Typical Day
Ruby Sellers wakes up at 6:00AM to her cell phone alarm playing "Ruby Tuesday."
She pours herself a bowl of Lucky Charms and a cup of strong coffee and reads the news on her iPad. She pays close attention to the day's market price of diamonds, gold, and silver. Right now diamonds are down slightly, gold is up quite a bit, and silver is down. It's a good day to buy some stones, so she gets her NY buyer on the phone. He is already at his office in the Diamond District.
"Emeril Dee, how's it going today?"
"Not bad, Ruby. I've already sold that 10 Carat Marquise I told you about. You know, the one you said I'd never make a profit on."
"Let me guess, you made a profit."
"You bet your sweet cinnamon buns I did. Guess how much I got for it?"
"For an SI1? 100,000."
Emeril sounds downright offended as he says, "100,000? Try 175,000."
"What did you do, throw in a Porsche with it?"
"You're just jealous," Emeril laughs. "So, I take it you want something?"
"Always," Ruby grins. "I have a buyer looking for a five- or six-carat engagement stone, round cut, but only your best stuff. VVS1 D all the way."
"Only five or six carats, you sure?"
Ruby thinks about it. "Well, if you find something a little bigger, we'll consider it. If you give me a good deal."
"For you, only the best. Let me see what I can do and I'll get back to you."
"Ciao," says Ruby and hangs up. She puts on a taupe Armani suit which goes well with her smoky yellow topaz cocktail ring, and heads out the door to work.
Ruby arrives at Shmoop & Sons jewelers in time to see a line of customers waiting both to buy and sell. "It's going to be a good day," she thinks. Business has been picking up steadily and Valentine's Day is coming up soon. The big V-Day is the busiest time of the year for Ruby.
She says hello to Gia, who is one half of the husband-wife team that owns the joint. Gia looks happy to see her.
She and her husband, Big Mike, have one son, Sammy, but he doesn't actually work at the shop. He doesn't work at all, as far as Ruby can tell. Still, Shmoop & Sons sounds family-run and homey. It's just what you need for a posh jewelry store in West L.A. It's hard enough competing with the big stores in Beverly Hills—the Tiffany's and Cartier's.
Shmoop & Sons is where the real people shop for their wedding rings and sell their jewels for a fair price. They have a solid reputation in this neighborhood and have been in business for over thirty years. Ruby's only been working there for two years, but she already feels like family.
"Just in time," Gia says, lighting up with enthusiasm. "I have Mrs. Viedermeyer here. She wants an appraisal on her great grandmother's wedding ring and a brooch. Do you think you can fit her in?"
"For Mrs. Viedermeyer, of course," says Ruby. Mrs. Viedermeyer is one of Shmoop & Sons' best customers. Ruby has spent hours listening to her stories about her great-grandmother's escape from the Nazis in Germany. One of Ruby's favorite parts of her job is hearing the stories behind each heirloom that she appraises or resets.
Ruby settles down at a well-lit table with Mrs. Viedermeyer and, after exchanging some pleasantries, looks at the antique wedding ring. It's an emerald diamond, three carats or close to it. Perfect condition. D color. Surrounded by smaller baguettes in the band. Ruby looks at it under the loupe and can't find a single flaw. This ring has to be worth at least $40,000, if not more.
"This ring could easily fetch $40,000," Ruby says in an undertone. "Do you want help finding a buyer? This ring is way out of our store's price ranges, but I've got plenty of connections in New York who could sell this for you."
"Oh, goodness, no," Mrs. Viedermeyer says. "I could never part with this ring. It was my great-grandmother's—you know, the one who escaped the Nazis in Germany? The Gestapo showed up on their doorstep one night and told them to report to the train station the next morning. Of course, my great-grandmother knew what that meant. She packed up a suitcase and drove in the opposite direction as fast as she could."
"Yes, I remember," Ruby smiles. She's heard this story countless times.
"This one will never be for sale," Mrs. Viedermeyer says proudly. "I'm saving it for my granddaughter."
"Lucky girl," says Ruby, and she means it.
She moves onto the brooch. It's a beautiful platinum and diamond piece that's worth about as much as the ring. Again, the diamond is in perfect condition. Ruby just about wants to cry, it's so pretty.
"It's exquisite, Mrs. Viedermeyer," she announces.
Mrs. Viedermeyer blushes. "Thank you. My late husband gave it to me on our first wedding engagement. I might want to sell it though; can you look into that for me?"
"Sure thing. I'll contact some buyers and an auction house I know that might be interested. Let me take a few pictures of it and I'll get back to you with what I find out."
Ruby takes several photos of the brooch with her iPhone and gives Mrs. Viedermeyer a hug goodbye.
She then tackles her email. She answers several questions from the IGS Blog that she writes for about stones and getting appraisals. She looks over several photos from prospective customers and checks the market repeatedly. There's minor fluctuations, but diamonds are still low and in a good position to buy.
Several more clients come into the shop for appraisals of pieces. She sells one ring to a couple in their forties, both on their second marriages. They're looking for a diamond that really will last forever this time.
After lunch, Ruby comes back from Subway with a tuna sub. She works at her computer, poring over pictures and stats, until she gets a call back from Emeril Dee in New York. He's found the perfect ring for Ruby's client. It's a match. Ruby emails pictures of the stone to her buyers and within minutes, they've replied.
Judging by all the exclamation points, Ruby's betting that they want to buy it. They've asked Ruby to create the ring for them from a family heirloom setting. Ruby loves making up rings; it's the most creative part of her job.
At 5:00PM, it's time to close up shop. Ruby says goodnight to Gia, locks all of her stones and valuables in the store safe, and heads out. She has a date tonight with a guy she's been seeing for four months. She knows it's a bit premature, but Valentine's Day is coming up and he does seem serious. She silently hopes that he doesn't buy her any jewelry. She's going to know exactly how much he spent.