Yes, I suppose I have had a few things stolen from me in the past. Like that time in college when I was in the emergency room sleeping on a gurney with a very high fever and someone went through my purse, taking my credit cards. Or when I was browsing in The Gap on New Year's Eve afternoon in 2009 and someone stole my purse - how and exactly when, I never could figure out. And while those losses sucked, and were great inconveniences, they weren't quite the same as this most recent, unfortunate, and personal grievance.
A week ago, while returning a ring to my jewelry box, I opened the top drawer to find it completely disheveled and immediately noticed my two most precious rings to be missing: The white gold and diamond flower and vine design ring that was my mothers - a ring she gave me my sophomore year of college simply because I admired it and she was happy I was interested in wearing jewelry at all. And the antique white gold and diamond ring that my mother and I picked out together on the afternoon of my 21st birthday, shown below.
These were two rings that I wore every single day for 6 of the last 9 years. There was a time I took one off in order to wear an engagement ring and then a wedding band. And then there was the time I put them back on when those rings had lost their value.
When I saw that my jewelry had been disturbed, I guess I was in shock and simply closed the drawer and walked away. I didn't want to think about it.
Then a few hours later I started the search. Looking every possible place I could have put a ring down, even though I KNEW I hadn't worn any of that jewelry since we moved into the new apartment. The search, and more consideration about my jewelry revealed that 6 rings in total were missing. Four white gold and diamond, one white gold with pink tourmaline and diamonds, and one solid yellow gold. All the other missing rings had been my mothers.
We figured out that there was an evening when workers were in our apartment - piano movers, lead by our landlord's regular maintenance guy who was also there to check on a problem with the master bedroom shower - when any one of them could have had opportunity to take the rings. We filed a police report and luckily were able to report the loss under my boyfriend's renters insurance policy. The maximum insured value is only about half of what it would cost to replace the rings.
But the money isn't the issue. I could not care less about the insurance money. I just want my mother's rings back. I know they are just objects, and my mother would have been frustrated but not devastated over lost jewelry, and that I should not let myself be so effected by the loss. There are much more important things in the world.
I have many years ahead of me to face without my mother. Too many. And with this jewelry theft, there are just a few less reminders of my mother for me to carry with me. Like the nightgown of hers that I used to wear regularly until it tore along the seam... It all just reminds me that one day I won't have any of these physical reminders left. And that makes me sad.
Plus, the fact that this loss is the result of a violation from someone who I voluntarily had in my home is devastating. Now we are dealing with surveillance cameras and have changed locks and my jewelry is all well hidden (making it so that I no longer consider wearing it, unfortunately). It changed how I feel about this place that I am, for now at least, calling home. And well, that kinda sucks.
A week ago, while returning a ring to my jewelry box, I opened the top drawer to find it completely disheveled and immediately noticed my two most precious rings to be missing: The white gold and diamond flower and vine design ring that was my mothers - a ring she gave me my sophomore year of college simply because I admired it and she was happy I was interested in wearing jewelry at all. And the antique white gold and diamond ring that my mother and I picked out together on the afternoon of my 21st birthday, shown below.
When I saw that my jewelry had been disturbed, I guess I was in shock and simply closed the drawer and walked away. I didn't want to think about it.
Then a few hours later I started the search. Looking every possible place I could have put a ring down, even though I KNEW I hadn't worn any of that jewelry since we moved into the new apartment. The search, and more consideration about my jewelry revealed that 6 rings in total were missing. Four white gold and diamond, one white gold with pink tourmaline and diamonds, and one solid yellow gold. All the other missing rings had been my mothers.
We figured out that there was an evening when workers were in our apartment - piano movers, lead by our landlord's regular maintenance guy who was also there to check on a problem with the master bedroom shower - when any one of them could have had opportunity to take the rings. We filed a police report and luckily were able to report the loss under my boyfriend's renters insurance policy. The maximum insured value is only about half of what it would cost to replace the rings.
But the money isn't the issue. I could not care less about the insurance money. I just want my mother's rings back. I know they are just objects, and my mother would have been frustrated but not devastated over lost jewelry, and that I should not let myself be so effected by the loss. There are much more important things in the world.
I have many years ahead of me to face without my mother. Too many. And with this jewelry theft, there are just a few less reminders of my mother for me to carry with me. Like the nightgown of hers that I used to wear regularly until it tore along the seam... It all just reminds me that one day I won't have any of these physical reminders left. And that makes me sad.
Plus, the fact that this loss is the result of a violation from someone who I voluntarily had in my home is devastating. Now we are dealing with surveillance cameras and have changed locks and my jewelry is all well hidden (making it so that I no longer consider wearing it, unfortunately). It changed how I feel about this place that I am, for now at least, calling home. And well, that kinda sucks.
No comments:
Post a Comment