Personalized Legal Attention Call

865-622-7768

Make It Our Fight

At White & White, Attorneys at Law, we care about our clients and about helping them improve their lives.

Is it wise to propose with an heirloom ring?

On Behalf of | Jul 30, 2022 | Divorce

If you have found the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life, you are probably hard at work planning a memorable proposal. Now that you have picked the location and your attire, you are thinking about asking your grandmother for her wedding ring. After all, getting on one knee and handing a piece of treasured jewelry to your soon-to-be spouse should be nothing short of epic.

Your grandmother’s wedding ring means a great deal to your family. If your girlfriend says, “yes,” the ring eventually may mean a lot to her as well. Still, if you do not want to lose the heirloom ring during a future divorce, you must be careful.

Property division in Tennessee

When married couples divorce in the Volunteer State, they typically must split marital assets equitably. While it may seem fair and equitable for you to receive your family’s heirloom ring, the ring may not be part of your marital estate.

That is, as a gift, the ring you give to your future spouse is likely to be separate property. This means in the event of a divorce, your spouse probably has full control over what happens to the ring. If she does not want to return it to you, it may be hard to force her to do so.

Prenuptial agreements

According to reporting from CNN, prenuptial agreements are no longer agreements only rich people negotiate. If you want to protect a specific piece of property, such as your grandmother’s ring, drafting a prenuptial agreement may be the right course of action.

Ultimately, rather than potentially losing your grandma’s ring in a future divorce, it is advisable to take steps to protect it before you walk down the aisle.