My family heirloom is a ring my grandfather brought to America when he immigrated from Romania. The ring is gold with one hand-cut ruby with eight hand-cut diamonds around it. The ring was made by an old-world craftsman. The ring is special because of what his family had to do to keep the ring hidden from the communist Romanian government. 
Back in Romania, my Grandfather’s mother’s side of the family was well off. The ring was my Great, Great, Grandmother’s.  When the communist government took over Romania, they took most of my Grandfather’s family’s wealth, their land, home, cars, and many personal belongings. The little they were able to hide didn’t last as this is one of the only heirlooms we still have.  
When my Grandfather defected from Romania, he left with nothing but the clothes he was wearing.  He was able to make his way across Europe and eventually to the United States. Years later, he was able to travel back to Romania. On one of his visits back to Romania, my Great Grandmother gave him the ring to keep with him. My Grandfather kept it in a safe in his bedroom and rarely took it out. 
Though my parents never miss an opportunity to remind me of the sacrifices my grandparents made for me and my brother and sister, the ring is special to me because it reminds me of the sacrifices my family made to come to the United States and how lucky I am for the life I have.

– OU

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant