PW Reader Ring: Deirdre & John
Deirdre’s ring!
The couple: Deirdre McCarthy & John O’Kane, Philadelphia.
The ring: This is a vintage platinum ring with a round European-cut diamond with two baguettes on either side, and smaller round diamonds on the ends of those. It’s has the original setting and baguettes—the only thing it got was a good cleaning.
This ring belonged to my paternal grandmother and was then passed on to my dad, who used it to propose to my mom. After 25 years, she decided to keep it safe and they bought her another ring.
Around Christmastime, my father let me know that if we wanted it, the ring was mine—but little did he know, John had already picked out and bought a ring! After a discussion, we decided we loved the family ring and wanted to carry on the tradition. And we’re especially glad we did because the day John went to ask my father’s permission to marry me even ended up being the same day 34 years earlier that my dad proposed to my mom—a major coincidence!—and the day John proposed to me was the same day my sister had gotten engaged two years earlier!
The proposal: With all the ring talk back in December it had become a common topic in the house, but nothing too much. We talked about wedding-party friends, what time of year, etc. He had no pressure from me, I swear!
He didn’t propose in public—just the privacy of our own home in Conshohocken! It was a Sunday night and we had just gotten home from a little Sunday date—he got the ring out and popped the question! Really just the way I had imagined it to be. He knew I wouldn’t want a big scene.
The band: I ordered my wedding band from Farnan Jewelers in Wayne. It is a simple yet elegant band with 3 baguettes across the top (to match the ring). I wanted to get a very similar band as my mother, since she wore it for so many years and it just fit. I also did not want to take away from the beauty of this vintage creation!
Read other PW Reader Ring stories here.
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