This is a ring that was in my paternal grandmother's (Grandma Daisy) safe deposit box. She had dementia at the end of her life and the treasures in her safe deposit box were only treasures to her.
But who knows what story this ring could tell...
It looks like an opal though I don't know if it is real. The band is gold colored but lightweight and I don't think it is gold at all. It has what looks like diamonds but are probably rhinestones around the center setting.
I came across this ring this morning buried in my jewelry box with a bunch of miscellaneous jewelry and it reminded me of a task my youngest daughter asked of me.
But, this is NOT the ring I am going to tell about......This is the story of another opal ring:
_____________
Last Fall, my youngest daughter and I went off for a couple days of camping in the RV. She had asked me to tell her family stories. So as we went through the generations, the story of Grandma's opal ring came up. Of course, I couldn't remember all of the story so my task was to hear it again from another source closer to the ring. So today I found more of the details.
When I was a teenager I remember looking through Grandma Louella's jewelry box while she was making beds, etc. I was asking her about the different pieces. She didn't have many but there was this small ruby ring. She said that was her engagement ring. I wished I had asked her more about the story, when and how Grandpa gave it to her, etc.
Time goes on, years later Grandma Louella has passed away and her eldest daughter, Aunt Madonna (I would guess in about mid 60 years old, at least) was at a dance, I think it was an Elk's club dance. Aunt Madonna was quite a woman, great sense of humor, outgoing and very active for her age and for all the aches and pains she had by this time. And she did love to dance still, even with the hammer toes and what not that hurt her feet.
So, back to the story, she was dancing and this very old gentleman came up to her and said, "Are you Louella's daughter?" She replied yes and he told her that he would like to talk with her. They sat down and he told her the story of the opal ring.
He told her that when he was young he knew her mother (Grandma Louella) and liked her very much. He used to stop by in his carriage and visit her. He said he gave her an opal engagement ring. He said if the ring was still around he wanted the ring to go to Madonna because she looked just like her mom whom he loved.
(The story isn't really clear right after this point because she ended up marrying Grandpa instead of the mystery gentleman and this gentleman seemed to still carry a torch for her after all those years. There has got to be a story there!)
Well, the story had went around the family about this mysterious gentleman and the opal ring and it seems this is part of the history.........
Going back, before Grandma Louella died - Aunt Madonna's daughter, Mary Lou, who still in high school, was visiting Grandma and she came across the ring. (Grandma had never seemed to have the ring with her other jewelry as no one else seemed to remember seeing it and didn't know it existed.) Anyhow, the ring had a very nice opal in the center with 2 diamond chips on the sides. The diamond chips had fallen out through the years and Mary Lou offered to have them replaced and the ring cleaned. Grandma agree to that and said Mary Lou could wear it for a period of time, but when she died the ring was to go to Grandma's middle daughter, Joan. The ring was cleaned, chips replaced and Mary Lou returned it to Grandma Louella.
Then Grandma Louella passed away and the ring was found, Mary Lou did not know the story but remembered that Grandma had said that Joan was to get the ring. And some time later the mysterious old gentleman meets Aunt Madonna. From what I remember he actually searched her out. She hadn't known him and in the part of the country this took place, everyone knows everyone. He had said he wanted the ring to go to Madonna because she looked just like her mom whom he loved. But Grandma had specified that the ring go to Joan. So, the ring went to Joan who has it now in Oregon.
And the rest of the story:
I told Joan today she needs to document who she wants that ring to go to because with the passel of daughters she has, there WILL be a fight (sort of jokingly said!) So to be continued in the future, the story of the opal ring. Maybe I will get a photo to add to the story!
(P.S.: Somewhere through time, the ruby engagement ring that Grandpa had given Grandma, disappeared. I feel lucky I had seen it.)
But who knows what story this ring could tell...
I came across this ring this morning buried in my jewelry box with a bunch of miscellaneous jewelry and it reminded me of a task my youngest daughter asked of me.
But, this is NOT the ring I am going to tell about......This is the story of another opal ring:
_____________
Last Fall, my youngest daughter and I went off for a couple days of camping in the RV. She had asked me to tell her family stories. So as we went through the generations, the story of Grandma's opal ring came up. Of course, I couldn't remember all of the story so my task was to hear it again from another source closer to the ring. So today I found more of the details.
When I was a teenager I remember looking through Grandma Louella's jewelry box while she was making beds, etc. I was asking her about the different pieces. She didn't have many but there was this small ruby ring. She said that was her engagement ring. I wished I had asked her more about the story, when and how Grandpa gave it to her, etc.
Time goes on, years later Grandma Louella has passed away and her eldest daughter, Aunt Madonna (I would guess in about mid 60 years old, at least) was at a dance, I think it was an Elk's club dance. Aunt Madonna was quite a woman, great sense of humor, outgoing and very active for her age and for all the aches and pains she had by this time. And she did love to dance still, even with the hammer toes and what not that hurt her feet.
So, back to the story, she was dancing and this very old gentleman came up to her and said, "Are you Louella's daughter?" She replied yes and he told her that he would like to talk with her. They sat down and he told her the story of the opal ring.
He told her that when he was young he knew her mother (Grandma Louella) and liked her very much. He used to stop by in his carriage and visit her. He said he gave her an opal engagement ring. He said if the ring was still around he wanted the ring to go to Madonna because she looked just like her mom whom he loved.
(The story isn't really clear right after this point because she ended up marrying Grandpa instead of the mystery gentleman and this gentleman seemed to still carry a torch for her after all those years. There has got to be a story there!)
Well, the story had went around the family about this mysterious gentleman and the opal ring and it seems this is part of the history.........
Going back, before Grandma Louella died - Aunt Madonna's daughter, Mary Lou, who still in high school, was visiting Grandma and she came across the ring. (Grandma had never seemed to have the ring with her other jewelry as no one else seemed to remember seeing it and didn't know it existed.) Anyhow, the ring had a very nice opal in the center with 2 diamond chips on the sides. The diamond chips had fallen out through the years and Mary Lou offered to have them replaced and the ring cleaned. Grandma agree to that and said Mary Lou could wear it for a period of time, but when she died the ring was to go to Grandma's middle daughter, Joan. The ring was cleaned, chips replaced and Mary Lou returned it to Grandma Louella.
Then Grandma Louella passed away and the ring was found, Mary Lou did not know the story but remembered that Grandma had said that Joan was to get the ring. And some time later the mysterious old gentleman meets Aunt Madonna. From what I remember he actually searched her out. She hadn't known him and in the part of the country this took place, everyone knows everyone. He had said he wanted the ring to go to Madonna because she looked just like her mom whom he loved. But Grandma had specified that the ring go to Joan. So, the ring went to Joan who has it now in Oregon.
And the rest of the story:
I told Joan today she needs to document who she wants that ring to go to because with the passel of daughters she has, there WILL be a fight (sort of jokingly said!) So to be continued in the future, the story of the opal ring. Maybe I will get a photo to add to the story!
(P.S.: Somewhere through time, the ruby engagement ring that Grandpa had given Grandma, disappeared. I feel lucky I had seen it.)
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