Sterling Silver Heart Ring, Sterling silver claddagh rings? (OH-PA)
We'd consider a web site, but it's just not quite the same
as going and picking them out and having them sized properly.
And with a web site, you lose the subversive fun of watching
the smoke pour out of the salesperson's ears as sie tries to
figure out why we need *three* of them.... :-)
We weren't sure any local jewelers would carry them. Plus, we like the design
*without* the crown, partially because the crown symbolizes fidelity (not part
of our own commitment) and partially just because we don't like the look of
the crown. So we decided to talk to jewelers about having some custom made.
We took in some pictures swiped from websites, and got three different
estimates. One jeweler had just what we wanted, handmade, and it was
*beautiful* work. But he wanted at least three times what we could pay.
Sigh. What we settled on was a jeweler that would cast some of the rings,
with a nice-looking design, with the crowns, then cut the crowns off and touch
them up. We got a package price on a yellow gold ring for me, a white gold
one for my love, and silver rings for seven of our children.
As we understand the tradition, left finger / pointing out (point of heart
toward fingertips) means "engaged" and the other way around means "married."
Since this is our first handfasting and we'll have another, more permanent
one, in a year and a day, we decided to wear them pointing out this year, and
turn them around with the next handfasting. For the children, we decided
their ring fingers should really be reserved for their own future loves, so
they wear theirs on their left middle fingers.
In case anyone's interested, my wedding ring, a Mokume Gane style
(folded metal) ring, made from copper, gold and white gold can
be purchaced at Claypot jewlers in park slope brooklyn, NY, or
possibly ordered via thier web site. Here's the URL with a picture
of the ring. *I* think it's nifty neato keen.