One of my newest staff members was working on the floor, and while she wasn’t too knowledgeable due to how recently she had joined us, she had a very pleasant disposition. A young guy comes in with his wife and asks to see a 4-carat Hearts On Fire Dream cut. Not exactly something we stock. He knew the design, and we looked through the online stock and found a 3-carat Dream cut that they both liked. It was almost too easy — like something was going to go sideways — but they left a decent deposit. The weird thing was that, as the owner, I felt something was left undone. I checked with the Hearts On Fire office and asked what other options they had in perhaps slightly larger diamonds. I got the information and called the young guy. He sounded as though he was in a bar. I told him that Hearts On Fire had a Dream that was 5 carats. It took him about 15 seconds, enough time to swallow a sip of beer, I figured, and he said, “Yeah, sure go ahead. Does it cost more than the 3-carat?” I said yes, and it was a big jump, but he said, “Go for it!” Next time we saw him, he had a certified check in the six-figure range. We have been trying to duplicate that feat, but it seems to be a dream now. — David Blitt, Troy Shoppe Jewellers, Calgary, Alberta, Canada