Discussing Bling - Memories On My Fingers

We survived the sale. we survived the weekend, and here it is, Monday once again - the final day of November with a full moon and a Lunar eclipse very early this morning. I took the time on Sunday to finalize my holiday cards mailing list and print out the mailing envelopes while watching football, and football and football (it's a good thing I enjoy football - LOL). I didn't get any weaving or any knitting done at all, but the envelopes are ready to be stuffed and mailed. I'm looking at a mailing date of Friday, but we'll see. There are still a few things remaining to be done before I can lick that envelope and drop them into the slot. 

I got the envelopes almost completed yesterday, the 
addresses are printed and I'm contemplating the 
envelope backs. To decorate? Or not to decorate? ...

We've been spoiled, and it's been lovely. Although we have had snow so far this year, we've also had nice stretches of days with temperatures above freezing and lovely weather. That's what we're into now, and I couldn't be much happier. Looking ahead, we should remain snow-free and above freezing (during the day) for the remainder of this week. Pardon me while I dance the "happy dance". 

I have a simple 6-prong engagement 
ring. I think the whole thing was 
approx $250, a lot for two starving 
college students, only one of whom 
was working at the time. It's small, 
but it means the world. I'm delighted 
to have it on my hand again. 

For the past two weeks I've been doing something I had been unable to do for more than a decade - wear my wedding rings. For years I wore a lot of rings - the wedding and other beautiful gemstone rings that DH had purchased for me over the years. I loved my rings. But then my hands got so bad, I couldn't wear anything at all, and if I tried, I had to pull it off within a couple of hours because my skin reacted poorly to the metal. My hands are doing so well with the new medications, I decided to try out my wedding rings and I'm thrilled to have them on my hand again. I wear two - my own from our seriously broke early days, and my Mom's original ring. 

I don't think my ring is larger than the lowest one 
on this scale - the 0.5 carat version. It might even 
be a 1/4 carat. Like I said, we didn't have a lot of 
money at the time. But, even if it is eclipsed by the 
wedding/engagement rings of all of my nieces, 
I still love it. 

Mom loved her replacement wedding ring and refused to ever let it off her finger. Even towards the end of her life, when she needed hip surgery, she raised such a fuss that the surgeon finally ordered the nurses to wrap the ring and her finger in sterile tape rather than try to get the ring off. However, she didn't respond well to the anesthetic, and after all of those years and the effort to keep it on her hand at all times, it was stolen from her during her last few weeks of life by someone at the care center. I tried to locate it, of course, but no success. I'm still bitter about that, but honestly, they took good care of her there, and it was just an item - valuable of course, but just an item. It was the person who was irreplaceable. not the ring. 

Mom's original wedding ring was similar to this one 
from the 1940's. It had the three flush-set diamonds 
in the center of the band, but the band itself was 
a different style. The wedding band is engraved 
with the date of the wedding. 

So, I wear her first band, a thin band with small diamonds soldered to the wedding band, in memory of her. I don't need the glitz and glam, and I inherited all of her other jewelry anyway. I also have bling of my own. But the ring I like the best is that first band of mine - the one we barely had the money to get. It's just a single solitaire diamond and a plain gold band. Nothing fantastic, but the quality of the stone was the best we could afford at the time, and I love it. Sometimes simple is best. I'm just enjoying the fact that I can wear my rings once again. I've missed them. 

On that note, I'm going to wrap this up. I hope you have a wonderful Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. As always, please be kind, stay safe and please, wear your masks.