Nia relaxed a little. She crossed her legs and rested an elbow on the conference table.
“Sometime in the nineteen-fifties, the diamond was bought by someone in the British royal family and made into the current necklace by a custom jeweler. Then, in 1954, the wife of Mohammed Al-Fayed received the necklace as a wedding gift from her brother, a wealthy Saudi arms dealer. Dodi Fayed was her only child, so he inherited the necklace when she died in the eighties. It was sold privately to Mrs. Niknam by Dodi’s estate a couple of years after his death.”
“Did you know about the necklace when you met Mrs. Niknam?”
“Not at first. But I found it in my research. In the media frenzy after the deaths of Dodi and Princess Diana, there were pictures of her wearing the necklace within the months prior, along with speculation that Dodi had given it to her. So there was some interest in the auction gemology world when it was sold to an American socialite in 1999.”
There was a pause as the two men looked at her speculatively. Nia sat straighter again, feeling as though they were reading her. Had she said something incriminating? How was that possible? It was all true.
“You must have been pretty excited by the discovery, right, Nia?” Raymond asked, breaking his silence. “Connecting with the owner of such a rare piece of jewelry?”
She turned to him, now smelling where they were going.
“Sure I was. It’s a great story connected to a stunning gem. But that’s the auction business. It’s not just the jewelry or art that holds value; it’s the background. The artists, the owners, the historical significance. That’s what we sell.”
The men looked at each other, then went back to their questions, asking her to walk through how and when she signed the agreement with Aubrey Niknam, and the final delivery of the necklace to Worthington that Monday.
“Why did you take possession so early? The auction isn’t for almost three months,” Michael asked.
“Since it’s one of the biggest and most brilliant red diamonds in the world, we’ve set up a series of charity-based exhibits around the world over the six weeks prior to the auction. It’s a great way to attract more buyers for the final sale. The first exhibit is in New York around Independence Day, so we needed the time prior to that to complete the marketing strategy and catalog.”
“Is that normal?”
“Not for Worthington. We haven’t done an auction this big before. But it’s more and more common with the big firms.”
“Mr. Worthington is concerned that the theft of these items will ruin his business, even though he has the insurance to cover the loss,” said Michael as he stood up and walked behind her.
“I don’t know if it would completely shut us down,” she responded in a quiet voice. “But it will be pretty bad. It’s not the money, it’s the brand damage. Like I said, it’s not the items themselves that we sell, it’s the history and the connection to significant people and events. A Rolex watch or Davidoff humidor is a collectible, it will retain its value over time. But one once owned by Mandela or Walt Disney is irreplaceable. Not all of the items we manage are like the Crimson Amazon, but our customers and the industry need to trust that significant items are safe in our possession. Otherwise, we might as well run a flea market.”
Michael returned to her line of vision with a smirk on his face from her sarcastic quip.
“And what about you, Nia. You’re fairly new in the auction world. What would this do to your career?” he questioned.
She shrugged.
“The lost commission would put a dent in my retirement plans, for sure.”
Raymond laughed.
“I don’t really know,” she continued, looking Michael in the eye. “I guess it depends on whether I’m found to be responsible in any way.”
“Are you responsible?” he shot back.
“No. Not intentionally, anyway,” replied Nia, honestly. “I’ve gone through all
“Sometime in the nineteen-fifties, the diamond was bought by someone in the British royal family and made into the current necklace by a custom jeweler. Then, in 1954, the wife of Mohammed Al-Fayed received the necklace as a wedding gift from her brother, a wealthy Saudi arms dealer. Dodi Fayed was her only child, so he inherited the necklace when she died in the eighties. It was sold privately to Mrs. Niknam by Dodi’s estate a couple of years after his death.”
“Did you know about the necklace when you met Mrs. Niknam?”
“Not at first. But I found it in my research. In the media frenzy after the deaths of Dodi and Princess Diana, there were pictures of her wearing the necklace within the months prior, along with speculation that Dodi had given it to her. So there was some interest in the auction gemology world when it was sold to an American socialite in 1999.”
There was a pause as the two men looked at her speculatively. Nia sat straighter again, feeling as though they were reading her. Had she said something incriminating? How was that possible? It was all true.
“You must have been pretty excited by the discovery, right, Nia?” Raymond asked, breaking his silence. “Connecting with the owner of such a rare piece of jewelry?”
She turned to him, now smelling where they were going.
“Sure I was. It’s a great story connected to a stunning gem. But that’s the auction business. It’s not just the jewelry or art that holds value; it’s the background. The artists, the owners, the historical significance. That’s what we sell.”
The men looked at each other, then went back to their questions, asking her to walk through how and when she signed the agreement with Aubrey Niknam, and the final delivery of the necklace to Worthington that Monday.
“Why did you take possession so early? The auction isn’t for almost three months,” Michael asked.
“Since it’s one of the biggest and most brilliant red diamonds in the world, we’ve set up a series of charity-based exhibits around the world over the six weeks prior to the auction. It’s a great way to attract more buyers for the final sale. The first exhibit is in New York around Independence Day, so we needed the time prior to that to complete the marketing strategy and catalog.”
“Is that normal?”
“Not for Worthington. We haven’t done an auction this big before. But it’s more and more common with the big firms.”
“Mr. Worthington is concerned that the theft of these items will ruin his business, even though he has the insurance to cover the loss,” said Michael as he stood up and walked behind her.
“I don’t know if it would completely shut us down,” she responded in a quiet voice. “But it will be pretty bad. It’s not the money, it’s the brand damage. Like I said, it’s not the items themselves that we sell, it’s the history and the connection to significant people and events. A Rolex watch or Davidoff humidor is a collectible, it will retain its value over time. But one once owned by Mandela or Walt Disney is irreplaceable. Not all of the items we manage are like the Crimson Amazon, but our customers and the industry need to trust that significant items are safe in our possession. Otherwise, we might as well run a flea market.”
Michael returned to her line of vision with a smirk on his face from her sarcastic quip.
“And what about you, Nia. You’re fairly new in the auction world. What would this do to your career?” he questioned.
She shrugged.
“The lost commission would put a dent in my retirement plans, for sure.”
Raymond laughed.
“I don’t really know,” she continued, looking Michael in the eye. “I guess it depends on whether I’m found to be responsible in any way.”
“Are you responsible?” he shot back.
“No. Not intentionally, anyway,” replied Nia, honestly. “I’ve gone through all
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