“I think you’re missing something.”
That’s the sentiment Erin’s mother, Beth, shared with her on the eve of her wedding when she presented her with a heartfelt surprise: a Diamond necklace.
Stunningly beautiful and sparkling on a rose gold chain, the blue, round Diamond was so much more precious than any naturally occurring stone.
It was Erin’s brother, Zachary.
“I’ve never known anyone who could literally make friends with anyone they met the way my brother did,” Erin shared in the speech she wrote for Zachary’s memorial service. “I am so very blessed to have had the joy of having him in my life for nineteen years and lucky to call him my brother and now my angel.”
Zachary passed away unexpectedly in 2017.
In 2020, Beth partnered with Eterneva to create a memorial Diamond from Zachary’s ashes. The result is a gorgeous navy-blue cushion-cut Diamond. “It wasn’t even a question for me,” Beth explained on choosing the color of Zachary’s Diamond. “I just knew he was going to be blue. He loved the ocean and his eyes were blue. I wear a ton of navy. His Diamond fits my personality perfectly.”
After saying yes to the man of her dreams—also named Zach!—Erin asked to borrow her mother’s necklace for her wedding day. “I hoped he could be my something borrowed and something blue,” she stated.
Having worn Zachary’s Diamond for over a year, Beth knew how important it was for Erin to have her own. She and her husband, Bruce, reconnected with Eterneva to create a second Diamond.
“I already knew he would be there to walk me down the aisle because my mom said I could borrow her necklace,” says Erin. “But I didn’t know I would get my own “him.” It’s crazy, too, because they look so different. It feels even more special. We both have a part of him now. He’s two Diamonds.”
Erin couldn’t be more right about the differences between the two Diamonds. While Beth’s Diamond is a deep, navy blue, Erin’s is a light aqua, perfectly matching both her and Zachary’s eyes. “He had such striking eyes,” shared Erin. “That’s what everyone knew about him.”
Erin and her husband, Zach, tied the knot on October 7, 2022. And her brother, Zachary, was there for every moment.