Jim passed over all of the odd-looking rings in the first tray, knowing that Sharon would never like anything so explicity sexual or or gaudy. In the next tray, he found some rings that looked a little more 'normal'. Not wanting to spend too much money, he asked, "Does the special price apply to these, too?"
"I'm afraid not," replied the old man. "These rings never go on special."
"Well then, how much for that one?" Jim asked, pointing to a gold ring with a simple yet elegant design and no jewels.
"That particular item would be five hundred dollars."
Jim gulped. "If that one is so expensive, I guess I can't afford anything in this tray," he said, disappointed.
"Oh, don't be so sure," said the old man. "Some things have value beyond that of their constituent parts. For example, this one is only forty dollars," and he pointed to a beautiful diamond ring that had four stones, each about a quarter carat in size. Jim thought Sharon would flip over a gift like that. He thought for a moment, and decided to
Sun Aug 2 01:55:39 1998