Pearl Cover by Elizabeth Lowell

Author:Elizabeth Lowell [Lowell, Elizabeth]
Language: nld
Format: epub
Tags: Elizabeth Lowell
Published: 1999-01-29T23:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

“So, tell me about this one,” Hannah said, running the pearls through her fingers.

Paul saw only her unusual, high-quality diamond, not the skill and care of her fingers as she handled the necklace. “Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, American.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Pardon?”

“Why?” she repeated. “With diamonds you have a fixed color scale and carat weight to determine price. What did you do to price this necklace, pick a number out of the air?”

Paul cleared his throat. “It is a very complex process.”

“Uh-huh.” Clearly she wasn’t impressed.

“Color, shape, presence or absence of blemishes, and size all figure into the price,” Paul said stiffly.

She nodded. “Like diamonds.”

“Unlike diamonds, pearls are not touched by man. Their shape and polish is as natural as the shine of water. Pearls come to you as they came from the oyster.”

And pigs fly, Hannah thought sardonically. There were a hundred ways to make inferior pearls look better than they were. But she wasn’t supposed to know about that. She was just supposed to know what she liked.

“Unlike diamonds, which can be cut into many shapes, the shape of a pearl is determined solely by the oyster,” Paul said, falling into his sales patter. “These are living gems, very unique, very precious. Especially the spherical pearls. Most pearls are baroque. Do you understand baroque?”

“It means they’re not round, doesn’t it?” Hannah asked indifferently.

“Each shape has its own beauty, its own mystery, its own admirers – “ Paul began.

“Round,” she cut in.

“Pardon?”

“I want my pearls round. The model’s were round and black, but not really black. Lots of color.”

“Spherical is the most valuable class of pearls. The ones you are holding now are spherical. They also have a peacock-blue sheen, which makes them very desirable.”

“Not to me,” Hannah said, handing him the pearls. “I want reds and greens and golds and pinks along with the blue. Don’t you have something with more color?”

“This is a very fine necklace,” Paul said through gritted teeth.

She shrugged and wandered off to the next pedestal.

“Like I said,” Archer muttered, “we spent years looking for just the right shade of silver-blue diamond for her. That woman is downright persnickety when it comes to color. You have any idea how many shades blue diamonds come in?”

Paul managed a smile. He knew just how much a flawless, vibrant, three-carat, fancy blue diamond cost. That was why he wasn’t showing these exasperating peasants to the door.

“What about that little necklace in the window, darlin’?” Archer asked.

“No, thanks,” she said casually. “Some of the pearls aren’t a very good match.”

Paul winced and began wiping down the necklace she had just replaced on its pedestal. “Madame, I assure you, whether it is a question of shape, color, size, or orient, our necklaces are matched to the highest standards.”

“Yeah? Then they’re not as high as mine.”

“Like I told you,” Archer said cheerfully, “we searched for years. My baby has an eye for color.”

Paul folded his lips and said not one word.

She stopped at a third pedestal, hesitated, then went still. She would have sworn the pearls in this necklace came from Pearl Cove.

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