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My grandmother just showed me the engagement ring my grandfather gave her in 1943. It's a tiny little thing, and the matching wedding ring is just a thin gold band. It barely fits on her pinky finger. Today she's wearing both of them on a chain around her neck.
I asked my grandfather how much it had cost him. He said the engagement ring cost $75, and the two together about $100. I asked how much he was making at the time, at the grocery store I knew he was employed at. He said $0.36/hour, when he worked, which wasn't full time. $5/week.
For $75, he bought a lifetime of memories, of family, of history. They are doing very well for themselves these days, and my grandmother has a whole lot of jewelry. In fact, her current engagement ring, which she got on her 50th anniversary, is 3.5 carats, I believe. It's obnoxiously enormous.
Being the only girl in the family (ha!!), I am constantly reminded that these "female" things will someday belong to me. I have no need for carats upon carats of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. But I would love to wear that little chip on its thin gold band for the rest of my life. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
I asked my grandfather how much it had cost him. He said the engagement ring cost $75, and the two together about $100. I asked how much he was making at the time, at the grocery store I knew he was employed at. He said $0.36/hour, when he worked, which wasn't full time. $5/week.
For $75, he bought a lifetime of memories, of family, of history. They are doing very well for themselves these days, and my grandmother has a whole lot of jewelry. In fact, her current engagement ring, which she got on her 50th anniversary, is 3.5 carats, I believe. It's obnoxiously enormous.
Being the only girl in the family (ha!!), I am constantly reminded that these "female" things will someday belong to me. I have no need for carats upon carats of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. But I would love to wear that little chip on its thin gold band for the rest of my life. It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
