I remember it clear as day, even now…read more
Back in 2007, on a quiet weekday, I brought an expensive precious stone, a gift from my mother, to this jewelry shop. At the time, the shop was located inside a large wholesale mall near downtown. I wanted to purchase a setting and have my stone mounted on it, which I did.
After I chose the setting, they took both the stone and the setting to the back workshop. About twenty minutes later, they brought the finished ring out to me.
That's when something felt off.
Immediately, I noticed the stone looked different. The princess cut was no longer perfectly square, and it appeared taller in height. It had lost its familiar sparkle. The bright brilliance from the top was gone. I was confused, but at that moment it didn't fully register, so I left the store. I couldn't imagine that something like that could have happened.
But over the next few hours, I couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't the same stone. I returned to the store and told them my concern.
"No, it's a beautiful ring and stone," they said. "We had no problem mounting it."
As I replayed the experience in my head, one detail stood out. During the mounting process, the jeweler in the back called over the front sales associate, the one who had helped me choose the setting. The two of them looked at something together and spoke quietly. Then the sales associate went to the front of the store to speak with an older man who seemed to be the owner. After a brief exchange, the associate returned to the workshop for another short conversation. The whole time, none of them made eye contact with me. Thinking back, I can't help but wonder. Did something happen?
I was young, trusting, and inexperienced in jewelry shopping back then. I had no certificate for the stone, no proof. Only my word. And I was afraid of facing the truth and confronting them.
The memory still comes back to me now and then, and when it does, I still feel a sense of guilt...for letting my mother down and losing her precious gift. I never told her about what happened. I didn't want her to worry.
I've never been much of a jewelry person. I've only purchased a few pieces for life events. Maybe, I'll buy a few more in my life time, only when I have to. Very infrequently, but when I take jewelry in for cleaning or maintenance, I always stay close to it. I don't let it out of my sight.