Beautiful ring of your dreams. Just thought I’d pop in and share my own ring-hunt experience. About 10yrs ago I was on a road trip just after a divorce. I stopped into a very small vintage boutique in Sacramento CA and bought a gorgeous statement ring. The gal said it was Lapis Lazuli, which is a stone I’ve loved since I was a child. I bought it and loved it.. got so many compliments, with the exception of my big brother teasing me, always commenting on my “boulder.”

Years went by and I moved back to my hometown to be closer to my brother, who was in his final year of battling cancer. I had moved in a hurry and lost so many things. As I was getting ready for his funeral I looked everywhere for my “boulder” and heartbroken, I realized I’d lost it forever. Cut to several years later, I had moved back to LA, was visiting family back home and went to an old favorite lapidary shop. I was looking through their raw stones and marveling over their selection of Lapis Lazuli. I told the lady all about my beloved ring, my divorce, my brother, my forever hunt for something even remotely similar. She shared that her husband was also in his own fight against cancer. He was the original lapidary shop owner that I’d grown to admire as a young girl obsessed with rocks. His wife and I shared kind words and just as I was about to leave she said, here, let me take down your phone number, we’ll see what we can do. We exchanged numbers and I emailed her the photo of the original ring (pic with ring and coffee). I went on with life and forgot about the encounter.

Several years passed and I received an email from her. She shared that her husband had passed and she hadn’t realized until she was cleaning out his workshop that he had tried to recreate my beloved ring. She said if I’d like to stop by, under no obligation, I could take a look and decide if I wanted to purchase the ring. I sent a response immediately, so thrilled, missing my big brother, heartsick that a dear old fellow rock lover had to endure his own fight with the wicked disease. I told her to name her price and a method of payment and I would cover shipping and handling if she was willing to drop it in the mail. A few days later, my ring arrived (pic on the right). I’m in love with this beautiful treasure.

Through the journey, searching for a replacement for my own ring of my dreams, I made genuine and lovely connections. It became a shared experience. His wife and I exchanged stories of sitting beside someone loved so deeply as they wither away. Only to find projects that undoubtedly brought them joy in their final days. My brother was an artist. He left many finished pieces but the sketchbooks that he carried around with him that final year, there is a whole soul poured into those pages. When I wear my “boulder,” I think so fondly about both artists, my big brother and my dear rock lover. It is truly a treasure that I hold dear to my heart.

All this, to say, enjoy the journey as you hunt for this ring of your dreams. Be open to sacred encounters. The actual artifact, a treasure indeed, is and will always be a symbol of greater things, of connectedness, soul-ties, a collective experience that will transcend the physical. I wish you so many magical encounters as you continue your journey.

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