My mother has had arthritis for many years and has not been able to wear her wedding or engagement rings. When my father died last year she gave them to me. I have been wearing them on my right hand.

So tonight, somewhere between coming home from yoga class and going to pick up my daughter at tae kwon do, the main diamond in the engagement ring fell out of its setting and disappeared. I noticed it just as my daughter got into the car; the band was sliding around strangely and then the claws scratched me. And there was a big hole there in the setting where the diamond should be.

I'm feeling SO sad about this. It's not just the money (though I can't afford to replace it). I just feel awful that I was responsible for losing something that matters that much to my frail and ailing mother.

I know there is a tiny chance it may turn up in daylight, but since the diamond itself is small, the chance of recovering it seems even smaller.