The other day, a long-time client brought an antique ring into our store. He had found it with his mother’s effects at the time of her death, adding that it had been packed away in her jewellery box and he had never seen his mom wearing it. He was very curious as to its age and wondered if there was anything else I could determine from the markings inside the ring.

While he told us that his mother had never talked about her family, he discovered at the time of her passing that her maiden name was British.  It was a good start, and looking at the markings on the ring, I could not only tell him that the ring was made in England, but determined the village where it was made, along with the year it was made. Even the jeweller who made it!

Our client was delighted to find out this new family history, and subsequently he tracked down his mother’s younger brother, who still lives in the same village. He has since had many chats with his previously -unknown family.  He discovered that his mom ran away to Canada at a very young age with her Canadian soldier lover. Yes, his dad.

We have since learned that our client plans to take his own family over to that that small English village to meet his newly found relatives.  All because of a ring he found in his mother’s jewellery box.

Wow, I love my job!