First World Woes

Me in my diamond earrings. Summer 2014.

I have a number of beautiful pairs of earrings, mostly gifts from my husband or my sister, or purchased by me in an extravagant moment. This is my only "girlie" indulgence.

My all-time favorite earrings originated as diamond studs, a 25th anniversary gift. I was always afraid I'd lose the studs, so I rarely wore them. until Bob "upgraded" the diamonds for our 30th anniversary and changed the setting to a drop earring, with a solid clasp. I've worn them regularly for the last two years and they always made me feel elegant, even in my jeans and sweatshirt.

Yesterday I attended a going away luncheon with former work colleagues. I stayed behind after our delicious lunch at Christos to take a few photos at Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul, and stopped for a few things at Walgreens before heading home. I noticed my left earring was gone a little later, when I was ready to take off my jewelry. I probably dislodged it when I was putting on my jacket, which I did several time during the afternoon.

Phone calls to Union, Depot and Walgreens yielded sympathy but no earring. Our insurance agent said there is a chance that the earrings are insured under our Homeowners policy, less a $1,000 deductible. I'm embarrassed that I didn't insure my few items of valuable jewelry under a "scheduled" policy that would require a new appraisal of covered items every 24 months. The policy is cheap, not more than $30-$100 per year, depending on the value of the insured items.

I cried off and on during the evening and finally went to bed, thoroughly sad and exhausted, a little smarter and wiser. In the grand scheme of things, this incident is a minor inconvenience, but I loved those earrings so much!

Saturday, January 17: This is a happy footnote. I found the earring this morning when I was washing the kitchen floor. It must have come off when I came in from shoveling the garage floor on Tuesday afternoon, and took off my jacket at the kitchen table. I'm tearful, happy and wiser.