Page 29 of Gem Warfare

“Twelve. Million. Dollars,” said Garrett slowly, sounding as stunned as I felt. “I really thought you would both say they were paste. Here I am with them in my pocket and no security detail. Twelvemilliondollars.”

“It’s possible the ruby alone could double what we quoted you,” said Laura. “It is rather remarkable.”

“If they were paste, I’d still say you could get a good price for the costume jewelry market but these are the real deal,” said Claud. He reached for a sapphire, holding the deep blue gemstone up to the light. “I hope it’s understandable that I’m curious about their origins. You said it was a case? Where did you get them?”

“That’s right. They were found during our investigation in a case I’m working on,” said Garrett, his answer purposefully vague. I wondered if he would have been more forthcoming if the jewels were fakes, and if we weren’t in an unsecured room with a fortune on the table. “Is there any way to ascertain their provenance? Or their ownership?”

“To an extent,” said Laura. “I’ve really only taken a glance but if I spend a little more time, I would hope to pick up specifics in the gems’ features. That would give me an idea of where they came from. The diamonds are easier. I can see inscription numbers laser-etched on most of them. The numbers will be registered and we can identify the true owner and the jewels’ origins that way. I’m guessing you believe they’re stolen?”

“That’s my first deduction,” said Garrett. “I can’t think of any other legitimate reason for them to be on a person under the circumstances in which they were found.”

“I can,” chipped in Claud. “A commissioned jeweler or a jewel dealer would have a number of gems on hand. Plenty of people could transport such items entirely without notice, perhaps to another jeweler to set them.”

“What if they were set in jewelry already? Could all the gems possibly have come from the same piece?” asked Garrett.

Both Claud and Laura shook their heads. “It would be a gaudy piece,” said Claud. “Individually, the stones are excellent but there’re just too many to make one item look balanced and attractive. Let’s say it was a necklace. Due to the ruby’s size, it would have to be set in the middle and even then, it’s really too big. Then it would need to be framed by all the other gems and there aren’t the right number to make it symmetrical. Plus, where’s the gold it would need to be set in?”

“That’s easily melted down,” continued Laura. “But Claud is right, it wouldn’t be a nice-looking piece. Expensive, yes, but not beautiful. Although sometimes the former matters to the purchaser more than the latter. Multiple pieces, yes. One single piece? I lean towards no.”

“So the stones could have come from all kinds of jewelry? Rings? Earrings?” asked Garrett.

Laura cocked her head side-to-side, weighing the question. “I think the diamonds are certainly too big for stud earringsand a little too large for a tennis bracelet, but they could be for rings or necklaces. Drop earrings too, I suppose. The ruby could be used for a necklace or pendant or it could even be for a tiara. I would want a stone like this to speak for itself without any accompaniments. That would be superbly dramatic.” She plucked it from the mat and peered at it again through the microscope. Then she repeated the action with two of the diamonds before meeting our gaze again. “As it happens, I don’t see any kind of marks that indicate the jewels have been set into anything yet.”

“That’s interesting,” said Claud. “Perhaps the suspect in your case had only recently acquired them.”

“Where would you go to buy jewels like this? Cut but not set?” I asked.

“There are any number of jewel merchants all over the world. New York, Amsterdam, London. And more,” said Laura. “They might not have even come from the same dealer. The ruby does stand out due to its large size so maybe that dealer was more of a specialist but I couldn’t discount anyone. Plus, there could be independent traders with gems from less scrupulous sources.”

“Blood diamonds?” I asked.

“Ahh, you’ve heard of them,” said Laura, nodding. “Then you know what a terrible trade that is.”

“I only know as much as was in the Leonardo DiCaprio film of the same name,” I said. “I got pretty turned off sparkly things after watching that.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” said Garrett, glancing between us.

“Blood diamonds come from nations in conflict zones, or with extremely poor labor and human rights standards. The money from those stones can be used for terrorism, war, all kinds of bad things. We refuse to sell anything of that origin at my store,” explained Laura. “It’s illegal anyway. We only deal inethically-mined stones now but like many jewelers who’ve been retailing for years, we’ve not been able to prove the source of everything we’ve sold in the past and there’s no way to be sure with vintage pieces. Since I can see numbers on some of the diamonds, you’ll get a better idea of where they originated when you trace them. I can record the numbers for you?”

“I’d appreciate it, thanks,” said Garrett. “Do you ever hear of jewel merchants getting robbed?”

“It’s not unheard of but they wouldn’t be easy to steal from. Almost all would have safes, guards, and high security,” said Claud. “Like us, they wouldn’t go out of their way to advertise either their security or their wares. Is there anything else we can help you with, Lieutenant?”

“No, you’ve been very helpful,” said Garrett, “Can I call you again if I need to?”

“Take my card and call anytime,” said Claud. “I’d like to know what you find out, if it’s no trouble? I don’t often get asked to consult on a police case.”

“Same. Would you mind if I did some research on the ruby?” asked Laura. “It’s such a beautiful stone. I’m really quite curious about it.”

“If you can be discreet, and promise to share your findings, then please go ahead,” agreed Garrett. He waited a few minutes for Laura to finish transcribing her list, which she handed to him with a smile. Then she had him watch carefully as she returned every stone to the pouch in which he’d brought them, adding that she would email a valuation to us both. “I’ll see myself out,” said Garrett as he tucked the pouch into its plastic baggie and then into his pocket, like he was carrying marbles instead of a fortune.

“I’ll show you out,” said Claud. “And might I suggest you find a very strong safe.”

“Thanks for helping on such short notice,” I said to Laura aswe shook hands.

“I’m glad Claud called. It’s really a shame to hear he’s retiring and I’m sure he’ll love having consulted on your case as a last hurrah. It’s been an interesting afternoon. I hope I get to know more about the jewels! In my twenty-plus years as a jeweler, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I have a feeling there’s an interesting story behind it all.” Laura smiled and I couldn’t help warming to her enthusiasm.

Although I privately agreed with her that something interesting was going on, I didn’t addand a sad story. Clearly, Garrett wanted to limit the information about the case and I wasn’t sure how Laura would feel about the jewels being found buried with a body under dubious circumstances. That would give most people the ick.

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