My husband used to mock me for scouring flea markets for \u201cpreloved jewels,\u201d a habit I picked up from childhood summers with my grandmother. Despite his teasing, I kept hunting treasures in the trash.<\/p>\n
One weekend, I bought a small enameled egg for $10, haggled down from $25. Sam rolled his eyes when I showed him\u2014until we discovered it wasn\u2019t empty. Inside was a silk bundle holding what looked like costume earrings.<\/p>\n
But when we had them appraised, the jeweler stunned us: the earrings were genuine diamonds and emeralds, set in 18k white gold, likely Art Deco, worth millions<\/em>. They eventually sold for $3 million at auction.<\/p>\n Now Sam never misses a flea market\u2014and that once-mocked egg sits proudly on our mantel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My husband used to mock me for scouring flea markets for \u201cpreloved jewels,\u201d a habit I picked up from childhood summers with my grandmother. Despite his teasing, I kept hunting treasures in the trash. One weekend, I bought a small enameled egg for $10, haggled down from $25. Sam rolled his eyes when I showed…<\/p>\n