Stealing

Nah, I'm not talking copyright or designs. One of my necklaces is gone. I know I transported it to the gallery, but it's just gone, and right before they were going to feature my work, they contacted me to let me know that although they had this one necklace, they didn't have the other, but it was listed among my pieces, and did I know where it was? So I looked. Maybe I had taken it to the other store? Thinking that I might be losing my marbles, I checked at the other store that has my things on consignment. Nope, not there. I feverishly dug through my entire beaded stash. Maybe I had left it behind by mistake? Nope, not there. It is, in fact, nowhere.

Well, it IS somewhere. Most likely with the person who took it.

I'm not angry. Isn't that odd? I don't blame the gallery, or the other store, or myself. I blame whoever walked away with it. But I'm still not mad. And I have no idea of where it was stolen FROM, I am only sure it didn't walk out of my home, as we are hermits and no one ever comes to visit.

What I am, is really sad. I loved that necklace. It was my first attempt at free form right angle weave, and had the most awesome one of a kind (aren't all stone cabs one of a kind?) honey onyx cabochon as the focal. And cool fringe. And really nice colors, soothing, lovely colors that reminded me of honey, and cream and butter and pound cake... I was proud of it.

You know what makes me saddest, though? I was thinking of giving it as a Christmas gift to my friend's mom if it didn't sell. Because she really liked it. No other reason, just because. I love how someone's face lights up when you give them something you know they like, something they really wanted. A really long time ago, I was selling some barrettes I had beaded, they were in the shape of hearts (3 across), and there was one that was all rainbow colors. It wasn't an expensive piece, because I was just starting out and didn't have access to semi precious stones yet, the fringe ends were only 8's. I was only asking for $35. So there I am, hoping against hope that someone will like one of them enough to buy it... and along comes a mother and daughter. Obviously they were not wealthy; they were wearing clothes that had seen a lot of use, and the mom's handbag was really worn. The daughter, a girl of perhaps 6, stopped to look at the things on the table, and her eyes just LOVED that rainbow barrette. Her mom let her look for a minute and then told her that they really had to get going. As they walked off holding hands, the little girl looked back, right before they turned the corner. And I couldn't stand it, so I did a quick-walk after them, and gave her the barrette. How she smiled! It made my whole week.

The whole reason for the above story is this: if the person that took it had come to me, and told me that they loved it, but that they didn't have the money for it, was there any way that we could work something out... I would have given it to them. I would so much rather have given it to them.

Silly, to sit here and cry over something like that. But there it is, I can't help it.