Today it's official! I'm married again! Ha ha, let me explain.
This is my wedding ring. It's a simple gold band with an imperial topaz bezel-set into the band.
This ring was custom-made by a jeweler friend back in 1989 when Don and I got engaged. I've always loved it, in large part because (a) it's simple; and (b) the bezel setting meant it never catches or snags on anything.
Over ten years ago (specifically, July 22, 2013), I got stung on my ring finger. It swelled up rapidly, and I had to take a fast trip to a jeweler's in a nearby town to have the ring sawn off my finger. Talk about feeling undressed without it!
Trouble is, this incident happened when our finances were prioritized elsewhere. Having the ring repaired was low on the list of things we could spend money on.
But things have stabilized for us since, and last fall I went to a local jewelry store and got a quote for how much it would cost to have the ring repaired. The resident expert looked it over carefully and said it had a number of issues besides the band sawn in half. The bezel setting was torn, the stone was loose, and the act of removing the sawn ring from my swollen finger had weakened the band. All in all, quite a complex repair job.
We got the estimate and saved our pennies, and late in December we dropped the ring off for repair.
For four months – four months! – the jeweler worked on the ring. Apparently it was a lot more complicated than he anticipated, once he dove into the nitty gritty. He was facing "porocity" problems. The ring had gas pockets from things being too hot or dirty during the original casting. The area around the bezel top kept collapsing like a sponge, and he had to back-fill the area before putting the bezel back on. Or something like that. (I'm not a jeweler, so I might have the details wrong.)
It was such a complicated repair, in fact, that the jeweler would get discouraged, drop the project for a week or two, then pick it up again, only to get discouraged all over. Rinse and repeat.
But finally, finally, we got the call that my ring was done. Don picked it up and was delighted to learn that the jeweler stuck to the original estimate, even though the price of gold has skyrocketed since then AND he spent weeks and weeks on the detailed work necessary to rebuild the ring.
The bezel is a touch higher than its former incarnation, but the ring feels solid and secure. The glint on my finger keeps catching my eye and I've been grinning like an idiot.
Finally, after ten years, it's official. I'm married again!
it is a nice feeling to have. Every anniversary I tell hubby I would do it all over again and he replies me too! So I know just what you are talking about. I lost our wedding pictures, had them on a flash drive and that just disappeared somewhere. I was heartbroken until he said well you do realize that doesn't mean we are still married, I am not letting you go. Just sweet things he says and the things he does like building a chick coop for the baby chicks, putting in a goat pen for me even though I know he doesn't really want goats again but I do, helping as much in the garden as he is physically able to. As his health has gone down he takes longer to get things done but he still does them. Oh and he has taken over a lot of the cooking and all the baking, so chores have sort of switched between us in a lot of ways. That is love, partnership and best friends, all of which he is. God Bless and have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteA Happy Wife is a Happy Life.
ReplyDeleteA nice feel good story, thanks for sharing.
Not believing it until I see the ring on the finger... And, the adoring look in your eyes.
ReplyDeleteThat was an odyssey just repairing the ring and getting it back where it belongs.
ReplyDeleteMy diamond fell out of my engagement ring, but I saw it fly off & it was found by my co-worker in the closet. I had to go to a jeweler to have all 3 of my rings cut off since I had gained weight & they couldn't come off. I had the engagement ring, the wedding ring, & my wedding gift (my husband's grandfather was a jeweler & he had made this ring & it was kept in a family vault. I love it since it has 3 hearts w/ diamond chips in it. But most of all it was made by his grandfather that I never met.)
ReplyDeleteThe jeweler updated my prongs, cleaned them all, & got them to fit properly on my fingers again.
Debbie in MA
I just had my sapphire engagement ring redone after putting off the job for years. The prongs on the center stone were broken / weak. Also rings resized because jewelry shrinks with age, 😆 😉
ReplyDeleteWhen I got the rings back I couldn't stop admiring them. Forty year old rings looked brand new. I was giddy.
I'm very glad you were able to get your ring fixed. It's beautiful
To funny I will be married 40 years in September. Getting my rings all nice & shiny was a good feeling.
DeleteAnd I like how you wrote that "jewelry shrinks with age"
Debbie in MA
How nice, the ring looks beautiful. One thing I added to my emergency medical kit a few weeks ago is a ring cutter. They are not expensive and a great thing to have if a finger is injured.
ReplyDeleteTHEY BECOME A PART OF US
ReplyDeleteThat was a good jeweler, He did a great looking job.
ReplyDeleteBravo Jeweler! Congratulations to you! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, and enjoy your lovely ring again. And my compliments to your jeweler. He’s just aces, both for persistence, skill, and sticking to his estimate!
ReplyDeleteBack when my wife and I were in college I purchased a simple gold band. I still have mine after 56 years but the wife updated hers to one with 3 small diamonds in it. One was from the engagement ring but to me that simple gold ring was my symbol of my commitment.
ReplyDelete