Finding the Treasures in Networking

Years ago my mother gave me my grandmother's wedding ring. It isn't actually a wedding ring, although that is how my grandmother wore it, it is really an engagement ring, she did not have a wedding band to go with it. My grandmother was a smaller woman than I, thus she wore a smaller ring size. Over the years, as my weight did the yo-yo thing, there have been times when I could wear it, other times when it sadly sat in my jewelry box.

The back of my own wedding set wore thin many years ago causing the band to break. I have been wearing my husbands great-great-grandmothers beautiful rose gold wedding band since 1980. I really like old jewelry, especially family heirloom jewelry.

For several years I have wanted to have this beautiful ring of my grandmothers re-sized so that I can wear it as my wedding ring all the time. Earlier this year I hinted that I would like to have it sized and "possibly" purchase a wedding band to go with it. Since this ring is very old finding a band to match it was going to be more than difficult, it would be pretty much impossible, but we figured we would just look to find something as close as we could.

Since the major retailers, including jewelry stores, have great jewelry sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas we decided to start looking for a suitable band and when it went on sale we would purchase it and have grandma's ring sized.

The plan was made and we were excited about seeing this through.

Enter my friend Kari. Kari had not been wearing her wedding ring for quite some time. Seems the prongs on her diamond needed to be replaced. She had taken her ring to various jewelry stores for quotes and like us had found that jewelry repairs can be quite expensive. Kari was given the name of a retired man who has become a jeweler and now works out of his home. She took her ring in and Erv examined her ring, told her that it did not need the amount of work that she had been told and quoted her a price much lower than the jewelry stores, MUCH LOWER.

I asked Kari for the name of the man who worked on her ring and called him up, explained what I would like to have done and made an appointment to have him look at my ring. What a nice gentleman! He looked at my ring, added to the re-sizing he noticed that it needed to have ALL the prongs re-tipped on the main diamond. I could just see the dollar signs. We were determined to leave it no matter what the cost might be, realizing that if it was too expensive then I would have to give up my dream of getting a matching band to go with it, which really was only second to wearing my grandmother's ring everyday.

Well, the price was very reasonable and I was thrilled with the thought of wearing my grandmothers ring everyday.

Wearing or NOT wearing a wedding ring is no big deal at our house, at least not to my husband. We have been married almost 29 years, he had 3 wedding bands during the first 15-18 years. He will tell you that he has no idea what has happened to any of them, he will tell you he has looked "everywhere" for each one of them. He has not worn a wedding ring for years, more years than I have kept track of.

While Erv and I were discussing the needed repairs on my ring, Ed was doing a bit of shopping of his own. Erv not only repairs jewelry but has some estate pieces for sale and does some design work as well. Ed found a very nice estate wedding band for himself. The price was right so now Ed is working on his 4th (and last?) wedding band.

Erv called the very next afternoon to let us know we could pick them up (Ed's needed to be sized and Erv wanted to clean and polish it as well) but apologized for not being able to find a wedding band to match in any of the many catalogs he can order from. He need not have apologized, when we arrived Erv offered to make a ring to match! We were and are flabbergasted!

We had a price range that we were willing to pay if and when we found a band. I was afraid to ask Erv what this might cost, after all he would have to make a mold of my ring, then re-design the middle area taking out the middle diamond and replacing it with the 5 smaller diamonds. When Erv quoted us the price Ed said..."Yes, I would like you to make a band for my wife, this is something she has wanted for a long time." I was speechless.

Now, here comes the hard part....in order to make the mold Erv would need to have the ring back. I just couldn't part with it so soon! So, now I have my ring on, it is beautiful and in 2 weeks I will give it up, but only because Erv promised me...."Oh, it will only take 3-4 days...is that too long?"

I am sorry this picture does not do my grandmothers wedding ring justice, I will post another picture as soon as Erv works his magic and creates the wedding band to match.