Tia Mowry made the decision to repurpose her engagement ring and wedding band from her ex-husband Cory Hardict into sentimental gifts for her children, son Cree and daughter Cairo. She explained her decision on her reality show “Tia Mowry: My Next Act,” stating that she had not worn the rings for almost two years and felt that selling them was not the right move. Mowry wanted to create something meaningful for her children out of the rings as they had been her greatest gift. Despite feeling emotional about the rings being a symbol of her past marriage, Mowry believed it was important to repurpose them for her children.
Mowry revealed that the rings had been sitting in a drawer since her divorce in 2022 and decided to convert them into jewelry pieces for her son and daughter during a consultation at a jewelry store. She chose to make Cree a necklace and Cairo a bracelet, wanting to give them something that had been given out of love. Mowry felt that transforming the rings into gifts for her children helped her feel like her marriage was not a waste and that she had done the right thing. The couple had been married for 14 years and together for nearly 20 before finalizing their split six months after their divorce.
Following in Mowry’s footsteps, Emily Ratajkowski also repurposed her engagement ring after her split from Sebastian Bear-McClard, turning it into two separate “divorce rings.” The model separated the diamonds on her two-stone ring to create two rings that symbolized the separation of two stones, just like a divorce signifies the separation of two people. Alison Chemla, the founder of Alison Lou, explained that the two rings served as a reminder of Ratajkowski’s strength and power. The first ring featured a pear-shaped stone set on a gold band, while the second ring had additional diamonds flanking the original princess-cut stone.
The act of repurposing marriage tokens after a divorce seems to be a trend among celebrities, as they find creative ways to transform sentimental items into new pieces with personal meaning. Both Tia Mowry and Emily Ratajkowski chose to redesign their rings into jewelry for themselves or their children as a way of moving forward from their past relationships. The process of repurposing these items can be emotional and symbolic, providing closure and a sense of empowerment as they transition into a new chapter of their lives. By transforming these symbols of the past, they find a way to honor their experiences while looking towards the future with hope and resilience.
