'I HAD been admiring my mum's friend's charm bracelet for ages and it was coming up to my birthday so I started hinting at my boyfriend that I'd really like one. I honestly didn't think he was picking up the hints at all and presumed that it had gone over his head because those bracelets are too expensive. But then he completely surprised me and bought one. I was so delighted. He wouldn't have loads of money to spend so it was a big thing for him to buy me something like that.

That was over a year ago. Then I go and lose it. I'm absolutely devastated. I actually feel sick at the thought that it's gone. It's no ordinary piece of jewellery. Every one of the charms had special meaning to me. They represented people that are a part of my life or something that has happened to me. Each one of them was very poignant.

My boyfriend's mum and sister were the first people to buy me charms for the bracelet. I'm big into horse riding so his mum got me a lucky horseshoe and then his sister got me the first letter of my name to add to the bracelet.

Over the next year people continued to buy me more charms for it. My friends got me an "Eimear" one and a little heart because I'd been going out with my boyfriend for ages, and a globe because I love to travel. Then for the craic, they all chipped in and bought me a little shoe charm to remind me of the time I lost one of the shoes that my mother had bought me on my 21st birthday, so every time I looked at the charm, I'd remember that funny incident and have a laugh.

I've been going over and over the events leading up to me losing the bracelet and trying to retrace my steps to help me find it. I'd been wearing it loads as usual and had just come back from a weekend away when it went missing. I'd thrown it into my handbag until I got home and I forgot to take it out. I arrived home on 17 September and then some day over the duration of the following week it must have fallen out of the bag because I can't find it. I've turned the house upside down to make sure it didn't fall out at home and there's no sign of it.

I've been trying everything I can think of. I put ads online. I've been checking eBay and Done Deal every day. I've called into all the shops in the area around Pembroke Street where I work. I rang Dundrum where I went to the cinema one of the evenings but nothing was handed in so and they took my details and they haven't been in contact since. Sometimes I walk home to Terenure and sometimes I get the bus, so I called Dublin Bus but again, nothing. I've tried pretty much everything and I've had no joy.

To be honest, the bracelet is so precious to me that I find myself nearly bursting into tears every time I even talk about it. That's how upset I am about it. I get choked up at the thought of it.

I haven't even been able to tell my boyfriend yet. I'm so apprehensive about telling him. He spent so much hard-earned money on it and now it's gone.

My friends know that I've lost it and they've been trying to comfort me saying that at least I'm trying everything I can to find it. But they were upset as well because some of the charms were from them. It almost feels like I've lost memories, which may seem silly, but that's how I feel.

I'm just praying I'll find it.

My only hope at this stage is that someone honest may have found it and they'll eventually get in touch.