Wedding Blog
Like any girl, I was dreaming of engagement rings long before I met Mr. Cloud (all girls do that, right?). Well, I take that back. I wasn’t so much looking or dreaming about different rings as much as I was obsessing over this beauty: the classic Tiffany engagement ring.
[Source]
Then I met Mr. C, and when things started to get serious, I started to be realistic about what a ring like that actually costs. I wanted something similar in setting, of course, but I realized the multi-carat ring of my dreams with “Tiffany” engraved on the band might just not happen.
Let me get one thing straight right off: we live on a budget. Mr. Cloud and I are pretty comfortable as far as things go, but the kind of moolah a ring like the one above costs was not just hanging out in our bank accounts. So, I decided to be patient while Mr. C slowly started to save… until we went to a wedding in October of 2007. My wonderful shower hostess Mrs. B’s daughter actually was the bride, and poor shy Mr. C caught the garter. We all loved it, and he turned bright red. My dad muttered something to him that I missed, and when we got back to my parents’ house, Mama Cloud said she had something to show me.
[Personal Image]
My great grandmother passed away when I was in 7th grade. She was a wonderful, strong woman, who took shit from no one. I always looked up to her, and she and Mama Cloud were very close. I never knew that she had left me the engagement ring my great grandfather bought her after they had gotten back on their feet after the depression. A stunning 2 carat European cut diamond set in platinum flanked by two baguettes on each side. Um, HELLO, where had this been!!?? My parents hadn’t wanted to say anything and let the wrong boy use it of course, but I guess they had a good feeling about Mr. C!
So, this is the beauty he slid on my finger that next Valentine’s Day. And I LOVED it. I say loved, because as time went on, me and this little antique started to not get along. I have very small fingers (4.25 to be exact), and when my precious ring was sized down, the thin platinum band didn’t hold up well. To be honest, my current jeweler doesn’t think the original jeweler who did the sizing did a great job, nor did he bother to repair the prongs Mr. Cloud paid to have rebuilt, but that’s a whole other story. So I started to think about repairs, which did not come recommended by our new wonderful jeweler (who came highly recommended by damn near everyone in the city… we did our homework this time, as I was taking no chances). The band was too compromised and he felt like I would be back in a few years needing another repair. We started to look at different settings all together, and I couldn’t get that darn Tiffany setting out of my mind!
Mr. Cloud insisted, and after a very long, finger-feeling-naked week later, I had her back and she was better then ever!!
(Thank you Anne Ruthmann and your brilliant advice.)
A souvenir from our trip to game one of the World Series 2007. Go Red Sox!!
On Mr. C’s DJ equipment
[Personal Photos]
At first I felt badly about changing the ring at al; who wants to mess with that kind of history! But I know my great grandparents would both be very happy that I have what I have always wanted. It is such a special diamond, and even Mr. C says he likes it better now too, so it’s win-win, I guess!!
Did anyone else change their original setting and feel a bit guilty at first?
|
Share this post: The Ring and Its Many Stages
It’s stunning! I love the story behind your ring/diamond. 
Your ring is lovely! And while I’m sure it was bittersweet at first to change up the setting, it’s definitely important to keep that sparkler safe and secure.
Your ring is stunning! I love that you put your own twist on a family heirloom
OMG your ring is GORGEOUS! How awesome to have a family heirloom like that!
How sweet that you get to wear part grandmother’s ring. It’s the best of both worlds because you get the sentimental value with a style you prefer. It looks gorgeous!
OMG, how wonderful! I think it’s so sweet that your parents were keeping it for “The right boy”. haha. I too would feel sentimental about the setting, but I agree that getting what you really wanted, and keeping the diamond safe are totally worth it and your grandmother would be pleased.
Miss Cloud, I also have super tiny fingers! I told our jeweler I’m a 4.5, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m actually 4.25! (my e-ring is constantly slipping around my finger)
That’s such a shame the band was damaged when they resized it! 
At least it led to you having the exact engagement ring you want, complete with family history
Love the story behind the ring and the ring itself. Lucky girl!!
Hello!!!! Beautiful and elegant. But most importantly, it’s meaningful. I have small fingers, too (3.5), but I know that they’ll get bigger with time (or pregnancy), so I’m afraid of resizing my rings!
What a gorgeous ring and I am sure your great grandparents would be happy. And I have super tiny fingers too, 3.5 to be exact.
My ring is from my grandmother. Well the diamond is from a ring my grandfather had given my grandmother. She had never had an e ring so one year my grandfather made it up to her and bought her a beautiful ring. My grandmother and I were very close… I was more of a daughter to her than a granddaughter. I always remembered the ring when I was a child and she always told me that she was leaving it to me. So when I met my fiancé and things got serious I told him about the ring. I have smaller fingers than my grandmother had and wanted more detail to the ring… So my fiancé and I put it in a new setting. I felt bad about taking the diamond out of the original ring, but I know my grandmother would have wanted me to have something I wanted, something more my style. I couldn’t be happier because not only is my ring a symbol if my fiances love for me, but it has a sentimental meaning. My grandmother sadly passed away a year ago and didn’t get to see the ring, but she did know about it and my fiancé told her he was planning on proposing. But now I will always have a piece of her with me on my wedding day.
Btw, you ring is beautiful!
That is SO stunning! I love my own ring, but I always dreamed about wearing a family heirloom.
You’re very fortunate to have something so precious as your grandmother’s ring.
I am going through this right now! I am wearing my grandmother’s engagement ring, and I love it. Love. It. When my parents pulled out her wedding band, it was exactly what my honey & I were looking for! I was so excited to be able to say both my rings were my grandmothers. But, the jewelers say the settings are too fragile to repair and the small diamonds may fall out. I picked a new setting, and they were just about to start working on moving the diamonds over and I freaked out. I am having a hard time “losing” my grandmother’s ring even though we will be re-using the diamonds.
Both rings are Gorgeous! I think it is wonderful that your diamond has a history and I agree, grandparents always want their grandkids to be happy. I’m sure she would love the new setting
Thats is a beautiful ring! You are so lucky to have that passed down through your family!
I have a lady at work that offered her son (who recently proposed to his girlfriend) a 3 karat diamond from her first marriage. But, his girlfriend said no because it was a bad omen since his parents were divorced.
I’m not sure I could ever turn down a 3 karat diamond ring (and the debt of another new e-ring).
Lucky Girl, that ring is stunning!!!!! What a lovely thing to have been passed down, I love it.
I think that it’s still going to be a classic even with the new setting. It’s gorgeous!
I also have a european cut diamond that has been in my family forever! I always knew about the diamond but my my mom never let on that it would be for me. That was until she met my fiance and it was instantly his. I too, changed my setting. I think it’s the best way to introduce the old to the new. Be proud of your new setting. Thats what makes it you and mr. c’s! Your ring is stunning!
oh wow wow wow!! i LOVE your ring, so much more bc of the history attached! looks stunning in its newest form. your parents were very smart to keep it “secret” from you
My stone belonged to my FI’s great-grandmother–it looks almost exactly the same as yours! (same cut, same weight). However, my FI’s grandmother has re-set it already when it was passed to her, in to a very “un-engagement” like setting (retro 1970’s square gold, anyone?).
So, when his mother gave the ring to us, it was with the full expectation that we would re-set it as well. So, I picked out the setting, and I’m so glad that I got something that looks so much like me. Now we have a beautiful piece of his family’s history along with something of our own. My mom used to tell me that heirlooms didn’t mean anything unless lots of people used and loved them–I’ve taken that advice to heart.
Your ring is beautiful! And what a great way to keep a little part of your family’s history with you always! And I think replacing the setting was a good idea–better to do that than risk it breaking down and loosing the diamond all together!
your ring is beautiful! it’s great that you got to pick our your own setting but still have a piece of your grandmother too.
i also wanted to get an idea of how people felt about resetting e-rings. i love love love my ring and i know the fiance put a lot of thought and effort into trying to get the setting i asked for, but i had a very clear picture of what i wanted and this is not it. is it horrible of me to want to change the setting of my ring so soon?
[...] you have heard the story of my engagement ring, and if you thought that was the end of the ring drama, you were wrong. But this drama does not [...]
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Mrs. Cloud, Richmond
Age and Occupation: 25, Sales Rep
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Customer Service Manager/DJ
Engagement Date: February 14, 2008
Wedding Date: November 2009
Venue: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart & The Jefferson Hotel
About Me: Mr. Cloud and I are Yankees planning a Southern wedding to show our families from Boston and New York our fabulous city. We are complete opposites, resulting in a wedding to include bridesmaids in pearls and groomsmen in Adidas shell toes. I’m a sorority girl at heart with strong addictions to my blackberry, cherry Chapstick, Coach purses, the Boston Red Sox and our fur baby, Bella. I can’t wait to the throw the party of our lives and of course, marry my best friend!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics