Is This Real?
I used to work at a fine jewelry kiosk in a mall. Our jewelry included gold bracelets and necklaces bonded to sterling silver, sterling silver rings with cubic zirconia gems, gold engagement rings with diamond chips clustered together rather than one large diamond, etc.
I had a lot of regulars, and this one particular woman would come in often. Every time for every item that she was interested in, she would ask the same blood-boiling question: “Is this real?”
I explained what “bonded” meant and how we didn’t sell diamond rings for $25, but that the rings were indeed certified sterling silver with synthetic gems.
I gave her information like this repeatedly, day after day, and she would follow up every explanation with, “Okay, but…is it real?”