“The shop is called Beware the Loose Setting because its first owner survived a public scandal after a valuable ring lost its stone during a noble wedding. Outsiders repeat that the jeweler dropped the ring into a soup tureen, but the real event was a faulty setting discovered only after the bride had left. The name was kept because every apprentice is expected to inspect a clasp twice before handing over a purchase. Kurrak Vey, a broad-shouldered dwarf with a blunt manner and a habit of tapping each gem against his front tooth, runs the counter and performs appraisals. He is suspicious of flawless stones, offers tea only after a customer has stated the intended use of a purchase, and keeps a cracked old loupe as a personal charm. The shop smells of lamp oil, polishing grit, hot metal, and juniper resin. Its front room is narrow and bright, with blue cloth beneath the cases and a counter positioned so that every visitor stands within Kurrak's view. Behind it, a bead curtain leads to a cramped polishing bench, a locked writing box, and a private room where valuable or questionable pieces are examined. No item is displayed without a numbered brass tab, and Kurrak becomes visibly irritated when anyone touches glass without asking.”