Friday, January 30, 2009

What's IN a ring?

A couple of weeks after we got married the Beau's mom gave me a gift ... the ring pictured above. It was the Beau's great great (maybe another great) aunt's wedding band. It is a thin, platinum band with some etching and 4 teeny-tiny diamonds embedded across the top of the band. I thought that it was so sweet of her to give it to me, it fit perfectly, and I have worn it on my right hand since the day I received it. However, I didn't fully appreciate the significance of the ring until last night.

I was laying on the couch watching a Seinfeld re-run waiting for the Beau to get home from work. I had the ring in my hand and I was just twirling it around when I noticed engraving on the inside of the band. It took a couple of seconds to figure out what it said because the engraving was faint. My eyes finally adjusted and in a fancy font was written:

John to Anne 12-23-1925

Chills went down my spine. This was not just some old ring. It was the legacy of a marriage ... a bride who was married 2 days before Christmas just over 83 years ago. Wow!

My imagination begin to turn as I started thinking about John and Anne. My immediate thought was that their love story was similar to Noah and Allie's in The Notebook or at least set in the same time period (although I read that their story did not begin until the 1940s). I began to wonder where this couple lived? How many children did they have? How old was Anne when she got married? Maybe John had returned from war just a few years prior. Did he have to leave 14 years after their marriage to serve in WW2? I hope not but its a good possibility. Its a good possibility that he didn't return. Yes .... this is how my mind works!

I will treasure this ring forever and will hopefully have the opportunity to pass it down one day to my daughter or possibly my son's wife.

Later I begin thinking that the Beau and I did not have either of our wedding bands engraved. But that will be done soon ... very soon. Maybe 83 years from now someone will lay on their couch and wonder about my love story. Good thing I have a blog :) lol.

xoxo~

42 comments:

d.a.r. said...

Oh my gosh that is SO neat!! My grandmother gave me her wedding band on the day of my grandad's funeral last month. It is too big for me to wear, but I plan on keeping it the same size and wearing it when I am preggo and puffy :) I need to go get it engraved now!

Sarah said...

The is incredible! We didn't get ours engraved either but really want to!

KLC said...

aww that's so sweet

Lindsey said...

Awww that is soooo cool!!!

quite contrary said...

that is truly amazing! i would love to have something that meaningful ; )

LyndsAU said...

awww-this made me tear up!! so so sweet!! we need to have ours engraved too! i intended to but never did! i gotta get on that!
so sweet LL!

Shaina said...

What an amazing piece of family history that you get to wear daily! It's so special. My husband and I had our wedding bands engraved with only our wedding date - and just knowing that those numbers are there add so much meaning!

Girl Meets Beau said...

That is the sweetest story ever! I love that his mom gave you that ring and how special it is. I would be dying to know the story behind it.

Now I want to get our rings engraved too!

Gwen said...

That is so sweet that she gifted the ring to you and how wonderful that there is a story behind it. I bet that you can figure out their story by talking to his relatives. Then you'll have a story to tell when you pass it on. :)

Lauren said...

What a beautiful story--Hubby and I had our rings engraved with the date of our engagement on my engagement ring and then "His favorite" on mine & "Her favorite" on his. Those were nicknames we called each other before we got married & still.

*Pink Preppy Party Girl* said...

That is such a sweet story and a wonderful gift. I have my grandmother's band from 1929 and it looks about the same as yours. I did have my husband's band engraved with the date and something else--seems like I could remember.

Madison Girl said...

Aww that is so sweet!

Blue-Eyed Bride said...

that is SO sweet!!!

Julia said...

i totally understand this!! I have my grandmother's engagement ring and wedding band. I love thinking about my grandpa giving it to her, their fifty years of marriage and the fifty years that Audie and I will hopefully have!

Sandra said...

What a sweet, sweet story!

Laura said...

I just love the story about the ring. I have my great-grandmothers, grandmothers and mothers engagement rings and I hope to one day give them to our future children. Hubby and I had our rings engraved for our 7th anniversary. {Just to prove we made it through the 7 year itch, ha!} I can't say what they say because that is something special just between us, however these are saying I liked but did not use:
1. You and no other
2. A deals a deal
3. No matter what

Milltini said...

awe, I just got little chills down my spine too. I LOVE sentimental pieces of jewelry like that...they are SO priceless and special.

Unknown said...

That's the sweetest story! I love stuff like that :)

Sara said...

How wonderful! You should definitely find out about their story. I had my husband's ring engraved, but mine couldn't be, but I always with for something else engraved from him.

Mrs. Classic said...

So sweet! I want to get my rings engaged now!

Piper Jacquelyn said...

That's so lovely! You'll have to check around with your family & find out more about their story! I probably wouldn't have thought to get my rings engraved for that reason, but it's a really good one!

Wearing Mascara said...

soooo sweet! Great story love :-)

Rachel said...

You just gave me an idea for our 10th anniversary this year!

Whitney said...

That is so sweet!

PreppyGirl said...

What a sweet story! I hope I can get an heirloom like that someday!

BroncoMom said...

A beautiful story. The hubby and I have our weding rings engraved with our special date. Whenever things get a little testy, I pull the ring off my left hand and look for the date as a reminder of how I felt on the specail day. It works everytime!

Jenny @ Practically Perfect... said...

That's so romantic :-)

~~Mel~~ said...

What amazing stories that ring could probably tell...it's been around a long long time. Very inspiring...one day when we (boyfriend and I) exchange rings they will definitely be engraved with a year/date stamp, something I never would have considered before reading your story.

GrannySmithGreen said...

Precious story. Run and go ask his mother to tell you everything she knows about that couple from so many years ago! (Then go get your rings engraved!)

Mary@Holy Mackerel said...

That is amazing and very touching. You're very fortunate.

Michelle said...

OH, how completely sweet! I am thinking I need to get my anniversary band engraved now!!! LOL

morewineplease said...

I love this. So perfect! Must tell hubby!

Nomers said...

How sweet! I mean't to have my ring engraved, but we never got around to doing it. Now it's top priority after reading you post. I want the legacy of our special day to live on!

Jamiedidit said...

That's too awesome. My mother's engagement ring was originally her grandmother's.....and my grandmother's is in storage for someday in the far, far future. I guess baby sister and I will have to fight it out!

Haley Nicodemus said...

I've been reading your blog for a few weeks now and I have to admit, it's very entertaining!

What a great story! I love sentimental things. AND I think the exact same way. I'll get to thinking about something and the next thing I know, I've gone from one extreme to the other.

The wife said...

That is so sweet! I love it!

The wife said...

That is so sweet! I love it!

Unknown said...

I LOVE this story!

ana maggie said...

oooh i think i'll go engrave ours too!!!

Katie said...

Wow, this post gave me goosebumps. How incredible!

Jessica said...

That is the sweetest story EVER! How cute, I would never take that ring off :)

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