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Monday, January 28, 2013

rings and things

My wedding set is pretty much perfect. I love wearing it, feeling the weight on my hand, being able to glance down and see a symbol of my marriage, knowing that it's a fairly obvious statement to people who are looking that "hey, I'm married". That symbolism isn't everyone's cup of tea but I like it. I also like that it's a set that's designed to work together, although the shape does really take away the option of wearing just the wedding band.

What I haven't been loving lately is the fact that it doesn't fit. When Bunny purchased the ring I was about half way through a somewhat major weight loss and my ring size was an 8. In the year and a half since he bought the ring, my weight has fluctuated downwards more and even though I still have short, chubby fingers (that bit's never going to change) the sizing just didn't work.

Over the summer I accidentally flung the rings from my finger when I was dealing with an overflowing bottle of root beer, which led to a somewhat panicked hour long search around the basement. A couple of months ago while drying my hands I accidentally tossed them in the bathroom garbage at work (getting them out was fun - can you hear that sarcasm?).

So at the start of the new year we trudged into his sister's jewellery store, where we got the rings, and sent them away for sizing. When I get them back I'll actually have rings that fit which is going to be a great improvement but in the meantime I feel a little lost.

Without anything there I feel absolutely naked and I don't feel ok leaving the house. I'm a fan of wearing my rings. It bothers me to an extent that it was clear I'd have to wear a placeholder ring for awhile, and I'm lucky enough to have a few choices. A little cute gold ring with a tiny diamond chip my grandma gave me when I was thirteen, a little band with some small channel set diamonds as a grad gift from my mom years back that looks like a downsized wedding band, and two hand me down rings from my mom, both pearl. The first rings look and feel out of place and they look awkward on my ring finger so it was an easy choice to narrow it down to the pearls. Somehow my short fingers need a bit of oomph that the flatter bands just don't provide.

Thus, the last few weeks I've been walking around with a pearl solitaire on my hand. It's odd because it's so clearly not my engagement ring, although it does the job of making me feel not naked. I can't wait to get my rings back.

If you're married or engaged how do you feel about wearing your rings? Are they an extentsion of your hand, or do you ever go out without them?

5 comments:

  1. I never ever take my rings out, otherwise I lose them. Well the other day I had to work on something like dough and I had to momentarily take them off, but normally I don't.
    I was planning on writing about these rings though. When I was single I always wore 3 rings, on my right hand a chunky one of emeralds and granates, that I got at a market from a couple who travelled the world selling jewellery. They were about to leave and I had it for a very good price (something like 50 EUR). On the left hand I had an oval jade ring, and a heart.
    Now, these rings have all been replaced. My engagement ring is quite similar to the chunky red and green one, except it is all white and made of pearly stones Then on my left hand I have the wedding band which is quite simple, just white gold with a line of brilliants and a custom-made peridot ring that Mark got me on our honeymoon (I obsessively wanted to have a stone, I know, I know).

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    1. It's interesting how having the wedding and engagement rings replaced the other ones. I've definitely done the same to some extent with my other jewellery, though I never wore it every day like you. Do you ever find that you miss wearing the other rings?

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    2. Well I really really like those rings. The green heart was especially symolic (I got it from a handcraft seller at the beach in Mexico) since one of my favorite books, and one that my mom gave to my dad when they met is called "Corazon de piedra verde" ( green heart stone). I have them in a small cloth bag all together, I guess I will give them to our daughter if we have one, when she's a teenager or something. But I like the "replacement" and like you I enjoy looking at them and knowing what they represent.

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  2. I wear my wedding ring every day - it's a simple white gold band with 10 tiny channel set diamonds. I can no longer wear my engagement ring - the centre stone of the family ring is, um, large. And sharp. And scratches the baby.

    I miss wearing it. I always put it on for date nights and whenever I feel like I'm walking in to a room where the diamond olympics are being played. (Which is kind of tacky, yes, but I'm just being honest. If I'm going to be judged, and I am, at least I won't be judged for that thing.)

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    1. Tacky or not, I'd do the same! Some situations you're going to be judged either way at least you get to have some say in what you're being judged on.

      I sometimes wish I could just wear my wedding ring, but I think I'd miss the engagement one. I'd have a hard time if I weren't able to wear it on an everyday basis and I wanted to.

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