I get to choose a piece of my grandmother's jewelry-- show me your heirloom jewelry pieces!

[lavieenviolet078]

My grandmother is in her early-mid 90s and has decided that she'd like me to have first choice among her jewelry pieces. If it's something she wears regularly, she will keep it until she passes and if it's something she doesn't wear often she will gift it to me now. She has three sons, 5 granddaughters, and a grandson. I assume everyone will get something special as my grandmother is very fair. However, I thought it was sweet she wants me to pick first-- we have a really close relationship.

I tend toward something that she wears daily, as that would have more sentimental value to me since I saw her wearing it frequently. She usually wears a few different rings-- diamond solitaire engagement ring with a small, sparkly diamond, a gemstone ring, and then a smaller diamond ring she got as a child that needs some repairs. Or I could look for a pair of earrings that might have less wear and tear and be able to be worn on really special occasions.

My grandma on the other side passed away a few years ago and I really wanted one of her rings. However those went directly to her daughters, one of whom is my mom, and will be passed to us later. I ended up getting a watch that is real gold that had belonged to her mom and was passed on to her, and a pin. There are a few other pieces I have of hers but I don't wear them, just keep them for the memories.

Just curious what advice you all would have about family heirloom jewelry-- do you wear it, or keep it for the memories? Would you want to have an everyday piece or something for special occasions? Would love to see other PS-ers heirloom pieces as well.

 

[diamondyes]

How sweet of your grandmother! I was very close with mine so I can picture what an honour this is.

I have no doubt that when I’m front of her jewelry, you will simply “feel” what is right for you.

I have no valuable heirlooms but they are special to me for their sentimentality.

 

[glitterata]

How lovely that your grandmother is giving you something beautiful imbued with memories and love.

I am wearing my mother's mother's wedding ring and engagement ring on my right hand and my father's mother's wedding ring on my left hand as I type this. I don't have children, so I will pass them on to my cousins' children.

 

[glitterata]

As far as advice goes: I would choose something you are unlikely to lose. Earrings have a tendency to vanish, and pins can fall off clothes without your noticing. Other than that, I would choose something you love, so you enjoy it for its own sake as well as for the memories.

 

[m-cubed]

There wasn’t much passed down in my family. I got a string of pearl that may well be fake from my granny. I love them no matter whether they are real or fake. I got a couple other low value but sentimental things from her. My mom sold much of her jewelry when she fell on hard times, not that there was much to start with. I’ve got a mall jewelry store ring and earrings that are gold with lots of (probably not great quality diamonds). So I guess the maybe fake pearls are the real star here.

 

[lavieenviolet078]

How sweet of your grandmother! I was very close with mine so I can picture what an honour this is.

I have no doubt that when I’m front of her jewelry, you will simply “feel” what is right for you.

I have no valuable heirlooms but they are special to me for their sentimentality.

The sentimental value is what matters the most to me, too. I told her I will help her out with cleaning her pieces and getting them organized because she told me her collection is pretty much in disarray and it seems like that is stressing her out. Maybe something will speak to me at that point.

Right now I kind of lean toward the engagement ring just because I love the look of it.

 

[lavieenviolet078]

As far as advice goes: I would choose something you are unlikely to lose. Earrings have a tendency to vanish, and pins can fall off clothes without your noticing. Other than that, I would choose something you love, so you enjoy it for its own sake as well as for the memories.

That is true- a pendant or ring might be less likely to get lost than an earring

 

[HGar]

I have my paternal Great Grandmother’ engagement ring - when my Grandmother died, her jewellery was divided and we were allowed to pick. My MIL is still very much alive however for my 40th she gifted me her gold and diamond Raymond Weil watch then for my 50th she gave me a sapphire and diamond ring her father had fossicked for and then set as a present when she was younger.

 

[LilAlex]

I will need to take pictures but we have an opal ring from an aunt who was my grandmother-equivalent (not having any actual grandmothers). And, oddly now that I think about it, another opal ring from my late Mom -- I was obsessed with it when I was a little kid and she wanted us to have it.

 

[MeowMeow]

I can play I've shown this before but don't feel like digging them out for another picture this second. These were my grandmother's. We had a very very complicated relationship but we loved each other. So when these were given to me after she passed I was so happy to have some things to remember her by. These are my favourites of the ones I have with me. One is a garnet we honestly had no clue she had. She never mentioned it to any of us at all. I suspect she forgot she had it. And the other is her wedding band from her second husband. I didn't hate him so I have no problem having and loving it since it was hers anyway.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

my favourite kind of thread
grandma jewlery

 

[Bron357]

I inherited my great great grandmas gold heart locket.
It caused a fair amount of family controversy at the time as my grandma was still alive and my mother is the second daughter and I am the second grand daughter.
It is my most precious piece of jewellery and I very very rarely wear it. It is the only surviving piece from my great great grandma and one of 3 pieces from my great grandma.
I will pass it down to my daughter or the eldest daughter of any of my nieces or nephews if my daughter has no children. She knows about this.
I have other inherited pieces that I wear and love regularly.
I’ll have to get out the pieces for a photo now!

 

[kgizo]

As far as advice goes: I would choose something you are unlikely to lose. Earrings have a tendency to vanish, and pins can fall off clothes without your noticing. Other than that, I would choose something you love, so you enjoy it for its own sake as well as for the memories.

Agree about losing earrings. It’s so maddening. For pins I recommend pin clutches, which sadly are getting very hard to find. Silicon earring backs can also be used. Put the pin through the fabric, put on the silicon and then through the fabric. If the pin comes undone the silicon will prevent it from falling off. Pic for example only, I have not purchased from this vendor.

 

[lavieenviolet078]

I can play I've shown this before but don't feel like digging them out for another picture this second. These were my grandmother's. We had a very very complicated relationship but we loved each other. So when these were given to me after she passed I was so happy to have some things to remember her by. These are my favourites of the ones I have with me. One is a garnet we honestly had no clue she had. She never mentioned it to any of us at all. I suspect she forgot she had it. And the other is her wedding band from her second husband. I didn't hate him so I have no problem having and loving it since it was hers anyway.

Very pretty!

 

[lavieenviolet078]

I inherited my great great grandmas gold heart locket.
It caused a fair amount of family controversy at the time as my grandma was still alive and my mother is the second daughter and I am the second grand daughter.
It is my most precious piece of jewellery and I very very rarely wear it. It is the only surviving piece from my great great grandma and one of 3 pieces from my great grandma.
I will pass it down to my daughter or the eldest daughter of any of my nieces or nephews if my daughter has no children. She knows about this.
I have other inherited pieces that I wear and love regularly.
I’ll have to get out the pieces for a photo now!

Love that you have something that has been in your family for so many generations.

 

[lavieenviolet078]

Agree about losing earrings. It’s so maddening. For pins I recommend pin clutches, which sadly are getting very hard to find. Silicon earring backs can also be used. Put the pin through the fabric, put on the silicon and then through the fabric. If the pin comes undone the silicon will prevent it from falling off. Pic for example only, I have not purchased from this vendor.

This is a great idea. I need to get some of these for some of my earrings that I fear will come undone so that I can wear them without being nervous!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i havnt set up my new phone yet so this is a photo i found in my attachments from another thread
ive shown these before, but grandma does likes a day out

the gold band on my pinky is my great grandma's wedding band
i had the saphires put in (one for each of her children) so i would wear it
i dont think it had been worn since the dear old lady had passed away, i never even knew mum had it
and i didnt even know the great grandparents' names (google really is your friend)
i think i am very lucky to have it because my grandma had lots of sisters and i am not the oldest granddaughter, although mum was an only daughter

the very modest depression era ER is grandma's
it is very small by PS standards but i adore it just like how i adored my grandma and grandad

 

[lavieenviolet078]

i havnt set up my new phone yet so this is a photo i found in my attachments from another thread
ive shown these before, but grandma does likes a day out

the gold band on my pinky is my great grandma's wedding band
i had the saphires put in (one for each of her children) so i would wear it
i dont think it had been worn since the dear old lady had passed away, i never even knew mum had it
and i didnt even know the great grandparents' names (google really is your friend)
i think i am very lucky to have it because my grandma had lots of sisters and i am not the oldest granddaughter, although mum was an only daughter

the very modest depression era ER is grandma's
it is very small by PS standards but i adore it just like how i adored my grandma and grandad

Beautiful rings

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Beautiful rings

thank you
i know im mixed the mall jewlery with (although modest) well made NZ made vintage pieces, (the eternity ring is mum's from when i was born) but at least im wearing them and remembering

 

[Ally T]

I inherited my maternal grandmothers wedding & original engagement rings when I turned 16. My mother was an only child. I had an older sister & brother at the time, but my little sister came after she had died. My grandmother & I were very close, like twins. My mother used to say we were as thick as thieves & peas in a pod. She lived with us towards the end of her life & I was yet to start school, so we just hung out & laughed & played silly games & got into mischief. I passed the 22ct gold wedding ring to my little sister to use as her own 10 years ago, to connect her to the grandmother she never met.

I also inherited my Great Aunts pearl & OEC antique ring. She wasn't blessed with children of her own, so after my grandmothers death, Great Aunt & mum sort of adopted each other. She was a constant in my life until she died from pneumonia in 2014, aged 99. The pearl ring is definitely what started my love affair with jewellery. She used to wear it on her RH & every single time without fail, I would tug it away & pop it on my index finger! This ring came to me in it's original box with the receipt my Great Uncle was given when he bought it. It dates to around 1895 - 1905 but the hallmark was lost in sizing. We only have the date info from the Antique Dealer Great Uncle bought it from just before the outbreak of WW2. Great Aunt had the most beautiful collection of jewellery, which my mother has now.

 

[lissyflo]

I have a wedding ring from my maternal grandmother but nothing from my paternal side: my uncle took everything as my dad died before his mum and I think he somehow considered that the line was broken .

I have pieces from my mum and have a half sovereign of hers currently sent off to be set as a pendant. I have really strong memories of my mum wearing it when I was young and can’t wait to be able to wear it myself.

 

[lavieenviolet078]

I inherited my maternal grandmothers wedding & original engagement rings when I turned 16. My mother was an only child. I had an older sister & brother at the time, but my little sister came after she had died. My grandmother & I were very close, like twins. My mother used to say we were as thick as thieves & peas in a pod. She lived with us towards the end of her life & I was yet to start school, so we just hung out & laughed & played silly games & got into mischief. I passed the 22ct gold wedding ring to my little sister to use as her own 10 years ago, to connect her to the grandmother she never met.

I also inherited my Great Aunts pearl & OEC antique ring. She wasn't blessed with children of her own, so after my grandmothers death, Great Aunt & mum sort of adopted each other. She was a constant in my life until she died from pneumonia in 2014, aged 99. The pearl ring is definitely what started my love affair with jewellery. She used to wear it on her RH & every single time without fail, I would tug it away & pop it on my index finger! This ring came to me in it's original box with the receipt my Great Uncle was given when he bought it. It dates to around 1895 - 1905 but the hallmark was lost in sizing. We only have the date info from the Antique Dealer Great Uncle bought it from just before the outbreak of WW2. Great Aunt had the most beautiful collection of jewellery, which my mother has now.

Wow, stunning! Both rings are really beautiful; that pearl is really something else though!

 

[Inked]

I inherited my grandmother's 1 carat solitaire. I never wore it because it was a solitaire and I personally don't like diamond solitaires as a right hand ring, so it had just been sitting in my drawer for 25 years. I had an idea to reset it into a 5 stone ring, so that's what i did and i adore it and wear it all the time now. She also gave me a sapphire and diamond bracelet, I need to get it from safe deposit and wear it.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

This is such a sweet thread. I love that this brings fond memories for all who inherit family jewels, no matter how "valuable" they may be to the outside world.

I'll have to clean it, but my grandmother gifted me a very hefty gold ring with baguettes arranged in a ballerina style design. She's still alive, but has stopped wearing most of her jewelry and started to pass them down.
I also inherited my great grandmother's jade and gold studs well after she passed away, I wasn't even sure where they were until my mom said she had them. For as long as I knew her, she wore them all the time, and the style was so reminiscent of her era.

 

[88_star]

This is such a sweet thread. I love that this brings fond memories for all who inherit family jewels, no matter how "valuable" they may be to the outside world.

I'll have to clean it, but my grandmother gifted me a very hefty gold ring with baguettes arranged in a ballerina style design. She's still alive, but has stopped wearing most of her jewelry and started to pass them down.
I also inherited my great grandmother's jade and gold studs well after she passed away, I wasn't even sure where they were until my mom said she had them. For as long as I knew her, she wore them all the time, and the style was so reminiscent of her era.

Pics!

 

[Ionysis]

I have an addition to this.

I just got it from the jeweller. It has taken me 7 years to finally get my dads wedding ring made into something I can wear often. I didn’t want it melted down or squashed or made into something else. In fact I didn’t even want the scratches polished out if it. So I couldn’t come up with a way I could turn it into something I would really wear and love - not just for sentimental value but aesthetically.

My dad had big hands and large fingers. His band was also very wide and heavy.

After getting it out of the drawer yet again and playing with it I finally had a flash of inspiration. I decided to convert an existing lariat necklace and add my dads ring into it.


Here is the original necklace.

And here it is now




I think I will wear it a lot.

 

[JV36912]

I have an addition to this.

I just got it from the jeweller. It has taken me 7 years to finally get my dads wedding ring made into something I can wear often. I didn’t want it melted down or squashed or made into something else. In fact I didn’t even want the scratches polished out if it. So I couldn’t come up with a way I could turn it into something I would really wear and love - not just for sentimental value but aesthetically.

My dad had big hands and large fingers. His band was also very wide and heavy.

After getting it out of the drawer yet again and playing with it I finally had a flash of inspiration. I decided to convert an existing lariat necklace and add my dads ring into it.


Here is the original necklace.

And here it is now




I think I will wear it a lot.

How beautiful!!

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I inherited a platinum and diamond Edwardian ring-maybe from her mother ? Just as sentimental I got a small, hand painted china box, with a beautiful mauve an pink sunset with a small boat on the horizon. When I small she used to let me hold it. I was positively enchanted with it.
I also inherited an emerald claddha {sp} ring I wear on my left index finger with a thin diamond and emerald band.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I have an addition to this.

I just got it from the jeweller. It has taken me 7 years to finally get my dads wedding ring made into something I can wear often. I didn’t want it melted down or squashed or made into something else. In fact I didn’t even want the scratches polished out if it. So I couldn’t come up with a way I could turn it into something I would really wear and love - not just for sentimental value but aesthetically.

My dad had big hands and large fingers. His band was also very wide and heavy.

After getting it out of the drawer yet again and playing with it I finally had a flash of inspiration. I decided to convert an existing lariat necklace and add my dads ring into it.


Here is the original necklace.

And here it is now




I think I will wear it a lot.

i love this
it was worth holding out to get just the right burst of inspiration

 

[lissyflo]

I have an addition to this.

I just got it from the jeweller. It has taken me 7 years to finally get my dads wedding ring made into something I can wear often. I didn’t want it melted down or squashed or made into something else. In fact I didn’t even want the scratches polished out if it. So I couldn’t come up with a way I could turn it into something I would really wear and love - not just for sentimental value but aesthetically.

My dad had big hands and large fingers. His band was also very wide and heavy.

After getting it out of the drawer yet again and playing with it I finally had a flash of inspiration. I decided to convert an existing lariat necklace and add my dads ring into it.


Here is the original necklace.

And here it is now




I think I will wear it a lot.

What a lovely idea. I hope being able to wear it now brings you much comfort and joy.