Jewel
For weeks I worked, rarely eating, rarely sleeping. My sons' lullaby when they lay themselves down to sleep was the ring of my hammer and the hiss of the fire. Blow after blow I rained down on the crystal-like stone, but it was slow work. The stone was strong, stronger than any rock I had tried to chip before. But so beauteous it was in the firelight! Shining, sparkling, brighter even than Nerdanel's eyes. I had finished two already, I was working on the last one.
The thought of them made me turn from my work to see the table where the completed jewels lay. Slowly I picked them up and held them to the light: the Silmarils.