A ring for Astrid

I've always liked the idea of a keepsake, something given to you at birth, or when you're a baby that you can keep for your entire life that has a special significance to you.

Uwe has a silverware set with his name engraved into each piece. (Yes, he had a silver spoon, but no, he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth.) His grandmother also gave him a silver baby ring when he was born with his name engraved inside the band. (Uwe gave me the ring when I turned 30 and I wear it on a chain around my neck as a necklace.)

For Astrid, we've been wanting to get her a ring as a keepsake, and today we finally went to our Jeweler and picked one out and had it engraved with Astrid's name.

Do you think she knows she's getting a ring? Sue and Sam (our Jewelers) are always happy to see us. We've purchased many pieces from them, including our wedding rings. They're a nice Chinese couple that have had this business for 25 years. Sue shared with me that one of her customers who was 18 when she met her for the first time now has a 21 year old daughter who is their customer as well. Now that's a testament to longevity. So we're not the only ones who keep coming back to them.
You can see Sam in the background. (I didn't get a photo of Sue.) Girls love jewelry. =)

Check out the matching dimples.Here the 3 of us are, waiting for the engraving of Astrid's name in her ring to be finished.

Originally we thought we'd get a baby ring (as in a tiny ring). But then we saw the rings and the smallest ones were size 5. We could have had the ring made smaller but the price would have been the same. So instead we got a size 6, which is an average ring size for a woman. Astrid can actually wear it as a ring (when she's older), or on a necklace.

We decided on a 14K white gold ring, which looks just as beautiful as platinum, but won't scratch as easily, or rust like silver does.

I would like to give it to Astrid on an important milestone, (when she's an adult) such as when she leaves home to attend a University, so she'll always remember how much her Mom and Dad love her.