Last week we received an unexpected treasure of a story through Facebook. Haverly reached out to tell us about her grandparents' story and the role Cornell's played in it 74 years ago. A bittersweet story, it's one that we all enjoyed reading.
Dear Cornell’s Jewelers,
You say that every gift has a story, and my story starts with how my grandparents met and got engaged, and how my typically “economical” grandfather splurged on the ring.
My Poppy had just returned home from WWII. He was in the Navy and traveled to Europe and South America. Before the war, he was no stranger to boats. He immigrated from Italy when he was 16, and he traveled to Ellis Island by himself and made his way to Rochester, NY. He met my grandmother when he came to Rochester. Their families knew each other from their hometowns in Italy, so it was a great connection to have. Of all her siblings, she was the closest in age to him, so she was asked to teach him English. It was at that point when they started dating, before he left for the war.
When he returned from the war, a proposal was near. My grandfather, like most others at the time, was very broke and worked multiple jobs. At one point, he was offered the choice to either purchase stocks from Haloid company or receive a cash bonus. Knowing he wanted to propose to my grandmother, he took the cash bonus to use for the engagement ring.
My grandma’s sister-in-law (her brother’s wife) immediately said to my Poppy, “Come on. We’re going to Cornell’s.” The rest, as they say, is history. They were engaged in 1947; married in 1948.
My grandparents were married for 59 years before my grandmother passed away when she was 86. My Poppy lived for another 10 years. (We think he enjoyed the peace and quiet!)
When my sister got engaged in 2001, her husband used my grandmother’s original setting from Cornell’s. My grandmother’s original ring had a 3/4 carat diamond set in a round illusion platinum set (the round-made-to-look-square was big for that time) with two side diamonds, and three matching diamonds in the wedding band.
My mom held on to my grandmother’s original diamond. In 2012, my mother’s home was burglarized and my grandmother’s wedding diamond from Cornell’s was stolen. It was never recovered.
For my grandfather’s entire life, we always teased him for being cheap. Always. It was a running joke in our family. But when it came to my grandma’s diamond, and when he had the chance to take the stocks or the extra cash, it was an easy choice for him. When it came to her ring, it was the best or nothing. It was Cornell’s.
Every gift starts with a story. Thanks for taking the time to read mine.
Sincerely,
Haverly M Erskine
Granddaughter of Nancy and Frank DiNitto