My great grandmother's ring

Being the 3rd eldest of the 'kids' in my family, and not a bit like the other two, my 18th birthday was an interesting time. My brother is the eldest and he wanted to use the opportunity of the whole family wishing to club together and get him something 'memorable' to score himself an expensive watch (fuck knows why, he didn't have a watch at all at that point due to a well deserved reputation he had for dismantling them without remembering how to put them back together again). My cousin being the second eldest decided to follow suit, and so by the time it got to my turn the family had already decided to get me the same. It was very last minute when I caught onto this plan, due to my grandma's involuntary lack of discretion over what was supposed to be secret, but handy as I had absolutely no desire or use for a watch of that value. Lots of annoyed mutterings in the family despite them not actually having bought the present yet and then my mum approached me to ask what I'd actually like. I hadn't thought about it really, I'd not realised they were wanting to get me anything significant (foolishness on my part, the precedent was set) so I had a quick think and decided that I'd get most use out of jewellery. Not something I'd go out and spend much money on but I do tend to wear something durable or not at all (much of the reason for me setting up my jewellery making business, but that's another story) so this was a great opportunity to get something I could treasure.

I told them that I never wear gold*, I just don't like it aesthetically, so something silver would be perfect, and that amethyst would be really lovely as I adore purple. What though? well...a ring would be nice?

Odd glances between my mum and grandma.
'eh?

Birthday rolls around and I find out that infact there has been a ring in my family for a good few years, an amethyst one! it belonged to my great-grandmother and was promised to my mum when she was a girl. But when my great-grandmother passed away the ring became a point of dispute as my grandma liked it too and thought it should be hers, as it couldn't be decided the ring just sat, probably for about 18 years in fact as she passed away just before I was born as far as I can tell. It was decided that this ring should now be passed a generation further down, that I would appreciate it and at last it would have a proper home.

People of b3ta- it's gorgeous. It's gold, but worn and weathered so it's virtually white. It has a large pale stone in it sat in a handmade setting, so slightly askew if you look really closely. It doesn't look like anything I would go out and choose but I love it so much that I never take it off, it's swapped fingers as I've put on weight, lost weight and put it back on. I play with it absent-mindedly when I'm bored, excited or nervous, with each finger change I've had a period of readjustment where I've had moments of pure terror as I've felt for the ring and not found it where expected so panicked briefly that it is gone...and then once, it actually was.

I'd swapped it to another finger briefly to take a silly photo, a Borat moustache on my hand**, in honour of the very first showing of the film I was going to see that day! I forgot to move it back as I rushed around getting ready. I had a bath, got dressed and ran out knowing it was going to be tight if I made it to the cinema on time. I did, but on the way back out I noticed my hand was bare and my ring was nowhere to be seen, I felt sick to my stomach.

I went back inside and checked the cinema, tracing my steps back and forth over and over. I left my number with the cinema staff despite knowing they probably would just pocket it if they found it anyway. I traced my steps carefully back to the car, pulled everything out the car, looked in every nook and crannie. Drove home, traced my steps back up to the flat, grabbed a flashlight and checked the car again. I went around the whole flat, everywhere I might have been, ANYwhere it could have fallen. Nothing. Then it dawned on me, where had I seen it last? right before my bath. Shit. The plughole looked unreassuringly roomy, I grabbed another of my rings to check and sure enough it just fit through. SHIT.
I had all the pipes out, desperately hoping it had been caught before being washed out, but it wasn't there and finally I had to consider that I'd lost it for good.
I know it's just a possesion but I could have cried, for weeks afterwards as my hand slipped unwittingly to feel for where it should sit I remembered again and again that it was gone. Thinking about how much I'd loved it, thinking about how I could ever explain to my family that it was lost.

Then about 6 months later my flat mate was pulling some stuff away from one of our external pipes in the bathroom and she found something, she had this annoying habit of giving a running commentary on whatever she was doing, loud, in the hopes you'd react to some of it. Mostly I'd learned to tune it out, but I could hear her muttering about this find next door "looks like a ring". It took a second to sink in, then barely daring to hope I ran to join her and look for myself, and sure enough- there was my ring. God. I could have cried all over again, the relief was like a warm duvet pulled around you on a cold night, instant, beautiful. I put the ring back on and though I'm actually pretty ridiculously paranoid about taking it off, even briefly, now, was determined not to lose it again.

I mean, I did, but that wasn't my fault and this is waaay long enough ;)

Apologies for length, it is niiiice.

* The rest of the family feeling guilty at what was actually spent on me in the end got me a thick gold link necklace and bracelet set that ungrateful as I feel, I've never worn. It's hideous.
** I'll find the photo out if you like, it's even more hideous than the gold set
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 15:44, 18 replies)

I'm with you on this one.
I hate gold and would rather have silver.....or platinum of course. *grin*
( girlinthehole, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 16:01, closed)

Aye, I'm all good with platinum or white gold
I just think yellow gold looks really garish.
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 16:11, closed)

Hurrah for the found ring! Sentimental value is priceless really.
15 years later, and I've given up hope of my lost watch turning up. Not that it was a particularly excellent watch mind, but I'm just eternally optimistic about these things.

Also, I've got a nicer watch anyway now, from being best man at my best friends wedding.
( LemonEntryMyDearWatson This time, Moriarty, the hand is on the other foot, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 16:06, closed)

Ooh, nicely!

And well done for reading all that, I hadn't realised it was quite so long until I submitted it!
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 16:12, closed)

I have
my grandads watch, and have worn it about 4 times in the last 20 years since he toddled off exactly because im a clumsy fuck and would break it, so I share your pains at losing it!
(Halfy By light alone, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 16:13, closed)

That's actually how I ended up losing it the 2nd time
I was really afraid of it coming off again as it was currently just too loose on one finger but still too tight on the other, so I put it in a jewellers case so I'd remember where it was...then it got lost in my move and I forgot where I'd hidden it for safe keeping!
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 16:16, closed)

Aaahhhh
I like this a lot, I lost my signet ring in the sea, and I often look out at the spot and wish that i had an undersea metal detector and full scuba kit, even though it's been gone for ages and has either washed up or been washed away. I'm very happy that you found yours though.
(LongTomBadTom Does Makes Says Thinks, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 17:06, closed)

Thanks sir :)

I found a ring in the sea in Greece when I was a wee one, forgot to pick it up from safe-keeping on a school swimming trip and then never saw it again.

I like to pretend it returned to its watery origins.
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 17:36, closed)

I demands photo!
Of both Borat hang thing (what?)
And ring.
If you please.
(tweebianmonkey Should be known as Widget, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 17:12, closed)

I'm incapable of taking a (focused) photo of the ring
despite having recently taken a perfect image of a spider in the bath, clear enough to see the hairs on his legs!

Here's the borat-tache though...

( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 17:31, closed)

Hang on a minute...
I recognise you!

*checks in other room*
(Professor Kenny Martin Hmm? What?, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 17:39, closed)

ang on
Are you one of them expolsm peoples?
(tweebianmonkey Should be known as Widget, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 20:35, closed)

ooo
ta.
Impressed I am.
But I'm jealous. Your hairiness is fake.
I've been told to don a Borat thong on a number of occasions :(
(tweebianmonkey Should be known as Widget, Mon 10 Nov 2008, 20:36, closed)

Wow ...
So glad you got it back.

Curious thing about gold ... it doesn't look that great on we peelywally white folk. Looks great on black or Asian skin though.

Had a shudder reading your post. I only ever remove my rings when I am washing my hair to avoid ripping chunks of hair out. Last week whilst washing my hair, my 5yo daughter walked into the bathroom and curiously picked up said rings.

I then did precisely the wrong thing. I shouted at her to put them down. Do NOT startle a small child holding a tiny valuable object DIRECTLY over a drain.

Luckily, the worst case scenario did not eventuate.
(Que?, Tue 11 Nov 2008, 5:19, closed)

Eep!
Glad it turned out okay :S
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Tue 11 Nov 2008, 7:54, closed)

This 'rings' a bell with me too
I was deemed at a suitable level of maturity and responsibility for the heirloom, and got given a ring that had been in my family for a while, I forget how long, when I was 15, it was silver, with a blue stone in the middle - might have been sapphire but I really can't remember; surrounded by marcasite.
Would never have picked this out myself, but I LOVED it, was so unusual, I wore it heaps.

Sadly to say, it went "walkies" in the 2 years after. I haven't been able to tell my mum since, I'm still gutted when I think about it years later (yeah, get over it . . . ?).
I've no idea where its gone, but horrible as it sounds, I recall being 'close' friends with quite an untrustworthy person (as it turned out to be) who often borrowed it to wear, and, I'd quite like to be wrong on this . . . but who knows
(maggotriddendirtbox fast, feral and sharp as a tack since, Tue 11 Nov 2008, 9:03, closed)

Ah crap
here's to hoping that it's just lost in a drawer somewhere
( Jessie © needs pirate name suggestions, Tue 11 Nov 2008, 11:04, closed)

I love happy endings
Have a clicky, for getting your ring back, and for this line: "the relief was like a warm duvet pulled around you on a cold night, instant, beautiful."
Lovely.
(cheez is feeling ergophobic, Tue 11 Nov 2008, 13:24, closed)