Personalized rings have been around since Marc Anthony gave one to Cleopatra declaring his undying love. Variations have occurred throughout the ages, but in general, personalized rings can show love and devotion, a token of sentimentality, or a remembrance of a lost loved one. These are a big fashion statement for this upcoming holiday season, and a great gift choice all year long.

Engaged couples will have wedding bands engraved for each other with everything from initials and a heart to lengthier more personal sentiments such as words from “their” song. They can also be intricately decorated with stones or other adornments to further personalize the ring.

It is said that the mother of Pope John Paul II gave him a ring that had the entire Lord’s Prayer printed on it. And it there is a popular Hollywood legend that Playboy founder Hugh Heffner had a ring specially made with the measurements of his favored Bunnies over the years.

Rings can pretty much be engraved and personalized without limitations except in certain cases the amount of text may not have adequate room. Of course you could always hire the same craftsmen used by the Pope’s mom!

A new, very affordable, method of getting a personalized ring is to visit one of the new kiosks arriving into large malls. These kiosks have a type of robotic machine similar to the ones used to make pet tags. You put your ring inside, secure it, and use the keypad to choose your style. Then, just type what you want.

Some metals are easier to engrave on, however, the softer metals, such as gold, tend to wear out after a few years and it’s not only easy to have the process redone without damaging the surface of the ring. For guaranteed longevity you may want to choose silver or platinum if the ring will be worn daily.

Personalized rings don’t need to be limited to metal, either. Frequently wood, coral or jade rings can be engraved delicately enough to last for years.