I'm not sure since it has been a while but isn't possible that the reason the brother worked so hard was to pay this particular ring and that it's the reason he died? That could explain why she said she would have preferred to have him instead of the ring.
I don't really know if it's a chronologically viable theory especially since generally you work to get the money before buying the ring so he shouldn't have it before dying of overwork but maybe he was repaying it of something like that.