“Can you find out who it belongs to? Or who last owned it?”
“I did a bit of research while I was in the back, and I was able to trace this particular stone back a couple of generations.” He holds up the ring. “I’m going to give you the loupe. See if you can read what’s inscribed on the inside of the band. It’s small and very hard to make out.”
I hold the jeweler’s loupe to my eye and then hold the ring in front of me. I see nothing but a blur.
“You have to bring the ring pretty close to the loupe. But not too close or it’ll blur up again.”
I use trial and error a few times, and finally I’m able to see clearly. I’m not sure I see anything, though, except a couple of scratches.
“See it?” Drew asks.
“Just a couple of scratches.”
“Look more closely. You’re not a seasoned jeweler, obviously, so you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for, but stare at the scratches, and you will eventually see that they’re initials.”
I squint my eyes, willing myself to see something.
And then, as if by magic, they appear.
“It’s an L. And a W.”
“Right. I’m making some calls. Anyone who’s come across this stone will definitely remember it. Do you know anyone with the initials LW?”
“Not off the top of my head. I sure don’t.”
“Someone clearly wants you to have it. There must be papers on this stone somewhere. I just have to find them. Do you mind if I take some photographs of the ring?”
“Not at all.”
He takes the ring from me again and heads back. A few minutes later, he returns and hands me the ring. “I took the liberty of putting it in my ultrasonic cleaner. Look how sparkly it is.”
Sparks seem to shoot from it, and then, at a certain angle, it’s embers from a dying fire.
“I didn’t want to leave it in there too long,” Drew continues. “It shouldn’t mess with the engraving, but just in case. That engraving needs to be intact if we’re going to find out where this ring came from.”
“Absolutely.”
“Like I said, I’ve put in some calls. I’ll let you know as soon as anything comes up.”
“How long do you think it will be?”
“My sources usually get back to me within forty-eight hours.”
“Your sources?”
“Yeah. I have certain sources in the markets…and in the black markets.”
“Shit. You don’t think this is stolen, do you?”
“We can’t rule that out, Don. This is a priceless item. It’s nearly four carats, and it’s almost the rarest of all diamonds.”
“Still, it’s not the Hope Diamond.”
Drew chuckles. “No, it’s not the Hope Diamond. But it’s worth a lot. Like I said, I can’t appraise it because I have nothing to compare it to. I’m going to do more research on its value, and I’ll come up with a valid appraisal for you so you can get it insured.”
“If it’s even mine.”
“You know what? Do yourself a favor and get that puppy insured now. Insure it for half a million at least.”