A few days ago, my father dropped round for a visit. As we chatted, I told him how my husbands mobile keeps turning itself off if its lucky, it might last fifteen or twenty minutes before dying, and even when we swap the battery, it just gets worse. So, with my birthday coming up, Im on the lookout for a new phone.
My husbands planning to pass the old phone on, but honestly, I think Im the one in greater need. Thats when Dad pulled out this battered old box and said, This is for you, from your grandmother. You could sell it and get yourself a proper phone.
But inside, I found Nanas wedding ring. Miraculously, even the original box had survived all these years.
Alongside the ring, the box held a receipt, a tag, and an old wax seal. The ring was bought back in 1977. It weighs just over 7 grams.
Its hard for someone my age to compare properly with todays prices, but Im certain it must have been valuable. Back then, chunky wedding rings were all the rage and it seems people were able to treat themselves to them.
Nowadays, not everyone would buy such a hefty piece. I cant even guess what a ring like this would cost now. It was made from 14-carat gold, which, I reckon, is probably better quality than some of whats on offer these days. The ring itself is massive compared to what people usually wear for an engagement ring nowadays.
In the end, I said straightaway that theres no chance Id sell it. I plan to wear it myself. I dont hold with all those old superstitions about wearing someone elses rings. This is something Ill treasure as a family keepsake. Phones, after all, conk out every year you buy one, then a year later youre replacing it. But a ring like this, Id never buy for myself.
It made me pause and realise: theres far more value in something handed down with memories than in anything shiny and new. What would you do with a ring like that?
