OK, I have a lost stone story, with a happy end (in more ways than
one)…
I was making a pendant as a gift for my niece, with a nice little
freeform black opal in it. I was near the end, and everything was
spread out on the table, in the studio where i teach. When the
moment came to set the stone—no stone! I hunted high and low,
swept the floor, all the usual kinds of things. I couldn’t sub
another stone because the shape was irregular. What to do! As I
stood, at a loss, looking around the room for inspiration, another
jeweler working near me spotted the stone–stuck to my butt. Not
likely I’d ever have seen it there! It was sticky on the back from
the price tag, and I guess it had fallen onto my chair, where I must
have sat on it.
I’m sure there’s a moral there somewhere. Never work alone? All’s
well that ends well?
–Noel