My Ring
In case you've missed the news, Prince William of Wales has become engaged to his long time girlfriend, Catherine Middleton (Kate). There were the obligatory photos of the two of them when the news was announced. The was quite a bit of press regarding her engagement ring, a sapphire surrounded by diamonds that his father gave to his mother as an engagement ring. Some people thought it romantic and some people thought it was creepy, given what eventually happened to the marriage and to Diana,Princess of Wales. I think it's just fine. It is a nice looking ring and shouldn't be sitting in some vault somewhere. It wouldn't be the first time a man has given a woman a family heirloom as an engagement ring.
A few days after the engagement was announced a customer of mine noticed my ring. "It's Diana's ring!", she exclaimed. She was the first of several people who remarked that my wedding ring looked a lot like the one currently gracing the hand of Miss Middleton.
I just smiled and told them that it was my wedding ring, designed by C for me. (the rhyme was unintentional by the way.)
Inside I was a little ticked off. When C asked what kind of ring I would like I told him two things, no diamonds and white gold. I wanted something different. I had originally wanted a garnet as that is C's birthstone, but garnets, we were told,do not hold up well in everyday wear. I looked at engagement rings and wedding sets and told him about one set where the stone would be set inside what looked like flower petals. C consulted with a jeweler and came up with the design that currently graces my left hand. It is an oval cut sapphire surrounded by white gold petals. No one has a ring like it. It was made just for me. It is not a knock off, a copy or anything like the other ring.
I was curious, I vaguely remembered the ring back when I was a young girl starry eyed by the beautiful princess in her fairy tale wedding dress. I looked on the Internet for a picture. Was it really like mine? When I found a good close up I had to admit that there are some similarities. They both have oval cut sapphires and while the band is hard to see in the pictures, it doesn't appear to be yellow gold.
That's where it ends. The royal ring is surrounded by diamonds and the stone is probably twice the size of mine. It's an oval shape, but more faceted on top and a different shade of blue.
There is another difference, an intangible,and to me,very important. The ring I wear was meant just for me. C had the ring made for me based on what I had told him and what he could afford. He put a lot of thought into it and worked hard to be able to buy it.
While it may look a little bit like Catherine Middleton's ring and the replicas that are sure to follow it, I know that my ring is an original.
Just like the man who gave it to me.
A few days after the engagement was announced a customer of mine noticed my ring. "It's Diana's ring!", she exclaimed. She was the first of several people who remarked that my wedding ring looked a lot like the one currently gracing the hand of Miss Middleton.
I just smiled and told them that it was my wedding ring, designed by C for me. (the rhyme was unintentional by the way.)
Inside I was a little ticked off. When C asked what kind of ring I would like I told him two things, no diamonds and white gold. I wanted something different. I had originally wanted a garnet as that is C's birthstone, but garnets, we were told,do not hold up well in everyday wear. I looked at engagement rings and wedding sets and told him about one set where the stone would be set inside what looked like flower petals. C consulted with a jeweler and came up with the design that currently graces my left hand. It is an oval cut sapphire surrounded by white gold petals. No one has a ring like it. It was made just for me. It is not a knock off, a copy or anything like the other ring.
I was curious, I vaguely remembered the ring back when I was a young girl starry eyed by the beautiful princess in her fairy tale wedding dress. I looked on the Internet for a picture. Was it really like mine? When I found a good close up I had to admit that there are some similarities. They both have oval cut sapphires and while the band is hard to see in the pictures, it doesn't appear to be yellow gold.
That's where it ends. The royal ring is surrounded by diamonds and the stone is probably twice the size of mine. It's an oval shape, but more faceted on top and a different shade of blue.
There is another difference, an intangible,and to me,very important. The ring I wear was meant just for me. C had the ring made for me based on what I had told him and what he could afford. He put a lot of thought into it and worked hard to be able to buy it.
While it may look a little bit like Catherine Middleton's ring and the replicas that are sure to follow it, I know that my ring is an original.
Just like the man who gave it to me.
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