Our story today, like many great works of world literature, will be about rings. Not three, seven, nine, or even one—but two, which two sisters once inherited from their grandma. To paraphrase the classic, "Two rings to inherit. Two rings to spoil them. Two rings to bring them all and before Christmas embroil them."
Yes, user u/ACatNamedBruin, the author of today’s story, tells how her family ring became lucky for her, while for her sister, a similar ring turned out to be, on the contrary—really unlucky. However, let's not get ahead of ourselves with this tale...
More info: Reddit
The author of the post and her sister inherited two family diamond rings from their late grandma when they were teenagers
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The parents decided to give their daughters these rings when they got married
Image credits: ACatNamedBruin
Image credits: Jerussa Paredes / Pexels (not the actual photo)
However, the author's family life turned out to be way happier than her sister's, since she got divorced after just 8 months of marriage
Image credits: ACatNamedBruin
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
So recently, at their family Xmas gathering, the sister asked the author to swap rings
Image credits: ACatNamedBruin
The author flatly refused since she likes her ring better, and it actually brings her lots of happy memories
Our heroine today is 29 years old, she's been happily married for over five years and, unlike her sister, who is a year older, her family life has been successful. The sis recently got married, too, but her marriage, alas, lasted no more than 8 months—then she got divorced. For a while, she didn't want to see anyone at all, but then she went to a family gathering for Christmas, where this whole thing happened.
The thing is, the sisters had a grandmother who had passed away when they were teenagers. The old lady left behind a lot of jewelry, which the Original Poster's (OP) parents sold, except for two similar diamond rings decorated with sapphires and rubies, respectively.
The parents decided that the sisters would get these rings when they got married, so the author got her ring—with diamonds and sapphires—first. She always liked the ring, and she gave it to her friends to wear to their weddings several times as "something blue." And now, when she puts this ring on, her friends have good memories, too, when looking at it.
The sister, on the other hand, has diametrically opposed feelings when she sees her own ring. So, when she met with the author at Christmas, she suggested swapping rings. But our heroine, having thought over the idea, flatly refused.
Firstly, she likes her ring simply from an aesthetic point of view. Secondly, both she and her friends have many pleasant memories associated with it. Thirdly, she has already promised to lend this ring to another friend for her upcoming wedding.
The sister was upset and, apparently, complained to their mom—because after some time, the mother criticized the author for not wanting to support her sister during a difficult moment in her life. In turn, our heroine simply doesn’t get why the sis cannot simply sell her ring and, for example, order a replica of her own with the proceeds.
Image credits: Polina Zimmerman / Pexels (not the actual photo)
It is no secret that many pieces of jewelry are not so much beauty and luxury as they are peculiar mental triggers for us. Rings, earrings, necklaces—we remember the circumstances under which we received them, we recall the people associated with them, and this is simply a feature of our memory that cannot be gotten rid of.
"The famous slogan 'Diamonds are forever' actually means that the memory associated with jewelry is very long-lasting," says Maria Kryvosheeva, a psychologist and NLP coach with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment on this case. "This feature of almost any jewelry was also noted by ancient poets and writers."
"It’s not surprising at all that this ring will now always represent her unsuccessful marriage in the eyes of this woman's sister, and she wants to get rid of it. In turn, an attempt to exchange rings with the sister may be an unconscious desire to become as happy as she is. Like, well, to steal her luck somehow..."
"So in any case, the author is totally right that she doesn’t want to give up her 'lucky ring.' After all, the idea of making a replica of this ring after selling the 'unlucky' piece of jewelry seems quite reasonable. This way, by and large, all parties will be happy," Maria ponders.
People in the comments on the original post also sincerely don’t understand why the author's sister should not sell an expensive but unloved jewel and, if she wants, replace it with another one. After all, family is great and wonderful, but our heroine's personal feelings and experiences should come first here.
So, the commenters urged the OP not to give in to pressure from relatives in this case. "You have made it clear now that the ring has gained sentimental value for you, so if she (or your mom) keeps pushing, then that would make her [wrong]," one of the responders wisely wrote. And would you, our dear readers, agree to exchange rings if you found yourself in a similar situation?
People in the comments unanimously sided with the author, urging her not to give in under family pressure
