Now, the story of the ring -- for those with spare time for it.
Re: Re: Weekend Show & Tell -- ann Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: nishedha Mail author
09/06/2014, 02:43:58

Fall 1973 to Summer 2013, and beyond.
Back to India in 1973 -- was it October? -- after a few weeks visit to my parents in Barcelona, I was about to check in at the Rex Hotel in Bombay (a lot of people stopped there prior to heading for Goa and its Christmas Season parties) when I met my American friend Robert -- himself back from the States -- in his way down, my way up, the hotel's stairs.
We rejoiced at the meeting, and swap presents: mine was a nice turquoise from Iran, he presented me with a most beautiful antique ring: an oval rock crystal seal set in silver. On the seal, you could see the Crescent Moon, the Sun, and Seven Stars -- with a sentence in French all around them that read: JE LES INVOQUE TOUS POUR VOTRE BONHEUR (in English: May all favour your happiness).
Now, I fell into temptation. Such a fabulous seal, and set in silver? Wouldn't gold look better? So I went to my great friend and reputed Kashmiri jeweller Habibullah across the street and asked him to set the stone in gold, keeping of course the same con-voluted design.
The job was ready very soon, but as I was holding the new ring in my hand, the stone suddenly turned to dust. My consterned friend declared that it didn't endure the stress of setting. I was NOT elated.
Then, as I was going upstairs back to my hotel room, down was going Robert! I told him the story almost crying. He stared at me in consternation and said: "You may not believe it, but a few minutes ago I was about to take your turquoise to the silversmith, and it slipped from my hand, it fell to the ground, and BROKE".
I was horrified. I felt deeply hurt AND guilty.
I felt hurt and guilty for forty years.
I thought that perhaps the seal was unique, and I had been instrumental in its disappearance from Earth...I knew that some day I would have to make the seal and its spell revive. I had to delete this Karma!
So one night in 2013, unable to sleep, I felt time was ripe. But I also somehow understood that I had to not just replicate (this was of course not possible)but to reproduce the seal. My roots were not in French. Neither Spanish nor Catalan were (I guess)a choice. My command of Greek was not up to the task. So I voted for a Latin translation of the sentence that empowered the symbols.
I spent many sleepless nights consulting texts and dictionaries. Finally the motto TVAM IN SECVNDAM FORTVNAM OMNIA INVOCO was cast.
I looked for and purchased a clear crystal stone and had it carved. Once ready, I had the new seal set in the silver ring you can see here. Then I felt very, very good.
I have had not one, but several rings made to give suite to the Saga (thus putting back into the world the Sun/Moon/Stars-cum-motto ring), both in silver AND gold, both with a French or a Latin sentence, both with a con-voluted design or a plainer one.
The story is not finished yet, though:
One day, few months ago, my dazzled eyes see an ancient bead-seal for sale in the internet -- you know where in the internet, don't you?. And I purchase it for a triffle. And I feel that some pleroma has responded to my call, and gratifies me with an atonement. This seal is the really revived-one for me.
So, I have this beautiful off-white agate bead, this perhaps Sumerian seal, set in a con-voluted gold ring, the ring I am wearing now, as I write this probably too long story for you, ann -- and for all of you, my fellow Forumites.

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