23 Unique Engagement Rings With A Special Meaning

"I’m obsessed with my husband's eyes and wanted a ring that reminded me of my favorite person."

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to show us their unique engagement rings and tell us the stories behind them. Some of the best are below!

A lot of them made it onto this list, but since there were so many I decided to add more! This time, I focused on rings with really amazing stories behind them.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.

1. This ring, which had something old and something new:

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"We just got engaged last month (while on Zoom with my family, yay quarantine!) but picked out the ring together before that. I originally wanted a blue stone of some sort as the center, but then his mom offered to let us have his great grandma’s engagement ring, which had two sapphires in it. We collaborated with a local jeweler to design this custom setting for the two sapphires on either side of a responsibly sourced diamond, with tiny diamond chips making up the design on the side. I love wearing it and thinking about the history the sapphires must have seen with his great grandma! Her ring was clearly well loved; I intend to do the same with mine!" —audreyw4e2662238

2. This ring, which has a super sentimental history:

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"After being liberated from a concentration camp, my granddad immigrated to NY, went to night school, then joined the Air Force. He was eventually stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, SC. My great grandma met him at temple one night, called my grandma and said, "I’ve found your husband." He married her with this ring in 1951 and they spent over 60 years in love. As a kid, I remember she’d always let me put it on my finger. Before she passed, she made my mom promise that it would go to me and hopefully become my wedding ring. My now-husband asked my parents for it because he knew how much sentimental value it had. If he and I can have even half of the love my grandparents shared between them, it’d be more than enough." —abigailm4f70e567d

3. This ring, which was meant to be:

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"We did not have a huge budget so picked out our rings from a gorgeous secondhand jeweler. While I was browsing, my fiancé found this gold and sapphire band that I fell completely in love with. The strange part? It was engraved with the previous owner's initials, which happened to be the same as my late dad’s. It was meant to be and I couldn’t ever love these rings more!" —emmar4368873d2

4. This ring, which was designed by the bride's husband and mother:

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"The center diamond is a family heirloom. The jewelry designer was the same designer who created my mom’s ring. It is truly special and unique. I feel so loved, lucky and grateful." —catdomke1988

5. This ring, which actually took on more meaning with time:

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"When we were talking about getting engaged, I started researching about diamonds and honestly found it overwhelming. I grew up on a lake and loved to swim and scuba dive so I really liked sapphires because they were blue like the water. I particularly liked the dark blue ones. I pointed out this ring to my then boyfriend. I didn't realize it at the time but sapphires were the original engagement stone as they symbolize loyalty and faithfulness. I love that the ring also has infinity symbols around the diamonds on the side. We actually ended up having four children so it is all the more perfect!" —jjtsmomma

6. This ring, which reminds this woman of her husband's eyes:

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"My ring is an oval cut sapphire in a rose gold setting. I’m obsessed with my husband's eyes and wanted a ring that reminded me of my favorite person. Plus, sapphire is a powerful stone that releases mental tension, depression, unwanted thoughts and spiritual confusion by restoring balance within the body, aligning the physical, mental and spiritual planes, and bringing serenity and peace of mind!" —jordyg2493

7. This ring, which symbolizes the couple's love of nature:

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"Nature is the most important thing to me. My now-wife proposed at the top of a hill. The ring (moonstone) was in a box made from a tree branch. Afterwards, we watched birds swooping through the sky. It couldn't have been more perfect!" —ljwebb

8. This ring, which the woman's fiancé made himself!

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"My fiancé designed and made my sapphire and 24 carat gold engagement ring. He is also doing the same for my wedding ring. I had mentioned gold, sapphires and pear cut, and he did very well! I mean, he learned how to SMELT GOLD! The sapphire is a natural sapphire rather than lab grown, so it has these beautiful imperfections that look like tiger stripes inside of it. I also love the gap in the ring – it just makes it so unique and special." —charleyelizabethc

9. This ring that's a reminder of a loved one:

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"This ring belonged to my wife’s grandfather who was very special to us. I lost wedding rings pretty regularly until I started using this one after he passed a few years back. We think he got it when he was stationed in Korea during the war, but Papa had lots of stories and it wasn’t always easy to tell what was true. We miss him, but this ring always makes me feel connected to him." —seana45aee0392

10. This ring, which incorporated family heirlooms and personal style to give it the perfect meaning:

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"I had my engagement ring specially made – there are yellow and white gold twists on the side and an amethyst and diamonds in the middle. The yellow gold is made up of jewelry which belonged to my grandma, my mom, and myself. The two diamonds were originally a pair of earrings belonging to my mom, and the white gold and amethyst were new. I even got to pick my amethyst! It’s so special to me as we put so much thought into it and I get to carry a little bit of my mom and nan with me all the time." —leannew4ca22f410

11. This ring, which has a special family history:

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"I got handed down my great grandmother and grandmother’s wedding rings, and my husband used them to create a custom wedding set for me that used not only the family diamonds, but also the melted down metal from them as well. I love the flow of it, and the family history behind it is priceless." —samip

12. This ring that's perfect for a horticulturist:

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"My fiancé and I got engaged in a pretty untraditional way. We decided to go to my favorite holistic shop and pick out the ring that spoke to me. The ring we tried on and found was perfect had a green tourmaline stone, which opens the heart chakra and connects you to nature. I’m a horticulturist and found my forever partner – it was meant to be!" —j_botanist

13. This ring, which reminds its owner of the ocean:

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"We picked out this aquamarine center stone ring from a local artist. My engagement ring actually slipped off my hand in the ocean while we were engaged, but luckily someone miraculously found it and returned it to us!! It always reminds me of the ocean for multiple reasons now." —joshw42942acbe

14. This wedding band made from a unique material:

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"Here’s my wedding band made out of a penny. My Nana’s dad made it for her when she was young, then she passed it down to my mom, and then it was passed on to me right before my wedding. I love it so much." —mlward

15. This ring, which was especially meaningful in the middle of a tough time:

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"My grandma passed away 11 days before my now-wife proposed. We had planned a little overnight getaway after the stress of losing a loved one. Before we left, my now wife talked to my dad and got my grandmother's ring without me knowing. When she pulled out my grandma’s ring as she proposed, it was the most beautiful and perfect ring I’d ever seen. I’m so thankful I get to wear it!" —kilap

16. This ring, which is a tribute to the woman's husband:

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"Sapphire is my husband’s birth stone, and my wedding band has his fingerprint engraved on the inside." —julialeec2

17. This ring with a unique stone picked for a particular reason:

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"I'm REALLY not into diamonds so he surprised me with a meteorite! It fits because we're both very much into sci-fi and had a pretty geeky wedding." —lauphenstaar

18. This ring, which carried the memory of both this woman's grandma and her husband's grandpa:

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"My grandmother inherited this ring from her sister. I gave the ring to my boyfriend and told him I wanted him to propose someday with this ring. The middle band was made by my fiancé. He melted down the ring from his grandfather to make his own ring (plus he purchased gold and platinum) and my small band. He actually casted the band the day he received his doctorate! The third band we purchased together. We both carry around our grandparents' memory every day and it’s amazing." —kyraw4f0f2c14f

19. These rings, which the bride and groom made themselves:

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"We took a lost wax casting class at a local art center to learn how to make them! My husband's ring (the geometric one) was actually 3D printed with a special wax casting filament. I have two rings and both were hand carved by me out of wax – the one with the topaz has vines going up to the gem and is wrapped by two sterling leaves. I wear this one for special occasions. My daily ring is an 'infinity' type pattern that is carved to look like twigs or wood. And to top it off, we're rock climbers and have to take our rings off to climb so we got tattoo rings! Mine (pictured) is a figure 8 knot and my husband has a mountain range." —jenniferk14

20. This ring, which is sure to be passed down:

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"My now husband and I decided we both wanted gold bands. There was something beautifully simplistic about us having rings that were similar – but we wanted to make each unique. I saw this petal ring and knew right away! The diamond band is from a ring my grandpa had given my grandma, which she ended up giving to me when he passed. We used the diamonds and gold to create a band that fit my gold engagement ring. I hope these become family heirlooms someday." —paigem4bef0ad57

21. This ring that was made from the jewelry of loved ones:

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"My husband and I experienced a very weird sequence of events around when we got married. His gran, with whom he was always very close, had a stroke in September of 2014, and we began talking about doing a courthouse wedding so she could be there. Unfortunately, she died due to complications from the stroke a couple months later, meaning she wasn't there to see us get married in January 2015. When we got around to the rings, we decided to design one for me using the diamonds from gran's engagement rings and a diamond from the ring of a great great aunt she was close to. The ring is a monument to her and a reminder of the grief and joy we went through during those months."

—helengriswold

22. This custom-made ring:

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"My girlfriend proposed almost two weeks ago with a gorgeous ring she designed herself. The main stone is a garnet which is her birthstone. It was custom-made by a local jeweler. I love it so much!" —janineraquel

23. And finally, this gorgeous opal ring that's a tribute to a lost loved one:

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"We chose an opal for my engagement/wedding ring. It was my mother's birthstone. She passed away a couple years ago and we thought it would be a nice way to remember her." —heather132

Me after reading all these stories:

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