Oh I was being dramatic -- it's not such a great story!
Got my wife a right-hand ring before I even knew there was a name for these things. It was maybe 15+ years ago. We had come across this all-original Deco one with a 3-ct unheated Ceylon sapphire flanked by bullet-shaped diamonds that she fell in love with. It was "expensive" at the time -- but an almost laughable bargain in retrospect. She wore it day-in, day-out for 10+ years until a prong broke. It was her "signature" piece of jewelry in our household but I don't think anyone else ever noticed it (it's pretty petite). I knew it was accumulating some abrasions and it's a fragile design to begin with -- but the jeweler was just horrified at the damage to the sapphire. I know I've posted this quote here before but he said something to the effect of: "It survived 100 years in near-perfect condition until you!" He really loves jewelry and jewelry history.
At the time of the prong re-tipping, he urged us to have the stone polished ("It hasn't been out of this mounting in 100 years!"). Don't get me wrong; he is a wonderful guy. But my wife was so shamed and stricken by the whole thing that she will not wear the ring. It's "too precious" now. It's not over-the-top by PS standards and she bought a few inexpensive rings to wear "in rotation" with it but this one floated back to the safe deposit box.
This is an "after" photo, worn backwards on one of my fingers:
The color IRL is lighter and brighter than shown. The polishing -- which I was sort of opposed to but eventually succumbed to some vendor arm-twisting -- dropped it just below 3 ct (strike one) and we both think it lost a tiny bit of its amazing glow (our only glowy stone, so strike two). And I think the new and over-large prongs were designed with protection and not elegance in mind (strike three, I guess). And it rounded the contour from an almost-octagon to an oval-y cushion... But, I think it's still our kids' favorite and most iconic piece of "Mom jewelry."
It did lead me to completely re-think the permanence and "generational" quality of jewelry and I no longer browse with the great, great grandchildren in mind!
It is a good story
The ring is so beautiful! I'm sorry your wife felt shamed. I feel like it would've ended up in similar shape after ten years with me I'm also looking for something I can wear day-in, day-out as a "signature." But maybe my outlook will change down the line, too.
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