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Since Saint Valentine’s day is approaching, I thought it was the right moment to tell you about a sardinian gift which could be precious and original for your lover.

Last year I was crazily fascinated by the sardinian ring in the picture (the Fede Sarda). Apart from its beauty and the particular technique used for its engraving, the story and the meaning behind it is very suggestive. My beloved husband bought it for me in a beautiful jewelry shop in Sant’Antioco and now I wear it on my ring finger because in that point of the hand beats a small artery rising from the arm and goes straight to the heart.

But let me tell you the meaning and the story behind this ring, taken directly from the unknown story of the sardinian engagement ring an article by the journalist Ilaria Muggianu Scanu.

Traditions

In Sardinia, a man in love used to give as a present to his beloved woman  the gold thread woven by fairies (Janas) in a circle shape to embellish her ring finger because in that point of the hand beats a small artery rising from the arm and goes straight to the heart.
The ring’s surface embroidered with microspheres which symbolize the wheat grains was a wish of prosperity for the couple that sealed the deal: engagement if the ring was a narrow strap, wedding if it was larger.

According to Ms. Muggianu Scanu’s findings, the old jewel sinks the first memory in the martial journey of Mercure, a French sailing vessel exploded in the sea in 1812 under the blows of the brig, the enemy of the English fleet. After nearly two centuries, in 2001, the French ship wreck ceded to the Kingdom of Italy was found in Venetian waters, close to the nearby port of Venice. Most of the crew values were found on the wreck and among them a precious Sardinian ring. Considering the absence of women on the ship, it is easy to assume that the elaborate handwork was a token of love for who was expecting the navigator on the mainland, and talking of love would have spoken of Sardinia.

The enchantment that the sardinian ring tells with its beauty is increased by the charm tied to the uniqueness of each sample made of fine filigree. The fine filigree could only be worked by the skillful hands of the Sardinian goldsmiths Masters that created by hands those little masterpieces which, really, it was hard not to attribute to the skill of the divine fairies (Janas).

I love this story, it has all the romantic ingredients: beauty, love, secret meanings, divine fairies and even a lost love. What do you think?

Enjoy your Saint Valentine’s day!