I Found My Engagement Ring!

No, I'm not getting married--at least, not anytime soon--but I do have the perfect engagement ring in my possession. And I didn't pay one dime for it.

My grandfather died last February (2007), and we (the family) had to go to PA to sort through all of his and my grandmother's things. My grandma died in 2005, but my grandpa didn't really get rid of much of her stuff after that, understandably.

I happened to arrive later than most to the emotional sifting party before the funeral, and all of the other kids and grandkids had had a chance to choose one item that meant something to them to take home as a momento. My family on my mom's side is really nice and not petty--we all took pretty much whatever we wanted or needed--so this worked out well for us. There was no worrying about the 'estate' or if someone chose something slightly more valuable (my dad's side is a WHOLE other story). I didn't really care to get their 'stuff' that much, but most of the sentimental items had already been thrown away--the beloved rooster on the kitchen wall, the golfing frog suncatcher that my Grandpa would make stories up about during dinner, etc.), so I was a little bummed about that.

Anyway, my mom felt bad about this, and offered me an heirloom in advance. Apparently, this half carat diamond ring set in platinum (with some filigree detailing) has been passed down in my family to the eldest female for the past 70 or so years. My great great aunt Nellie bought it--probably early to mid-last century?--and passed it to her sister, my great-great Aunt Etta, when she died. Auntie Etta apparently was a spinster, and passed it to my grandmother--the eldest female in the family--in the early 70's or 80's. It was appraised at that point for $500. My mom is the eldest daughter in her family, as am I. The ring was passed on to my mom at my grandfather's death (technically all of my grandmother's stuff went to him before any of us, but I don't really count that). She offered the ring to me to give me something of my grandparents to take home. The ring doesn't fit any of my mom's fingers, anyway. I initially declined to take the ring home with me, because I was about to move out of my townhouse, but I remembered placing it in my mom's labeled box of stuff to take home from PA. It's crazy, but I've been thinking about that ring ever since last February! The box of stuff didn't make it to our house from the storage unit until last summer, and even then it was stored under a bunch of furniture and other knicknacks we took. I tried to look for it this past Christmas, but ended up not having enough time to find it.

I finally found the ring pouch a day or so ago. It was one of the first things I did, actually. Every day, a couple of times a day, I try it on and admire it. I can't say how much it means to me. I love that I would be adding on to the already rich family history by using it as an engagement ring. I love that it was loved by my grandmother, that it was lovingly given to me by my mother, and that maybe someday it will go to my daughter or granddaughter, and they will love it.

In addition to all that loveliness, the ring is almost exactly what I would have picked out, given the choice. It is a decent sized diamond, a good size for my hands, but not ostentatious; it is set in platinum (awesome), and it has beautiful filigree details on the sides and top/bottom of the setting. Not to mention that it fits perfectly. (I tried to take pictures of it but my camera apparently doesn't focus close enough to capture details. And the flash bounced back from the ring and caused a huge glare anyway.)

As a bonus, I don't have to worry about buying a 'blood' diamond, or buying a synthetically made diamond. Nothing against laboratory-grown gems--they are a GREAT alternative to natural diamonds, mostly for their associated reduced social, economic, and environmental impact--but as a geologist, I would prefer that the gem grew deep in the Earth from a long process that required time and luck, I think. It's just somehow more romantic and beautiful to me.

As a second bonus package, I don't have to pick out a ring, my guy doesn't have to figure out what I want, no (more) land needs to be destroyed to mine the materials, AND, most importantly for this blog--doesn't have to spend a nickel on me for something I think is a silly tradition anyway.

p.s. Just an aside--this does NOT mean that I at all condone the crazy hoopla surrounding marriages and engagements (I once was invited to THREE wedding showers and a bachelorette party for the same bride--WTF?)--and don't get me started on my tirade surrounding the diamond industry (diamonds are NOT rare!)--but I have to admit a very girly part of me loves that I now have an engagement ring in my sights. Sigh. I'm now ONE OF THEM.