Submitted by Hartley Jewelers
“When my Granny passed away she left me a legacy – her wedding band which my Grandfather had designed. This started as a simple gold band to which he added a diamond every anniversary. On their 26th year of marriage he replaced one diamond with a Ruby. This continued until my Grandfather passed a few short months after their 65thwedding anniversary. The ring I received contained 2 Rubies and 13 Diamonds which represents their 65 years of marriage. Their relationship is such an inspiration. They were strong in their faith, always held hands, kissed, had fun and took good care of each other.
My husband proposed to me with the most beautiful Amethyst ring. Purple is my favorite color and this ring represented how much he knows me and loves me. There really was no need to add anything to it as it was stunning on its own.
The closer it got to our wedding date, a thought was tugging at me while thinking of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue – My Granny’s wedding ring. I love what it stands for but not a big fan of yellow gold. However, it would be so great to carry around the memory of my grandparents and what marriage is all about instead of keeping it in a box. I remembered a co-worker showed me a beautiful pendant she had custom made at Hartley Jewelers. She had said she brought them a family diamond and wanted something created for her daughter as a gift on her wedding day. I saw the end result and was very impressed…it was gorgeous!
So, I visited Hartley Jewelers one afternoon. Ashley greeted me and listened intently as I showed her my Granny’s ring and shared the story and meaning behind the stones displayed. She was thrilled to be able to help as I told her I would like to use the stones from the ring to create a wedding band to go with my engagement ring so I could commemorate my Grandparents 65 years together and carry their memory close to my heart always.
Ashley was amazing, like talking to an old friend. She grabbed a big book of examples and we looked together at designs that could accommodate 15 stones. She understood the importance of using ALL the stones. She could tell nothing was jumping out at me and suggested that this would at least give a good starting place on price. She worked up a rough estimate, packaged up my engagement ring and Granny’s ring, turning them in for a designer to work up something magical.
Magical indeed! I received a call within a couple weeks to come in and review the wax mold. I came in after work as Hartley Jewelers’ hours allow the convenience of visiting on my lunch hour, after work and Saturdays.
Again greeted by Ashley, now feeling like part of the Hartley family, she grabbed Ed Caravana who was designing my one of a kind wedding band which would incorporate all 15 stones from my Granny’s ring. I was blown away and this was just the wax mold! Ed had created a ring that would lock up flush against my engagement ring commemorating my grandparent’s memory and set off my amethyst. This mold showed that it had the perfect spot for the two rubies in a symmetrical place on either side of three diamonds and then the remaining 10 diamonds would trail down 5 on each side. It was like Ed read thoughts in my mind I didn’t realize I had. We knew we were on the same page. Ed also explained he would be able to add the beading and details to match the style of my engagement ring. I was so excited and gave the go ahead.
About a week later, I received another call from Hartley Jewelers. This time I took my fiancé with me. We were both sharing in the excitement now as Ed unveiled his masterpiece. He had set in simulated stones as a visual to how it would look. We were truly happy and could not wait to see the finished piece. Since I had decided to start this project a little too close to the wedding date, I knew and did not expect it to be ready in time. So, I picked up my engagement ring to use for the ceremony. Also, I asked if I could turn in the gold from my Granny’s ring along with the gold from my fiancé’s old ring toward the project price and the answer was yes, of course.
Once we returned from our wedding, I turned my engagement ring back in so Ed could finalize the project. Within about a week, I received a call that the project was complete. I ran over at lunchtime to pick it up. WOW! More exquisite than I could ever imagine, not to mention unique and one of a kind – yet it paired beautifully with my engagement ring as if they were purchased as a pair. When I put it on for the first time I felt like a Queen! I love my ring. I love what it represents. And I love that Ed, Ashley and Hartley Jewelers made a dream a reality!”
Thank you to everyone at Hartley Jewelers, Joan Taylor (Rhetta)
