custom, part three
Soon after we shared the news of our engagement with family and friends, my sister started plotting a surprise for us, a surprise that came with a story.
When she died, my grandmother, my father’s mother, left behind a really extraordinary collection of jewelry. My parents were tasked with appraising and dividing it among her children and grandchildren, and I sat at the table, rapt, as they unwrapped, laid out, and photographed every piece. Because she refused to get on an airplane (or maybe just to get some time away from him), my grandfather went on long trips to “exotic” locales without her, and he’d return with unique pieces of jewelry. In the distribution, my mom inherited a few really interesting pieces, including an intricate and dazzling diamond brooch. Because it was truly, truly fabulous, Mom only wore it on very special occasions, like black-tie events or Tuesday sojourns to the grocery store.
When Mom died, my sister inherited that brooch, but she quickly recognized that she and her daughters would never need such a piece, unless they’re summoned for a ball at Buckingham with Her Majesty. She worked with a jeweler to break the original brooch apart to make smaller pieces for her kids, but there were a few small stones left, including eight tiny baguette-cut stones. She imagined cufflinks for my then-fiancé and me, but when she couldn’t decide between silver and gold, my…
