Procrastinating with Pics of Family 7-stone band

[Snuffles_Rose]

Hi --

Taking a break from policy research to post up these pics of a family 7-stone band. It's got a pretty mysterious origin, I haven't ever gotten it appraised (or cleaned properly), but the fishtail setting suggests 40s-50s. I wish I could tell what cut these diamonds are, too. I'm 90% sure they're MRBs. They show a bit of fire in the sunlight, so I'm hoping they're old cuts...

I'm totally afraid to take it in to a jeweler -- what if they tell me that one (or MORE) of the diamonds is chipped?! Terrified. It's basically sat in a pouch for 30 years and endured a pretty amazing journey, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a bit of damage. But for some reason, it's like -- if you KNOW it's there, you start seeing it differently, you know?

Anyways, anyone got any family heirloom pieces that they unearthed that ended up having some issues? How did you deal with it

Back to work, I suppose!


Snuffles

 

[AprilBaby]

Very pretty! I have heirloom pearl earrings that sit in a box because I don't like pearls on me.

 

[motownmama]

Pretty!!!!!! It's sat in a pouch for 30 years - because why?

 

[Snuffles_Rose]

motown --

my mom just isn't into jewelry. and when she came into possession of the ring it was so dirty and shabby looking she didn't ever think it was special or anything.

she's got bracelets and watches that she just never wears. they're "on loan" to me too for work functions or whenever i feel like playing dress-up. it makes sense, she's always cooking and washing dishes or cleaning. she said she only ever wore a really simple wedding band from the downtown LA jewelry district -- when she and my dad got married, they hardly had any money, so they took the bus downtown and picked out the plainest band with the least gold content. she's so not into jewelry that after she got pregnant with my sister and me, she stopped wearing it (and forgotten where she's put it!). I can just imagine pricescopers gasping in disbelief.

now that i'm of the age where i've started to express a stronger interest in jewelry, she's dug out her collection (which has always been of little interest to her) for me to gawk at. The ring looked really unremarkable at first, but I cleaned it up a bit and now it's all shiny and she's much more impressed with it. She still doesn't care enough to wear it though -- so i get to!

 

[lioness]

Mysterious origin?? You can't tease us like that! Do tell....

 

[Snuffles_Rose]

haha eeek! i'll try to tell the story with as much detail as i can.

my mother's a war refugee and when she was escaping her home country she was caught by police officers. she was trying to escape with a group of others, and when the police showed up everyone paired up to pretend to be fishermen couples. a random man she had never met before came up pretending to be her husband, but to no avail. they were all arrested and put in prison for six months. but before she was arrested, the man had slipped something into her pocket. the guards searched and confiscated her bags, but for some reason never searched her clothes. oh, needless to say, she never heard from the man again. she had hidden it and kept it stowed away for so long that she forgot she even had it until we were looking at some bracelets that my dad had bought for her in the past (sapphires for one, cateyes for the other). i pulled it out of the bag and she finally told me. that's why it's "on loan" in case he ever pops up again.

 

[Sparklelu]

haha eeek! i'll try to tell the story with as much detail as i can.

my mother's a war refugee and when she was escaping her home country she was caught by police officers. she was trying to escape with a group of others, and when the police showed up everyone paired up to pretend to be fishermen couples. a random man she had never met before came up pretending to be her husband, but to no avail. they were all arrested and put in prison for six months. but before she was arrested, the man had slipped something into her pocket. the guards searched and confiscated her bags, but for some reason never searched her clothes. oh, needless to say, she never heard from the man again. she had hidden it and kept it stowed away for so long that she forgot she even had it until we were looking at some bracelets that my dad had bought for her in the past (sapphires for one, cateyes for the other). i pulled it out of the bag and she finally told me. that's why it's "on loan" in case he ever pops up again.

I love this story. Clean that baby and wear it! It's a little bit of history. Oh and make sure to tell the story to your kids when you have them. I have several pieces of my grandmothers that we have no story of, and others that we do. They make that piece all that more special

 

[tyty333]

Such a cool history! She needs to be worn!!!

 

[Snuffles_Rose]

i try to wear her as often as i can! but now that i'm wearing this one on such a regular basis, the boyfriend and i are deciding if a separate e-ring would even be necessary?

I love the idea of pairing it with a solitaire though... we'll see how the budget works out. with student loans and other responsibilities, it might be awhile before we can buy anything.

I've asked SS about any small old cut stones, like under .5 carats. i'd love to set it in a simple setting. but i also found an amazing setting by JuliaB on etsy -- that would require some saving up for though, since the center stone would have to be at least .5 carat. i'm in love with the idea of an old cut center stone with prong set diamond side stones in yellow gold -- but then i wouldn't be able to wear the e-ring with this band. It's sort of complementary though, since the ering would be softer and more floral, and the band is a little more angular and masculine?

Thoughts?

of course, an alternative engagement gift would be these custom handmade cowboy boots.... so difficult! jewelry or shoes?!

 

[iota15]

i try to wear her as often as i can! but now that i'm wearing this one on such a regular basis, the boyfriend and i are deciding if a separate e-ring would even be necessary?

I love the idea of pairing it with a solitaire though... we'll see how the budget works out. with student loans and other responsibilities, it might be awhile before we can buy anything.

I've asked SS about any small old cut stones, like under .5 carats. i'd love to set it in a simple setting. but i also found an amazing setting by JuliaB on etsy -- that would require some saving up for though, since the center stone would have to be at least .5 carat. i'm in love with the idea of an old cut center stone with prong set diamond side stones in yellow gold -- but then i wouldn't be able to wear the e-ring with this band. It's sort of complementary though, since the ering would be softer and more floral, and the band is a little more angular and masculine?

Thoughts?

of course, an alternative engagement gift would be these custom handmade cowboy boots.... so difficult! jewelry or shoes?!

Wow. I love the head on those settings. Those are the JuliaB's?

 

[Snuffles_Rose]

Yes! They're her "Lily" setting. beautiful, right?

 

[Ally T]

Snuffles, this is a beautiful story, a real piece of history & a stunning ring. I really hope you can pop it down to a jeweler & have them professionally give it a good clean & polish. I bet it would REALLY throw off some fire then! And be sure to post up some new pictures & details when you do!

 

[Snuffles_Rose]

Snuffles, this is a beautiful story, a real piece of history & a stunning ring. I really hope you can pop it down to a jeweler & have them professionally give it a good clean & polish. I bet it would REALLY throw off some fire then! And be sure to post up some new pictures & details when you do!

Sure will! I'm taking a trip down to the jewelry district to scope out some ideas for erings, so hope to get it cleaned at the same time. How does it usually work, does it take a couple days? Can they do it right there? I saw a woman pick up her ring at Tiffany's so I presume it meant she was picking it up from another day...

 

[Ally T]

Glad to hear it You'll have to check with whomever you choose to drop it in to. My jeweler will do things for me whilst I go for a coffee - he just needs half an hour or so to transform my lovelies. I'm sure you can find someone who will turn it around for you pretty quickly, but it would be interesting for them to have a good look at it once its cleaned properly. If I were you i'd be keen to know metal type, diamond cut (it must be an old cut with that history?), approximate colour, clarity & carat weight. I absolutely know you would never want to split this ring up, but it would be nice to appreciate fully what you've got