Big blow

I picked up my jewellery from the goldsmith's tonight.

As mentioned, we had Daddy's ammolite ring made in to a pendant for me. I love love love how it turned out, with that slight bit of the original ring shank poking out from behind the stone. To my sentimental soul, it makes it all the more meaningful that it still looks very much like his ring. Couldn't be happier.

But, oh, my sentimental soul.

The lovely jeweller then took a deep breath, looked me deep in the eye, and told me that, while resizing Mummy's ring, the opal shattered. Tears sprang to my eyes, and welled in hers. You see, I had told her the significance of that ring to me, how much it meant to me. She went on to say that my beautiful opal had just been so brittle that it literally came apart in her hands, and she knew it wouldn't made anything better, but they had replaced my opal with another one, no charge.

Oh, sweet little jeweller lady whose name I never even asked, thank you for your caring and concern. Thank you for trying to set things somewhat right, I hope you believed me when I said I don't blame you in any way, it was just the unexpectedness of the emotional blow. My mother wore that opal, in one ring or another, for more than forty years, and you can never replace it, and you know that.... I am touched beyond words that you cared so deeply for a stranger.

She gave me back what is left of my Mummy's opal. It is ragged and clearly broken, but still very large, more than large enough for me to see its fire. And even though it makes no logical sense, it is going to be tucked away in the bottom of my jewellery box, the drawer where I keep my treasures.