1. not really... when I was married, my ex- had so much non-optional baggage from his ex-wife, I didn't want anything that had anything to do with her if I had any choice at all.

2. I have usually given back whatever was given to me when the relationship ends, though there are a few things I still have, and I cherish the happy memories that they remind me of. If the item doesn't remind me of happy memories, I give it away.

I'm not a big jewelry wearer myself. I don't wear lots of it, but I have pierced ears and I wear a single ring on my right hand. I will add a necklace if I'm dolling up and the outfit has an open neckline.
(The ring that used to be on my left ring finger actually broke as I was separating and physically moving into my own place... timely I guess.. but I still have it tucked away somewhere. I'll probably give it to my daughter when she's a bit older. It's still repairable, but I have no need to repair it.)

I would not feel comfortable being given jewelry from my SO's Ex, nor would I give a piece that used to be an Ex's. The association is hard to break and I would feel like I'm asking someone to free their mind of it when maybe that's not possible or it's something they don't want to do.

Besides the aforementioned broken ring, I have one other piece of jewelry given by an SO. That is a man's link bracelet with a strip of smooth metal like an ID bracelet. It was once his and so it has his initials on it. On the underside it has the date his dad passed away. He has talked a bit about his dad with me, and so I feel honored that he would give this to me. If we were to end this relationship, I would certainly return it to him; it still means something special to him before it ever was given to me.

Sorry I dont' want jewelry that the ex owned. That's kind of creepy. The one exception would be a family heirloom.

I have a mother's/grandmother's ring that my kids bought me when the first grandchild was born. I haven't decided yet whether I'll be buried with it or pass it on to my granddaughter.

I not only would not want it, I would refuse it. Well maybe if there was some loving reason for it. For instance if my sweetie had had a wife who died and there was a piece of jewelry that represented something about her he wanted me to have and it was about love and honoring the person whose jewelry it was then that could be really special. but otherwise the idea just icks me out. I feel like people leave energy on things by wearing them and by their intentions of giving them.

Hell I wouldn't want or wear a totally expensive visually exquisite piece of jewelry from a stranger, the only things I will have that close to me are things that are filled with love. But then I'm super superstitious that way.

I definitely have jewelry that is special to me because it came from someone I love. If they are no longer in my life then the jewelry feels like it represents the past with them. and I don't wear the past either. But I might keep it. I have my wedding ring from my ex and I'll keep that until it feels right to pass it on to one of my sons because it is the past for me but it is still something in honor of something very special to them.

1. No, it would be...weird. Fortunately, Hubby did not have an ex, so that issue did not come up.

2. I have my grandmother's wedding ring setting, with the diamonds from Mom's first marriage set into it. It was given to me upon my college graduation and I wore it with my 10th anniversary ring, set with small rubies. After Hubby died, I took them both off, but wore his ring on a necklace until after the final wake as a "momento mori". But now that the wakes are over, I feel it is time to move on. He gave me several other pieces of jewelry, which I am keeping and will wear, with good memories.

3. I will keep the rings, and perhaps give them to my godchildren.

i can't imagine meeting someone whose ex had the same taste in jewelry as me, but maybe, it would depend on the situation. i know how to cleanse things from bad juju if i really want to.

i got married with the ring that my grandmother wore for 50 years. she didn't want to give up her engagement ring as well, so we found one that was virtually identical (in a serendipitous hard-to-believe kind of perfect way) -- a few years ago, my daughter's longtime boyfriend asked if he could have it because he wanted to ask her to marry him... she's been wearing it since, and it is indeed special, but i won't trip about it if and when they decide to get something different.

I don't mind keeping jewelry given to me during a relationship
if when it was gifted to me things were good. It has a good energy
then and if I like the piece I will still wear it again. Plus I like to remember
the good parts of relationship.

I would never want to wear jewelry from my husbands ex wife, if he had one.

I do wear quite a few items that were my grandmother and great grandmothers.

i have a necklace that my ex-mother-in-law gave me, and a ring my ex-husband gave me. i wear both. it's difficult for me to find jewelry i like, and the ring is the only thing my ex-husband bought me, ever, as a surprise, in the 10 years we were together. my wedding ring was an irish claddagh that belonged to me before the wedding, and although i have kept it, i never wear it. i would consider giving it to one of my sons to use as an engagement ring if they wanted it and it fit. i can't imagine doing anything else with it.

i don't know how i'd feel about wearing jewelry that belonged to my SO's ex. i'm not creeped out by ex-energy unless they're currently making my life hard, so i don't think it would bother me. i would assume if the ex gave it back, then she didn't want it and that would be good enough for me.

theresa, i think it's cool that you were willing to let go of that jewelry and what became of it. didn't you sell it to him for the GIRLS? crap! i would be furious. it's disrespectful to the children, really, for her to wear it. but it shows your quality that you were able to say, it's not mine any more, and leave it at that.

For me it absolutely depends upon the situation involved. The situation Theresa mentioned is a little creepy to me, especially because of the children and the fact that he promised to save the jewelry for them. That would tick me off from your perspective and creep me the hell out if I were a second wife being offered such a gift. I also wouldn't ever want jewelry worn by an ex that ended on bad terms with my partner. Why would I want to remind him/her of his/her estranged ex? Now if there was a death or the relationship ended on a good note and the ex gave back the jewelry because it was a symbol of love that no longer existed, that I could perhaps accept. Things like that.

I also do enjoy jewelry from partners, but I'm very picky about the motives behind the gift. I don't want expensive jewelry and I don't want a lot of jewelry but I WILL be touched if they pick out something that has some symbolic significance to them. I have a couple of pieces that I cherish because they were given to me by lovers and I use those to fondly remember them, even the one that is so obviously not me (white gold and diamond butterflies, EEK!) because the man was incredibly sweet even though he was completely clueless. I still wear my handfasting (marriage) ring, but most people don't recognize it as such. It's silver and is two Celtic knot-work dragons (Wyrms, actually) with a garnet set between them. The symbolism of it is strong and complex and though he is no longer alive he IS still my handfasted. It is a way to carry him with me though I have nothing else of his (well, aside form some clothes he left behind on accident when he went out to Ohio to set up our home).

So, yeah. I like symbolic jewelry from established lovers. Don't court me with jewelry though, it doesn't appeal to me and feels too much like a bribe or payment for anticipated services rendered. Ick. And, yes, I keep the jewelry. I would only give it back if I did not want anything to remind me of the person. Fortunately the only boys I don't really want to remember never gave me much of anything. Funny, that.

Ay Theresa, that would drive me nuts. what do your kids think about it? or is it better not to stir this pot?

I am a little sensitive about jewelry gifts because they're so commoditized (new word?). I buy my own, mostly. It takes a lot for me to accept that kind of gift from someone.

No way would I expose myself to the creepy karma/bad vibe/overtone of grasping greed of wearing jewelry that wasn't clearly meant for me alone. I would feel ashamed. But that's just me.