Long minutes dragged on as Airam, Hermione, and Esther sat in the opulent fitting area, arranged before a massive mirror so they could properly admire the glittering displays brought before them.
Each sister was attended by a pair of meticulous staff women who fluttered about them like doting mothers. The attendants happily combed through silvery trays, eager to spoil the three young beauties who looked delicate enough to be porcelain dolls. Esther, in particular, found herself quite pampered, smothered in a constant rotation of sparkling adornments.
Airam, however, proved to be a jeweler's nightmare. The staff struggled to find a single piece that could satisfy her sharp tastes. As they presented necklace after necklace, her responses remained reliably blunt: "No." "Too bright." "Too heavy." "Ugly."
