With this ring…
I am linking to Sian for another Story Telling Sunday. Don’t the weeks come around quickly?
My story this week is a bit topical, it is about my wedding ring.
William seemed to have a little difficulty getting the ring on to Catherine’s finger didn’t he?
A similar thing happened to me, only it was quite a few years after our wedding and it was the other way about, I couldn’t get my ring off!
My poor hands and fingers decided to swell. So much so that I had to have my engagement ring cut off. It was 18ct gold, so very thin to start with, it began to cut into my finger.
My wedding ring began to get tight but I really didn’t want that cut off so I put up with it for ages. One day my friend saw me turning it to try to make it more comfortable, she told me about a goldsmith in the West Country, near to Bristol, who made jewellery from old gold.
Maybe I could have my ring cut off and a new one made from it?
Apparently you could take your old broken jewellery to them and they would make you a new piece of jewellery from your old gold.
We drove across to Bristol to investigate. I had a little packet of old and broken jewellery with me, not knowing if it was good enough or indeed enough to do anything with.
The goldsmith in the craft centre couldn’t have been kinder or more helpful, we decided to go ahead, he cut my wedding ring off and we added it to the little pile.
We had enough gold to make me a new wedding ring and some lovely new earrings. I was thrilled. As jewellery designing is not one of my skills we left it to them to help us. For the ring they suggested a simple twist which was one of their own designs, and they earrings would be a couple of cm long narrow at the top getting wider at the base with a hammered design (clear as mud to me). Although they drew the pattern of the ring and the shape they proposed for the earrings, really I had no real idea what it would be like. It sounded wonderful, the only thing I was concerned about was, would the ring fit!
A few weeks later we drove down to The Clevedon Craft Centre near Bristol to collect my new wedding ring.
With this ring
And these earrings
So what’s so exciting/interesting about that story?
The gold that is in my ring and earrings came from my original wedding ring, my engagement ring, my mothers wedding and engagement rings, my grandmothers wedding ring and my mother-in-laws engagement ring.
I am wearing something of probably insignificant monetary value but the family history in my simple ring is priceless.
There are more stories here
how wonderful – they are beautiful and have great sentimentality incorporated. I have my Nana’s aunt’s wedding ring which has her grandmother’s wedding ring as the inner layer of gold – it was too thin to wear so her husband had more gold added to it.
what a lovely story. i go to that craft centre sometimes with my sister as its just up the road, small world,
Jo xxx
Oh that is such a wonderful idea! I have my mother’s wedding ring and several other broken gold pieces that would cost the earth to mend but would all combine into something to be handed down to my daughter and then to her daughter – that is such a beautiful story, thank you.
That is such a beautiful story – and your ring is priceless now isn’t it? Thank you so much for sharing. J x
Oh how wonderful and it looks super. I have my Mum’s engagement ring (sister has the wedding band) and my Grandmother’s ruby ring. I wonder if something could be done with them. Right now they’re both sitting in the SDB after having had to have the engagement ring cut off (last month’s story).
What an absolutely lovely story this is! I was very moved by the “ring of life” idea, of things coming round again – I’m not explaining myself very well but I bet you know what I mean!
It’s a very cheering thought, too that I could get my ring remade like this if I needed to. I love it!
Thank you Miriam. I’m always delighted to see your name on the list 🙂
Miriam, this is a wonderful story and a lovely use of your own precious jewelry as well as family heirlooms. A good, heartwarming read…
What a wonderful idea to have something specially made from all your precious bits of jewellery:) Thanks for sharing the story.
How wonderful…..that ring is more valuable than any expensive ring……you can’t put a price on something with all that family history in it.
How great that you have ended up with such a special ring and earrings..loved the story!
Alison xx
What wonderful memories are tied up in your jewellry, what a lovely story. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful story! I don’t have the nerve to do what you did with the wedding rings. But I love the outcome!
wow all that history and all those memories all bound together in the gold band on your finger. That is so beautiful xxx
How wonderful that you could have all your family jewellery incorporated into a new wedding ring – and it is beautiful too, as are the earrings. Thank you for sharing this story.
Lovely, lovely story! And your ring is so unusual – love that braided look … And you carry all those wonderful relationships wrapped around your finger: just perfect.
What a fab way to revitalise old jewellery – and a practical solution to your problem. Stunning photos of your new and completely, utterly, priceless jewellery too.
My wedding rings are family rings so I understand the significance of your jewelry Miriam 🙂 A beautiful story, it would make a great scrap page!
What an awesome story! I have my several pieces of my mother’s jewelery, and I treasure it.
Rinda
How wonderful is that to have generations of love represented in your ring. Great story – thanks for telling it to us.
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