*

I was at one of my favorite “suppliers” in Harvard Square. They’re closed now so I can disclose the name: Second Time Around. They primarily sold women’s clothing but also sold accessories. And jewelry is an accessory.

Not many men would shop there. Women would stare at me while I browsed. I was taking a class at the Cambridge Adult Ed and would always stop in at the Harvard STA before class.

This evening, I spotted an antique turquoise and unmarked hi-karat gold ring. Persian. The stone was flawless and probably looked to the untrained eye as fake plastic. It cost $19 but was worth $150 easily. Seconds later, it was mine.

Now, good items sometimes travel in groups. I figured someone didn’t just travel 15000 miles and come back with a little gold ring. I looked in the case somewhat casually and there was its travelling companion, a giant 18K gold bracelet. This accessory was marked, but just slightly. It cost $12. Sweet. The bracelet was heavy and at the gold price of the day, it had $3500 of the shiny metal in it. I could barely concentrate on the screenwriting class that night.

A few days later, I took it to the big auction house downtown and they said it would sell for $2000. What? The refiner would give me more and being in a bind financially at the time, I knew what I had to do. I hated melting it, but the mortgage needed to be paid. A few minutes after walking into the refiner’s office I walked out with a fat check and kept the house. A worthwhile journey.