Joanne's Story - A Tornado Tale

On Friday, September 21st, 2018, Calabogie was hit with a devastating EF-1 tornado.  10 people were injured, houses were destroyed.  The tornado started with a thunderstorm cell that developed into a violent down blast, that evolved into a tornado. Joanne watched as the roof was ripped off her house and her things scattered.  When Brent Harden, Owner of La Maison d'Or heard that her engagement ring and wedding band were among the items that were now missing amidst the rubble, he decided to help return what was lost.

This is Joanne's Story:

"Back in 2018, a tornado swept through the Ottawa region and destroyed my home in Calabogie. It also happened to sweep away my engagement ring and wedding band.

When Brent heard my story through the grapevine, he immediately reached out to me. I have never been a big jewellery person myself, so I had never heard of La Maison d’Or – in fact, when he first called me, I thought he was calling to replace my doors! Once we cleared that up, Brent said that he wanted to replace my lost rings for me. I immediately told him that this was not necessary, but he was the most persistent person, arguing with me when I refused! When the new rings came in, the engagement ring was actually a bit bigger than the one I had lost, but Brent said this is because “everything gets better with age!”

He even helped my husband to choose a special engraving for the wedding band. It says “I still choose you” – I knew Brent had to have helped him come up with that!

When my friend Katie heard about what Brent had done for me, she dropped by Place d’Orleans to thank him in person. Brent discovered that Katie’s husband was ill at the time, and arranged for her husband to receive care with a practitioner he knew. I was so amazed at what he would do for people he didn’t even know, just to make a positive difference in their lives.

Today, my two sons have now bought engagement rings for their partners from Brent and the La Maison d’Or team, and we will never shop for jewellery anywhere else. It is hard to believe, yet very comforting, to know that there are still people in this world who are simply good and want nothing more than to make the world a little bit better.

Thank you, Brent!"

Thank you Joanne, for allowing us to be a part of your story and to help replace a little of what you lost on that devastating day.  We are honored that you have chosen us to be your family jeweller and have invited us to share in some of your happiest moments.