Ring Engraving Ideas

Engraving the inside of a ring goes back at least to the posy rings of Tudor England, simple bands carrying a short verse that only the wearer could read. The idea has not changed: a private message, worn against the skin.

A few starting points:

A date

The proposal, the wedding, or the day you met.

Initials or names

Yours, theirs, or both, joined by a small symbol.

Coordinates

Where you met, where you proposed, or the place that means most.

A word in your language

Something in the language of home or of the first words you said to each other. In Portuguese, para sempre means forever.

An in-joke

A word or phrase that will mean nothing to anyone else.

A line from your song

A few words that bring it back, rather than a whole verse.

Handwriting

A short note in your own hand, reproduced by laser.

A fingerprint

Your partner’s fingerprint, engraved inside your band.

Space is limited, and it depends on the width and size of the band: a slim band fits a short phrase or a date, a wider one more. Keep it short; it is usually more powerful that way.

Laser engraving is very precise and can reproduce handwriting and fingerprints. Hand engraving has a softer, traditional character.

Ask for the engraving to be placed away from the bottom of the band, where rings are usually resized, so a future resize does not cut through it.

Some couples split a phrase across two bands, so each ring completes the other. Others engrave each other’s words. And some keep the engraving a secret until the wedding day.