Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Vena Amoris or Vein of Love


Vena Amoris or Vein of Love, wedding ring

Guess what? French Husband found my wedding ring! It was in his drawer by his belts. I guess it must have slipped off when I was putting his clothes away.

I was surprised when he gave it to me last night… and very happy. I thought it was lost forever. "Happy Valentine's a few days early." He said.

The suggestions you gave me (weeks ago in the comment section), about where to look for my lost wedding ring, I read each and every one of them taking them to heart and followed your advice: Look in your gloves, in the washing machine, in the fold of your bedsheets, in your pockets, under the bed…

I never looked in French Husband's chest of drawers.

http://www.artsz.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/jan-van-eyk-mr-arnolfini-and-his-wife.jpg

The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami by Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini
Painted: 1434
Oil on wood
81.8 x 59.7 cm
National Gallery
London

As you can see in the photo I wear my treasured, simple, gold band on the tip of my ring finger. I always have, and never take it off. SO when it fell off (the first and hopefully the last time) I was surprised and felt naked without it. The gold ring at the base of my right hand is not my wedding band.

Note: In Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini painting Giovanna Cenami wears her wedding band on the tip of her finger.

Antique details and ideas are in my blood… and on my vein of love too.

Comments

56 responses to “Vena Amoris or Vein of Love”

  1. Nancy Naylor

    So happy you found your ring! Think it was appropriate that it was an early Valentine’s Day surprize!

    Reply
  2. M-Noëlle

    What great news !!!
    I like your comparing the way to wear your wedding ring alike Giovanna…
    Art can be in the detail !!!
    http://www.decitre.fr/gi/09/9782081217409FS.gif

    Reply
  3. Jeanne

    Great going

    Reply
  4. Deb

    Hurrah!! Fab news 🙂

    Reply
  5. Billie

    This artist should have come to Arkansas where I grew up! He would have had many simlar subjects to paint….including moi!
    So happy you got it back. I knew you would!!
    (you can’t tell… but she is not wearing shoes either!!)

    Reply
  6. Candy

    YES!!! I’m so glad you found your ring! I was just praying about finding my mother’s ring that I lost after she died and now once again I have great hope!

    Reply
  7. Mary

    Way to go Yann – sometimes having a guy around is really worth it, ha! ha! I know you are thrilled to have it back.
    As for Giovanni and Giovanna, looks like a shotgun marriage – with a face like his I think I would try to make it alone!! The chandelier I’ll take!
    Hugs – Mary.

    Reply
  8. Hasmin Cannon

    Corey, great news you got your ring back!
    Any significance as to why you wear your wedding ring on the “tip” of your finger?

    Reply
  9. Sheala

    Yahoo!!!! I’m so glad he found your ring for you. I think you should reward him! Wink, wink.

    Reply
  10. Chelsea Gwynne

    Hooray! I am so happy to read this news! Do you have photos of when you and French Husband were wed? Congrats!

    Reply
  11. jody

    How happy I am for you!
    Something so small but significant and special. Do you now feel dressed?
    Oh, to claim he bound his love to you!
    Happy Early Valentines Day!
    jody

    Reply
  12. Jeanette M.

    Also curious about why you wear your ring like that? Very glad you found it by the way.

    Reply
  13. Emma

    I knew it would turn up in the end…lost treasure always finds it’s way to the rightful owner….congratulations!!

    Reply
  14. Shannon

    Yay!

    Reply
  15. Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

    I knew that the prodigal ring would return. I’m so happy for you. I can’t imagine being able to keep a ring in that position without it falling off. How do you do this?
    – Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife….. who always thought Giovanni looked like an alien!

    Reply
  16. Erin

    happiness…in finding something lost.
    i was actually wondering about the status of the ring a few days ago. glad it is back where it belongs.
    have a wonderful day corey.
    erin

    Reply
  17. Isabel ~ Maison Douce

    So glad you found your ring, what a relief!!! Did you buy it with the intention of wearing it on the tip of your finger? I’ve never see that…

    Reply
  18. Marcie

    Oh yea!! Like,,an old friend came home,,it must feel like that to have the ring back where it belongs….I think Yahn deserves a lovely Valentines bubble bath for that. And,, YES I want pictures,,,hahaha

    Reply
  19. Ed in Willows

    I’m so happy you found your ring. I’m surprised that Giovanna looks 9 months pregnant on her wedding day.

    Reply
  20. Vicki

    I knew it would show up…..I found mine on Valentines Day!! I am just thrilled for you.

    Reply
  21. JanePoet ~ JP/deb

    Hello Corey …. sorry it’s been so long since I stopped by, but life has been ever so busy and the days seem to run together like water rushing out an open spicket. Happy to hear that the ring is back where it belongs! I hope you and French Husband have a lovely weekend and happy Valentine’s Day. Peace & love, JP/deb

    Reply
  22. Betty @ Country Charm

    Corey,
    I am so happy you found or your husband found your ring….some things can’t be replaced…
    Betty

    Reply
  23. TinaTx

    I’m so glad to hear you found your wedding ring!

    Reply
  24. Dee

    whew…thank goodness you found it…or FH found it! 🙂

    Reply
  25. naomi

    Yay!! I knew it would turn up. How sweet that it was him that found it and gave it back to you. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

    Reply
  26. Lynda

    Glad your ring’s been found. Things always turn up in the place you’re least likely to expect.
    xo

    Reply
  27. Denise

    Happy news!
    In my case, three special rings: engagement ring:my tiny heart, with a chip diamond in it, the wedding band itself, and a diamond ring that my husband gave me for our 25th anniversary. I wear them proudly, and feel kind of incomplete without them.
    I thought I had lost them all a few weeks ago. I was so happy when I had found them.
    Glad you found your ring.

    Reply
  28. Toni Mason

    Looks like St. Anthony came through after all!

    Reply
  29. martina

    That is wonderful about your ring. I’m also curious as to why you wear it that way. Is it a Portuguese custom? How do you stop it from sliding off frequently?
    It was socially acceptable for brides at the time of the painting to be pregnant. Perhaps because it ensured continuation of family lineage. At least that is what the art history teacher said.

    Reply
  30. Jennifer

    How do you keep your ring from falling off all the time? I have nver seen a ring worn like that! Explain the mystery please! 😉
    ~Jennifer

    Reply
  31. Beth Evans-Ramos

    Oh happy day! What a glorious relief.

    Reply
  32. Kim…Up On A Hill

    I once lsot my diamond engagement ring, & was lost without it. I felt more complete when it was back on my finger. I understand how you feel. It is a part of him that becomes a part of you.

    Reply
  33. Star

    Oh, Corey, I’m so glad the ring is back on your finger. The best Valentine gift imaginable! 🙂

    Reply
  34. Lorene

    Corey,
    You must be so thrilled to have your ring back. Yeah!!! And hopefully you won’t lose it again.
    Lorene

    Reply
  35. Tamara ModernGear TV

    You are a unique individual, full of life and love! I am tickled that you wear your ring that way – so different, so Corey.

    Reply
  36. Kel

    Imagine Yann’s smile as the ring was shining at him from his dresser drawer…

    Reply
  37. pinar

    I am so happy for you have got it back..
    =)
    my kids were talking about the ring finger.. yesterday..
    they were all smiles saying “children will go away one day”..
    =P

    Reply
  38. Alina

    The first person I saw wear a ring that way was Valerie Bertinelli on One Day at a Time. I thought it very unique but also wondered how she kept it on her finger.
    It is important to retrace ALL of ones steps when one has lost something and to look for clues, such as the fact that you did not hear it when it fell off! I really should have been a detective instead of an annoying blog commentator!
    A lovely VD for both of you.
    P.S. A belt drawer? Sounds very Marquis de Sade. 😉

    Reply
  39. Julie Ann

    How on earth do you keep it on ? – please share the secret.. So glad it came back to you and from the right person too, Jx

    Reply
  40. Rosemary

    Yay!!
    I am so happy you I mean French Husband found your ring. I knew you would find it.
    Just curious how it stays put on the tip of your finger?
    Very interesting! I love stuff like that.
    Happy Valentines Day!
    I am heading up to Northern California for a long weekend with my husband.
    I will chat with you when I return.
    Your friend,
    Rosemary

    Reply
  41. Aunt Amelia’s Attic

    I’m very happy for you!
    And hope you’ll answer all the questions, by telling all about your wearing of your wedding ring this way.
    And now I remember being puzzled by the photo of your finger/hand, offering the strawberry to the statue. Ring so low… You know the photo? The most wonderful of Header photos, in the whole wide world! ,-)
    Gentle hugs,
    Aunt Amelia
    “The most precious possession
    that ever comes to a man
    in this world
    is a woman’s heart.”
    ~Josiah G. Holland

    Reply
  42. Lisa “Oceandreamer” S.

    That is fantastic, I just knew it was in your house somewhere!!! Congratulations!
    Years ago, the first time I saw the movie Camelot, that is how SHE wore her wedding ring. I fell in love with idea and used to wear a ring (I was too young to be married at that time) with my baby ring as the one on the upper part of my finger. I loved the look and would have used it when I got married but I just KNEW for some reason I would lose it so I didn’t do it.Seeing yours now I wish I had…..but then who says I still can’t!? Right?
    Anyway, much joy for having your beloved ring back!!
    XOXOXOXO
    Lisa

    Reply
  43. Shelley Noble

    Hoooray! I love it when a good thing happens to a good family!

    Reply
  44. Madeline

    Hurray! So very happy that your treasured ring has been found!

    Reply
  45. anne

    Oh so pleased your husband found your wedding ring.
    ..if I had to wear my ring on the tip of my finger I am sure it would of only lasted about a day or so..I must say a strange place to wear one!

    Reply
  46. Joanny

    Corey
    You do pay attention to details with a keen artistic eye. I love that painting, Good Choice: For blog readers here are the details and the special meaning behind the painting & Corey’s wedding band BON JEUDI! Joanny
    The Arnolfini Marriage
    The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami; 1434. This title has traditionally been given to this painting because it was thought to be a form of “wedding certificate” for Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami, who married in Bruges in 1434. He was an Italian merchant, she the daughter of an Italian merchant. Their grave, youthful faces both have a lovely responsibility that is typical of van Eyck.
    Symbolic candle
    The solitary flame burning in bright daylight can be interpreted as the bridal candle, or God’s all-seeing eye, or simply as a devotional candle. Another symbol is St Margaret (the patron saint of women in childbirth), whose image is carved on the high chair back.
    An elaborate signature
    As today, marriages in 15th-century Flanders could take place privately rather than in church. Van Eyck’s Latin signature, in the Gothic calligraphy used for legal documents, reads: “Jan van Eyck was present”, and has been interpreted by some as an indication that the artist himself served as a witness.
    Convex mirror
    The Arnolfini Marriage
    1434; detail: the ornate mirror on the back wall The mirror is painted with almost miraculous skill. Its carved frame is inset with ten miniature medallions depicting scenes from the life of Christ. Yet more remarkable is the mirror’s reflection, which includes van Eyck’s own tiny self-portrait, accompanied by another man who may have been the official witness to the ceremony.
    Symbol of faithfulness
    Almost every detail can be interpreted as a symbol. The companion dog is seen as a symbol of faithfulness and love. The fruits on the window ledge probably stand for fertility and our fall from Paradise. Even the discarded shoes are not thought to be incidental, but to signify the sanctity of marriage.

    Reply
  47. Franca Bollo

    Yann keeps his belts in a drawer? Does he hang his underpants in the armoir?

    Reply
  48. Evelyn

    So glad you found your ring! Truly a great valentine’s gift.

    Reply
  49. Jend’isère

    Verify if that ring was really “lost”. An American friend also lost her ring recently. Her French husband offered it to her a few days later. He had slipped it off her finger somehow and offered it for their anniversary. Romantic/economic gesture? What do these French guys have up their sleeves for St Valetines?

    Reply
  50. karenc

    Dear Corey, I have one piece of jewellery left that has any meaning to me. Break-ins have robbed me of my wedding, engagement and eternity rings, lovingly placed on my hand by my husband. The same robbery took a precious charm bracelet that was a gift to my grandmother from my grandfather when she arrived in Australia to start their lives together.
    My last link to my family was my maternal grandmother’s engagement ring that has a story all of its own.
    This Christmas while visiting my son’s in-laws interstate, to celebrate the engagement of our children, I lost this last link with the women of my family. There were steps I took and didn’t take in the search of it that always puzzled me while I grieved its loss and yet a still small voice in my head told me it would return to me.
    This last week I have watched people lose everything they own during the bushfires that have taken our state and I felt that if all I lose in this world is a piece of jewellery, then I am a lucky woman. Then . . .
    Two days ago, my son’s MIL-to-be phoned me at work – very strange!
    But . . SHE HAD FOUND MY RING EXACTLY WHERE I BELIEVED I HAD LOST IT.
    Calloo, Callay, Oh frabjous day!
    (Thank you Lewis Carroll for the perfect words)
    Love that FH found that which was lost.

    Reply
  51. Merisi

    That really makes my day,
    I am so happy for you that you have your wedding band back!
    When you lost it I didn’t want to tell you that my father found his lost wedding ring only decades (!) later in a herb bed in my parents’ garden. I am glad yours turned up way faster. 😉

    Reply
  52. Suzanne

    I’m happy that you have your wedding ring back Corey.
    Love*

    Reply
  53. Charles

    Congratulations! I was hoping and wondering if it was ever found. I’ve always loved rings on the first knucke of the finger. Like Snow White in the Sigourney Weaver version movie. So period and romantic looking. Charles W.

    Reply
  54. Sunrise Sister

    You had so many responses but I just had to add another – I am THRILLED you found your wedding ring!!!

    Reply
  55. heather

    yay! so glad you have your wedding ring back. little things like that have so much meaning.

    Reply
  56. susanna

    Oh good, you found it! That IS an early Valentine’s Day present.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions