Stunning Sapphire Ring by From Edinburgh With Love

There’s nothing I love more than jewellery.

Above and beyond anything else I buy for myself or receive as gifts be it clothes, bags, shoes, homeware, stationery, whatever, jewellery has my whole heart. My obsession started in childhood as I would regularly and carefully work my way through my mum’s jewellery in velvet jewellery boxes or atop her dressing table, dazzled by pieces she had been bought by her own parents, or my Dad, or inherited heirlooms from Greek generations past, the precious gems, gold and silver shining in the light.

Legend has it, that I advised her from a young age, that I should inherit all of her gold items, and my brother’s future wife could have the silver-hahaha!

More than anything, I loved listening to the stories behind her pieces, the emerald engagement ring she was offered by a suitor she declined before meeting my father at university, the gold charm bracelets her mother gave to her and her sisters, with a new charm for each birthday or milestone met from gold animals, coins and star signs. The diamond jewellery my Dad gave her, the gold lockets with photos of my brother and I cut to match the curves and the pearls, oh the pearls. My own daughter, Florence, 3, is taking after me!

Aside from the sparkling diamonds, pink sapphires set in yellow gold, and the red rubies which looked like mini marbles, were the stories, the pieces of my mother’s own childhood, her uni days, and beyond that I could trace with my fingertips, and understand more of, from the pieces before me.

All jewellery, antique, modern, bespoke, precious, costume, make my heart beat that bit faster and sing.

I love bright gem stones the most, and pieces which are symbolic and meaningful, marking my children and key events in my life: my husband bought me a pink sapphire ring when my only daughter Florence was born in 2021, I  have pretty sapphire stud earrings which reflect my older sons, and I bought myself an antique tanzanite ring when I finished writing my recent debut children’s book Greek Myths, Folktales and Legends to celebrate the achievement.

I adore my flawless diamond engagement ring, an upgrade where my original diamond was made into a necklace pendant, after 18 years of marriage and I recently chose a timeless gold and steel Cartier Panthiere watch to celebrate 20 years of marriage marking our first wedding in South Africa, not the Greek one, the year after. Maybe that means two 20th anniversary presents too. Ha. The watch is perfect as I wear gold with platinum now when it comes to jewellery and don’t care about mixing metals.

I’ve decided recently to wear ‘all of my best’ every day and not wait for special occasions because life is the special occasion. Losing people close to me like my cousin recently, has reminded me how short and precious life is. I’m rocking whatever I want to wear every day and so should you!

I’d actaully been searching for the perfect dazzling ocean blue sapphire ring to represent my boys, for years, when I stumbled across this staggeringly beautiful antique ring by family-run jewellers From Edinburgh With Love known as Edinburgh Vintage Jewellery on Instagram. It sounds silly but I literally dreamt about the ring after spotting it, that night, and contacted the company on Instagram asking them about sizing, when they kindly offered me the ring in return for a review.

I was over the moon as I didn’t expect that outcome. I think I might have manifested my perfect ring. I feel so lucky and grateful!

A flower-like collection of 9 brilliant sapphires in gold for the middle finger on my right hand, I am besotted. Isn’t she glorious?

The intense, royal blue hue signifies the highest quality of sapphires, and the jewellers ensured the ring was adapted to fit me, sending it special delivery within two weeks.

Eye-clean without any inclusions and the most perfect vibrant blue, reminding me of the warm waters of the Mediterranean sea and the postcard-perfect blue skies of Cyprus, where my parents hail from, this is a statement ring I shall wear every single day with pride.

Having just written about Ancient Greeks, it’s been fascinating doing more research into sapphires, and discovering that the Greeks, Romans and other ancient people mined, bought, and sometimes even stole sapphires as they valued them so highly. They believed that these gems connected them with heaven and their deities, whilst also offering them peace and protection from their enemies. Any blue stones today are seen as good omens, by the Greeks, protecting you from bad vibes and misfortune (hence my evil eye designed nails you can see in the photos).

Vintage and antique items are also enviromentally friendly, and have a story to tell. I love that someone else has worn this vintage ring before me. It binds me to the past in the most beautiful of ways.

If you have a birthday coming up or a special occasion, or simply want to treat yourself or a loved one, then do go scroll through Edinburgh With Love’s website and social media handles as they have pieces for every taste and budget offering the highest quality pieces with decades of experience in the field.

Here’s to adorning ourselves with beautiful, meaningful pieces we can treasure, always.

Excitedly, I am running a competition where you can win £250 to spend on a piece of jewellery from the company, From Edinburgh With Love over on Instagram. Good luck!

This ring was gifted but as always my words are entirely honest.