“Thanks for taking the time to meet with me,” Sloan said. She was dressed in a blazer and cream-colored pants. Her jewelry was all yellow gold and understated, including a Cartier bracelet and a Pavlin & Co tank watch. She didn’t wear earrings, though Gemma noted her ears were pierced. Her left ring finger was bare. “So do you write for a magazine or a newspaper?”

“What?” Gemma said, confused. Then she realized: Sloan had seen her at the party, where she posed as a member of the press. “Oh—neither. I’m a jewelry designer.”

Sloan nodded. “I thought maybe you did both. I’ve seen your Instagram and you’re quite talented. Congratulations on the NYSD award. You’re in good company; the head designer for Tiffany won that award when she was a student there.”

Gemma gave her first genuine smile of the meeting. “Thank you.”

“The reason I wanted to talk to you, as I mentioned on the phone, is my interest in the Electric Rose. I’d been hoping to see it at the centennial exhibit, but as you noted that evening, it wasn’t included. Do you have any idea if anyone else in the family wore the ring after your mother?”

It was strange, surreal actually, to hear someone talk so casually about her mother. It took all her effort to stay businesslike.

“I don’t know anything about the ring. I was hoping you did.”

Sloan nodded. “I’m working on it. Do you think there’s any chance someone in your family would have sold it?”

Gemma felt her face drain of color. The thought had never crossed her mind. “Wouldn’t you have heard about the sale of such a significant diamond? I mean, being in the business?”

Sloan sighed. “Typically, I would say yes. But there are private sales, and important pieces do go underground for any variety of reasons.”

While Gemma had no reason to think highly of the Pavlins, she still couldn’t believe they would part with the Electric Rose. It was synonymous with the company, just like the famous diamond worn by Audrey Hepburn was a hallmark of Pavlin’s biggest competitor, Tiffany.

“Why are you so interested in the diamond, anyway?” Gemma said.

“Your aunt didn’t tell you?” The way she asked told her that Sloan knew full well that Elodie hadn’t told her anything, and the fact that she would pretend otherwise put Gemma on guard.

“Tell me what?”

“We’re planning an auction to celebrate the centennial with the historic pieces that have come to represent the brand. Elodie made it clear the Electric Rose wouldn’t be included, so I’m just wondering where it might be. The question is going to come up once we publicize the auction, and I’d rather not have any surprises. So I guess you could just call this my due diligence.”