Rings.
Don't get me wrong. I love looking at rings, I see the beauty and personality in them when I pick them up at estate sales. I have several rings in my personal jewelry box. I have a turquoise and sterling ring that was my aunt's. I have a ring with tiny opals and other semi precious stones that my grandmother gave me when I was 12. I have a lovely pearl and diamond ring my parents gave me for my 16th birthday that has acted as a wedding-ring stand in when my wedding ring has had to go in for repairs. I have several other cute little rings that my husband has given me through the years, including an adorable sterling silver and turquoise owl ring.
But do I wear them?
Not usually.
I don't really know why. I have two rings that never come off, unless I'm doing lots of cooking, baking, or something that gets my hands really dirty.
One is my wedding ring. It's a simple ring, really. I've worn it for over 14 years. The band has become misshapen from wear and I have a permanent dent on the bottom side of my finger where it sits. There is a central diamond that is just under a half karat, but the jewelry made the setting extra tall so it looks like it's bigger. On either side sits an under 1/4 karat stone. Again, designed to look bigger than it is.
My husband proposed to me while sitting in a car and while he had a mouth full of pizza. It was New Year's Eve and he was working 2nd shift in an Insurance Call Center. We were supposed to go to a New Year's Eve Party when he was off of work. He had loaned me the use of his car for the day so I could get ready on the promise that I would bring him dinner at work. So we're sitting in front of this insurance company at about 10:30 at night, and we're talking about the up-coming party. He sticks a bite of pizza in his mouth and asks me "Would you wear something for me?"
I thought that he wanted me to wear a certain dress or shirt or something. So I asked, "What do you want me to wear?" He, looking straight ahead, hands me the ring box and says "This!"
He never got down on one knee. He didn't even ask in a romantic fashion. I still cried. He did ask "Will you marry me?" and I did say "Yes." But while he claims that he DIDN'T have a mouth full of pizza, I'm still pretty darn sure that he did. Besides, it makes for a better story.
The ring was what he could afford, and even then, it was a stretch for him. He had the engagement band specially made. The wedding band was purchased from one of those stores that sells a little of everything. It doesn't compare with wedding bands that my friends have. Some of them have these ginormous rocks with bands coated with little diamonds. Not mine. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
My second ring was a gift from my parents when I turned 13. It's a simple gold Claddagh ring, representing my Irish heritage from my mother's side. I haven't gone a day without it, ever. It too is misshapen, flat on the bottom where years of gripping things has gently molded it. There isn't just a dent on the bottom of my finger from the ring, like that on my left hand, but there's a dent on the top of my finger too, from the crown, heart, and hands. I even get a really gnarly tan line most summers.
I know that I could wear more rings than just one on each hand. I've got four fingers and a thumb each side. However, I find that when I do wear a second ring on one hand, I'm constantly playing with it and it is a distraction for me. I also feel naked without my two rings. Even when I replace them with another "stylish" ring, I still feel as though a part of me is missing when I take them off.
I guess I never will be much of a ring wearer. What about you? Is there one piece of jewelry that you don't ever take off? What's your story?
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