Don't we just love flaunting the artistic and designer piece of jewelry that we own? Especially when the jewelry is nothing but a big piece of rock-a huge diamond. Of course, we love doing it and for a woman, it is something she'll cherish all a while.
You must have come across a popular saying "Diamonds are a woman's best friend". And, why not? They are shiny, glittery, full of luster, resilient, hard rocks that have a resale value. Though diamonds are found in the darkest mines, they are the ones which often shines a woman's life and confidence bright.
This anonymous woman bought a diamond ring from a random flea market on the outskirts of the city of London. She presumed it to be an artificial artifact, but after wearing it for nearly 30 long years, a mysterious man compels the woman to give a thought about that ring's actual value. And believe us, the worth is worth knowing. It will leave you astounded.
When she heard the appraiser's words, she couldn't believe her ears. She looked at her, again. "Are you sure?" "Yes, Madam. This is a royal stone.", said the voice. She was totally baffled. Wrapping her head around this fact was a difficult thing. All she knew was if those words of the appraiser are true, she has turned unimaginably rich.
To make sure that she heard exactly what is assuming that she heard, she asked the appraiser," You are not mistaken?" The woman on the other side could understand the excitement and the adrenal rush that the owner of the ring was facing. She had not known in the last 30 years that the ring she had been wearing was a real diamond.
It all started back in the year 1980 when the woman was just strolling through the flea market, organized at the west London. The West Middlesex Hospital was the main organizing authority. There was utter chaos in the market, people were rubbing against each other in hope of just buying the cheapest but useful lot. There were clothes, jewelry, crockery, appliances and what not.
The woman obviously wasn't financially strong enough. She had only a few bucks with her. And she knew the flea market was the only place where she could find cheap and reasonably good looking stuff in the entire aristocratic London. While passing through a stall, her eyes felt on a huge necklace. And as she was about to get mesmerized, something even gorgeous caught her attention.
The stall was a jewelry stall. And everyone knows, when it comes to these glittering stones, nothing could stop a woman from entering the store and trying her hand out on one of those. She tried the necklace and it dazzled her neck. But when she adorned the ring, she knew that she can't give over this. "I Want This" was all she whispered.
The woman wanted to purchase this ring. But she carefully examined the piece for its outer finish. Though she knew it was an artificial one, its finishing was so fine that it didn't appear to be one. The ring undoubtedly looks something from a royal time, an expensive stone. Then came the even bigger question; will she be able to afford even this one?
The ring looked beautiful on her finger. She was badly attracted towards it. As if it was breath-taking. She couldn't take her eyes off this one. The ring looked no less than a luxurious one. As it appeared this pretty, the woman did not know if this artificial one also cost so much that she won't be able to afford it either. All she knew was there was something drawing her to it.
The ring's diamond stone was exceptionally huge. Something which a woman like her could imagine only in her dream. She said to herself that she would save enough money so that she could afford it someday. This ring would serve as a motivation for her to work harder. Little did she know that she would soon be owning it and not that all, it will be the one that would change her life forever.
As she asked the price for this ring, she was over the cloud nine. This beautiful, fine diamond ring that looked too expensive merely costs $17. Something that the lady could afford and probably flaunt everywhere she goes. What next? She instantly bought it. However, she had no idea what the days were about to bring for her.
Right from the moment, she purchased that ring, she had been wearing it. Everyplace she went, the mesmerizingly beautiful ring would shine on her ring finger. She liked it when other women would look at that diamond glorifying her hand. As it was a cheap one, she was never scared of it being lost or stolen. And then one day when she visited the grocery store the unexpected happened.
It was any other day for the Londoner. It was weekend and she decided to restore her refrigerator with some garden fresh fruits and vegetables. She, as usual, visited the grocery store, but this time she had something valuable with her. Her newly bought real-like looking ring. What was meant to be a regular grocery visit, turned out to be a haunting one!
The woman picked up some fruits and some celery and parsley and headed towards the cash counter. While she stood there in the queue, she admired her ring. And when her attention was diverted, she saw a stranger-a man staring at her ring as well. She was getting amused by his attention, but soon only things turned upside-down.
While initially, the woman was cherishing this unwanted attention, soon only it made her feel uncomfortable. She tried ignoring the man, but the man was so stubborn and diligently looked at her hand. As her chance to pay the bill came, she did it hurriedly and wanted to evade from the mysterious man's sight. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy.
The man continuously stared at the woman's ring. Surely, he had some foul intentions instore. The man followed the lady till the very exit door of the store. The Londoner expected that as she would run out of the store she would confuse him, but the mystery man didn't give up and followed her until he spoke the unbelievable words.
The woman was petrified. Her heart was beating fast and she was so frightened that she started walking with wide steps. The woman even reached her car but the man relentlessly kept the woman in his vision. She somehow had this feeling that maybe he was there to steal her ring. But none knew it was something even drastic.
The mysterious figure had come very close to the woman. She could sense him standing right behind her. She gathered all her courage, turned around and looked behind right away. The woman looked straight into his eyes and confronted him. And what the man said next left her still.
It was her costume ring that made the man follow her. The man knew that the woman was scared and uncomfortable but it did not stop him from asking the next question. "Can I have a closer look at that ring of yours"?The woman was bewildered. The woman immediately backed off. But the man screamed from behind...
The woman did not appreciate what the man said. On the first hand, he followed her like a spy and now had the courage to demand her ring. She sternly puts her back in front of him and moved forward. Yet, the man from behind screamed, "It doesn't belong to you, it is exceptionally expensive". The woman was shocked but left the scene. However, this stranger made an impact so loud in her head that she took to an altogether different journey.
The woman then did not pay much attention to the man. As days passed, his words haunted her. She was constantly reminded that the man said that this was an expensive piece. With the advent of winters, the woman had to struggle to make a living. As told earlier, she wasn't financially stable enough. It was then she believed the man's words...
The woman constantly looked at her ring and somehow she believed what the man said might be right. As the ring looked extraordinary, there were chances that it costed something better. And if that was so, selling the ring would give her enough money to survive the winter. She thus decides to travel to Sotheby's, London. The poor lady had no idea, what revelations the appraisers at the store would provide her with.
Sotheby's was the best place to get the answers to the much-awaited questions. This auctioneer shop had the experts with the best of the knowledge who could examine the ring and tell its actual worth. As the ring was not a very typical one, who did it originally belong to? How much did it cost? Or did it actually even cost something or was just an ordinary one? Soon this ring was about to make a history.
The appraisers at the Sotheby's were also amazed at finding such a huge piece of rock. Looking at the woman and her clothing, even they were amazed that she could own something this incredible. Even they hadn't seen a stone this finely shaped. However, they asked the woman to leave the ring with them so that they could perform some tests to ensure its authenticity.
The Sotheby's performed a few tests on the ring. They did the fog test and even looked for the piece o stone's mounting. An original diamond would always be mounted in metal like gold and platinum. Not only this the experts even examined it under the jeweler's loupe. And what they found next was simply enough to blow your mind away...
Sotheby immediately connected the call to the woman who bought this ring to them. Surprisingly, all the while when the ring was with the experts, the lady had weird thoughts. She thought that if the piece was a valuable one, maybe the store doesn't return it to her. Or maybe it was all a master plan of that mysterious man. But when she got the call, even she was excited.
As the Londoner reached the Sotheby's, the revelations were so shocking that she couldn't believe them for once. The diamond which was presumed to be a duplicate one was actually a 26-carat cushion-shaped white diamond. And not only this it did not belong to this century. It dated back to the 18th one.
Jessica Wyndham, the head of Sotheby’s auction house’s jewelry department told the woman that they were sure that this piece of jewelry must have belonged to the royal family back then. As the cutting of the stone was a dull and deeper one. Something not so familiar in modern times which makes this piece to be counted as an artificial one.
The woman was totally perplexed. She could not even imagine that a ring that she had been wearing since last 30 years, that she bought from a flea market for only $17 was the one belonging to the Royal Age. She was wearing something this prestigious for so long and she had absolutely no clues about that. Even in her wildest dream, she had never thought that this tone would turn out to be an original one.
The very next question that surfaced every head was "How much this ring cost?" Wyndham told everyone that it took really long to get this ring appraised. It was hard to be very firm about its originality. And even they had to get it tested with Gemological Institute of America. And the price that was predicted for this prestigious stone was exorbitantly high...
The experts told the Londoner that the ring could be sold for around $450,000 (£350,000) at an auction. Wooh. That was a phenomenal price. They further explained that as the diamond was cut in a particular shape, it made it shine and sparkle less. Moreover, the ring was so dirty that its molting developed grease and oil which made it look even dull.
The diamond stone was a rough one, and due to it being less shinier in comparison to one's we buy from stores, the people had mistaken it for not being real. Another highlighting point being that this antique and cushion-shaped stone did not reflect the light to the extent the modern stones do.
Wyndham, also informed the lady that as she bought it from a flea market, she could have never thought that it was this valuable. And to her utter surprise, the stone she bought was the one that had its essence intact. The makers of that ring had not polished the stone much and nor did they gave it much shape. Due to this, they were able to conserve its original weight.
The experts even explain that the diamonds are procured as huge uncarved stones from the mines. And in older days, the stone was not honed to an extreme extent to instill their purity and weight. In the 18th century, people were more considerate about the size and natural shape of the crystal rather than its outlook and shape.
Soon only the news about this uncut and antiques diamond stone was popularised. Every other millionaire wanted to own this stone. A bare rock from streets was all set to adorn the glorious palaces of the rich. Even Sotheby's had never sold a stone this prestigious before. The auction for this ring was an awaited one.
As the day of the auction arrived, thousands of people came forward and showcased their interest in the ring. Bidders after bidders stood up and the price of the ring began touching the skies. And finally, after hours of bidding, the bidding hammer was banged. "It's sold for £656,750". The Londoner had her life changed forever with the price.
The Londoner, the woman now realized what connection she felt with the ring when she first saw it. It was meant for her, it was destined that the ring would change her life for the better. The lady who had always lived in the financial crunch never had to look for a price tag again. The ring fetched her enough to live a worthy life.
The next time you find something attractive at the flea market, purchase it. Maybe it will change your life as well...