Grandma’s Necklace

My mother passed on to me a gold necklace her mother gave to her. My grandmother had it custom made, designed and welded in Germany in the 1960’s. Dave, it is a 24 karat 100% gold chain. Its purity, weight and unique craftsmanship should give you an idea of its value. My mother only wore it twice or thrice in her lifetime. My grandmother wore it twice or thrice. I wore it only on my wedding day to honor the women in my life. They had passed it on to the next generation as a form of financial security in case life got worse. It’s always been in a safe storage at home till it suddenly got missing last year. No thief had broken into our home and we have two small children who can barely lift their shoes.

My husband is the only one who know where I keep it in our bedroom. I had searched everywhere in the house but could not find it. He swore he hadn’t seen it anywhere. In July 2025, their offices organized a dinner function and I was his +1. He was introducing me to some of his colleagues at the gathering. A young lady from their office walked towards us to introduce herself to me. She was wearing my grandmother’s necklace. It was the first thing that caught my attention. My husband hadn’t even noticed it yet. I asked her if I could touch it and feel the rubies and sapphires encrusted in it. Then I saw my husband panic. I turned it to confirm because my grand mother had her initials slightly engraved behind one of the emeralds. It was there. I asked her where she bought it and this was her reply, “My fiancé gave it to me a sign of his love for me. It was a gift from his grandmother to be given to the woman his heart beats for.”

A second look at my husband and you could see he wished the ground would open and swallow him whole. I have resented him over this since the function and he’s been apologizing and promising to get it back. Since I realized it had been stolen from my safe, I have become very suspicious of my husband. I started looking closely at all of our, especially, his financial records to be sure he didn’t owe people money. I am seriously considering divorce the moment he returns my jewelry. I am already in talks with my lawyer. I know it sounds a bit harsh but what this man has done to me is reprehensible.

Image Credit:  Karen Laårk Boshoff