My Engagement Ring

Photograph by Jamie Vitale

My engagement ring isn't just mine. It was Ben's grandmother's before it was mine, and it was his great-grandmother's before it was hers. I'd been waiting to post a picture until I had something better than the grainy cell-phone shot I first sent to my family in the immediate aftermath of the proposal, and luckily, my cousin Jamie the photographer took a picture at the St. Patrick's Day parade a couple weeks ago that features THE RING prominently.

The ring is perfect. It's a diamond surrounded by two smaller stones on either side, with a gold band. It's the perfect size, both in terms of the stone being exactly right (any bigger and I'd probably be uncomfortable wearing it), and, astonishingly, in terms of fitting my finger perfectly without having been sized. I'd given Ben my ring size, but he didn't need to use it. On top of that, it's a family heirloom, and I'm honored that he and his mother both wanted me to have this piece of their family's history. In case you hadn't noticed, everything from my hobbies to my college major (History) to my chosen career path (museums) reflects the fact that I love old stuff. Ben had told me before he proposed that his mom had offered us an heirloom ring from their family, and everyone I told this to had the exact same reaction: "Oh, you'll love that!" And I do.

In case you can't click the picture above to see a bigger version, you can find it on Jamie's blog, Mirror with a Memory.

(P.S. The chivalrous gentleman handing me a flower in that picture is not Ben, but my 4-year-old cousin James.)