Memorial Ring

My grandmother gives me a great many beautiful things. Curious treasures, bits of lace, items of clothing, and so many wonderful things. One of the most recent things, which was supposed to be wrapped to go under the Christmas tree, but a little bird has said that there a great many packages for yours truly, so my mother presented these little gifts to me as an early Christmas present. Boy, am I a lucky girl to have such fantastic relatives who gift such beautiful things to me. I digress. This most recent of things is a ring. A memorial ring. I'm going to have to do a lot of research, and a great deal of digging. It is a small band, with woven hair inset into the gold, and a couple of engravings. On the outside is 'Minne', which is a German word for remembrance, or something similar. Inside is the name Carl, and '1830/8.5.5' or something. Curiouser and curiouser. There are many rings that are similar, but I'm so excited to have something like this. My grandmother doesn't know of any Carl, so this just sends my mind reeling. There are whispers of my great-grandmother's fiance, and various tales that might lead to the history of this ring. Until then... I absolutely adore this ring. I have such a love for secret histories. Items and possessions seem to absorb history and meaning and stories... and I just want to hold on to them and soak up the entire past.