Divorce rings are becoming a trend. As wedding rings are a reminder of the I dos, the celebration with friends and family, and the occasional cake smeared across the face, divorce rings are a little different. People are now acknowledging the I don’ts too, bidding farewell to their vows with a little extra finger sparkle — because ditching your spouse doesn’t mean ditching the wedding band, according to the New York Times.

Divorce rings have emerged as a way to acknowledge not just the end of a chapter, but the start of a new one. For some divorcees, the ring celebrates the bravery it takes to start over, representing empowerment and closure, centering the ring on their relationship with themselves. Others choose to wear their divorce rings on their middle finger…well, for obvious reasons.

Is it a new staple or just a fad? Sasha Nixon, a New York-based jewelry curator and historian, spoke to the Gray Lady and seems to think that divorce rings are “having a moment.” Ali Galgano, another jeweler, says she “saw a significant increase” in divorce ring requests, triple the number seen in 2022.

New marital status, who dis? Divorce rings aren’t just wedding bands worn with different intentions. Divorcees have been repurposing their bands to make new ones. Judith Hoetker, head goldsmith at Reinstein Ross, has suggested to her clients that they change the ring completely by altering the design, adding more stones, and wearing the ring on a different hand — and women love it. Case in point, Emily Ratajowski’s divorce ring (in the image above), which was transformed from her engagement band into two rings, has received over a mn likes on social media.

Divorce rings have been around for centuries. Rachel Church, an author and former jewelry curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, says that historically, divorce rings were “mournful jewels.” They were a social indicator meant to avoid misunderstandings by preventing questions about their spouses. But modern divorce things lack “any hint of mourning,” says Church, saying that identifying yourself as divorced doesn’t hold the same meaning as before.

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