Ooh Look! Something Shiny!

Waaay back in early 1997 my darling bought me an amazing engagement ring. We had spoken about my 'dream ring' but I let him decide.

The ring had a center stone with two rows of tiny diamonds on each side that kind of swirled around the center. The wedding band matched one side of the ring, and also came with an anniversary band for the other side. (He couldn't wait for our anniversary so I got that piece for Valentines' Day, mere months after we were married. That's ok. My ring was now complete!)

Anyway, I loved that ring. It was unique. Over the years I only met one other woman with that ring. It was great that is until the small stones began to fall out, (they were all prong-set.) First, it was just one. Got it fixed. Next, two. Fixed. Wash, rinse, repeat. Several times over the years.

When it had lost a stone, I would put it away until we could get it fixed. That was ok, but time-consuming because the jeweler that he had bought it from had moved to a new location, more than an hour away. We tried to find a local jeweler that we trusted but that was more difficult than it sounds. Sometimes months or *gasp* years would go by with me wearing just a simple band, often coupled with a 'Vegas' ring. (Vegas ring=a cheap, large-stone ring often found in the gift shops of Las Vegas hotels/casinos. I could get a new ring in a new style every year or two when they started looking worn.) It worked, but it wasn't MY ring.

At one point we got the outside rows re-done and channel-set. That was great until the stones on the protected rows inside started falling out, too. Epic ring fail.

So, for the last 2 or 3 years anytime Headless Dad has asked me what I wanted for Christmas, my birthday, Mother's day, and the like, I would answer, "I want my ring fixed." Again, wash, rinse, repeat.

Well, apparently Christmas 2009 was the magical year!

It's not *exactly* like it was, but Yay! I have my ring back!