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I love that my ring is my late grandmother's diamond, placed in a setting My Love picked out. He and I had talked about getting an Asha at first - because of the money and dodgy human rights considerations of diamonds - but when my grandmother passed away, my grandpa offered My Love her ring to give to me.
My grandma loved that ring. She loved this diamond and loved to show it off. They were married for 59 years and 10 months when she passed away. Her band was yellow gold and not especially to my taste, so My Love chose a new setting (all on his own, smart boy) and it's so perfect: her diamond, my ring.
Grandma's ring had some diamond sidestones, which we are using to make into some earrings as a surprise Matron of Honor gift for my little sister.
Lousy cell phone pic of Grandma Betty's ring before:
Grandma's diamond in my new setting (all artsy-fartsy because it's for a blog header):
Do you have an engagement ring (or stone) that you inherited? What's your story?
My inherited ring is FI's great grandmother's. It's from the 1930s and was bought on the Atlantic City boardwalk for $100. It's a platinum ring with a perfect diamond. His grandfather had it and offered it to him to use Thanksgiving 2010. FI accepted, but didn't propose until Christmas Eve 2010. It's beautiful and fits me perfectly. His entire family refers to me as an old soul. I really wish pictures did justice for this ring, but it simply doesn't.
@sweetcrackers: I don't have an inherited ring, but wanted to say that your ring is gorgeous!!
The diamond in my ring was my FI's grandmother's! It's an OEC and was in a cocktail ring that had two diamonds side-by-side (both 1.68 ct, YOWZA), so FI's mom offered one to him and one to his brother. His mom used the original setting and set two Peridots (her birthstone) and we picked out my setting. I'm so proud of my ring and love it so much!
My great grandmother passed away in 1997 at the age 94. She was married in 1928. Her ring was given to my grandmother (her daughter), who kept it in a jewelry box by her nightstand until she was diagnosed with a stage 4 brain tumor last November. She told my mom she wanted to give it to me and the Mr., but didn't want it to seem like a not-so-subtle hint that she wanted us to get married before she passed away. So my mom talked to me about it and I asked Mr. if he'd feel ok about getting the ring knowing it was NOT meant to be a "hint". He said he would be thrilled with that - and that it would take the biggest stress of getting engaged off of his shoulders - knowing that I am opposed to new diamonds, and trying to pick out a ring (haha).
Unfortunately my grandmother's brain tumor made her have moments of being a bit impulsive or inappropriate - so she ended up pulling the ring out during a family dinner the week before Christmas and giving it to Mr right in front of EVERYONE and saying something about wanting to see it again before she was dead. I felt absolutely terrible for the Mr., but he took it in stride and handled it like a champ. I reiterated on the drive home that she didn't mean that.
We had originally been told my grandmother had a year to live, but she went downhill really fast. The Mr. kept waiting, because everytime there was a crisis, we were told things could get better (of course, I didn't know this was why he was waiting, but its all ok now - heh). The day my grandmother went in to hospice, he drove straight to my parents house after work and asked their permission.
I still can't type this without crying. Uhhg. So - the next day he came to the hospice with me, and when he came in, my grandmother held his hand. We got back in the car - I was sobbing, he was crying. I had done more crying than sleeping over the last 2 days and was ugly and snotty and disgusting.
And he pulled out the ring.
I went back inside to show my grandmother. She hadn't been able to talk for a few weeks and had barely been conscious - but she looked at the ring and grabbed my hand and smiled and nodded her head a bit. Two days later, as I was walking out of the movie theater with friends a little after midnight- a wierd feeling came over me and I called the hospice. They said they had just checked on her 15 minutes ago and she was alive, so I thanked them and hung up - figured I was overthinking things. My phone rang less than 5 minutes later - and it was the hospice saying she had passed. Most of my family found out about our engagement at the funeral, in fact the Reverend mentioned it when speaking about the cycle of life and the balance between joys and sorrows.
It wasn't exactly the most storybook or romantic proposal, and certainly not one I'd want pictures of. But it all happened the way it was meant to. :)
@mandypop: WOW! What a wonderful, touching story! I'm so sorry about the loss of your grandmother, but I'm so glad she was able to share in the joy of you receiving her mother's ring, just like she wanted. I am tearing up! The ring looks so pretty, too! I love the detail on the side!
@mandypop: What a beautiful story and a great legacy in that ring.
@ejay15: that's a sweet story! do you have pictures of your mom's peridot ring in the old setting?? i'd love to see it!
@mandypop: your story is so sweet and sad! i love that you have such a history to go with your ring. it's very beautiful. =)
@mandypop: Oh my goodness! What an amazing story.
My ring was my grandma's. She's still with us at the grand old age of 95 (she'll be 96 next month) but has spent half her life trying to give everything away to her children and grandchildren. My mum should have received the ring but always said that she wasn't that interested. As I grew up, I developed a fascination with diamonds.
My two female cousins on my dad's side were given large diamond rings in their teens by my granny (my dad's mum) and I assumed that I would receive the same. It became clear in my late teens that it would never happen (a fact that I still resent) so after her divorce my mum gave me her engagement ring to cheer me up and said that when the time came my grandma's ring would come to me.
My grandma has been saying since her forties that she wasn't going to make it to the next decade i.e. "I'll never make it to sixty... I'm going to die". We joke a little that she's being punished by G-d for being so presumptuous and that she's now going to live forever.
Anyway... back to the subject. When it became clear that my FI and I would be getting engaged in the near future, and my grandma's ring was becoming so loose on her finger that it kept falling off, my brother went to her and suggested that she gave him her ring to give to my FI to give to me when he proposed. As she absolutely adores my FI, she readily agreed and my brother passed it on to my fiance to be sized and valued.
My fiance proposed on Christmas Eve 2010 and my grandma was delighted. She's now living in a home, but we visit her regularly and every time I see her she holds my left hand and admires my ring. She can't wait for the wedding and has picked out her dress (a favourite royal blue silk georgette vintage dress), and I'm having a hat made for her to match.
On a side note... she missed having a diamond on her hand so much that for her 95th birthday we bought her a replacement solitaire ring (albeit with a CZ rather than a diamond, as she doesn't care about value, she just wants the shiny shiny) and an amethyst eternity ring (her birthstone).
So here's the ring. It's a 1940s art deco setting with a 1.24ct transitional cut diamond and two 0.12ct baguettes.
These are my mom's rings from when she was married to my dad. I plan to have them made into one ring and probably a necklace. I don't think I will wear them as an ering though.
My ring setting came from my FI's grandma. The set I have was from a necklace she passed down to my FI's mom along with matching earings. His mom gave us the necklace setting and his two younger brothers the smaller earrings. I wanted the setting kept mostly the same but he did take the center diamond out to have it replaced with the pink sapphire. I love the fact that it's a heirloom but he still made it something that is "me".
My stone isn't necessarily an heirloom but it was hand picked from a sapphire mine in Thailand by my FI's family. They knew he was looking for a sapphire so they found an amazing 2 carat stone while on a business trip to Thailand. They gifted it to him and he had a setting made just for the stone. I love it and I love the story behind it. It looks dark in the picture becuase of the lighting but it is such a brilliant blue color in person!
For Christmas several years ago my mother gave me a diamond ring that was my great-grandmother's. I wore it on my right hand and cherished that several generations of women before me had worn that ring. My then boyfriend knew that I would like to have that ring as an engagement ring someday with a new setting. The diamond is a beautiful round old miner's cut, just under a carat.
When now DH proposed, he sneakily snuck that ring out of my jewelry box and proposed with it, and we then picked out a new setting together. I love that the diamond has history and was passed down in my family married (ha!) with something new that we picked out together.
Someday I plan to have a ruby, my mother's birth stone, set into the old ring to give back to her. In the meantime, here is what the before and after:
After:
Yes I do! I have quite a few diamonds to pick from. I am having my FI's grandmother's diamond set into a vintage setting. I just love it...so excited!
Years after he passed away, my grandmother decided to clean out my grandpa's bedside table. In it, she found:
-A pillbox with a rainbow design on top, filled with bullets
-An illegal handgun (she had NO idea he had this...and the bullets in the pillbox did not match the bullets used in the gun)
-More bullets
-His mother's enagement ring
I fell in love with the ring. I asked my mother if she could ask my grandmother if I could have it, since I knew the relationship I was in would lead to marriage. She gave it to me. My man and I had it resized, and now I'm just waiting for him to give it back to me when he proposes!
I don't know the size or quality. I just know that it's an Old European Cut diamond in an 18kt white gold setting, and it's about 100 years old. It's all milligrained open filligree around the stone, and then the band has a scroll design and then a wheat design engraved all around the band. Once we make sure it's sized comfortably and doesn't need further resizing, we'll get the wheat design added to the bottom where gold needed to be added. It looks way better in person!
I do! We were gifted his grandmas engagement ring when she passed 2 years ago. We had the 1/2 carat center stone reset in a two tone rose/white gold halo with a split double shank. We had a 1/2 carat of .10 stones added to the band. I absolutely love it, especially the sentimental value. I thank of Gma every time I look at my ring!
Fiance thought the center stone wasnt big enough and wanted to trade up (The jewelry store was willing to trade for a 1ct solitaire.) I WAS NOT HAVING IT! I love my ring!!!
I dont have a picture on this computer, I will post as soon as I can! have! Enjoy your heirloom's ladies, They are ALL Beautiful! We are all VERY lucky ladies!
I do I do!!! :) My FI's grandmother doesn't wear her wedding rings anymore, so when FI decided that he wanted to propose, grandma gave him her rings to give to me. My FI switched the setting because the old one was worn out, but the diamond is so stunning! My FI would never have been able to afford this quality of diamond on his own (well at least not anytime soon) so I feel very fortunate to have it.
The setting was from an old amethyst ring with diamonds my mom gave me. the center stone is from my roiginal ering. its different. :)
@ThingsThatShine: That is SO unique! I've never seen a ring like it - absolutely gorgeous.
My ring was my grandmothers, she wore until the day she died. My mother doesn’t care for jewelry so it became mine. I didn’t know right away that I would wear it as an e-ring because it is not itself a wedding set.
My grandparents were divorced before I was born, so my thrifty grandmother had her engagement ring and 25th anniversary band made into a “right-hand ring” (before that was a term). She wore it every day and it’s one of the most iconic things about her. Well that and muu-muus… the woman never wore a fitted dress in her adult life.
But after I took it home and admired it (I was living with FI then, though we were not anywhere near getting engaged) I decided I would want it to be my engagement ring. Sometime later (I don’t recall how long) I told FI that I would like to be proposed to with this ring and showed him its hiding place. We got it sized about a year ago and he proposed with it in October J Hurray for love stories.
My ring's center stone is my late mother's. My mom died of cancer when I was 14, so it is very special becuase I feel like in some ways, I always have her with me no with her stone on my hand. I did have to reset it because it was a marquise stone on a thick gold band... very 80's/early 90's!
my e-ring is a mystery. the antique shop says it's from either the 20's, 30's or 40's. they do know it came from Europe.
I wish I knew my ring's story!!!
Love to know that there are other heirloom rings out there! My grandmother left me hers when she passed away & I always knew that it was the one that I wanted to use for my future engagement ring. My fiance used my grandmothers diamond and had it put into a new setting. I love my ring sooooo much because everytime I look at the diamond I know I'm looking at the same one that she looked at for so many years but with the setting it is still a gift from my fiance- the best of both worlds! I couldn't be happier with it!
We just decided to get married this summer (didn't have a ring), told our parents. Then my Dad called up one day and asked if we wanted to use his Mom's engagement ring! Just had to get it sized (she was a size 4.5, i'm a size 7!)
Here's a side view - diamonds are set in white gold, but the band is yellow.
@marryingafinn: Your ring is so pretty! It is so unique and feminine! That was nice of your dad to give it to you. How lucky you are to have such a gorgeous and SPECIAL ring! :)
ETA: Your ring is like the pioneer of 3 stone rings! :)
I absolutely love it.
i have several heirloom rings, but my (current) ering is not one of them. the ring DH1 gave me will *hopefully* become the ring DS gives the woman he chooses (should he choose a woman), if she wants it.
(right now it's sized for my right hand, where i still wear that wedding band in the picture.)
these are the other two heirloom rings i have. two diamonds in white gold (no idea what the ct wt is on them...i think they were earrings reset as a ring, which i understand was a popular thing to do in like the '30s or something?) and a pink stone of some kind (probably a sapphire or tourmaline) in yellow gold. both of these are from my "nanny" (stepdad's mom). she gave me the pink sapphire when i turned 13, and after she died my parents saved the diamond ring to give me when i turned 17 because diamonds are my birthstone. (they likewise saved one of her sapphire rings to give my sister, whose birthday is in september.)
my mother has told me that "when i don't need it any more" (her way of saying "when i die") she's giving me the ring my stepdad gave her, which was an heirloom to begin with. it's just a round solitaire in yellow gold, but it's got a much deeper table and is a deeper round cut in general, so it faces up a bit smaller than a modern 1ct stone but i think it's actually somewhere between 1 and 1.5ct. she's got a .75ct diamond stud earring that used to be in the ring my father gave her (they divorced when i was 3), but since my sister is closer with my dad than me, she plans on giving that diamond to her.
My center stone is from my late mom's ring (she passed away from cancer in April 2010). I told my FI that I wanted to reset it for my ring whenever we got engaged; he sneakily asked my dad for it and proposed with it, and we got it reset in the danhov setting below. My mom and dad were happily married for 36 years, and she adored my FI, so I feel like this is how I can have my mom's presence at our wedding.
@sweetcrackers: Thank you so much! I've never seen anything quite like it (in terms of the details and how delicate the filigree is, at least), either...I'm in love with it.
(sorry for the late reply, btw!)
My ring belong to my grandmother. My grandfather lost his dad really early in life, gained a stepfather he didn't really have a relationship with and my grandfather never really had anything. My grandmother grew up very privileged and my grandfather wasn't "good enough" for her. I'm not sure exactly how the story REALLY goes but that's the reality of it. My grandfather busted his butt to buy her a suitable ring.
My grandparents were considerably older than my friend's grandparents growing up so I knew them but didn't have the relationship with them the way other people seemed to have had with their grandparents. When I was little, I'd sneak into her jewelry box and play with all her diamonds. Fast forward to me being 20, on the verge of 21.
My grandfather had passed and grandmother was living in a nursing home in the city I decided to move to. I was visiting my grandmother with my mom and I noticed her wedding band was missing but she was still wearing her engagement ring. I went out, per mom's instructions, and purchased a CZ for grandmother and was told to find a way to switch the rings - I'm a bit sneaky so no big deal. I went in the next day and gave grandmother the best dang hand massage and manicure a lady in her 80s could possibly have. I slipped her ring onto my finger, slipped the new one on in it's place, and left without any problem. I drove home that weekend and handed over the ring to mom.
Fast forward to grandmother's death. After her death, my mom sent out self addressed envelopes to each grandchild. We were supposed to write what we wanted from their home and she would see what she could do to make everyone happy. I'm the only one who asked for her engagement ring. My mom refused to give it to me because I was still young and dumb but she held onto it and allowed me to wear it when I came to visit.
Early April, my then fiance called my mom to ask for the ring. She actually gave it to him that weekend while we were attending a wedding. I have some many gorgeous pics of us from that wedding and it still drives me crazy that he had the ring in his pocket that whole time and I never knew!
Hi, everyone!
My e-ring is also an heirloom. The diamond was my FI's great-grandmother's ear ring. It was left to his father, who used the stone for an e-ring when he proposed to my FI's mother. His mother passed away 9 years ago, in a car accident. They were very close and it means so much to me that he would bestow it. He also gave me her ruby as a secondary e-ring, because when she passed away and they were dividing up her possesions, he chose the ruby to "someday give to a girl" and he wanted me to have it. I could cry, just typing this. These are my rings (sorry the ruby pic is HUGE) It also wont let me post my diamond, but that is on one of the other ring posts, if you'd like to see it. The one for 2+ carats, I think.
@mtrl01: I've admired your ring before and now that I know the story behind it, I admire it even more! What a beautiful diamond to have and an even more beautiful memory of your mother.
The center stone in my engagement ring was bequested to me by my maternal grandmother about 12 years ago.
My wedding band was my paternal grandmother's that my mom selected as the piece of jewelry she wanted to inherit when my grandma passed away when I was 8. I remember trying on my wedding band as a child and oohing and ahing over the sparkle. I have been in love with the ring forever.
My FI took my diamond and my grandmother's wedding band to a jeweler and had my engagement ring made with the diamond to perfectly match the band. It is the most meaningful set ever, to me.
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