The Ring!

I was married but hadnt yet had Cee so I was about 20 - 21 years old (late 1970's) As I said in my list of 8, I used to run a little bric a brac stall and often went to local events to get stuff to sell. The day I found the ring, I went to a school fete in the next town. I arrived half an hour early - the worst that could happen would be that they wouldn't let you in but you'd be well up the queue!

No-one was on the gate so I wandered in and found a stall set up to sell jewellery. I don't know if it was the first stall I looked at. Someone had made a rough cardboard stand with slots in for rings. There were all kinds ranging from cracker rings to costume jewellery. A large oval ring caught my eye. It looked like an opal but it was pretty large and flashy. I didn't think it could be real, especially stuck in with all the other cracker rings. I took it out of the slot and looked at it, and then put it back! I actually walked away but decided that it was only 10p and I might as well buy it anyway. Don't laugh - but you could get more for 10p in those days. I don't know what the equivalent worth of 10p is nowadays, but maybe 50p? *

I did know something about stones and fine jewellery because my father was very interested in that sort of thing, and every year when we went on holiday to Guernsey (which we did EVERY year from my age of 7 to 16! My parents were boring and conventional!) we went to visit this jeweller in one of the little back streets off St. Peter Port, and he would lock the shop and take us into his back room..... unroll a midnight blue velvet cloth and spill all these loose rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, topazes, amethysts, garnets, aquamarines, opals...... on to it for us to look at. It was like Aladdin's cave.

I browsed on the stall. There was a locket in a box and someone had obviously realised it was silver, as there was a hand-written tag saying 'Silver - £1'. I didnt buy that. I then found a beautiful bracelet of tumbled turquoises and river pearls, each stone was encased in a delicate silver cage; it was all twisted and intricate. I had no doubt that was real, and bought it - can't remember the price, but I gave it to my second eldest sister for her next birthday because it was very much 'her'.

So I brought the cracker ring home and examined it carefully. It had beautiful colours - salmon pink, light clear green, turquoise and several diamond like stones round it. Maybe with a magnifying glass or maybe in a good light, my eyes were better then, I discovered it had 9 ct gold engraved on the inside band which was quite exciting as I realised the diamonds and opal must be real too.

Looking back I think the opal ring, the turquoise and pearl bracelet and the silver locket probably all came from the same source. Maybe an old lady's jewel box? I hope I looked carefully at the time and didnt miss any other goodies! Nowadays this is unlikely to happen - people are too wised up to the value of stuff.

Turquoise colours, as in the ring, are very much my colours - they suit me and the ring fitted me, so must have been meant. I only wear it occasionally as it is rather bling and not a day to day ring. I remember wearing it to a do with Hub1 and this woman (the kind I don't like) leant across the table and said to me 'I so admire your husband's taste in opals'. 'Actually' I replied 'I bought it myself!'

Many years later, when I was with Hub2, we were burgled. Horrible experience as anyone who has had it happen to them will know. My engagement ring was stolen and many other pieces, either fairly valuable or of great sentimental value also went. I thought the ring had gone too, and was very very upset. But later that year, after I took down some winter clothes that had been stored in the loft, I found it in the pocket of a velvet jacket! I remember staring at it in disbelief!

At one of the infrequent times I wore it I noticed that the stone was loose in the setting and decided to have it looked at by a jeweller. A lady had been advertising in a local magazine and I went to see her. I also took another opal ring which is like a round daisy - opal in the middle and little opals all round; this one was missing an opal and I wanted it replaced. The lady was a bit odd, but had a fantastic workshop and although she smelt heavily of booze I decided to go with it,and left the jewellery with her. She did the work and it appeared ok.

So, the ring came with me when I moved here to the cottage and started living with Hub3-to-be. Another opportunity to wear it came up as one of my nephews was getting married. I had a bad jewellery day that day as I had two items break on me. The first was my little pearl drop on a gold chain that snapped - I had had that when I was a bridesmaid aged 9 for my eldest sister. The second incident was when my second eldest sister (who loves jewellery and is very aware of it) suddenly said 'Oh your opal's gone!'. The ring was on my finger but the stone had fallen out! That bl**dy drunk jeweller hadnt fixed it properly! I didnt have long to panic, as someone said 'Here it is' and picked it up from the ground at my feet. Thank goodness!

I didnt do anything about it for a long time, but when Hub3 and I were going to be married I thought I'd like to wear it for the wedding and took it to another jeweller who family members had used and said was very good.

'I'd like to see if you can do anything with this' I said and produced the ring. He examined it for quite a long time under his eye glass. 'You do realise this is worth at least a couple of thousand don't you?' he said. I told him the story of how I got it, and said that as I wasn't going to sell it, it didnt really matter what it was worth, but very nice to know!

The jeweller said that it was a mystery to him why such a valuable stone should be in such a poorly done setting. Although the gold and diamonds are real, the setting at the time, according to him was something that a learner might have made. But why would a learner be practising on such a stone? We will never know. The jeweller suggested how to rework the setting so that the stone was completely secure, and did so in time for my wedding. He charged quite a bit but it was completely worth it as I couldnt wear it as it was.

I have always liked opals. When I was a little girl I used to go into that section of the Natural History Museum and stare and stare at them; wishing I could break the glass of the cases and run away with them! Although they say opals are unlucky, apparently that was a myth put round by the diamond sellers as opals were more popular many years ago! Certainly opals in my family have been lucky. We all wear them. Mummy has the most gorgeous pendant which is a milky but fiery opal ball on a fine chain. Second eldest sister bought a wonderful opal ring in Australia last year - its a really fiery emerald green and purply opal, surrounded by diamonds. She always wears bling and it suits her!She has another little fire opal, sort of orangey-purply that one, and she bought it years ago and it now only fits her little finger. When she bought it she didnt have quite enough money, so the stall holder let her off the rest if she gave him a kiss - which she did!

So that's the story of my opal ring. It's been with me now for about thirty years, and one day will have to move on. Nothing really belongs to us, we are only custodians!

Ps Photos don't do the ring justice - it is brighter and more fiery.

* http://www.measuringworth.com/ calculates it from 38p to 73p (fascinating website)