I haven’t worn a wedding ring since I was pregnant with Eden. My hands have never slimmed back down to the way they were pre pregnancy. With our tax return, I was able to order a new ring. So I designed a ring that would utilize the small sapphires and diamonds from my original ring. (The part of my ring with the stones crapped out on me shortly after the wedding. The jeweler did a poor job or applying the stones to my band. So I was just wearing a plain band.)
I’m going today, after over a month of waiting, to pick up my ring. I’m freaking out because the jeweler called yesterday to tell me he didn’t set the stones like I wanted them. I wanted them set flush into the band so that it looks like they were just dropped into it. He put a small ring of white gold around each stone, so it’s not totally flush. At this point I don’t really even want to go pick it up. My appointment is at 11am and I’ll update you with how the ring turns out. Until then, I’ll pace the floor in worried anticipation.
UPDATE:
Well, it’s not exactly what I wanted, but I think I like it. It’s going to take a while for me to really decide. The pictures are horrible, I couldn’t get a good photo with my camera, but I hope this will at least give you some sort of idea.
I’ll try to get some better pictures later.
There’s a diamond on the top and the bottom and four sapphires on either side.
When asking for ideas in designing my ring, a very wise woman wrote this to me.
“My husband and I picked my engagement ring together, from an antique store in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It was totally NOT what I thought I wanted: I thought I wanted a white gold or platinum ring with an elaborate antique setting. And instead I chose a simple yellow-gold band with a solitaire. It’s a “mine-cut” stone, meaning it was cut at the mine, roughly, to determine the grade of the stone and how much it could be sold for. I’ll tell you a secret: the diamond in my engagement ring has a big old flaw right in the middle of it that you can see if you look carefully through a loupe. But apparently someone had it set for some sentimental reason, and some woman wore it for alot of years — you can tell by the wear on the band. We had the setting checked and the (can’t think of the term) bendy-over-points renewed so I wouldn’t lose the stone.
But we got it. You know why? For me it’s metaphorical of my life: there’s this big old ugly reality that’s close to the heart of my history, and yet the pressure of the world made this beautiful stone around it. And it’s not been “perfected” with a perfectly round cut. And it’s beautiful. It catches the light, and makes me happy. To the naked eye, it’s just a beautiful solitaire. And this incredible man who makes me so happy wanted to get me exactly what I wanted.
My point in telling you this? You just might want to consider a design that’s less than perfectly symmetrical, less than “perfect” in some way. Because that’s how life is, that’s how marriage is, and seeing your wedding band can remind you of it. When I have the presence of mind to notice my engagement ring when I’m in “a bad space,” it’s a good reminder of life’s messiness, and yet life’s wonder.”
I’m thinking of this as I think about this ring. Life isn’t always what you want, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful, right?
