I just received word from our jeweler that our rings are finished. This morning, I found these pictures in the mail.
Look at Kelly's website and you will see why I chose him for creating these. His Tree of Life ring really appealed to me, so I knew his work would be top-notch. We are over the moon.
For the reasons for the symbols, see below the pictures.
On our first European trip as a couple in 1993, while in Athens, we happened to wander into an antique store. Our attention was immediately drawn to two objects hanging from the ceiling. They were each pomegranates created by hand blown glass. One was a cobalt blue and the other was a smoky chestnut red. Each had beads hanging from the glass stem with miniature trinkets attached. The trinkets were different on both.
When we asked the saleswoman about them, she explained that Greek custom was to hang a pomegranate on New Year’s Eve to bring prosperity for the incoming year. We were so taken with the beauty and originality of the design, we bought them both. Pomegranates became a part of our lives in various décor around the house.
Coincidentally, Ryan’s January birth stone is garnet. The origin of the name garnet is derived from the Greek word ‘granatum’ meaning ‘pomegranate seed’, which reflects the shape and color of the crystals. Although not a garnet, Ron’s July birth stone is the ruby, another red gem.
When Ryan was a child, his paternal grandparents lived in Michigan. They owned dozens of acres of land, much of
which was forest covered. One of Ryan’s greatest memories was hiking with his dad through the forest to collect acorns and oak leaves. His grandmother would paint faces on the acorn nut and add bits of material to the acorn cupule, making little people’s faces. At Christmas time, they were decorated to be Santa Claus. The phrase attributed to Chaucer, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow” became a motto to remember for achieving success in life.
Ron too has a connection to oak leaves and acorns. He went to St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa, which had the Ambrosian Oaks school newspaper and theme song. It is now St. Ambrose University.
Posts
