Personal or Financial Guardian Issue?

[talachee]

I am personal guardian of my grandmother. My mother is her financial guardian. We have a split guardianship. My grandmother has Alzheimer's and lives in a Florida assisted living facility. My grandmother is quite lucid and is very aware of things that happen in the present despite having very little short term memory.

My mother took my grandmother's diamond wedding rings from her yesterday. My mother's explanation for taking them was "I never wear my wedding rings, so I told Mama that I would take hers and put them in a safe deposit box". She took the rings and said that it is a financial guardianship decision and that she has every right to keep them since they are worth some money.

These rings are not family heirlooms. They were given to my grandmother by her third husband about 30 years ago. My mother did not even know the man an only wants to keep them because they are diamonds.

My grandmother really wants her rings back. She has never before taken them off and they were not at risk of being lost or stolen. She keeps asking the caregivers were her rings are. I really want to see her wedding rings back on her finger. She deserves to wear them as long as she lives.

Can you tell me if wedding rings are considered personal property or are they considered financial property. My grandmother has a great deal of money, so the rings are not needed to support her financially. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Mr. Knowitall]

They're your grandmother's personal property.

But there is always a risk of theft or loss, no matter how good the care facility. Even if you're 100% right about the facility, there's always the chance of a trip to the emergency room where a whole lot of strangers will have potential access to the rings.

One thing some families do is provide a less expensive but similar ring for their loved one to wear, so that if it is lost or stolen the more valuable ring is still safe. (I'm saying this more for the benefit of others who read the thread than for you.)

[talachee]

Thank you. Actually, my mother did give her another set of inexpensive rings. However, they are not at all similar to her wedding rings. Her old set was quite delicate with many tiny stones. My mother gave her one with a fake three carat or so solitare. The fake ring is very inexpensive(not even cubic or real gold), and it does not fit her ring finger so she is wearing it on her middle finger. The ring finger where her wedding rings were does not have a ring now.

As her personal guardian, I hope to be able to have her original rings returned to her. I would much rather risk them being stolen by a stranger than by her own daughter(with whom she has never had a close relationship due to these kinds of financial issues).

Thank you for the answer. I'll call my lawyer Monday to see if I can get them returned. I just wanted to ask here first because I don't want to waste her assets on lawyers if it is just going to be a waste of time. Thanks again.