Yes, I “use” diamonds every single day. Most likely in a way you would not think of right away. I use them to remember I am loved.
My grandfather passed away before I was born. My Mom has always told me how much of a loving father he was and so many other stories about him. She also has told me numerous times how I would have been the “apple of his eye” as his only granddaughter.
Anthony “Reds” Di Pasquale was a second-generation Italian American who lived in South Philadelphia. He was kind, and, as my mom tells me, he and my Grandmother welcomed anyone into their home for some coffee and good conversation. I am very proud of my family history, and I love looking at my grandparents’ wedding pictures. I look just like my Grandmother.
Reds had a pinky ring that was the face of an owl. The two eyes were diamonds. When I was younger, my mom said my brother and I could have one for engagement rings. So when I let my now husband know I wanted that diamond and no other diamond or stone.
My mother ended up giving my husband both diamonds to use. She actually took them to, Danny, a jeweler she had known as a friend since childhood. It is a small local place in South Philly.
My husband and Danny designed my ring and of course I wear it every day. It reminds me I am loved. It reminds me that my family is there for me. On really hard days where my disabilities make me feel like a burden, it is an anchor in my marriage. That I am still me, I am still a wife to the most amazing man ever.
So, it might not be practical, but these diamonds are so much more than stones for me. I look at my ring at least once daily and am breathless. Not because they are big diamonds. It is because I remember the ring they came out of and the man who was so proud of the ring, but not as proud as he would be of the woman I have become.
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