The Story of Buying Bertha and Thomas Dinsmore's Engagement Ring

When we buy beautiful old jewellery, we ask the seller to tell us the family story behind the story. Most people rarely know more beyond the basic generalities of what their families were doing in the last century (do you know how your great-grandparents lived?).

Well, in this case, we have a ring with not only a story, but a picture!

Meet Bertha and Thomas Dinsmore. They were married in 1893 and this ring was Bertha’s engagement ring. In this photo, they are on their way to The 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held in Seattle. The person who chooses this ring will be re-purposing it for a new future, while maintaining the integrity of it’s history, which is the ultimate joy of vintage jewellery.

Will this ring visit Seattle again?

This is the first post in our new blog. Check out the posts in our previous blog on Toronto Antiques on King, (link opens in a new window).

Update March 17th, 2025

While this ring found a new home and we are left to wonder where it visited, we invite you to shop for your engagement ring here.