Diana, Princess of Wales - Her Ring Takes on a New Life

Well, with all of the talk around Prince William and Kate, I am reminded of my facination with her ring. In 1981, I was coming to the end of a really bad marriage. We really lived totally separate lives and I was very unhappy. We tried counseling. I tried talking. I tried being flexible. I even tried comprising . . . a lot! In the end, he wouldn't change and I had to move on. In Jan 1982, I asked for a divorce and in February, I fell in love with Husband #2 on a trip to Mardi Gras. (Doesn't that only happen in the movies?)

So, for those friends and family members who propigated the story that I had an affair with someone from work and then divorced my husband, here's a message for you: Not True!

Anywho, we met, fell in love, decided to buy a condo together and then he proposed in the summer of 1982. He gave me a beautiful, small ring, a kind of "promise" ring, he said, although he knew we were a little old for that tradition! (Both of us were 27 at the time)

We then went to jewelry stores and looked for the perfect ring! I was especially excited because I got to pick it out myself. In my prior engagement, I had been given a family diamond (it was beautiful, truly) but I was taken to one of those discount, catalog stores and shown a few mountings and allowed to select one. I never truly felt it was "my" ring.

So, this time, it was going to be mine. Initially, I dreamed of a sapphire and diamond ring, just like Princess Di. Now, I knew that I would never HAVE a ring like hers, since Charles paid $65,000 for her ring at the time. (It would be worth about $150,000 today!) However, I
was excited about the idea of something similar.

That is, until I saw one on the finger of a woman I worked with. Somehow, when I saw the ring on another woman's finger, I realized that I really didn't want that ring at all. It was only then that I was able to go and select a ring that was truly mine. What a blessing that I was able to see the ring and all it represented to me in that way.

So, thank you, Lady Di, for providing contrast for me, back when I didn't even know what contrast was.

And congratulations to William and Kate!