Suz, It is not an omen. Things like that do not have the power to dictate what happens.
It is a sad thing but ultimately is something that is bringing you closer to your Mom. Think of how much you have thought about her during this ordeal. Whether or not you find the diamond the true gift is how much you cherish her.
I love the idea of replacing it with something you can afford.

You are blessed to have the relationship that you do. Try not to spend it in worry about what cannot be. You may find the diamond but probably after you have let go. The true grief is about your Mom and there is always healing when we really are able to be in our feelings.

Hugs! These things just happen.

It's not an omen. But if it is, it means that things are just things, and that you are strong and you can let physical things go. What endures is the spirit and the love and the memories. You know this, and you can live this.

But it's not an omen!

Suz, don't wash your yoga clothes just yet! Losing jewellery often happens when we change in and out of clothes. It might be stuck in it, or inside a coat sleeve.

Hugs to you, anywho. I am so sorry about this unfortunate experience, especially after your husband had a similar loss too. I pray that you find both back.

It is not an "omen" I agree, but I find your analogy very true, very astute, about loosing someone so precious as your mom. As my own mother laid unconscious in hospital this week, I truly felt how our external envelope is... just that, an envelope, a tray, and when the soul is gone from it, it looks empty like the empty tray from a ring. Maybe theme for a short story?

Replacing the diamond with a replica is also a good solution, since the true value of the ring is not in its diamond, but in the meaning it carries for you, every time you look at it, every time you think of it. You have to find peace with it again.

I'm sending you all my good thoughts.

I want to add my vote to the Moissanite contingent. My engagement ring is a 2-carat-plus size Moissanite and I love it for all the reasons Claire stated, plus no "blood diamond" guilt.

And no, it is NOT an omen!

Just letting you know I'm thinking 'bout you Suz.

Thank you, again, everyone. Rae, thanks so much for the moissanite tip (I had never even heard of them before!) and Claire and MaryK, thank you for sharing your own stories. Claire, that is an amazingly huge stone and looks beautiful! And what a story. So glad you were able to replace it to your liking and money towards your house as well!

Thank you Jean, Tara, Krish, Shannon, Patty, and all for your so-kind thoughts. I will search the clothing again carefully, Krish. But mostly I am taking the view that if it wants to be found, it will show up. Sort of like your lost button.

Suz, that story really tugs on my heartstrings. I'm so sorry that your stone has gone missing, and I'm guilty of sometimes putting too much emotion into *things* - I have had a hard time in the past giving away something that was a gift from a friend or family member because I felt like giving away the item was like rejecting the person. When I realized my closet was overflowing with stuff that I didn't use, I took a long, hard look at that attitude and had to keep reminding myself that giving away, breaking, or losing a THING had nothing to do with my relationship with the person. But the gut reaction when that happens is definitely painful.

I really love Claire's suggestion if the stone does not turn up - but I will keep my fingers crossed for you that it will surprise you by popping up where you least expect it.

Thanks, Kari. I am really feeling a lot better about it now. 24 hours and a night's sleep were a big help. And Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art."

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

Suz, I hadn't encountered that poem before. How beautiful - thank you for sharing.

That is a lovely, thought provoking poem. (I wanted to add a line about losing sleep!)I'm sure this experience, however it turns out, will be more material for writing as you learn more about yourself and life. I'm glad that you are able to relax and accept whatever happens, as painful as that might be.

That said, I just had to pipe up and add that a jeweler once told me that most diamonds are lost in the bedclothes, so check carefully the next time you wash the sheets! Not that you're still looking frantically or anything!

What a beautiful poem Suz, and what a freeing sentiment.

I have lost so many things in life, as I suppose we all have, and they often left me troubled, haunted even, partly with the simple disturbance of not knowing what happened, and partly the kinds of symbolism you were worried about.

When my children lose things they cry, they cry, and my heart aches for them, as it does for you.

It's going from that taken for granted feeling that the world is right, to suddenly feeling (remembering?) we stand on the edge of a precipice.

It seems like you've been thrown just in this way to contemplate mortality and the fragile beauty of the now moment.

Thanks for sharing this with us Suz, and I do hope your mother's diamond comes to you, but I am so happy you can find a place within where that's no longer the question or the answer.