When my mom passed away in 2012, her mom’s wedding rings became mine. My nana, as I called her, was married in the 1920’s to my pop pop and they were together for over 50 years until his death.
I have always been a believer in displaying or using things that are mementos from the people we have loved and lost. I want to honor them and incorporate their things into my daily life. I display my pop pop’s American flag, which was presented to Nana at his funeral to mark his time as a Marine in World War I. We also framed the last lottery tickets my dad-in-law purchased before his sudden death and I am having my mom’s t-shirts made into a quilt. These are just some of the ways we keep them front and center.
However, I have not followed my credo when it comes to my nana’s rings. They have been in my drawer since they became mine. They have been in their original box, from a jeweler in Philadelphia, since my nana passed in 1996. Recently, I decided to have them cleaned and looked over by a local jeweler to see what I could learn about them. I don’t remember Nana wearing them often, only on special occasions, and we never talked about them. She always wore a plain, thin silver band. This seems to have been the practice of that generation. I remember when I was a little girl and would visit her, I was fascinated by her wringer washing machine. She used to let me turn the crank to squeeze the water out of the clothes, but put the fear of God into me about not getting my fingers or arm crushed by the rollers. No wonder the beautiful diamond rings were spared the daily chores of housewives back then!
Turns out the rings are the real deal. I assumed that they were but the fact that my pop pop was a printer and by no means affluent left just a 1/4 carat of doubt in my mind. They are so special I wouldn’t have cared if they weren’t. When they cleaned the rings, they became even more spectacular. Even with my limited vision, I can see them sparkling.
I had told my husband I was thinking of having them sized to fut me. I asked the jeweler what the cost of sizing up would be and my husband and I told them we would be back.After we got in our car, my husband and I looked at each other and we both knew what the other was thinking. We both unhooked our seat belts, got out of the car and headed back into the store. What was the sense of leaving, only to come back in a week or so? I left them to be sized from a 6 to 6 1/2.
The rings were ready for pick up a few days later and now they fit perfectly. I have made a vow to all of them — Mom, Nana and Pop Pop — to wear them often. I vow to love, honor and cherish them as long as we all shall live. Because that’s what we do, you know. When we lose someone, we take them with us. And that’s how they go on. Through us. Through me. And now through these rings.
