A story

I would like to share a story that is very special to me, my wife, and our store. Several years ago a gentleman in his early fifties came into the store by himself. He had been in several times before with his wife and they loved our settings and emerald selection.

He started a conversation by saying, "Since my wife and I visited your store we became very interested in emeralds. Every time we have the opportunity to check other jewelry stores for these gems we do it." He also mentioned that gems he found in different places were somehow different than ours. "Most of the emeralds out there don't have this kind of green. They look kind of cloudy inside. In most of them it is very difficult to see that green fire that I can see in yours." I was very proud and flattered when he told me how his wife always had our store in mind and that she had enjoyed learning about the stones when she visited here.

The man was on a mission to choose a very special gift for his wife. I asked about the special occasion to see if it would help me choose pieces for him to consider but he was a little evasive. I helped him the best I could and we narrowed his choices to three rings. All three were gorgeous pieces with beautiful emeralds and tasteful settings. After a while I could see he had a favorite but there was a huge battle within him and it was price related. I gave him some other options but he kept coming back to his favorite and his stress was building. The more he thought about it, the more stressed he became and soon he became silent, just staring at nothing at all.

So there we stood in silence for a couple of minutes. He was lost in his own thoughts and I didn't dare interrupt. Then, gradually, his shoulders relaxed, his face changed, and he broke into a big smile. More to himself than to me he said, “...she will live to enjoy it...”, and confidently pointed to his favorite ring.

He began to tell me that a few months prior his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. He wanted to give her a reason to be happy every day, to distract her from treatments, and to give her another reason to feel beautiful. I was speechless for a moment, overcome by the situation, and ended up mumbling something about how honored I was that he picked our store for such a noble purpose.

The next day I got to work early and still hadn't opened for business. I heard someone knocking out front and when I went to look, guess who I saw. I saw the happiest, most radiant lady, one hand waving to show me her new ring and the other hand clasped tightly around husband's arm. They both told me how happy the ring made her but the words didn't really matter. I just knew. I just knew.

I think of this story often. It pops into my head when I get carried away explaining clarity, color, settings, and all those things that make emeralds precious to me. I am reminded that the technical aspects of any emerald and its price tag are not as important as the reasons my customer may have for buying it. The motive may be far beyond purchasing the perfect stone. The sentiment behind the purchase makes every emerald unforgettable and priceless.