06/30/2026
Do you own an heirloom item from generations prior?
—
Growing up, I romanticized the idea of family heirloom objects. Something about passing on an item with a story, a history, enchanted me.
Very often I’d sneak into my mom’s dresser drawer to look at the few pieces of jewelry she owned that my dad had gifted her. I’d carefully inspect the fine lines, settings, hallmarks.. they didn’t carry much history, but it was a fun little ritual for me nonetheless.
Even before Vera was born I knew that I wanted to design a piece that I could wear often and one day pass on to her.
My husband gifted me his late nana’s engagement ring just a few days after we came home from the hospital with our precious baby girl. I knew that I wanted to remount the diamond into something that embodied subtle aspects of our family name.
Nana’s round diamond was re-set into a solid 14k yellow gold signet ring. It had to be weighty and have substance - to stand the test of time of course. The bezel setting offers a low profile, snag free design (I just happen to be partial to bezels :) and it also encases the little chip on the diamond’s girdle. The hand-engraved sun rays around the central diamond are a nod to our family crest. And, not pictured, is an “N” engraved on the underside. The first letter of our family name.
This is the piece I’ll pass onto Vera when one day, Lord willing, she becomes a mother too. Though it is a fresh and shiny new ring now, I know by then it will carry the weight of a generation of a mother’s love. And hopefully many more to come.