This gold ring set with garnets represents one of life's most significant purchases for an ordinary 19th-century American—an engagement ring. For working and middle-class families, buying such a ring meant saving money, making promises, and marking the moment a couple's future became official.
You slip the ring onto your finger for the first time, feeling its solid weight. The deep red garnets catch the light as you twist your hand to admire it. Everyone will see it now—at church, at market, at work. You are spoken for.
Reflect
What object in your own life marks a major commitment or turning point?