my mother in law gave my wife a "family heirloom" ring worth "thousands." i just found out its worth about $15
my mother in law has been holding this ring over our heads since the wedding. she gave it to my wife on our wedding day with a whole speech about how its been in the family for 4 generations. how her great grandmother brought it from italy. how the stone is a genuine ruby and the setting is gold and its worth "at least five thousand dollars."
she brings it up constantly. "are you keeping it in a safe?" "you should insure it." "dont wear it to the beach." she once got upset because my wife wore it to a barbecue. a barbecue.
my wife treats this ring like the hope diamond. separate jewelry box. doesnt wear it most days because shes scared of damaging it. we actually looked into insurance for it.
i recently started learning about gems. got a loupe. been reading a lot. looked at the ring last night.
the "ruby" has bubbles in it. bubbles. its glass. red glass. the "gold" setting has a greenish tint where its wearing down which means its brass or base metal with gold colored plating thats coming off.
4 generations of family mythology built around a brass ring with a glass stone.
now what do i do. my mother in law built her entire identity around passing down this "priceless heirloom." she tells the story at every family event. she told my wifes friends. she told OUR friends. she probably told her dentist.
if i say something i destroy a family story and my mother in law will never forgive me and my marriage will suffer.
if i dont say something my wife is going to pay for insurance on a ring worth less than the box its sitting in.
i showed my buddy and he said "take this to your grave." but my wife is literally getting insurance quotes right now. for a glass ring. in a brass setting. an insurance company is going to appraise it and the truth is going to come out anyway and then everyone will know and theyll also know that I knew and didnt say anything.
theres no winning here. every option ends with my mother in law crying and me sleeping on the couch.
4 generations. of glass. in brass. with a speech.