamonds on opposite sides made by Tom McCaffery in Chicago. We later commissioned Tom to make a pair of earrings when Declan was born to expand the orbit to include all three of us.

TLC: What do you think about your ring(s)?
C: I get lost in it and wander to all of the places we still have to get lost in together.

TLC: Pets?
C: Our 2 year old son.

TLC: What do you do for work?
C: Bookkeeper for artists and nonprofits, while studying for CPA exam.

TLC: What are you passionate about?
C: Taking people places they never thought they’d go.

TLC: What is the last book you read?
C:”The Canon: The Beautiful Basics of Science” by Natalie Angier

TLC: Favorite beverage?
C: Sapphire and tonic with lime, light on the ice.

TLC: Sweetest indulgence?
C: Concerts that start after midnight.

TLC: What is your favorite physical feature?
C: The Jersey Shore.

We’d love to hear about your super-cool ring!

Email us!

Cool Rings in Real Life: Genevia’s Peridot from TLC

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Nothing excites your recycled sterling silver artisan loving friends at Turtle Love Co. more than seeing our rings on happy faces. We signed into Facebook.com the other day and saw that someone had posted “Fan Pictures” - we hadn’t been that excited in a while! We contacted our new friend, Genevia, who had posted them and asked her if we could write about her Cool Ring in Real Life - especially since it was one of our very own Bryant ring in peridot!

Turtle Love Commitee: What is your favorite place in the whole wide world?
Genevia: By far, it’s the North Carolina Mountains. I spent so much time there as a kid with my family, so there’s a lot of great memories. It’s so beautiful and serene there.

TLC: Childhood ambition?
G: My childhood ambition was to be a brain surgeon, mainly because my cousin wanted to be one as well.

TLC: Current ambition?
G: To be the best mother and wife I can be.

TLC: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
G: Tithe 10% of it to our church, pay off our debt, do updates on our house, give money to charity, and do some upgrades on my Jeep!

TLC: Who is your partner?
G: Kenny is a wonderful man of God. He’s slightly cocky, very funny, and an amazing dad to our two kids, Gabriel (4) & Addison (almost 2). I never imagined that I would meet my husband online. Let alone a website called hotornot.com! But I did, and we’ve been together for a total of almost 7 years.

TLC: How did you and your partner decide to get married?
G: My husband and I got married after dating for 2 years. We had talked about getting married, but we weren’t engaged yet. Well, I got pregnant on Valentine’s Day 2005, and a few months later, we decided to get married.

TLC: What does your wedding/engagement/commitment ring look like?
G: I have the Raymond wedding band from TLC, which is a simple sterling silver band with squared edges. My engagement ring is the Bryant ring - a minimalist sterling silver ring, with a baguette cut peridot in a bezel setting.

TLC: What do you think about your ring(s)?
G: I LOVE my rings! I get compliments on them every day. I thought I wanted a traditional engagement and wedding band, but I am so glad I chose something simpler. Not as high maintenance and much easier to wear daily with two small children.

TLC: What’s your favorite color?
G: I guess if I had to pick one it would be either pink or green. I love all pink colors just because it’s so girly; and, I like green because it goes well with my skin tone, hair, and eyes.

TLC: Pets?
G: We have 2 dogs and both are rescues. Freckles is an 80lb pit bull and pointer mix, and Nestle is a 50lb chocolate lab and Irish setter mix.

TLC: What do you do for work?
G: I am a stay at home mom and home maker.

TLC: What are you passionate about?
G: I’m extremely passionate about childbirth and breastfeeding. After having two traumatic birth experiences and little support with breastfeeding my first child, I want to try to empower other women to do their research and discover what they think is the best option for them and their family! And not to just do everything their OBGYN and pediatricians tell them to do.

TLC: What is the last book you read?
G: I’m currently reading “Created to be His Help Meet” by Debi Pearl. A wonderful book for wives and wives-to-be on how to be a great wife and have a glorious marriage in the eyes of your spouse and God.

TLC: Favorite beverage?
G: Oh, there’s a few: sweet tea, Sundrop, and Cheerwine are all in a tie. It’s very hard to find Sundrop and Cheerwine here in Tennessee, so when I do, I thoroughly enjoy it!

TLC: Sweetest indulgence?
G: Plain and simple: chocolate chip cookies . . . I could eat them every day if I knew I wouldn’t gain a ton of weight!

If you would like to submit your super cool ring for our blog, we would love to hear about it!

Feel free to email us!

Enjoyable Proposals - Bill’s Story

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Your recycling-loving Turtle Love Co. friends thrives off unique and cool engagement tales. After all, they’re always so special and tailored (whether intentionally or accidentally!) specifically to the individuals getting engaged – and that’s what we’re all about! Celebrating our individuality!

Thanks to everyone who has submitted their stories!

If you would like to share your story too, email us!

Here is Bill’s Engagement Story:

“I am a rather traditional guy and live out in the country. Family values and old time traditions mean a lot to me. Christmas and Easter is not only the time of year when many colleges go on break, but where I live it’s maple syrup making time on the farm as well. It’s also the time of year I knew I would someday want to propose in. Given the wonderful family memories and times I had at the sugar shack, I knew that should be the place to start my own someday family.

Twenty years ago I was in a long distance relationship; my girlfriend and I were living on opposite sides of the state. As luck would have it, she would be home for spring break, and I knew it was time to propose to her. I spent weeks cleaning the sugar shack, trying to make it nice and cozy.

She came home, and it happened to be nasty spring weather. While she wasn’t keen on the idea of walking out in the rain and wind, I coaxed her into sitting with me outside in the sugar shack where a rich fire was roaring while the sap boiled itself into syrup.

Once inside we sat on a bench, and with a bit of a corny opener I asked her to be my wife. She started crying and I immediately started to think something was wrong. I asked her if she was alright and she responded, “I wasn’t expecting you to ask and never pictured being proposed to in a place like this.” I was nervous – maybe this was a dumb idea! But, she added, “This is so much like you. Of course I’ll marry you!.”

She later explained that she was actually impressed and was just a bit overcome with happiness and wondered what I was worried about. Sometimes it’s just better not to say something when you’re already ahead of the game - my first lesson for my new married life!

Included are two photos: one from when we got married and one nearly twenty years later. And we are still in love (if not more!) and making maple syrup in the spring remembering that story night.”

1989:

2009:

Thanks, Bill – who doesn’t love romance and maple syrup?!

Check out Bill’s website Groom Wedding Speech, which gives tips on writing and giving that perfect wedding speech!