The Ring!

The gem is a fire opal. It belonged to his Yia Yia (his Greek Grandma) and the ring was given to her when she was nine years old by her Godmother. The gem is well over 100 years old.

Opal is from the Sanskrit "upala" meaning "precious stone."

"Fire opals are unique in the lush world of the opals. They were already admired as symbols of the most fervent love in ancient times, in India and in the ancient Persian kingdom, and among the peoples of Central America and the Amerindians. It was believed that a gem that bubbled over with vivacity to such an extent as the fire opal could only have been created in the waters of paradise." --from gemstone.org

Fire opal is more of a hard gel than a gem, and it is a low-temperature mineral and thus very brittle. You actually store fire opals in water. As opals age, they can become cloudy and cracked due to a loss of moisture. This fire opal is encased in glass, a common practice similar to doubleting. The glass supports the fragile opal.

The only way to tell if the gem was done well is to see if the gem lasts. That's it. No other test. Since this gem is still beautiful and clear-- I can assume it was done very well.

Fire opals were all the rage for Victorian love tokens. Most of the opal rings were really small slivers of opal, and my stone is fairly large. For the time it was created, it was worth a pretty penny then. It's worth a lot now, but it means so very much to me because it is a heirloom.

The setting of the ring is new, and a contemporary take on Art Deco. It showcases the opal beautifully, and suits my personality. I love that it is a quirky ring. The colors in the gem change depending on the lighting, and maybe even my mood! It contains pink, blue, green, purple, gold, and orange.

The gem was set at Von Bargen's Fine Diamonds and Jewelry, a three time winner of Harper's Bazaar "Best place to shop for jewelry in America."

Christopher obviously had some fun in Photoshop with the photos below.
Bling is shiny! Ka'pow!



















Green Lantern ain't got nothin' on me.

We're Engaged!

We became engaged on May 17th, 2008.
That Saturday was a particularly busy day for both of us.

In the morning, Christopher graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies (White River Junction, VT) earning a Master of Fine Arts degree.

The same morning, I finally graduated from Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT) earning a Bachelor of Arts in English, with grades 7-12 Teacher Certification. Christopher's sister Kimberly--my close friend and roommate--also graduated that morning from GMC.

After commencement, my father, mother, step-father and I drove across the state of Vermont to attend Christopher and Kimberly's graduation party. The party was held at their mother's residence in Springfield, VT. When we arrived, I was happily exhausted. On the porch his step-father, Don, was BBQing up some mean ribs.


***

I thought he asked, "Are you mad at me?"

Christopher was whispering and, well as many of you already know, Chris hardly ever whispers.

I was distracted by all of the people on his Mother's porch, and exhausted from my graduation and the two hour trip to Springfield, Vermont.

Chris and I were standing on the steps of the porch, able to watch the awkward mingling of our parents without having to participate.

I thought he asked, "Are you mad at me?" and I replied, 'What?"

I'm such a romantic.

Christopher asked again, this time with better enunciation, and I saw the box and his cheeky grin and nearly fell off the porch. I obviously said "yes."

In less than four hours, I received both my diploma and an engagement ring!