Gems From The Heart Story Contest Entries

The gang here at Joseph Schubach Jewelers has pored over the Gems from the Heart Story Contest entries for the last several weeks and after much deliberation, we’ve come up with a winner!

First, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the participants for so many thoughtful entries this year. We were genuinely surprised at the overwhelming response. It goes to show that everyone has a story to tell when it comes to a prized piece of jewelry. Our entries ranged from the simple and poignant to the funny and offbeat.

Of all of them, we found The Phoenix Zoo Story to be the most dazzling story of them all. Not only did the writer tell us a genuinely moving and romantic tale but her use of photos really made us feel like we were right there with her!

Read the Winner of the Gems from the Heart Story Contest here!

(above, our Winning Storytellers)

Honorable Mention goes to The Ugly Little Ring Story for her effective and touching piece that shows it’s not always the quality of jewelry that counts, but the meaning behind it.

The first date my current wife and I went on was to Dairy Queen on a
Sunday afternoon; so it only seemed natural that when it came time to
propose marriage to her I had to do it at Dairy Queen. So on a Saturday
night I took her to Dairy Queen and ordered a banana split for the two
of us. Then I placed a diamond solitare ring on the top of the sundae,
as I got to the table where she was seated I got down on one knee and
asked her to mary me. It was a night that we will never forget (and
probably the folks in Dairy Queen too).

Thank you!

Randy Pope

I have a beautiful diamond set in platinum from 1928.  It belonged to
my grandmother and then my mother.  People who appreciate fine jewelry
always comment on how lovely it is.

Michelle Dry

I have a special jewelry story.  Four years ago, my father died
suddenly.  It was such a shock and tragedy.  He was only 49.  My whole
family took it really bad.  But I think I took it the worst, since he
died at my house and I found him.  That night after we all left the
hospital, my mother came into my room and sat on my bed.  She looked so
sad, I will never forget that look.  She took my hand and gave me hers
and my fathers wedding rings.  I looked at her in shock.  She said he
would want you to have them.  I told her I would treasure them
forever!  One of my sisters was upset she did not get one.  She just
got engaged, and I went to my mother and said maybe we should give "Lu"
your engagement ring.  My mother said OK, if it is alright with you. 
It wasn't but I loved my sister so I said OK.  To make a long story
short.  A year later my sisters marriage didn't work out.  I noticed
she didn't wear the ring anymore, so I asked her where it was?  She
said "away".  Well come to find out she pawned it!  How could she of
did this!  I was so upset.  I prayed to my father to bring the ring
back to me where it belonged!  With the other rings.  Three months
later, my mother called me.  She said "guess what?"  I said what?  She
said I got the ring back!!!.  I was shock and asked her how?  The ring
she had was specially made and one of a kind.  She said a friend of
hers was shopping and spotted it in a pawn shop and recognized it as my
mothers and bought it!  To this day I still think my father sent her
friend into that shop that day!  Thanks DAD!!

Gina Benway

I asked my wife to marry me after meeting her on a cruise
and only physically see her 5 times.  She wanted an antique ring.  We went to
30 pawn shops in the Memphis
area.  We gave up and were driving to the airport to send me back to Idaho when we saw   a
pawn shop.  We found the most fabulous ring for only $500.  Fifteen years later
and two kids and we are still happily married.
Steve Scott

My Grandfather had an old battered trunk that he brought over from
Norway as a young man at the turn of the 20th Century.   I have been
storing it for years in the attic knowing it was beyond use or repair.
 I found an old silver chain necklace that belonged to my Mother in my
jewelry box and put the key to the trunk on the chain.  I finally had
the heart to throw out the trunk knowing I can wear the necklace with
fond memories of them both.
—
Marilyn Chapman

To preface: I am originally from Arizona and I am going to law school
in Minnesota.  My fiance lives in Arizona.

I have really fallen in love with a great man.  The story?  We call it
Trains, Planes and Automobiles: Engagement Version.

It all started when Rob's mom presented him with a ring that she
wanted to pass down to me.  Up to this point we had been talking about
marriage for months.  I really thought it would happen this past
summer, but it didn't.  In God's time, right?  So, once Rob received
the ring, he immediately began trying to figure out how to meet me in
the midwest.  He would be starting a job in 2 weeks so he wanted to
get out here as soon as possible.  Flights at that time were about
$1000.  So, the best thing he was able to find was a train ride to
Chicago.  The train didn't have a connection to MN.  So, he called me
and asked me to meet him out there.  It's only about a 5 hour drive
from here.  That way we'd have more time to spend with each other and
get to see Chicago.  I'd never been there.

We planned to go to mass once he got into Chicago and then to dinner.
Little did I know, he was going to propose on the steps of the church
before we would go into mass.  He spoke with a priest at the church
and asked him to give us a blessing before going into mass.  We would
then go to dinner and enjoy the town.  Notice I said "would."

The adventure begins.  So, he would drive to Flagstaff to get on the
train for what he thought would be a 32-hour trip.  The train that was
suppose to pick him up was delayed because of a train wreck that
killed over 2 dozen people in California.  Needless to say he had to
wait a few hours for his train.  Once he boarded it was free sailing
(or free training) right?  Wrong.  Passing through New Mexico, the
train hit a cow.  The train didn't just knock the cow off the tracks,
it actually ran over the cow.  So, the train officials had to get
stop, get out and look at the cow.  For another couple hours.
Meanwhile, Rob called me and told me not to leave for a couple hours
because he was going to be late.  We probably wouldn't make mass.  :(
When they finally removed the cow from the tracks and started moving,
we thought he'd be in Chicago in time for dinner.  Wrong.  Going
through Kansas, the train had to stop for a few hours because there
were several tornadoes touching down.  They had to wait until it was
clear enough to pass through.  Rob told me that all the passengers
were restless and almost protesting.

46 hours later (almost two days), he arrived in Chicago.  When I
picked him up from the train station, he seemed a little anxious and
just glad to be off a train ride that ended up being 14 hours longer
than anticipated.  Disappointed that all of his plans fell through,
but so excited and happy to be with me, he just couldn't hold it in
any longer and got down on one knee.  Although it didn't happen the
way he wished, I couldn't help but think how romantic it was that he'd
go through all that just to get to me and ask me to be his wife.  Of
course I said yes!  We enjoyed the day in Chicago…did you know that
Chicago received record rainfall that day and the streets flooded?
Yea.

We drove back to Minnesota and celebrated with my friends and brother.
 We were able to merge his mom's ring with my late mom's ring.  It's
absolutely beautiful.  Once we got back to Minnesota I told him that
we would look for a plane ride home for him this time.  Luckily, I
found a one way ticket for $100.

Thank you for letting us share our story!

Regards,

An Nguyen

My jewelry story is actually one of regret (although it does have a
somewhat happy ending).  My father had never wanted my mother to work,
as he saw himself as the provider for the family as many men of his
generation did, but when all three children had left home he relented
and allowed her to work part-time at a gardening center (she was very
good at growing flowers and people would come from miles around to see
the flowers she'd planted around the horseshoe driveway in front of our
home in the suburbs).  My mother and father had originally come from
Ukraine and so my mother did have a bit of trouble communicating
(writing up time sheets, etc. – I had always translated everything for
her when I was at home) but she loved working there.  However at tax
time it turned out that her job put my parents in a higher tax bracket,
and so it wasn't worth it for her to work there anymore, even though
she'd been there just a little while.  One day when I was back at home
visiting my mother she gave me a shy smile and presented me with a box
that had a pendant in it – a tiny piece of coral in a cone-like gold
setting at the top.  She said the coral came from Ukraine and that
because she had never had nice things, she wanted me to have them, and
so she wanted me to have this pendant.  At the time I was prone to
wearing glitzy fashion jewelry or antique pieces, and although I
thanked my mother I thought that she really didn't understand me and my
sense of style in giving me this piece of jewelry, which I usually only
wore when visiting her.  One day after a visit I found that I'd lost
it, but didn't give it much thought (being so young and foolish).  Many
years later my mother had a stroke (after my father passed away) and I
spent weeks with her in the hospital translating for her and talking to
doctors.  One day she asked me to bring me her purse and when I did,
wrapped in a small piece of paper towelling, she withdrew the coral
necklace and gave it to me!  She told me that she could tell I really
didn't like it and that I had lost it on her carpet and she'd kept it
for me these many years and now wanted me to have it.  She had spent
all the money that she earned at the gardening center to buy it for
me!  I put it on and cried – I loved my mother so much! – and finally
realized how it wasn't my transient trendy styles that she chose to
acknowledge but that she was giving me a piece of herself to remember
her by.  She died soon afterwards, and ever since I've worn the coral
pendant and been very, very careful not to lose it and to tell everyone
that my beautiful mother gave it to me!

Christina Zawadiwsky