A beautiful story: The Heirloom

I'm such a fan of thoughtful gifts; gifts that friends make for me, letters— anything thats sincerely invaluable. This Christmas I got one of the best Christmas gifts ever— an heirloom passed from my grandmother to my uncle to my dad to me! It's my great-grandmothers wedding band and engagement ring! It was such a delight to see! I've always wanted an heirloom, something that I can cherish and then pass down to my children.

I'm a bit of a nosey girl, I love history, which was actually my first choice in degree before I switched to photography. I especially love learning about my ancestors, my family and where I came from. I called my grandmother, (dads mom) who lives in Texas to tell her that the rings now belong to me. She was so thrilled for me and wanted me to promise that they will always stay in the family. Well, that's definitely a promise I can keep!

I'm always curious; I wanted to know MORE! So I asked my grandmother: Whats the story? What are their names? Where did they live? Where did they meet? How old were they? Where did they purchase the ring? How long were they married? You could hear it in her voice that she was so excited to share these things with me and this is how the story goes...

My great-grandmothers name was Inez Thompson. She lived in South Dakota where John, my great-grandfather to—be, also lived. Both their parents had neighboring farms. My grandmother told me that in those days my great-grandmother was raised as a southern lady; as a woman who was only there merely as a decorative wife. When they were 15 both their families moved to Valier, Montana. A year later, when they were 16, both their families moved to Rathdrum, Idaho. And that same year at sixteen years old they married!From what my grandmother says, their wedding day was glorious, and I can only imagine how beautiful it was!

The Rings:

The rings were purchased via catalog, either Montgomery Ward or Sears. My grandmother told me that the rings were platinum and ruby. Sadly, I went yesterday to this lovely place in San Francisco where I was told that the ruby was synthetic. Nonetheless, the fact that the ruby isn't real doesn't bother me a bit. It's a beautiful gift, a beautiful ring and a BEAUTIFUL story! I'm so proud of where I came from.

Enjoy the beautiful photos below! My favorite part is the engraving on the inside of the wedding band: 11.25.31. NineteenTHIRTYone, wow! I can promise you that I will engrave my wedding band just like my great-grandmother did!