Conference turris::womannotes-v3

    	I have a ring that I always wear that goes back at least to my
    great-grandmother, passed down through my mother's side of the
    family.  It was reset for my mother when she got it, but the 
    diamonds are original.  I know what you mean about feeling 
    "connected" to the women in your family, 'gail.  I often get
    comments on the ring, and each time I do, I explain that it's been
    in the family for several generations, and remember the paths it's
    taken.

    	Last Christmas, my other grandmother gave me a pair of
    earrings that she used to wear.  I don't know if I'd call them
    antiques, but it meant a lot that she gave them to me, and I think
    of her every time I wear them.  She has also given me an old cameo 
    which I love.

    	amy

    A good deal of what I had gotten as costume jewelry from my grandmother
    was stolen when my apartment was broken into in 1983.  *sigh*.
    
    However I still have a pin, a bracelet, a ring, a necklace.  I spend
    more time just looking at them than wearing them sometimes - I don't
    wear jewelry very often.  I know women who have received rings from
    grandmothers, great grandmothers, etc....and they wear them with pride. 
    In fact, I was speaking recently to someone (drat can't remember
    who/where) about how our jewelry completes us and connects us to those
    who gave it to us, or those who left it to us....how it makes us a
    community even when we're alone...
    
    -Jody
    

    I have an antique stick pin with amethests and pearls that was my
    great-grandmothers, and each and every time I wear it, I think of her.
    
    She left it for me in her will, and I am the only one of us three that
    remembers her....I'm also the only one that has a piece of the past.
    
    And I love it!!!
    
    Jill
    

    My mother had three daughters.  When she died, we divvied up her
    jewelry among us.  Some of the choices were easy, others were more
    difficult (along the lines of "oh no, you take it" when two or more of
    us wanted something).  Surprisingly, the "good stuff" was the easy
    stuff - it had been discussed from time to time since we were in our
    teens.  The "costume" stuff turned out to have the emotion-laden value.
    
    Whenever I wear my mom's pearls, I feel a little "protected", as if
    she's standing somewhere just behind my shoulder watching out for me.
    
    Alison

    two items, with very different feelings.
    
    A watch that was my great-grandmother's has come to me, since her
    surviving daughter (my great-aunt) wanted to throw it away (!!) because
    it had been a gift from a second husband, the one she married for love
    after my great-aunt's father died.  Dora's watch is special to me. 
    It's not especially valuable as an antique, but it's pretty and
    delicate, white gold with a porcelain face, and tiny diamonds set
    around the face.  I am proud to keep it and will pass it on to my
    daughter, Dora's namesake.
    
    My father's mother was a, well, this is a family notefile... suffice it
    to say that she pretty nearly wrecked three kids, was strong-willed and
    domineering.  She loved me though; I look uncannily like my dad, who
    looks just like his mom.  Besides, I was the only one of her
    grandchildren who actually paid back a loan!  She surprised the whole
    family by giving me a beautiful necklace of pearls.  I will probably
    keep that for my son's daughter, if any.  (My son looks **exactly**
    like me at his age, if I had been a boy.  It's almost eerie! <insert
    theme from "Twilight Zone">.)
    
    I'm gonna take warning from several of the previous replies, and get a
    safe deposit box for these and other valuable-to-me things!

    I have my granmother's engagement ring which she always said was to be
    mine.  She died when I was 7 and the diamond was lost shortly before
    she died.  But the ring is very delicate and intricately carved.  A few
    years ago  a client of mine who was in the jewelry business had a 
    sapphire (my favortie stone) set into the ring as a barter for some
    work I'd done for him.  I wear the ring almost all the time.
    
    I also have my great-grandmother's gold beads.  They're really neat.
    They're probably 125 or more years old and have seams in them.  The
    string was broken -- rotted away -- when I got them and they sat in
    a box for years.  About 3 years ago Digital gave me a "RAP" award
    for my work with women's issues.  I used the money to have the beads
    put on a gold chain.  I wear them a lot but, particularly when I'm
    feeling a need for a little extra luck or a need to be grounded. 
    
    My great grandmother was dead long before I was born and grandma lived
    too far away from us for me to really have known her.  But, even so --
    or maybe because I felt so little connection with extended family as
    I was growing up -- this jewelery seems to provide a link.  I'm looking
    forward to passing it on to Stacy.
    
    Polly
    
    P.S.  A little aside, the day I graduated from law school my mother
    said that she wished that her mother could have been there because
    she thought she would have been extremely proud of me.  Somehow that
    was a very special message for me. 

    Re .5: oh, does that pen ever sound fabulous! I'm not much of a jewelry
    wearer, but would have loved an heirloom fountain pen; and I probably
    could have gotten one, too, from a great- on either side, if I'd
    thought to indicate interest. Heck, it might have even inspired me to
    work on my handwriting! ;-)
    
    I do have a solitaire diamond that was my (great?)-great-grandmother's,
    but (a) the setting is broken and (b) I can't wear solitaires - I'm
    such a clutz that I'd always be snagging it on something. So for the
    last ten or fifteen years I've been planning to go have it re-set, but
    I can't quite make up my mind to "destroy" the delicate little band
    that my ancestress actually wore...
    
    And another wish-list item in the non-jewelry category: The one
    "heirloom" that I *really* wanted after my great-grandmother died was
    an old iron lemon-squeezer. Of all the memories of her, those sultry
    afternoons in the kitchen, with her making lemonade (from "limmins," as
    she said it), are among the clearest. But when I asked what had
    happened to it, nobody seemed to remember where it had gone, alas!
    
    -b

    I've had the true pleasure of giving an heirloom pen, and having it
    treated as one.  I have also had designed and made an heirloom signet
    ring which will probably go on to a nephew or something someday...
    
    -Jody
    

    I also have a few nice pieces from my mother that I really cherish and
    those will go to my daughters... each piece has a story, a date, and a
    deep attachment to her... I sorely miss her after all these
    years...(17).  Also have a mantel clock that belonged to my great,
    great grandmother... part of the spring was lost due to it extreme age
    but my husband had one made and he himself cleaned it and had it
    working... it has a beautiful music! the only problem is that the clock
    works for about 20 hours and has to be rewinded... it is a beautiful
    piece, made of wood and I believe it was made in Germany, (it has two
    crossed arrows pointed upwards in the center of its sphere, does any of
    you know what it could mean?...)

    Most of what little family jewelry I had was taken when my apartment
    was broken into, years ago (I didn't have any insurance at all - that
    was the only stuff I owned that was worth anything unless the thief
    wears my size shoes or something, except for a microwave oven that had
    been a recent gift, and was also stolen - sigh).  I do still have my
    mother's mother's small ruby ring.  When I wear it, I always think of
    her, the woman my father called "Mrs. Necessity", one of the most
    practical, level-headed, and sturdy human beings I have ever known.
    
    /Charlotte

    My favorite piece is a gold ring I wear every day and have worn
    every day since my Grandmother gave it to me at age 9.  It was _her_
    Grandmother's.  All three of us are named Margaret.  My mom did not
    want Grandma to give it to me as I was too young but Grandma said
    I was responsible enough and I was!
    
    A year later Grandma got sick and was hospitalized.  I never saw
    her again and then she died.  When life gets horrible I look at
    the ring and think how much my Grandma loved me.
    
    I have quite a lot of family jewellry and silver.  I love it because
    it belonged to my grandparents and great grandparents.  It is also
    quite beautiful.  It is incidental to me that it is valuable so
    I have not insured it.  If it is ever stolen or destroyed money
    cannot bring it back and the cost of the insurance is incredible.
    
    Therefore I've always had a safe deposit box and now have a safe in my
    house that is bolted to both the wall and floor.  I like having the
    stuff at home because I can use the silver more often, which keeps it
    bright. 
    
    As for cleaning, mostly it is low maintainance.  Hard jewels can be
    cleaned with a little amonia in water and an old toothbrush. Pearls
    need to be worn.  But never near perfume or hairspray! When you take
    them off, run them through a soft clean cloth to get your skin oil off
    them.  Then pack them in a soft, padded bag or box and stow them in
    darkness.  NEVER put jewellry cleaner on pearls. Even tap water
    can be bad for them. 
    
    For the occasional repair, I look for a small mom and pop jewellry
    store that does repairs on premises.  Never a mall store and never
    a place that ships stuff out.  
    
       Margaret

    
    
    	Well I have a rhinestone necklace that was my great-
    	grandmother's.  I've kept it at my parent's house for
    	the time being however.  It's rather large and I haven't
    	really had occasion to wear it....yet!
    
    	The other isn't in my possession.  It's a gold and garnet
    	ring that belonged to my great aunt Laura.  My mother owns
    	it right now as it was passed to her from my grandmother.
    	When my mother feels the time is right, she'll pass it down
    	to me and hopefully I'll have a daughter that I can pass it
    	down to later.
    
    	There were two earrings that my mom and I had been given 
    	from my grandmother.  We were going to have the 'stone'
    	(it looked like ivory with flowers painted on it...hard to
    	  describe) taken off and made into identical rings.  One
    	for her and one for me.  Unfortunately, our house was broken
    	into years ago and the jerk took almost everything....including
    	those earrings.  Fortunately though the ring mentioned above
    	was at the jeweler's being repaired!
    
    	JJ
    
    

    
    My engagement ring, which is now attached to my wedding ring, was
    my grandmothers, and her grandmothers before her.  It's in a setting
    from my grandmother but the center stone is over 100 years old!  
    I was lucky enough to get it when my husband and I got engaged.  (With
    the money he'd saved for my ring, he bought me beautiful bedroom
    furniture!)  Everytime I look at my ring, I think of the history
    behind it.  Actually, my grandmother was a loving but unloved woman
    in an unhappy marriage.  (My grandfather was not a warm person.) 
    So, my ring sort-of reminds me to keep my marriage alive and warm.
    
    She also gave me a beautiful bracelet, also owned by her grandmother
    before her.  I get alot of comments on the jewely, especially the
    ring.  Jewelers tell me that it's an old-mine cut diamond, and
    obviously antique.
    
    Actually, every piece of good jewelry that I own has a history
    behind it.  They all were gifts and all remind me of the people
    who gave them to me.
    
    Rachael
    

    
    Thanks for starting this topic. I never thought much about it before
    but inherited jewelry really does seem like a strong way in which the
    generations, particularly (but not only!) women, connect with each
    other. Like an earlier noter in this string, I have some of my mother's
    jewelry (she was especially keen on silver and amethysts, which I also 
    love) and feel somehow that something of her is with me when I wear it 
    and when people ask and I tell them that "it was my mother's."
    
    D.

    I wear my father's high school ring.  Though I often wish it weren't so
    and I deny it to myself, I'm very much like him in very many ways.  In
    some ways that's good, in others, it isn't.  The ring reminds me of both.
    
    DougO

    
    	I wear a Navy ring that was my grandfather's. It was given to him
    by one of my uncle's during WWII.  When my grandfather passed away my 
    uncle gave it to my brother, who was his Godchild. My brother gave it 
    to me about 6 years ago with the agreement that it would eventually 
    be passed on to his son. 
    My brother passed away suddenly about 3 weeks ago (age 41). That ring
    is with me everyday of my life. When it's time, I'll give the ring to
    his son and try to explain what it means.

    As a rule of thumb, any piece of jewelry with a value of over
    $500 should be appraised.  In the case of antiques, you may want
    to get an appraisal for lower values.  Check your homeowners
    insurance and look for appropriate coverage.  I take photographs
    of most of my jewelry and keep receipts and appraisals together.
    (In the case of antique jewelry - you probably don't have receipts -
    thats why appraisals are so important.)
    Every year your should check the silk stringing of pearls and
    restring when necessary.  Gemstones in rings should be checked by
    a jeweler to make sure they are not loose.  You might want to shake
    your ring very close to your ear - if you hear a rattle (not in your
    head...but in the ring) :^) the gemstones might be loose.  Check backs
    of pins to make sure the pin will stay secure.  Check bracelet and
    necklace clasps regularly too.
    
    Nancy (who was jeweler in a previous life)
                                               

    Most of my antique jewelry belonged to other people's ancestors,
    but I like to think that the original owners would be pleased
    to know that someone still loves and cares for their jewelry.
    
    However, my favorite antique ring belonged to my grandfather's
    aunt, Cora.  In the 1890's she got married and moved from
    Massachusetts to Oregon and I've never heard what her fate
    was, but before she left she gave my grandfather a beautiful
    Victorian style 14K ring with a garnet and 4 diamond chips
    as a memento.  He passed it along to my mother who never 
    wore it because it was too small for her fingers and not
    really her style.  I loved it from the time I was a little
    girl, and when I was 16 she finally gave it to me and I've
    worn it almost everyday since.  About 12 yrs. ago, the original
    garnet fell out and was lost, and I had it (and the 4 diamond
    chips) replaced by a goldsmith in Worcester who did a
    wonderful job.  I would recommend them to anyone.  They were
    the only people I could find in Massachusetts who were
    even willing to take on the job of restoring the ring.
    The garnet was replaced by a red tourmaline that had to be
    hand cut since it's a size not machine cut today, and they
    replaced the prongs.  They did a wonderful job for a very
    reasonable price (and let me pay for it a little at a time!)
    
    I also have my mother's mother's wedding band which is a wide,
    carved Victorian band in 14K rose gold, and I have a gold-filled,
    Victorian slide chain, with a small opal on it, that belonged
    to the same grandmother.  Apparently these slide chains were
    very popular for young women in the 1890's.  My mother can
    remember her mother telling her that she had bought it for
    herself before she was married when she was working as an
    assembler in a hat factory, and that she had it on layaway
    for ages before she could afford to bring it home.  She might
    like to know that I still wear it on occasion.
    
    My mother also gave me a plain gold wedding band that had
    belonged to her grandfather's first wife, and has her initials
    in it.  Apparently, my great-grandfather's first wife died
    in childbirth, and he subsequently married the woman who
    became my great-grandmother (my mother's, mother's mother).
    But, he had always kept his first wife's wedding band and
    after he died my grandmother had it and then my mother.  My
    mother asked me one day if I wanted to add it to my collection
    and I said yes.  I like the idea that he had always kept
    the ring.
    
    Lorna
    

    
    I have lots of jewelry - but there are three pieces I really cherish.
    First, is my mother's engagement ring, now an antique.  Second my
    own wedding ring.  And third, a piece of jade given me by my
    mother-in-law.  She has given me many extremely valuable pieces, but
    this one was given to her by her mother when she was a small girl, and
    she brought it out of China in '49, with other valuables.  I am so
    honored and awed by this gift that I wear it almost all the time.
    
    By the way - those of you with antiques - get them insured, and keep
    them safe.   I have both a safe deposit box, and a safe in our house. 
    Sounds paranoid?   Well, before you say that, have those pieces
    appraised.   I did, and found even our silverware to be worth enough to
    tempt even "real" theives (not just those who like to steal the
    stereo).   So take care of those special gifts from those special
    women, because no one else will!
    
    
    -m

    Today, I wore my mother's cameo on my suit lapel.  She wore it on her
    wedding gown; I wore it on my wedding dress last year.  It arrived in
    the mail one day about a year after Mom passed away.  Apparently, Mom
    had gone through the jewelr box with my oldest sister and marked
    certain pieces for each of her children, unbeknownst to us.  Since I
    didn't know the history of the piece, I was quite happily surprised to
    spy it in my parent's formal wedding portrait.  
    
    I also wear, daily, my aunt Bonnie's engagement diamond, reset as a
    pendant.  She was my godmother.
    
    mdh

    The pieces have come in over the decades.
    
    My father's father's father left us a large marquetery box full of
    treasures from his life in the mills.  My brother has the box, and
    most of the contents.  My mother has the jewelry, such as it was.
    I have _Standard_Cotton_Cloths_and_Their_Construction_, which he
    co-authored.
    
    My mother gave me her gold rope necklace, an elegant, heavy piece
    with three snaky loops, and a rhinestone necklace which I used to
    wear to dancing class.  Then, only a few years ago, she gave me a
    ring with three orange topazes.  I got it because I was her eldest
    (only) daughter.  She had gotten it because she was the elder daughter.
    Her mother had gotten it because she was the eldest daughter.  It
    goes back from Broomhead through Bottomley and McLaren to Burton.
    
    My only worry is should it go to my brother's elder daughter, or
    to my cousin's (mother's sister's eldest daughter's) older daughter?
    
    The only other piece I have is a wrist watch from my favorite
    aunt.  It doesn't work, but it will before the next time I go to
    any place between 1920 and 1970.
    
    						Ann B.

    After my aunt died 2 years ago, I took hers and my mother's ring
    sets (mom died 5 years ago) to the jeweler and had the diamonds set 
    into a plain gold signet-shape ring. I dunno how the two of them
    would've felt about being on the same ring together (the proverbial
    in-laws who didn't see...er...eye-to-eye, shall we say..) but
    the ring itself is good-looking, and a nice rememberance of them
    both.
    
    I found out at that time that my mother's diamond was what they call
    a "mine-cut" stone, and had probably been purchased in the late 1800's
    (at the mine).
    
    I think I once heard that the diamond was originally in my
    grandfather's lodge ring, but nobody's left to ask so I can confirm it.
    I'd bet there's an interesting story behind it.
    
    --DE