Making our own history for our own family heirlooms

For me, picking out my engagement ring with Rob was such a precious time. Many women like the 'surprise' factor, but Rob and I had spoken so much about marrying and where we wanted our lives to lead that we went off together to find a ring. Just so you know, the proposal part was still a surprise!!

Not far from Lincoln is a brilliant antiques centre at Hemswell which is just full of hidden gems. One of the buildings has an amazing ring collection; it is there that we found my ring. There was never any question about buying second hand. I love antiques and an old ring was all I wanted. The price of them is amazing too so for a young couple with little money it was a brilliant option. 

The idea of creating some kind of love story in my head about where the ring came from was a must. I can only hope that it served its job as an engagement ring before I acquired it and it was part of a long and prosperous marriage! 

Thinking about their past is part of the joy of buying antiques. There must be some exciting stories to tell for some objects. The lives they have had are part of the item and I just love the idea that there journeys continue into our lives.

Recently I found myself thinking about creating our own heirlooms. What have I got for the children to have when I die? Seems a bit morbid but its more about memories for me. I want to give our children something that I know has been a part of them growing up so I decided to invest in some new plain gold wedding bands. I thought it would be a really nice idea if we bought their wedding bands now and that I wear them through their life until a day comes when they want them. 

I suppose I think that these will just become a part of me and when I give them over to them they will continue their story. From parent to child, a line will continue and these rings can be passed on through our own family. 

I wanted them to be new gold as I didn't want them to have any back story. I want us to make them antique, to give them a journey; every time I hold their hands, wipe a tear from their face, wash their clothes, swim in the sea and enjoy life's journeys with Rob and our children, I want to engrave the ring with little scratches and scuffs that show our time together. I also had each ring engraved with the children's names. It was hard to photograph as it is so small but one is for Raphael and one for Giulietta. 

This is a way for me to give something quite momentous to our children when the time is right. Please God it will be for their weddings if that is the path they choose, but also as a comfort to know I always had part of them close at all times.

My way of marking our time together and hopefully passing on something of great importance that they will also love. 

Post by Emily