“What is it?” Hannah asked, leaning across the glass counter. Her heart did a sudden, unexpected leap against her ribs.
Miller didn’t answer right away. He clicked off the lamps and placed the ring gently on a black velvet pad. He looked genuinely rattled. “I have an idea, but in fifty years of bench work, I’ve only seen two real ones. Both were smaller than a pea. This stone is the size of a cherry pit.”
Hannah asked how much it was worth. Miller shook his head slowly. “If I give you a number right now, I’m only guessing. And if I’m right, guessing is dangerous. We need to send this to the Gemological Institute of America in New York. They have the spectrographs. Let them issue an official report before we say another word.”