14K Gold Magic Lamp with Ruby Pendant
This is the story of a Gold Magic Lamp, a beautiful woman and Russia.
Tatiana
In April, 2013, I received an order for my The 14K Gold Magic Lamp pendant with a gold rope chain. It is one of my favorite designs, completely solid and set with a ruby in the tip of the lamp. The shipping address was to Russia so I checked U.S.P.S. postal service regulations and gold jewelry, although taxed between 30% – 50% was allowed entry to Russia.
I contacted my customer Tatiana and she gave me a U.S.A. hotel address for a colleague of hers who was traveling in the U.S. Unfortunately, his stay was too brief to make the shipping connections so we opted that I ship Global Express Guaranteed Mail to Russia. (This is a three to four day trackable and insurable service to most parts of the world.)
The package did not arrive. Tatiana did a search at her end and I opened an insurance claim at my end. We were both hopeful that the package would surface eventually. Several months passed before we gave up waiting and I shipped a second 14K Gold Magic Lamp pendant to a colleague of hers who was traveling in the U.S. He received the package and carried it back to Russia and delivered it to Tatiana. She e-mailed me a photo of her wearing the piece; a big smile on her beautiful face!
Below is what she wrote to me in her e-mail:
Dear Marty, I am very happy, because today I got a Lamp from you!!! I like it very, VERY much! I was waiting for it half a year, and finally, I am wearing it!!! Thank you for being in contact all the time, and sending me a second copy! You are very nice and you made me happy! I wish you all the best, and all your dreams come true!!
(2/10/14 -Tatiana just sent me an e-mail telling me that I may of course use her photo in this blog post:)
In December, I received a letter from the U.S.P.S. denying my insurance claim. Although 14K gold jewelry can be shipped to Russia, it may not be sent via Global Express Guarantee. (fine print that I did not read.) I was disappointed since I had now lost money on the sale, but my customer was happy and that was the most important thing. I closed the file and put the loss out of my mind.
The returned package from Russia
A week ago, to our amazement, a battered package from Russia arrived at my P.O. Box. It was the first 14K Gold Magic Lamp that I shipped last April! Magic does happen!