Ring Engraving Ideas & Guide
Engraving is a wonderful way to personalize your ring and make it even more meaningful. Engravings can be sentimental, playful, poetic, or practical. But with everything else you're thinking about, coming up with the perfect engraving can feel like one more decision on an already long list.
Here's the thing: you don't need to overthink it. Something as simple as your wedding date or initials can make your ring feel more personal and special. This guide will walk you through engraving options, technical details, and plenty of ideas to get you started.
Machine Engraving vs. Hand Engraving
We offer both machine engraving and hand engraving, each with different capabilities and timelines.
Machine Engraving
Machine engraving is a more limited and less expensive option. It's perfect for text-based engravings like dates, initials, names, and short phrases, and it doesn't add extra time to your order. Machine engraving is shallower than hand engraving and is limited to three font options: block, script, and italic. We cannot use accents or special characters other than ♥ & • . / -, so it's best for English-only text.
How to order: See all details on how to add machine engraving to your order here.
Hand Engraving
Hand engraving is a traditional craft and dying art form. We work with a local engraver who brings decades of skill to each piece. Hand engraving offers more flexibility than machine engraving and creates a deeper, more artisanal look. It's typically done in a classic ribbon script font, but other styles are possible. Hand engraving can be done on the inside or outside of rings, on other jewelry pieces, and can include designs beyond just text.
Technical details:
- Adds 2-3 weeks to production time
- Costs more than machine engraving (quoted individually)
- Designs like birth flowers, trees, mountains, etc., can be hand-engraved
- Engraving can be done on the inside or outside of a ring, as well as on other jewelry
How to order: See all details on how to add machine engraving to your order here.
Engraving Ideas
Still not sure what to engrave? Here are ideas organized by category to help inspire you.
Dates
- Wedding date
- Date you met
- First date
- Anniversary date
- Engagement date
Names & Initials
- Full names
- First names only
- Nicknames
- Initials + Initials (example: A + M)
- Initials & Initials (example: A & M)
- Initials ♥ Initials (example: A ♥ M)
- Initials + Initials + wedding date
Traditional Wedding Phrases
- I Do
- To Have and To Hold
- In Sickness and in Health
- From This Day Forward
- With This Ring
- Til Death Do Us Part
Simple & Romantic
- Always
- Forever
- All My Love
- I Love You
- My Love
- My Heart
- Yours
- Mine
- Together
Poetic & Literary
- Never Doubt My Love (or the Shakespeare version: Never Doubt I Love)
- Excerpt from your vows
- Line from a favorite poem
- Lyric from "your song"
- Quote that's meaningful to you both
Playful & Humorous
- Put Me Back On!
- No Take Backs
- Nonrefundable
- Team [Last Name]
- Finally!
- About Time
- Worth the Wait
Meaningful Phrases
- My Best Friend
- My Soulmate
- My Person
- Better Half
- Other Half
- I Want to Grow Old With You
- Through Thick and Thin
- Truly, Madly, Deeply
- You & Me
- Us Against the World
- Home
- Safe Harbor
Other Languages
- âme soeur (French: Soulmate)
- Mon Amour (French: My Love)
- Amore Mio (Italian: My Love)
- Mi Amor (Spanish: My Love)
- In perpetuum et unum diem (Latin: Forever and a Day)
- Semper Amemus (Latin: Love Always)
- Amor Vincit Omnia (Latin: Love Conquers All)
Creative & Unique
- Kismet
- Coordinates of where you met, got engaged, or are getting married (latitude in one ring, longitude in the other)
- Inside joke only you two understand
- Pet names for each other
- Roman numerals for your date
- Matching phrases (one phrase split between two rings)
Tips for Choosing Your Engraving
Keep it meaningful to you: Don't worry about what's traditional or what others might think. Choose something that resonates with your relationship.
Consider longevity: While funny engravings can be great, think about whether it will still feel right in 20 or 30 years.
Less is often more: You don't need to use all 20 characters. Sometimes the simplest engravings are the most powerful.
Test it out: Write out your engraving idea and look at it for a few days before committing. Does it still feel right?
Character limits matter: Remember that spaces and punctuation count toward your character limit. If you're over 20 characters, consider abbreviating or simplifying.
Can't decide? A wedding date is always a solid choice and adds meaning without overthinking it.
Still Have Questions?
We're here to help you create something meaningful. Whether you have questions about what will fit, want to explore hand engraving options, or need help deciding what to engrave, get in touch.
Ready to add engraving to your order? Find our engraving options here.
