Polishing

There was a constant flux of noise in the studio - not so loud that you couldn't hear yourself, but loud enough to drown out your thoughts. It was a good working environment. It kept Matt focused on the task at hand. He had spent several days planning out the shape of both the metal and the stone he was using in his ring before forging the frame and carving the rough shape of the stone. He had set out the day to taking that stone and polishing it into shape.

He set up shop in front of the stone polishing machines - a series of spinning wheels covered in diamond encrusted sandpaper, with water splashing over them to keep the paper from getting too hot as he grinded the stone against it. He had been working at the stone for well over two hours already, having reached the middle wheel and working on eliminating the edges around form and giving it its fully rounded shape. The next wheel would finish that process, making it perfectly rounded, and the final wheel would make it shine like glass.

His fingers, however, were becoming numb. The water running over them, and the rubbing of the sandpaper against his skin was taking its toll. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to keep control of the stone. It was small enough to make it hard to control when his fingers were still tactile, but it was beginning to slip as he sanded. Fortunately that would not damage the stone in any way, but it didn't make the work more frustrating and slower.

The whirr of the machine slowed to a halt as he flipped the switch. He took a deep breath and lifted the stone, looking it over carefully. It was coming well to the shape he desired, but there was still work to be done. But he needed a break. He grabbed the prepared towel and dried his hands and stone, taking it over to his desk where the ring and frame were waiting. He slipped the stone into its frame, just to be sure that he had not taken it to small. But it fit well.

Taking a seat, he rubbed his hands together, trying to warm the tips of his fingers. It would take at most half an hour before they were tactile enough to get back to work. In the mean time, he pulled out his phone and flipped through the pictures he had taken of his blueprints.

He drew them on a small whiteboard, taking pictures as he went so that he could keep a record of what he had drawn. He had special ordered thinner markers in order to get the level of detail he desired, and being able to erase and start anew without losing his drawings helped to save space. Otherwise he'd hardly be able to move around all of the papers. He preferred not to throw out even his older works, as he could build off of them or repeat them if ever a customer desired.

On the center of his desk was a single, plain looking ring. It was one of the first he had ever made, and the only one he still wore. It was a part of a matching pair, though the other was a couple sizes smaller. Simple and elegant. He picked it up and slowly spun it between his fingers, looking it over. He wore it daily, and so the shine was fading.

"I'll have to get the missus' as well," he muttered to himself. "These are going to need polishing, too."