Give me your best tricks for finding a lost loose diamond!

[wildcat03]

Unfortunately a small side stone may have been lost in my closet/dressing area. It’s a small room with hardwood floors and a radiator (so lots of nooks and crannies). I am planning to move things one by one and then vacuum with pantyhose over the vacuum nozzle. The stone is a small side stone (5x3 trapezoid).

Any other tricks to share?

 

[kenny]

I took advantage of how diamonds sparkle in spotlighting.
I waited till night, turned off all the lights, then moved around a tiny flashlight in the area of the rug where I dropped a real red diamond.

Sure glad it worked.

Another idea ...
Hold the flashlight an inch above and parallel to the floor, then slowly shine accross the rug, sweeping the light beam from left to right.

 

[Elizabeth35]

When I am cleaning up a broken glass---I use a dampened paper towel to wipe the floor. It picks up things a broom or vacuum can miss on hardwood.

 

[Karl_K]

What Kenny said, darken then use flash light, the one on your cell phone will work ok. start high then go low.
2 people helps, one stands at a distance, other with the light closer.

 

[pearlsngems]

A lint roller picks up small items too.

 

[autumngems]

Use one of those sticky lint rollers

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Any luck @wildcat03 ?

 

[wildcat03]

Any luck @wildcat03 ?

No luck yet, but I worked overnight last night and did preschool drop off this AM so didn’t have much time. Working again tonight. A quick search with both a regular flashlight and a blue light were unrevealing. I’m honestly not sure it’s even there - my housekeeper knocked over a gem box with three stones (two trapezoid diamonds and an emerald). Unfortunately she didn’t tell me about it and she very well may have vacuumed after it happened and subsequently emptied the vacuum (and trash pickup came before I realized). I am also going through the vacuum contents, though. It’s 100% my fault for not putting it in our safe (or at least AWAY) so I’m reluctant to even ask her about it. She’s very sensitive (hates even asking me to change the day she comes to clean - Whivh I don’t mind one bit) and 100% honest so I feel certain she thought she put everything back and would probably feel disproportionately terrible if she knew that weren’t the case.

 

[kenny]

Oh, sorry.

I had to go through the gunk in a vacuum bag once.

I'd wear a good mask, like an N95.
Better yet, buy one of these masks from Home Depot, around $40.
I'd select the cartridges optimized to filter out dust.

Hope you live where you can do this outdoors since it's so messy.

Good luck.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

No luck yet, but I worked overnight last night and did preschool drop off this AM so didn’t have much time. Working again tonight. A quick search with both a regular flashlight and a blue light were unrevealing. I’m honestly not sure it’s even there - my housekeeper knocked over a gem box with three stones (two trapezoid diamonds and an emerald). Unfortunately she didn’t tell me about it and she very well may have vacuumed after it happened and subsequently emptied the vacuum (and trash pickup came before I realized). I am also going through the vacuum contents, though. It’s 100% my fault for not putting it in our safe (or at least AWAY) so I’m reluctant to even ask her about it. She’s very sensitive (hates even asking me to change the day she comes to clean - Whivh I don’t mind one bit) and 100% honest so I feel certain she thought she put everything back and would probably feel disproportionately terrible if she knew that weren’t the case.

I'm so sorry and keeping my fingers crossed.

And I'm sending you a big hug for being such a wonderful and empathetic person towards your housekeeper.

 

[wildcat03]

Found it! The last couple nights I have spent a few minutes as time allowed sweeping the floor with a flashlight and a blue light. Today I took the vacuum up, covered the crevice tool with a thin sock and vacuumed all the little nooks and crannies. I have a thin runner rug just outside the closet and I vacuumed that. Then pulled it up. I got down on hands and knees to check the floor and was sweeping it with the palm of my hand when I found the stone! My next step wa going to be to vacuum with the crevice tool/sock combination but I didn’t have to. Lesson learned. Loose stones going in the safe right now.

 

[wildcat03]

Oh, sorry.

I had to go through the gunk in a vacuum bag once.

I'd wear a good mask, like an N95.
Better yet, buy one of these masks from Home Depot, around $40.
I'd select the cartridges optimized to filter out dust.

Hope you live where you can do this outdoors since it's so messy.

Good luck.

Thanks, Kenny! Thankfully we have a canister vacuum so there’s never a huge amount of stuff in there. We also have lots of N95s since that’s what we wear if we have to go in a store!

 

[Karl_K]

awesome!!!!!!!!!! glad you found it!!!

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

So glad you found it. Yay,!!

 

[kenny]

A happy ending.

 

[MamaBee]

Great news!

 

[MissGotRocks]

That is wonderful!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Phew !