Elias didn’t touch it at first. He just looked at it. A novice would have been dazzled by the green flash. Elias just sighed. He reached for his loupe—a small magnifying lens—and tucked it into his eye socket.
Elias scraped a tiny, inconspicuous spot on the bottom of the band with a file. He applied a drop of acid from a small glass bottle. The metal didn't react like silver; it bubbled green. do pawn shops buy fake jewelry
The ring sat on the velvet lining of his pocket, heavy and convincing. It was a massive cocktail piece, a central emerald the size of a grape surrounded by a halo of diamonds. He’d bought it for fifty dollars at a flea market from a man who claimed it was an heirloom. Leo knew better. The "emerald" was likely high-quality glass, and the "diamonds" were cubic zirconia set in silver-plated brass. Elias didn’t touch it at first
"Next time," Elias said, pointing to a tray of modest, scuffed wedding bands in the corner. "Start small. Real gold is ugly and dull sometimes, but it never lies to the acid." Elias just sighed
Leo stepped back out into the sunlight, the fake emerald glittering mockingly in his hand. He hadn't made a dime, but he’d learned the most expensive lesson in the building: in the world of pawn, if it looks too good to be true, the loupe will always find the crack.