For Christmas, I got a box.
I did not know what was in the box, but it was from my parents and Rob’s parents, so I knew it was likely to be nifty.
It is beautiful and has a inlay of ivory on the cover. Rob cautioned me that the box was delicate to open. On the side, there is a small brass button.
Which I pushed.
Inside was a set of coral beads.
Not just any beads. These are coral beads from the early 1800s. I knew this necklace because I had been coveting it for months.
See, I went to visit my friend -e- at Maloy’s Jewellers, where she works. They specialize in antique and estate jewelry. We were talking about an upcoming Regency event and how I wished that I had period appropriate jewelry. Coral beads were very popular and it seems that they appear in half the portraits from the period. -e- showed me these. They needed to be restrung, but they were unquestionably lovely.
And I could not afford them.
She had them restrung. Got in touch with my parents and Rob’s parents and made arrangements. She found an old watch box and refitted it to hold the beads. Rob snuck them to Chattanooga.
I opened that box, recognized the coral beads, and then had difficulty seeing them because of the tears. I think the only thing that kept me from fully weeping was knowing that my father had a video camera trained on me.
Two weeks later, I am still stunned by the thoughtfulness of all involved.
This may be the most thoughtful gift I have ever received. It may also be the oldest.
You have me tearing up, too. What a lovely gift, and a wonderful story to go with it.
I have been wearing them pretty much constantly.
That is the kind of love you are very very worthy of, being such a wonderful person!!!! What a lovely gift 🙂
That is so sweet they did that for you. There’s nothing like a truly well-thought-out gift, where you know the giver was paying attention. I can’t wait to see them at the card party. 🙂 Steph
The REAL treasure if Mary herself, ..and very importantly her friend -e-!!
Wow. What a wonderful gift!
The oldest jewelry I have is my grandfather’s wedding ring–a black onyx signet ring set in gold. That only dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
correction:
IS Mary herself…And -E- the thoughtful discrete soul who concocted the Christmas ‘surprise’ deserves kudos.
I am so happy for you. You are beloved.
PS. I think I guessed who -e- is. Quite right that she’d be involved in such a brilliant gift.
To all involved.. well done. Very well done indeed.
It is a profoundly meaningful thing when people really think about us. It counteracts a lot of messages we pick up in life, that we don’t matter, that we’re alone, etc. I’m so glad you got to experience that!
Oh, that’s so cool! 😀