Once upon a time back in 2012, I came back from summer vacation to discover a very elaborate spider web on my balcony in Brooklyn. In the middle of it sat a medium-sized beige dude, munching on a mosquito. The web was so labor intensive (and beautiful, especially after the rain!) that I wouldn’t dare to touch it. I named the spider Robert. He was dutifully quenching his appetite with mosquitos, and it was a very productive co-existence, I should say. 
 
Then October arrived and brought hurricane Sandy. The morning before the storm Robert knew what was coming in the evening. When I went to the balcony with my coffee, he was diligently folding his web and weaving himself a cocoon. By the evening he was wrapped in a cocoon that was hanging in the middle of the string that was so fragile, it was barely visible. I started to get worried. It seemed the gentlest wind would break it, let alone a major storm. For a moment I even had a thought about putting him in a box till it is all over, but reason prevailed, and I let nature take its course.
 
Sandy was tearing through NY all night. Once in a while, I used a flashlight to check on Robert. Well, they announced that the winds brought down a huge construction crane in Manhattan, while the string with Robert’s cocoon was shaking left-right-up-down, but he was holding on! 
 
When I woke up the next morning, Robert was already hard at work unwrapping his web and enjoying the sun. He stayed for a few more weeks. And then when the November cold came, he and his web vanished just as suddenly as they appeared one day. I missed him, but I was sure that wherever he went, he’d do just fine. 
 
Years went by, and every time there is a stormy night, I remember Robert’s cocoon on that string. I wanted to make a jewelry piece for a while to commemorate his resilience, but sometimes I am slow. One day it occurred to me that the white topaz I’ve had in my collection for years will be perfect for the occasion. So, here he is – Spider Robert. 
 
About topaz: I don’t know the origin of the raw stone, unfortunately – I started tracing my materials later, as I learned more about the mining and cutting practices. I know that this topaz was cut in the US, as I acquired it directly from the lapidary that cut it. 
 
I find that the long chain works better in this case. If you feel like you are grasping at straws – Robert will show you the way. You can hold him, too. He is very well behaved and won’t bite.