shine bright like a diamond

takara (宝) 17 | they/them | japan shsl jeweler there's beauty in the little things. affiliated with deluge of despair.

[delugeofdespair]

Higeru Hashimoto || Prologue || Who let the cats out?

[shsl-catburglar]

Higeru nodded, listening calmly to the other’s words. He was already beginning to relax, and it was evident now by his slowly steadying composure. He blinked at the compliment to his attire. It wasn’t every day he received a compliment- and never from someone other than his sister. Hearing that Takara loved cats.. his heart swelled.

“I… love cats… too…”

He seemed to be calming down immensely. 

[lapisluxuries-blog]

“I can tell! Your hat is very cute,” they chuckled warmly, gesturing to Higeru’s rather unique headwear. Takara, naturally, had a highly developed sense of aesthetics, and even though it was a little bit ‘obsessive shut-in’ for their tastes, the other boy’s outfit was frankly adorable. Since this topic seemed to be effective in calming him, they decided they’d stick with it.

“So, do you have a favourite breed of cat, Higeru-kun? I’m partial to munchkins myself, because those stumpy little legs are just darling, but I also like elegant types like Siamese and Bengals... It’s a tough choice!” They were happy to defuse the tension in the air — they didn’t do well around nervous people. Plus, they genuinely did want to know.

[delugeofdespair]

Rosebay Rhododendron | Grant | Prologue | Open

[landscapeofeden]

Smiling at the surprisingly warm welcome, Grant stretched out his hand offering it to Takara. He’d heard about them before from one of his mothers. She was always going on about the latest jewelry they’d made and he’d bought a few things from them to give her for her birthday.

“I’m Grant Wilder, SHSL Landscaper, it’s a pleasure to meet you too” He said, grinning wide, before admitting, “I do actually know about you though and I’m not surprised about your title. My mom’s a big fan and so am I actually! You do good work!”

The large flowery man was very impressed.

[lapisluxuries-blog]

Oh boy. Of course Grant had to go in for the handshake. They weren’t about to refuse, that would just be impolite — so, they carefully took his huge hand and shook it. Fingers crossed that he wouldn’t remark on the faded burn scars, those had always been a point of self-consciousness. However, they couldn’t think on that too long, because he was speaking, and complimenting them! Takara’s ego fluttered, and they blushed a little, chuckling. They knew they did good work, of course, but to hear someone else say it was always nice.

“Ah, you know National Treasure? I’m glad to hear it — you’re a foreigner, right? It really flatters me that I’m known outside the country.” Their fluffy blonde hair bounced as they gave a little satisfied nod. “I’m sure you do beautiful work too, with a title like that. I’d love to see it sometime.” Yes, they were very proud of themself, but that didn’t mean they were unable to compliment others.

“I like the flowers,” Takara added, gesturing to Grant’s hair as they pulled back from the handshake.

[delugeofdespair]

Rosebay Rhododendron | Grant | Prologue | Open

Grant stretched out in the luxurious bed. Wow, this bed was sure comfortable. But, that didn’t factor into his decision to sit up. The song he heard was ominous and, the fact that there was a big crack coming into the glass was a big red flag. It bursting was just the icing on the cake and Grant exited the room, making his way down the hallway.

He ran, mostly because of the fact he thought it was best to get out of danger, not because he was scared or anything. He was rather sure he could survive most danger, but mostly he was just worried if there were other people here that need to be helped.

Rushing up the stairs and through the hallways he burst in through the door, to find the conference room. His eyes darted around the room as he shut the door behind him, much less forcefully this time.

“Hello um, does anyone know what’s going on?” Grant asked, raising an eyebrow and looking quite concerned about their current situation, “And if you do, do you know how to get out of here it’s really not safe to stay here any longer if there’s flooding is it?”

[lapisluxuries-blog]

While it was totally understandable to rush into this weird office place in a panic — Takara had done the same thing themself — the sound of the door banging open still startled them. Probably due to the enormous size of the man doing so, which immediately grabbed their attention as they looked over at the source of the noise. The dude was huge, towering easily a full foot above them. But he also seemed to be a gentle soul, kind-faced and with some lovely flowers twined into this hair. It would be no great loss at all to talk to him in this odd situation, and his concern should be abated, and besides, Takara was the closest person to the door and other people had started up conversations already.

“Hello!” they responded brightly, with a small wave of their hand, their sleeve flopping around their knuckles. “It’s hard to say what’s going on, but I know we’re all right here. This room, specifically, has stayed completely dry — maybe flooding our rooms was just to frighten us, for whatever reason. Besides, the only way out is back through that hallway... unless you’re a very good swimmer,” they concluded, indicating the crushing water outside with a gesture.

“I’m sure we’ll all figure it out eventually. But for now, let me introduce myself. Takara Himi, SHSL Jeweler. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Takara never shook hands unless it was offered to them first, they simply gave a small but respectful bow in greeting. “And who might you be?”

[delugeofdespair]

Higeru Hashimoto || Prologue || Who let the cats out?

[shsl-catburglar]

Higeru jolted and scrambled to attention as he was addressed, looking up at the girl with a wide-eyed, tearful stare. It was clear he was shaken up, but at the sight of the girl, he seemed to slowly calm. Girls always calmed him. All of the females in his life has been sweet-hearted, thoughtful individuals, and the sight of one put him at ease. He sniffled and tried to speak clearly,

“H.. Hh… Higeru…”

The boy sniffed and wiped his eyes with his knitted sleeve, 

“Wh- where am I….”

[lapisluxuries-blog]

At least their presence seemed to be comforting — that was something, wasn’t it? Takara wouldn’t say this aloud, but they were overcome with concern and pity, since it really didn’t seem as though a crybaby like this boy was well-suited for a stressful situation like this one. Although, was anyone really suited for the threat of drowning to the tune of off-brand children’s music? The music had really made it so much worse. In any case, seeing the weepy boy calm down a little, Takara offered a reassuring smile and a nod.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Higeru. I really can’t say where we are either... a submarine, by the looks of it, but beyond that I’m just as in the dark as you are.” They grimaced, taking a quick inventory check of their surroundings. Nothing helpful here, just some swivel chairs. “But at least we’re not in any danger here. Let’s not panic until we have a better sense of what’s going on, all right?” Maybe changing the subject would help. “I like the cat motif you have going on, it’s adorable. I love cats, personally!”

[delugeofdespair]

Diamond Is Unbreakable | Takara Himi | Prologue | Open

[loving-matchmaker]

Xana shakes Takara’s hand with quite a bit of enthusiasm. Her watchful eyes notice the faded burns on her arm, but she doesn’t say anything about them out of respect for privacy and common courtesy. “It’s nice to meet you! I hope we get along well in the future!”

Her eyes close and she lets out a sigh as she scratches the back of her slowly. “I understand why you might be worried about the flooding but I’d like you to take a few things into account. I, and I’m assuming everyone else here, woke up here when they didn’t fall asleep here last night. So that means the possibility that we were kidnapped is kinda large. While that may cause some concern it should get rid of your fear of drowning, someone wouldn’t kidnap a group of teenagers just to drown them. I’m guessing we don’t have to worry about the water because the person behind this has probably done something to deal with it, and it was only used as a fear motivator.”

She stops and giggles. “Sorry bout that I kinda rambled on there for a sec. To answer your other question, yeah the name is foreign, but I’m not. My parent’s were history buffs and they thought it might be clever to name me using the Latin word for the Goddess Diana. I’m kinda inclined to agree because it gave me quite the unique and nice sounding name.”

[lapisluxuries-blog]

“Hm.” Their lips purse as Xana elaborates on her thoughts regarding their situation, and their visible eye doesn’t exactly brighten behind their pink loupe. “Yes, well, your logical approach is good, and what we need right now, but I don’t think I have to explain why I’m not very reassured by what you’re saying.” Not that they’d say this out loud, but they’d rather drown. Kidnapped? Them? Xana doesn’t realize what a total disaster that would be, if that were the case. Once they release the handshake, Takara shifts their weight onto their back leg, rubbing their upper arm as they look at their surroundings. It’s harsh, and ugly, industrial and lit only by the submarine’s lights and whatever light filters through the water outside. It hurts their sense of aesthetics.

What doesn’t, though, is that name. They’re just going to put all thoughts of them potentially having gotten kidnapped, of them being held for ransom, out of their mind for the moment. “That’s true. I don’t know much about mythology, though I’ve often named jewelry collections after various gods and goddesses. It’s a good name, you should be proud of it...” Well, it seems as though there’s very little other topic of discussion available. “Say we were kidnapped. What would the motivation be? We’re just a group of Hope’s Peak students, nothing remarkable about us besides the obvious... Of course, ideally I’d hope for this to be some prank and for us to not be in any danger at all, but I realize that the chances of that are slim.”

[delugeofdespair]

Higeru Hashimoto || Prologue || Who let the cats out?

At the sight of water, you can bet Higeru had fled. It was a good thing his reflexes were so sharp, otherwise he probably wouldn’t have been so lucky. Thankfully, the flight instinct he’d been honing since he was young had really come in handy, and he was one of the first to enter the conference room. Breathing heavily and looking more frantic than ever, the boy whipped around and took in as much of his surroundings as possible. Strange room, water, glass, other people…. and- where was Sakino?…

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“O-Onee-chan!!”

He let out the desperate yelp and quickly darted around the room, searching for his sister. After his fruitless efforts to find her, he took a few deep breaths and tried to think a bit more clearly. Although looking around at the steadily increasing number of students entering, it really wasn’t easy.

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“H..Hhhuuhhh…”

He cowered, letting his back press against the wall and shielding himself. If it wasn’t already obvious, Higeru was completely and utterly terrified.

[lapisluxuries-blog]

Ah. Naturally, in a situation like this one, there was sure to be one individual who panicked right off the bat. Takara was trying very hard to not be that person, even though they’d been thrown for a rather large and jarring loop and they had no idea where anything was or who anyone was — but, it was made easier by having a different person who seemed to be going through it. They weren’t in any immediate danger, now. They could afford to think of others and not themself. Taking a deep breath in, out, Takara approached the pale boy in the rather... unique hat, speaking softly to avoid startling him.

“Excuse me? You seem distressed... with good reason, obviously. If you went through the same thing I did, you almost drowned. But it’s all right now, this room is dry at least. You’re not going to get anywhere by cowering like that... you’re safe. For the moment, at least — I admit, this seems to be a perilous situation.” So, maybe Takara wasn’t amazing at comforting others. They were trying their best, however. “Just, er... breathe. What’s your name? I’m Takara Himi.”

[delugeofdespair]

Diamond Is Unbreakable | Takara Himi | Prologue | Open

[loving-matchmaker]

“I don’t really understand what’s going on around here, but I’ve decided to not really let it effect me all to much.” Xana clasps her hands together with a small smile. ‘’And I don’t think that now is a bad time for small talk, it might help calm down those of us who aren’t… taking this quite well.” 

Her smile doesn’t fade as she reaches out for a handshake. “My name is Xana Skye it’s nice to meet you. I’m the Ultimate Matchmaker if you were wondering.” 

[lapisluxuries-blog]

“Likewise. So, you’re a SHSL student as well... That would reinforce the theory of all of us being enrolled in Hope’s Peak, most likely. But then what are we doing here...? Oh, excuse me, where are my manners? I’m Takara Himi, SHSL Jeweler.” Glad to have someone to talk to right off the bat, Takara shakes one of their overlong sleeves back to expose their whole hand before clasping Xana’s outstretched hand in theirs. Hopefully, she wouldn’t comment on the mostly-faded burns — under normal circumstances, they’d keep those hidden, but common courtesy takes priority.

“As fair a point as that is, I don’t think we should ignore the fact that at least part of this submarine is flooding. Though I guess we can’t address that unless we’re all acquainted first... Ahem. Sorry, I have a tendency to overthink. Xana Skye’s an interesting name, and pretty at that — foreign, from the sound of it?” Anything that’s pretty appeals to Takara, whether it’s a name or a jewel. Giving a small smile, they incline their head, letting their thick blonde fringe shift from where it conceals their right eye.

[delugeofdespair]

Diamond Is Unbreakable | Takara Himi | Prologue | Open

Takara didn’t know where they were. They didn’t know why they were listening to ominous parody music. They didn’t know where their supplies were, what had happened to them, oh god were their parents okay— What they did know was that there was a crack in some glass, there was water outside the glass, and the crack was growing wider. No time to worry and ponder, then — life or death, now. The song hadn’t even come to its conclusion before they were out of bed and out the door, wincing at the sound of glass shattering and water rushing in behind them. Christ, these shoes cost over ‎¥‎20,000 and they were getting ruined by all this water… It seemed materialistic, but focusing on value, riches, the things they knew, was what kept them sane. Kept them focused. The door was open, and now that they weren’t in any immediate peril, Takara could observe that there were more people in their same… boat, ha ha ha.

They vaguely remembered something about Hope’s Peak Academy. This was most certainly not Hope’s Peak Academy, but these people looked like they could very well be students. Classmates, perhaps. Well, there seemed to be very few other options — socialization was harder when it was forced, but they’d make do.

“Er. As out of place as it feels to be making small talk when, I assume, we’ve all just been in danger of drowning… Hello, everyone.” Still a little displeased by the state of their shoes and stockings, they adjusted their loupe (a light glinted off of it, briefly) and stood straight and formal. “Would I be correct in thinking that you’re all more or less as disoriented as I am?”

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Brooch, 1910-15.

[ms-mandy-m]

Lapis lazuli diamond spinner ring in 18K yellow gold. The diamond spins in a circle around the lapis with movement.

[mineralists]

VERY bright and gemmy Lightning Ridge Black Opal.

[mineralists]

Boulder Opal

[multicolourgems]

An unusual variety of quartz which exhibits the colors of amethyst and citrine side by side is known as Ametrine. And this is one gorgeous Ametrine cushion weighing 27.19 cts, from Bolivia.

[mineralists]

Stunning Mexican Rainbow Prisms Opal

[archaicwonder]

Saxon Gold Ring with Garnets, 5th-7th Century AD

[regentcouture]

[culturenlifestyle]

Elegant Cityscape Rings by Ola Shekhtman

Jewelry designer Ola Shekhtman (previously featured here) began her professional career as a goldsmith student in St. Petersburg, Russia. Shekhtman’s exceptional talent allows her to hand make every process in the creation of her contemporary designs. She manually melts metal and is responsible for rolling, sawing, soldering and polishing every detail by hand.

An avid traveler, the Serbian-born artist habitually relocates with her family every couple of years to a different city. Inspired by different cityscapes, sceneries and aesthetics, Shekhtman’s creations are a direct reflection of her personal life. In addition to being an expert with working with metal, she is trained in 3D modeling. Her collection of rings features major cities, including New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco, London and Dubai among others. You can find the entire series in her Etsy shop.

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