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 Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:12 pm
How long had it been since she had put her hands on a new cameo? How much of an oxymoron was that statement?
Delilah’s fingers had been aching to get around another piece of carved glass or shell but around here and in the United States in general, finding a true piece of history was like discovering a needle in a hay stack. She didn’t hold her breath. Better to be surprised than disappointed.
Yet recently she had come across an online rumor that spoke of an antique store in town might just have a few in their collection. So that Saturday, Delilah made up her mind to give it a shot. What was there to lose? It would either confirm or deny the rumor and it was a good way to spend the afternoon.
Following directions she had pulled from the internet, with a few mis-turns, Delilah found the place pretty much as she expected. Walking towards the door, the raven haired girl took a deep breath and crossed her fingers. These items she was willing to drop a coin on.
“Jewelry case…” She whispered as her eyes adjusted to the lights and forms of times past.
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:26 am
"Are you looking for ours or were you hoping to acquire one of your own?" piped a voice from to her right. While he might not have been immediately visible from behind the grandfather clock he was dusting behind, he stepped away from the wall it was pressed against.
Jett might have been fairly young to be dealing in the antique business, but at least he took his job seriously. He was dressed in comfortable, yet still obviously professional clothes. He didn't have to come to work in any specific attire, though he made a habit of dressing somewhere between smart casual and business informal. Today, to combat the extra winter chill, he was wearing an extra layer of clothes beneath that, in addition to a pair of spiffy looking gloves. His hair, a bit past shoulder length naturally (and in dire need of a trim, he thought), was tied up in a high ponytail while he cleaned.
To top it all off, he flashed her a smile when he locked eyes with her. While not a particularly pleasant individual, himself, it didn’t stop him from trying to turn on the charm. Especially when he was getting paid to do it.
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 7:57 am
The unexpected answer Deliliah received from the beautiful crafted grandfather clock made the teenager jump and turn in the direction just in time to see dust flying from the backside of it. Before she could question it, a blonde stepped from behind and flashed her an award winning smile.
He had the appearance of a sales man alright from a quick scan. Delilah respected the choice of attire and figured that maybe he might know a few things. It was worth a shot.
"A very good appearance trick. Magician?" She asked flashing her own smile back as she tried to calm her heart under her jacket. Delilah had to wonder if he heard it as well. It was echoing in her ears.
"I was looking for yours. One would not be able to find in my house sadly." She asked as her attention began to scan other items in the shop. Beautiful old pieces rested everywhere waiting for new hands to claim them. She had to admire each one in turn.
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Posted: Thu Jan 31, 2013 10:44 pm
"Ah, magician? I'm not one for parlor tricks, but I can at least assure you that I know how to work some magic, if the situation calls for it." Setting down the feather duster he'd been working with, he peeled off one glove and extended a hand the girl while he introduced himself. "Jett Draven, welcome to JW Antiques. The jewelry can be found over there," he paused to nod towards a display case near the cash register, "Though if you're looking for anything in particular, go ahead and let me know. What's on display is by no means a fair representative of all the pieces we've got littered around here or back in storage, so if you don't see anything you like there, I'm more than willing to dig out something that might be more to your taste."
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 6:04 pm
Half smiling at his response, Delilah extended her own leather gloved hand to shake his. "Delilah White. A pleasure." She answered as she looked towards the direction he had pointed in. From there she could see the typically display most stores had littered with items of all different shapes, sizes, and time periods. That always amused her about Antique stores. The entire history of the world could be found in one or two rooms.
Just as she was turning to make her way over, the raven haired girl stopped and looked back. "Why not make this easy on both of us then." She added with a sigh glancing back towards Jett. "Cameos?" She asked finally reaching to pull a glove off her right hand to reveal a simple ring with a cameo placed ontop. Mostly it was to just make sure he knew what she was talking about since some people always thought she meant Camo...
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:13 am
After a quick shake, Jett dropped his hand—but not his smile.
He was used to people coming in 'just to browse', so whenever he found someone who actually had something to be looking for, he was more than willing to direct them. "We have plenty," he reassured, walking the girl over to the case. Whereas he left her to stand in front of it, however, he moved behind the counter and to the computer.
Not wanting to keep Delilah waiting, even while he worked he spoke, "Do you have a particular type you're looking for? Sea shell, agate, ivory? I can draw out just about any type, though there is fair warning that the pieces can get a little pricey." Typing a few things, a large list of inventory appeared, though he kept this to himself for now—and addressed his attention back to her.
Delilah looked young, but he'd been surprised by youth before. That she knew what she was looking for made him hopeful, as any business man should be, though he wasn't about to throw logic out the window. "Though, if you're not looking for quality, I can pull down a box from storage and let you fish through it. We have a number of ways through which we attain our pieces, however not every item that comes into our possession is antique or in shape to sell. If age and history aren't as important as price, I might be able to pull out a few of our cheaper pieces. Unless you're willing to shell out a few bucks," he gestured to the case, "and if you don't see anything there you like, I can show you our inventory."
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Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 6:10 pm
Surprise was written all over her young face the moment Jett responded that they had them. And not just some, plenty? Maybe for once the internet would not let her down with disappointment.
Following him over to the case, Delilah slowly studied the contents. They appeared to have a variety of small trinkets and valuable pieces that could have made some overly rich old lady spend her entire fortune in that instant. Sadly for Jett and the shop, that was not the case here.
Just as she was about to respond to the material backing, Jett threw a rather loose insult her way. No words had to be said in return as her ruby red eyes lifted from the case and landed on his face. Delilah appeared annoyed at even the thought that she would be there just to by some cheap replica or toy. If that was the case, she would have been at the mall shifting through costume jewelry.
When she finally dropped her gaze back down and rolled her eyes as an answer to the comment, her voice echoed "More shell or agate. I find ivory leads people to discredit it's value as they were traditionally made in stone, lava, shells, or..."
Her eyes picked up and looked directly at Jett. Though she was looking at him, her mind seemed far off until she started to bite her bottom lip. "I know this is alot to ask but you wouldn't happen to have any sardonyx or hard stone ones would you?" Shells, glass, most of the ones with a blue or back background were wonderful but the sardonyx with it's layers and bands of color were priceless in Delilah's eyes.
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Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:17 am
The fact that the girl threw out a little bit of information warranted Jett pay her a little more respect, so he nodded thoughtfully and skimmed the list on the computer. "You, Delilah, might be in luck. If you can excuse me for a moment?"
He stepped away from the counter, "Let me pull down a box, should only take a moment. Feel free to look around. If you see anything moving," his nose wrinkled, "It's probably just the cat. If you need anything, just call, I'm right around the corner."
He suspected she wasn't the sort to just grab something and run; there were far easier things than antiques to steal, and even if someone did get the bright idea to run off with something, there were only a few places she could pawn anything to—and theoretically, all of them should keep receipts. Which would make tracking her down fairly easy—provided he didn't just chase her down.
Thankfully, however, all his mental planning stayed just that; he retrieved a marked box from the back room and returned to the counter. When he unlocked and opened it, he presented the contents to Delilah. A few of the pieces were a little scuffed, though the majority were fairly well taken care of. These weren't by any means the most impressive or pricey cameos the shop was housing, though they were still of good quality. "A few onyx, sardonyx, agate, few other hard stones. If any of them in particular suit your fancy, you're more than welcome to pull them out for a closer look."
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:01 pm
Delilah only watched him go before turning her eyes back around to an old school desk that was sitting in the corner. Wood and iron perfectly mixed together and carved so that some little boy or girl would be forced to sit up straight for hours. She could almost picture her grandfather sitting in one using the ink well that sat there.
When she finally did hear movement, Delilah returned to the counter and stood looking down into the box he presented to her. Anyone watching her would have seen the ruby red eyes lighten up in pure joy. These were her treasures. Each one of them more beautiful than the last in her eyes.
Slipping off the other glove and putting them down on the glass, Delilah reached into box and pulled out one that had her interest. The red background framed a white woman dressed like a roman lady. "It always amused me that even in Victorian times they wanted to be like the Romans." Delilah smiled as she glanced up at Jett and placed the cameo down on the counter. Her second and third choices seemed to get the same reaction but it was her forth that made her hand stop for a moment.
"Oh!" She whispered reaching in and drawing out what had caught her attention. "Jett, do you know much about this one?" She turned it in her hand to show him the piece. It was two toned picturing a man driving a carriage.
This
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:38 am
Jett couldn't help but smile as he eyed the piece she scooped up. It wasn't necessarily a cheerful smile, but instead the smile of a business man who enjoyed his job. "You have good tastes. You are holding a hand carved shell, of which we have had in our possession for nearly four years, three and a half of which it spent in a hidden drawer in my boss' desk. Collected a little dust, but other than that didn't take on any damage. It's eighty percent silver, and is marked at two seventy, roughly." Figuring that dropping the three digit price tag was probably the hardest thing about making a sale, Jett just watched the girl's expression.
Naturally, he wanted to sell this piece; money in the register meant he got a paycheck and had space to put out a new piece. There was always issue when selling to a younger crowd, if only because you never knew who had money and who was just window shopping, and even though he had expectations based on age, he had learned never to turn down a customer based on appearance alone.
"Still interested?" he prompted, figuring if she wasn't spooked by the price tag, then maybe he could get some business out of her, yet.
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 6:03 pm
As Jett talked, Delilah went back and forth between watching him and nodding while looking at the shell. It was credit to him that he knew that much about it and wasn't just throwing a price in her face. She valued that in a sales man especially in this field.
When he ended with the price, Delilah raised her eyebrows but her face never changed. She was taking it all in. One would see her mind running facts, logic, and comparing it to other pieces she knew of with a similar make.
"If your boss had it hidden away, I take it he had another buyer for it originally?" Her eyes looked up to watch Jett's face as she placed the piece next to the other three she had taken out. "Guess it fell through."
It was all she said as she glanced back into the lock box that still sat there. Her hand moved a few more around until she pulled out a second piece. "Just a warning, I don't impulse buy." She added with a slight smirk up at the male as her fingers danced over the edges of the new piece. "So sorry if you expected me to say 'sold' within the first twenty seconds. I haven't come across a good selection like this in awhile." Her voice trailed off as she gazed back down.
"The Lovers." She whispered and held it up. "Mars and Venus in an embrace. One of the most amusing and fitting myths out there." Delilah was smiling as she looked at it with light behind it. "Sardonyx at that."
Presenting it to Jett, Delilah watched his face. "Was this one also in his desk or did it never make it out of the shoe box?" This one
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Posted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 12:24 pm
Jett didn't want to tell Delilah that the likelihood was that Jacoby had probably just liked the piece so much, he hadn't been willing to part with it until now; his boss was more of a collector than a businessman, but thankfully he had Jett to get rid of all his collection.
Provided Jett could make the sales, of course.
While he was certainly disappointed that it hadn't been an easy sale, he couldn't be mad that she wanted to look over the rest of the pieces. A smart buyer wouldn’t blow all their cash on the first pretty piece they found, so Jett could at least take solace in the fact that any piece sold to this girl was going to go to a good home.
When she mentioned Mars and Venus, his eyes flicked up; too long had he been a Dark Mirror Senshi not to immediately think of the knights. "Well now, I don't know much about the myth behind it, but I'll trust your word on that. This one is fairly new. The woman who gave it to us found it in her grandmother's attic, wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. Cursed, you know." He rolled his eyes, but wore a playful smile. "It's still pretty old, probably has actually seen some use in its time. Fairly good condition, all things considered. I think the worst is that the back is—arguably—a little scuffed. Though, the price tag is a little friendlier—one fifteen, last I checked."
Most of the cameos they sold portrayed the portraits of lovely maidens, and despite the quality of the piece, it wasn't like many people seemed interested in. Plus, cursed wasn't exactly a major selling point. Jett wasn't superstitious in the slightest, but Jacoby declared he wanted it out of there as soon as possible, and that meant it was at the top of the list of things to go.
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:17 am
At the mention of a curse, Delilah's eyes snapped up and met Jett's face. She was searching for a hint of some sort of a joke and found it in the rolling of his eyes. The man didn't believe in curses and that made her smile. Practical. She liked that. Made a good business man and allowed her to trust what he said a bit more.
Turning the cameo over in her head, Delilah noticed the scuff marks he was talking about. Looking at them closely, she nodded in agreement. "Most likely as a broach at one point. Looks like a sharp edge got to it." Turning it back to the front, she just smiled at it. "And so you know if you ever come across something like this again, the bases of the myth is that the two of them were 'in love' but Venus was married to another. Mars or Ares was the ideal man and Aphrodite or Venus was the ideal woman." Her own eyes looked back up. "And ideal things never work out."
But there was one thing she was still interested in and had to ask. "So dare I ask what this curse is supposed to be? I would like to know what I could expect following me around then."
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 10:58 pm
Jett couldn't hear the name Ares without immediately thinking of the Dark Mirror Court Queen; his eyes snapped to the brooch and back to the girl. He flashed another smile. "Is that so? I'll have to remember that. As for curses," Jett shifted position, and while it was a slightly less professional posture, it certainly was a more personal one; he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the countertop. "Mixed responses on that. On one hand, it's supposed to come with great luck. On the other hand, it has a habit of disappearing. Never very far, nor very long. Which I can't really vouch for. Though, I did misplace it once, the last time I was organizing the display case, I had it out. Lost it, found it in the teapot over there a few hours later," he said, nodding towards a pretty china tea set.
"Shadows are supposed to come with it, too. The lady said that after midnight she used to see shadows dancing in the corner of her eyes. Sometimes heard whispers. Though, you know. The mind plays tricks on you when it gets to be so late. Voices could have been a television in another room." He shrugged. "But who knows? It might have something special about it. If a few scuffs are all it has after a house fire, two car accidents, one tornado and a war, I think it's doing all right. Piece comes with a lot of history," he said, offering a rather approving nod. "Lots of stories."
The seller hadn't been in the slightest shy to tell them every single one.
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 6:54 pm
Delilah smiled happily when Jett seemed to relax when the topic went onto the supposed curse. Now she didn't believe in it at all but she wanted to hear this just for the high smirking value. Besides, maybe she could scare a few people later.
When he pointed towards the teapot, she looked over and gave a nod. "It has good taste." She glanced back at him with a cheerful smile before looking back down at the cameo. It was an interesting concept and story behind the piece that was supposed to show love. Yet it seemed to come with shadows and darkness? Wasn't that all idealized things?
"So what do you think? Does Ares and Aphrodite call to you?" She finally added as her red eyes caught his. Delilah was HIGHLY interested in this piece and she was doing her best to control that interest. But she wanted to see how he reacted. Cursed or not, the piece spoke to her. She would take her chance.
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