First of all, don’t panic.   There are a few tactics you can use to look for your missing stone.

First, retrace your steps.  While you’re looking, turn off the lights and get down to floor level with a flashlight.  By getting down to ground level, with the light, you increase the odds of catching that little wink of reflection that will lead you to your stone.

Second, if you’ve vacuumed recently, remove the vacuum bag and sift it out, over a towel covered surface so nothing bounces out again.

Third, check the dryer.  I’ve heard that the dryer is the number one place that people lose their stones.

Finally, take a deep breath and sit down.  As with any task that we undertake, when we approach it in a frenzied manner we don’t tend to get very far.  By the same token, when we calm down and develop a plan we can be much more effective.

Ideally, we’d love you all to avoid losing your stones in the first place.  Bring your jewelry in for cleaning and inspection any time.  With good maintenance we can usually avoid the loss in the first place.

To wrap up on a happy note, I’ll  share the following story.   I once had a customer come in the store to have her scheduled inspection performed.  She told me that she now has it checked at least every six months, since her horrible ordeal.  She told me how she lost her diamond and using the above ideas she searched everywhere in her home.  She couldn’t find it.  Finally, having all but given up, she decided to make herself a sandwich.  She opened the bag of lunch meat, and lo and behold, there was her diamond, just waiting for her, nestled amongst the salami.