Fearless Females 2013: Day 6: Heirloom

Describe an heirloom you may have inherited from a female ancestor.

Elsie Beatrice Blagdon HAYWOOD (1908-1975)

The only thing I have inherited is my grandmother's eternity ring.  Elsie Beatrice Blagdon HAYWOOD (1908-1975) - known to me as Nanny McNally - was my father's mother and lived in Millbrook, Cornwall.  One day, when I was in my early teens, she called me to her and gave me an obviously-treasured possession: her gold eternity ring, studded with tiny chips of garnets and diamonds.  She said that her fingers had got too fat to wear it any more: a distinct possibility, as her hands had swollen due to her diabetes.  She also said that she wanted to give it to me before she died, as when she passed on, everyone else would descend on her possessions and I probably wouldn't get anything, being a mere insignificant 14 year old.

So she gave me her ring and, although I wore it every day, I did not care for it quite as well as I should have.  By the time I had reached my twenties, almost all the precious stones had gone.  I went to a local jeweller and asked how much it would cost to have the chips replaced.  His answer? that it would cost more than the ring itself was worth.  But to me, the ring was precious beyond mere money.

Now I am older, and fatter, and the ring no longer fits me.  But it stays in pride of place in my jewellery box, a reminder of a grandmother's love.

Once again, in honour of National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month.  I know this is really US-centric - but that's not going to stop me honouring my own Fearless Females...