There they go again! Life IS stranger than fiction.

One more time, without feeling. It just so happened that an elderly couple came in today with a "diamond ring" that they "purchased" during a recent vacation trip to Italy. Well, they told me they PAID a lot over there, and wanted to know what it is worth here in the good ole USA. Who did they think they were trying to jerk around? The "diamond" was a round brilliant-cut synthetic cubic zirconium set in, are you ready for this---? BRASS! Incidentally, brass is known as a base metal composed of copper and zinc. Nothing wrong with that. But, it's not anywhere near GOLD in value. Of course, the interior of the ring (shank) was stamped "18K ZALES." This stinkin ring wasn't purchased in Italy! I know that they purchased it as a "bargain" from someone desperate for gambling money. One more time, NEVER BUY JEWELRY OFF THE STREET OR OFF SOMEONE IN A CASINO HERE OR ELSEWHERE! I can certify that you are going to be sorry about losing YOUR MONEY, when I get around to telling you the truth. Like most hotel-casino jewelry scam victims this couple had to invent a silly story embellished with bovine fecal matter to allay their embarassment at having been taken for a ride. After 21 years serving the jewelry industry as a Graduate Gemologist I have heard and seen just about everything honest and dishonest going on. Nothing much surprises me anymore, except for the ability of some people to tell me REALLY stupid lies that they ACTUALLY expect a person with my BACKGROUND to believe.