Rings, a second time around - Part 2

Please sign up for my Simple Green Giveaway: 7 Bottles of Cleaner! (easy to enter!)

--------------------

{For Part 1}

Over the weekend, Mike and I visited our favorite jewelers, commissioning him to create our wedding bands.  He drafted my magnificent creation, but we were over budget.

So, I asked a question that will forever change how I look at jewelry.

No, it's not "Can we do Cubic Zirconium instead?"

Nor is it "Can I trade my first born for a good rate?"


 

It was a rather simple question:

 "Is there anyway we could reduce the cost?"

Keith said he would never make this suggestion, but when someone asks he knows that it's OK to put this on the table.
Normally this kind of thing scares people away, he cautioned.

He asked if I cared if the stones were new.
I didn't get it.
New as in fresh out of the mine?
New as in just born? Do diamonds/jewels do that?

He pulled out massive trays, one at a time.  Each held about 50 previously worn rings.  Either people's marriages failed, passed away, or needed the extra cash.  One way or another these wedding bands all had a history and now spent their days in a safe.

First we looked at the bands to see if there was anything exactly like I wanted.  Of course their wasn't, which made me loosen up to the idea a bit.  While I like the idea of the cost being cheaper, I was a little wary of wearing someone's old wedding ring.  I wanted my own.

Then Keith explained he was still going to create my own, unique ring.  He would melt down gold for me, to create the brand new band.  Then he would take stones from other sources and put them in my band.  These stones were from rings that we were looking at now - or random single pairs of earrings, broken bracelets, and forgotten treasures.  Keith said he needed to look into what he had in the back and would let us know the next day.

On Monday, we got the great call I was waiting for: Keith had all the necessary stones, of great quality, natural and not laboratory made, for my band.  Not only could he do it, but he could do it for half the cost of a brand new ring from the catalog.  All because I'm OK with previously worn stones.

See, the truth behind it is this:  these stones still retain their value, even for being sold a second time around.   They still have their same worth, even though they might not be "new." I'm giving these stones a second chance at love.
They are being used to create something special and new for me.  To me, their past doesn't matter - it's my new ring that will stand as a symbol of my unity with Mike.
If it means giving these old stones a new chance, to cut costs, then why not?
It's not like anyone's going to come looking for them.  It's not like anyone will know they are "gently used" either.  When you look at my ring all you will see is my love for Mike.

Old and new, somewhat-borrowed with a touch of blue: it's my ring, my love.