Fifteen minutes to Chanukah lecht lighting and I'm on the phone wishing my mom a gutten Shabbos. I happened to glance down at my left hand as I was using the right one to hold the phone and got a real shock. My wedding band was there and behind it was my engagement ring--or what was left of it; the diamond was missing.
I can't begin to describe how I was feeling. Yes, I was more than a little frantic. And then came all the questions from the family members. Did I remember when I last saw the stone? What had I been doing from when I last remembered seeing it to this moment? I was washing dishes in the sink, so hubby quickly dismantled the sink trap to see if it was stuck there, but it wasn't. I had folded up some laundry and my daughter unfolded it all and shook it out. No diamond. I really tried to get into the right frame of mind for the Chanukah lecht but I was devastated. That ring hadn't been off my finger for more than about 6 weeks total (having my kids and hospital stays) in almost 38 years.
To say I was weepy would be an understatement. Somehow I made it through the Chanukah lighting and all I wanted was to hibernate somewhere. And then my son, who had gone down to the laundry room to get a warm sweater for the frigid walk to shul, came nonchalantly up the stairs asking, "So would that diamond look like this?" And there it was, in his hand. He had checked all the clothes in the dryer and it wasn't there and something prompted him to check the washing machine as well. And there, in the fabric softener dispenser, a piece of "glass" winked up at him.
With all the miles of carpeting in the house, with all the zillions of little corners that stone could have hidden in, what would be the possible chance of finding the diamond? And yet, there it was. So yes, this was close enough to a miracle to qualify for me. I admit my husband was far less affected than I was when we didn't know where the diamond was--"it's just a stone." I'm fairly certain that a whole lot of you women out there will understand what I was feeling. Just a stone? Not likely. That stone represents a treasure far different from whatever monetary worth the stone may have. Hopefully by next Shabbos that ring will be back on my finger, and all will be right with my world.
4 comments:
Glad this story had a happy ending. A few years ago I went to have my wedding and engagement rings enlarged from a 5.5 to a 6. The jeweler pointed out that the prongs holding the stone were worn down and the stone could fall out any time. You will probably need a new setting. Be aware that you usually can't leave a diamond solitaire to be reset; you have to stay with it, and it takes about an hour or more. I also wear my ring all the time and I think that's why the prongs wear down.
Oh man are you lucky! I'm always so nervous doing any housework with my ring on just for this reason. So glad you found it. I can just imagine how you must have been feeling.
Read your posting and then checked the prongs on my engagement ring. One for sure could use replacing. Thanks for the reminder that gold can wear down. I'd have more than hysterics if I lost the diamond. It was my husband's grandmother's ring and the sentimental value is irreplaceable.
I lost my engagement ring somewhere in the house about 8 years ago. I know just how you were feeling. We didn't replace the ring because tuitions came first. Last year we redid part of the kitchen and the contractor found the ring. Somehow it had slipped down between a cabinet and the wall. I gave kiddush I was that happy to see it again. And now I don't wear it when I'm working around the house. Too scared I might lose it again.
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