Passing on family heirlooms is a beautiful tradition, allowing items of high sentimental—or monetary—value to stay in the family for generations to come.

This redditor’s soon-to-be daughter in-law really wanted to have her emerald ring as an heirloom engagement ring. The problem was, the ring was not an actual heirloom and the woman wasn’t looking to give it away to anyone, especially not to her son’s fiancée after the altercation they had. Scroll down to find the full story below.

A ring that’s been in the family for years can be a great family heirloom

Image credits: avanti_photo / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)

This woman’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law demanded that she give her emerald ring to her as an heirloom

Image credits: KaikaTaaK / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Existing_Ring_

Many people nowadays think that they don’t own anything worthy of becoming a family heirloom

It’s not uncommon for certain things to stay in a family for generations, especially if it’s something that has a high sentimental or monetary value. Yet the tradition of passing down heirlooms seems to be dwindling, as fewer people believe they have something worth leaving to those of their kin.

A study of 2,000 participants found that close to half of them—43%, to be exact—feel this way, Zenger News reports, mainly because they don’t think modern everyday items have as much sentimental value, believing they are more “disposable” now.

The study also found that roughly four-in-ten people would love to continue the tradition of passing down heirlooms, and nearly as many said they have received one themselves. For those who’d like to leave something for future generations, the main motivation seems to be keeping the family’s heritage alive.

According to the aforementioned poll, when it comes to heirlooms, people seem to choose sentiments over money. That might be related to the fact that they reportedly love delving deeper into their family history. This was revealed by another poll of 2,000 correspondents, close to 80% of whom said they enjoyed learning about their family’s history and the family heirlooms when they were growing up.

Pictures seem to be the most valued possessions that can be passed down from generation to generation

The latter research found that the possessions and heirlooms people seem to prize the most are family photos, followed closely by wedding rings and other pieces of jewelry. Further down the list lined up computer laptops, cars, wedding dresses, TVs, artwork, cameras, and musical instruments respectively.

But as prized as heirlooms might be, they can sometimes become a source of negative emotions, too. Take siblings, for instance; when there are two—or more—of them and only one precious item that’s been passed down from generation to generation, it might be difficult to decide who gets to keep it. Someone deciding to sell a family heirloom can also create a rift in the family relationship or become a moral dilemma bothering the new owner.

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In the OP’s case, the idea of an heirloom alone was enough for her and her future daughter-in-law’s relationship to go sour. The woman was taken aback by the DIL’s demands, while the latter couldn’t understand why her soon-to-be mother-in-law wouldn’t give up one of her many rings. Fellow netizens, too, had varying opinions on the matter, which they shared in the comments.

Fellow netizens shared their thoughts in the comments, and the OP replied to some of them

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Some people found the woman’s reaction to be a little too much

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