Show me your family heirloom!

[widget]

Hi, all...

I thought this might be a fun thread. I'd love to see some 'hand-me-down' jewelry... especially pieces with extra sentimental value!

Here's my contribution: My Mom's '40s retro ring, citrine and pink sapphires, rose and white gold. The bracelet is made up of five $10 gold coins which my Dad had hoarded, and later had made into a bracelet. (I think there was some time when everyone was asked to "cash in" their gold coins...

)

I remember her wearing these pieces almost every day when I was little..

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[Kaleigh]

Oh widget this is a fun thread!!! I love your mom''s coin bracelet, how fun is that!!! I will have to wait until monday to post the ring my grandmother gave me that was her mother''s or my great grandmother''s to be exact. Seven''s took a picture of it and she is away till monday. It''s a beautful ring and I just cherish it.

 

[widget]

Thanks, Kaleigh! Can''t wait to see it!

What would REALLY be fun is to see pictures of our mothers/grandmothers/greatgrandmothers, etc actually wearing these pieces!

I couldn''t find one, alas, but I do have this...my mother striking a very "Joan Crawford" pose...how retro is this???

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[Diamonds4Me]

Date: 4/16/2005 11:32:57 AM
Author: widget
Thanks, Kaleigh! Can''t wait to see it!

What would REALLY be fun is to see pictures of our mothers/grandmothers/greatgrandmothers, etc actually wearing these pieces!

I couldn''t find one, alas, but I do have this...my mother striking a very ''Joan Crawford'' pose...how retro is this???

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That is a beautiful picture! I LOVE pictures like that. I have a lot of pictures from my grandmother and grandfather''s wedding but I''ll have to look for them. They were packed away when I moved and I haven''t gotten around to pulling them out. I''ll have to do try and do that this weekend. I also LOVE the jewelry you posted. I wish I had something to show...however, I''m also glad that I don''t yet. I don''t know what I would do without my grandmother

 

[pearcrazy]

Widget, your mother is lovely. What a wonderful picture!

 

[Kaleigh]

Widget,
Your mother is stunning in that picture, so Hollywood!!!

 

[treysar]

This is my great grandmother''s engagement ring, from Italy. The centerstone is a champagne pink, and the surrounding stones are both champagne pink and white - 2 fell out and were replaced my modern cut stomes - the others are all older cuts. This is SO SPECIAL TO ME!

 

[mingagreen]

This is a cocktail ring my Great Grandmother had made with her engagement diamond and wedding diamonds. It is really a bad custom made ring and I made have it reset someday!

 

[mingagreen]

This is an aquamarine ring that was my great Grandmother''s. I wore it as my something blue on mt wedding day.

 

[youngster]

Wow Widget! Your Mom is beautiful. What a great photo of her. Also, love that coin bracelet. You are correct that in the 1930''s (under Franklin Roosevelt) it became illegal to own gold coins (except for collecting purposes). People were so spooked by the economic depression that they were putting more and more of their assets into gold and pulling money out of the banking system (which would be a sure way to choke economic recovery). But, of course, not everyone turned in every single coin they had (obviously!). I''m sure some of those gold coins became even more valuable, from a collecting stand point, because so many were melted down and added to the reserves at Fort Knox (which I understand was built for the purpose of guarding all that gold that was being turned in and melted.) So, that bracelet of yours seems to be a piece of Americana as well as a family heirloom.

 

[mingagreen]

This is an unknown white metal and emethist my Great Grandfather made for my Great Grandmother to keep her fingures warm!! I recieved it on my 16th B-day

 

[mingagreen]

And this is my Grandmothers original wedding band, she gave it to my daughter, she is only 2 so i may be wearing it for a few years!! It is 2 rows of pave'' in platinum and a yellow gold band.

 

[widget]

Boy oh boy oh boy....I''m LOVING this thread!

Treysar...such a treasure!!

And pink diamonds!!!

Mingagreen: What a wonderful assortment! I''d KILL for that aqua!!

"Cocktail rings"....I think that was a low point in the history of jewelry design (the ''60s?). My mom left me several, and I got rid of them all...now to my great chagrin. I''m sure they could have been remounted into something special. I was SO DUMB

Youngster: THANK YOU SO MUCH for your information on gold coins in the ''30s!! So interesting to know, and now I better understand the history behind that bracelet! THANK YOU!

More! More! More!

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[MichelleCarmen]

Here''s a couple of my heirloom rings. Both are from my mom. Pictures are terrible, but until I get a new camera and have a bit more time, these are the best I can do

First is a citrine and square baquette diamond ring.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Here's a white gold and aquamarine ring. The stone is surrounded by leaves. . .they're kind of hard to see from the photo. . .

 

[KBerly]

Here is my great grandma''s engagement ring. It was given to me by my mom after my grandma passed. When I received it, we only had to replace one tiny diamond in the pave, but other than that, it is in excellent condition to have been made during the early 1920s. Center stone is a .30ct OEC and it has 10 other pave diamonds. I love the detailed work and the milgrain. It is so nice to have a family heirloom to cherish and continue to pass down.

 

[Kaleigh]

Kberly,
Your great grandma''s ring is so pretty!!

 

[KBerly]

thank you kaleigh

 

[diamondlil]

This is a great thread. Thanks, Widget, for starting it. I have something I''ve been wanted to post for your opinions.

This was a ring given to my grandmother probably a good 65 years ago by a gentleman who wanted to marry her. She said no, but she kept the ring -- smart woman.

After my grandmother''s death, my dad gave me the ring, and it''s been in my jewelry box for about 10 years. I don''t know what the stone is or if it is even worth anything more than sentimental value. My grandmother''s birthstone was sapphire, but the stone has a greenish-blue/teal color to it. I can see a few flaws in the stone with my loupe so I presume it is not glass or a synthetic.

Do you have any ideas what the stone could be?

 

[diamondlil]

Here''s another view.

 

[diamondlil]

Here''s a hand shot so you can get an idea of the size. It''s a big stone. The ring is top heavy and spins on me.

Any ideas?

 

[widget]

Lordy, I'm enjoying this thread!

MichelleCarmen: I wish I could see the aqua better...it looks really interesting...almost art nouveau...great rings!

Kim: Your great grandma's Edwardian engagement ring is wonderful! It's very special and unique...yum!

Diamondlil...Gosh, I don't know. The only thing I can think of beside synthetic is blue topaz. It seems to me if it were something more precious, the ex-boyfriend would have tried harder to get it back!

Do you have a jeweler/gemologist friend who could look at it? Or maybe post it over on the colored gemstone forum...lots of guessers over there...

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[widget]

Date: 4/16/2005 12:56:36 PM
Author: mingagreen
This is an unknown white metal and emethist my Great Grandfather made for my Great Grandmother to keep her fingures warm!! I recieved it on my 16th B-day

Mingagreen...I just noticed this. Your Great Grandfather MADE that ring???? How cool is that!!!!

What a treasure!

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[Kaleigh]

diamondlil,
I am completely stumped as my grandmother would say, I have no clue what that stone is, hopefully some colored stone experts can chime in and solve this mystery!!!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 4/16/2005 7:29:54 PM
Author: diamondlil

I can see a few flaws in the stone with my loupe so I presume it is not glass or a synthetic.

That's one cool ring

The quintesential "big rock on finger" look - if there ever was any actual ring that fits the picture, this must be it.

The color I see on my computer screen (sort of deep teal) doesn't remind me of topaz at all - perhaps syntetic spinel that would match the color and period. I would imagine syntetic sapphire is always made violetish blue or straight blue. Natural sapphire like that barely exists (Australian sapphire has the color more often, but the size is anything but common; small teal sapphire comes from the US but with those even 1 carat is allot). Now I am curious !

 

[Kaleigh]

Wow if our Valeria doesn''t know then I am really curious.

 

[Art Nouveau]

Widget,

Thanks for starting this interesting thread. Your mother looked like a movie star in that photo. My mother and aunts have retro rings similar to the one you posted. I inherited a Deco style platinum and sapphire ring from my aunt. The ring was orignally my Grandmother''s from the 1920s. The sapphire is dark greenish blue, probably Thai. It is not an expensive sapphire, but I like the style of the ring.

 

[widget]

AN:

What a neat deco ring!

I really like it...and it''s unusual configuration...it almost reminds me of a turtle! Are the diamonds rose cuts?

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[Art Nouveau]

Widget,

The diamonds look like rose cut. I do not know the origin of the ring, but I suspect it might have been purchased in London, because, where my family come from, jewelers did not make this style of jewelry in those days. My greatgrandfather was in London in 1924 to attend the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley.

Art Nouveau

 

[widget]

Ok....I PROMISE this is the last family photo I will post...but I just couldn''t resist. And it IS jewelry-related, sort of...

This is my mom and I on the beach, probablly in 1946. Notice the ARMLOAD of bracelets she''s wearing on her right arm. The big one is a silver "tank" bracelet which is so named because the link designs were reminiscent of the treads of WWII tanks. They were very popular in the ''40s.

The telling part of this picture is that I WAS WEARING A BRACELET, TOO! (Barely visible on my left wrist). Obviously, my "problem" with jewelry is genetic, and I''ve had it for a long time....

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