Sometime after my father passed away, my mother took off her wedding jewelry and stored it for safe keeping. When I was getting ready to propose to my girlfriend, I told her that I would be honored if I could use the same engagement ring that my father had. When she handed it to me, she asked if I would also like the wedding bands as well. That seemed like a perfect time to change the subject. Don’t get me wrong. They were still in fine shape, but I was looking forward to diamond weddings bands for my bride and I. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="302"] Diamond Wedding Band[/caption] Times had changed from when my parents had gotten married. Jewelry for men back then was an almost abstract concept. Very few men wore jewelry of any kind. It still wasn’t even all that common for men to wear wedding bands in general, and when they did, they tended to be very simple understated gold or silver bands. I wanted something more than that, which is why I had looked for a designer who could work with me. I wanted to create custom diamond wedding bands that honored the classic look of the diamond solitaire engagement ring I would be giving my wife, but also be a stunning piece of jewelry, something to be admired and not simply accepted. Working together, we came up with two beautiful gold and diamond wedding bands that looked as if all three rings had been bought as a set. Best of all, they also took the time to clean and polish my mom’s original ring so it shined like it was brand new. And they also did me one more favor. I didn’t change the subject in the end, but told my mom yes, I would take the wedding bands. It wasn’t that I had forgotten I was getting diamond wedding bands. I had the designer take those original bands and create a stunning new ring that my wife and I gave to my mother the night before our wedding. We wanted to honor my parents long and beautiful marriage before my father’s tragic passing, and let my mother know how grateful we were that her ring was the one that made my wife say “I do.”