My Grandfather's Sapphire Ring

[Slickk]

I love it! I haven’t read through the replies but I think you should repair it and wear it!! It will bring you comfort and he would have been so honored to know that you are wearing his ring.
I am so sorry for your loss..

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

It's a beautiful ring !
I completely get it, since I inherited my grandfather's officer's ring. It was roughly the Design of a class ring in very very heavy platinum and a huge Emerald deep blue synthetic sapphire with the coat of arms and motto of his division carved on the flat underside.

We had the stone taken out of the setting very gently so that we'd be able to put the ring back together again if we ever felt we'd like to. Since your grandfather's ring is engraved, it's a nice option to be able to put it back together again. While the jeweler is taking the stone out, it'd be easy to repair the band in one go so that you can get rid of the painful reminder and then put it into the safe ( that's what I would personally do).

I had our family stone reset , but due to the jeweler " knowing better" it didn't turn out as planned. It was my first custom project and I was nineteen, though. So not a surprise in hindsight.

Both my sister and I have worn it as out " something blue" to our weddings, as a reminder and presence of my grandfather, though.


For your cab I immediately thought of a modern , very wearable design in the vein of the pomellato rouge passion :

Godechot Pauliet | Horloger Joaillier de luxe à Paris 16ème

Montres et bijoux de luxe à Paris : Rolex, Cartier, Messika, Fred, Chaumet, Bulgari, Chopard, Tudor, Omega, Repossi, Bulgari, Tudor...

www.godechot-pauliet.com

I own it in red and it is very easy to wear.
Wearing it today

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

My mom has an antique blue sapphire cab ring that is identical to the pomellato veleno design:



I think this one might work very well for your stone if you'd like to wear it.y mom's in her bank safe in Germany, so Unfortunately no pics , but the Design is very sleek and similar to the veleno.

Ours is an oval cab set n-s, but I'd personally prefer it e-w.

 

[2Neesers]

Your ring has such a beautiful story. I would definitely keep it and have the band repaired since the cut band is hard for you to look at . David Klass would be another possible option for the band repair. I remember reading a post a while back that mentioned he can do antique restoration.
If it were me, I would find a beautiful yet masculine ring box on Etsy and display the ring on my dresser or a decorative table in my house. You could do that for a while before deciding if you want to reset the center stone.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I love the story about your father and then lovely inscription inside. I would definitely try to repair and preserve the engraving. Maybe size it a little to fit one of your fingers, or maybe size it for your husband to wear? It totally reminds me of my FIL’s ring, my FIL passed away 10 years ago and my husband’s sisters gave his ring to my husband being the only male heir, but my husband does not wear rings, and does not want it resized, so I wear it occasionally on my middle finger (still loose) and the rest of the time it is safe in my jewelry box. I will pass it on to one of my kids one day.

 

[lilmosun]

Just spit-balling but I wonder if a jeweller could set the stone into a bezel type setting for a pendant and on reverse inset the engraved message so it’s close to your heart?

So the stone would be set whichever position you prefer with a thicker surround to then have the section of engraving inset on the reverse.

I see that @Kyton already posted what I was thinking...a pendant with the beautiful engraving on the back...preserves the sentiment and happy memories without the painful reminder of how it was taken off his hand.

I'm so glad that you have been given this special piece.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

My grandfather passed in 2005. He was truly a larger than life figure. He was a big, robust man who grew up in a sod hut on the American prairie and came east on a cattle train. He put himself through law school by working the night shift as an undertaker. After law school he went on to work for our government chasing down threats to our way of life, events that would simply not be believed if I posted about it. He was brave, kind and fair.

My family was never much into jewelry. One of the few pieces I remember seeing in my growing-up years was my grandfather's sapphire ring. My grandmother had given it to him and he always wore it. Always. I never remember seeing his bear-claw-sized hands without it.

Over the years I've often wondered what happened to the ring after my grandfather died. I assumed it was either lost or my aunt (who is a recluse and doesn't speak to the rest of the family) had it.

Recently, I learned my father had it. He gave it to me.

The ring is difficult for me to look at it. It was cut off my grandfather's hand when he died. The ring looks so violated.

I can't even bring myself to clean it. It hasn't been cleaned since being removed from my grandfather. I can't bring myself to clean remove the gunk from the crevices of the ring. Gross, right?

I don't know what to do with the ring. My heart says at least repair the damage. Make it whole again. Then it won't be so heart-wrenching to look at.

But I don't have children to pass it too.

My own hands are thin so I'm not sure I could pull off wearing the man's ring. And my husband does not like wearing rings at all (even wedding bands.)

What would you do?

Would it be possible to resize the ring to fit a size 4.75 finger without altering its character too much?

At a minimum, I want to repair it so it is not so painful to look at (the damage reminds me of his death, not his life). Any recommendations who I can get to repair the band?

Also, the cabochon has a ding in it. I've toyed with the idea of seeing if it could be polished out (though it is rather deep). However, the ding has always been there, my father says it happened way back when my grandad first got the ring. So the ding is part of the ring's history.

Is this even a sapphire? It could be glass or paste for all I know.

Should I find a male blood relative to pass it too? We are a small family, but I do have a male cousin I haven't seen in twenty years. The selfish side of me wants to keep the ring because I loved my grandfather so much, I have nothing else from him, and only one other heirloom in general, our family just doesn't "do" jewelry at all. So this piece is extra special to me.

Here is the ring:





My grandmother had the ring inscribed: "Ralph from Amorette"

Its a gorgouse ring
If it were my grandad's or dad's i would want to wear it
could it be sized Perhaps to fit your index finger or even thumb
Its not selfish to want to keep it
your dad gave it to you
but wouldn't it be nice to have ir repaired and wear it and give it a 2nd life
I find great pleasure in wearing my grandma's ER so i would think you might enjoy having this connection to your much loved grandad

And honestly - who cares what its made of - its beautiful regardless

 

[RunningwithScissors]

Thank you all so very much for your thoughtful and loving replies.

I have read every one of them and each has touched me deeply. I openly sobbed at a few of them (in a good way -- they were beautiful.)

Clearly this is still a very raw and emotional piece for me.

I love my Pricescope family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I will let you know what I decide to do.

Hugs,
RWS

 

[Tourmaline]

I haven’t read all the comments, but it wouldn’t be possible to have it stretched into a bracelet, based on the architecture of the ring. I second the idea of having the shank repaired and wearing it as a pendant on the substantial chain (too heavy for a dainty chain). Please don’t give it away, at least not yet, because it means a lot to you.

 

[prs]

I like the idea of preserving the ring and the engraving in such a way that you can wear it as a pendant next to your heart.

 

[idealw2boys]

@pokerface Yes, I am set on fixing the ring. The ring is painful for me to look at because it is cut open. The cut is a visual reminder that it was ripped off his dead hand.

I wasn't considering resetting the stone, or doing anything elaborate. I simply want to repair the ring - close the cut band. It would not be possible to even put the ring on a chain without mending it, as the images clearly show.

I am most certainly NOT asking if others think it monetarily "makes sense" to repair the broken ring. A few hundred dollars means nothing to me. I am simply asking for brainstorming about my options for repair, and once repaired, keeping it or gifting to a relative.

Wonderful and touching story that you have. That is definitely a priceless and sentimental memories that you have of him. Many people will never have what you have, so the memories are in it itself a treasure to behold @RunningwithScissors …..

I would just repair and keep it in it’s original form as much as feasibly possible. To me the ring means a lot to the giver and recipient, so as a granddaughter of the proud owner, I would just keep it as a museum piece and share the story and memories behind the ring.

It’s something special to behold and take in. They would be so happy and pleased that their granddaughter was holding on to their special story.

Just my 2 cents…..

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I’m late to this thread but may I say, it is such a credit to you that you’re sensitive to this ring.

What was your grandfather’s point of view on objects in general (by which I mean, if he were here today and handed it to you in its intact uncut original state, what message would he give you about it)?

If it were me, I would have a jeweller copy the design as a bangle bracelet for a happy reminder of him, but not use the original ring material in it.

I would see the original as a Touchstone to be kept for sentiment, whether or not repaired. A shadow-box with some other details from his life, if available, such as a picture or letter, or a photo of his home, or his military honors, or maybe a wedding announcement- whatever you can find, together with the original ring, makes for a powerful collection. Never mind who you’ll pass it on to. Time will open a path for it. Meanwhile it is something you can return to, for a kind of recentering. I hope that makes sense.

Wishing you all the best!

 

[CoolKat]

I am so sorry about your loss, @RunningwithScissors but what a lovely family heirloom to remember such great man in your life!

If it were me, I'd keep it as is for now - as obviously you are still grieving. It's painful still and it might help to keep the ring as is & not rush into giving it away or repairing or transforming it into other piece of jewelry - and risk damaging it. The engraving is so lovely & I'd be devastated!

Once your heart is ready & you say goodbye to the painful memories (of his passing) then you'd have clearer head to do deep research to either restore the ring or convert it to something else or even pass it on to your relative.

I love the ideas of bracelet or the solitaire ring (Kipari's is lovely!) or as a pendant with the engraving preserved in a circle gold - that way you can wear them with you vs just keep the ring in the safe or display!

Big hugs to you, dear, wishing you comfort & peace in your time of sorrow.

 

[Tinkybell]

Thank you for sharing your story. My opinion is to repair it to remove the pain that the cut brings and take the next step with it, after some healing takes place. Follow your heart from there. I would save the inscription for sure, as that is a beautiful part of the story and history of the ring. Hugs to you!

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Thank you for sharing this with everyone. It's very moving.
At first I thought the cuff idea is the way to go - and I love the idea - but I suspect to straighten that ring enough for a cuff would deform the inscription, which is so precious. It should be preserved and featured if possible.
My dumb idea: use the inscribed portion of the shank as the bail for a pendant.
You'll need a skilled and kind goldsmith, whatever approach you take. But I believe restoring it to something you'll use will be healing.

 

[mwilliamanderson]

Thanks for sharing this story! I vote no to giving the ring away. The fact that your father wore his ring all the time makes it even more special. I have a ring from my grandmother and grandfather. Wink and Melissa brought my grandfathers ring back to life for me by replacing the melee and swapping out the synthetic tigers eye with a star sapphire. Every time I open my jewelry box I get to spend some time remembering them. I've taken several mediumship development classes where we would be given a piece of jewelry that had belonged to someone who had passed in a brown bag or envelope and then asked to "read" the energy of the person who had worn the jewelry. Metal is one of the best holders of a persons vibration. Even keys can be read.

 

[MidModMin]

Just wanted to say that I feel for you, truly. My beloved grandmother died recently and gave me one of her rings shortly before, when she was sick. I almost posted an emotional post here about resizing, so when I read this and saw the pictures of your grandfather's beautiful ring with the lovely engraving...well, I felt that. I know how you feel, at least a little.

You may feel differently, but...though I am not typically a sentimental person, especially with objects, I feel genuine comfort when I wear her ring on days I miss her or on hard days that make me wish she were here to talk to.

Based on this, I'd suggest you not give it away and consider instead repairing it in whatever way makes it wearable to you (while still preserving that lovely engraving on the inside, as well any other features you find sentimental). But that is just my take, coming from my own feelings.

Also, if you feel very emotional about it, it's okay to hang on a bit before making a final decision, as was suggested above. I almost made a change to the ring out of overwrought impulse, and am glad I didn't.

Best wishes.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Dear @MidModMin
My sincear condolences on your grandma's passing
Im sure it would give her comfort to know her ring brings you comfort
I love that she actually gave you her ring herself

when you feel able we would love to see your grandma's ring
i wear my grandma's ring on days i need extra emotional support even though i only knew her when i was a wee girl
Grandmas and grandads are often the bridge between the generations

 

[MidModMin]

Thank you for the kind words, @Daisys and Diamonds. I agree, Grandmas and Grandpas can definitely be a bridge between the generations, and I think that can even live on in after they're gone. I had a lovely conversation the other day with my mother-in-law when I inquired about a ring she was wearing. It was her grandmother's, and it prompted a nice chat about her family experiences growing up.