What to do with the items that used to bring you joy

I took my wedding rings off early in my separation from my ex husband. For months, they sat in my jewelry box, in a separate drawer from my other jewelry so I wouldn't have to see them daily.

Even so, I found myself checking on them periodically. Yep, still there. Still pretty. Still a symbol of something sad.

I thought about selling them. Or about saving them and handing them down to my boys one day.

I researched what others did. After a time, I came up with a list of options (see below). All of those options would have provided a Minute of Joy, but ultimately, I decided to make something new from them. I met with a jeweler and we came up with a plan. Step one was converting the stone from my engagement ring into a diamond pendant (see picture at left). Step two would be statement ring with the diamonds from my wedding band. I'm still working on that one -- it's a bit of a bigger expense. Part of the process involves actually melting down the gold from my wedding band to scrap it and apply it against the cost -- definitely a symbolic gesture of melting away the bad from the divorce but saving the happy memories from the marriage (the diamonds).

The meeting with the jeweler was definitely My Minute of Joy that day. But whether I'd decided to sell them, donate them, chuck them in the river or save them for my boys, each decision put me in a position to choose joy over heartbreak. If you've found yourself in a similar position, what did you do with your wedding rings? Did you find a way to make a Minute of Joy?