Diamond ring has been quite the attraction for downtown jeweler

Published 7:46 am Monday, December 14, 2020

“Forgot to mention one little thing, a ring and I don’t mean on the phone.”

For those who are familiar with the iconic song, “Santa Baby,” they know it is a cute little tongue-in-cheek tune where a woman is making out her Christmas list to Santa. She is asking for quite a few extravagant gifts including, of course, a diamond ring.

Well, Santa needs to look no further if he wants to check that gift off the list. Magnolia Jewelers owner Matt Southerland has a 5-carat diamond ring at his store that would surely please the most fastidious of females.

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“I knew this diamond was coming available and I said, ‘You know what? I think I want it,” Southerland said.

Southerland, who is a certified diamond grader with the Gemological Institute of America and has worked in the estate jewelry industry for years, said he has a customer who has been interested in purchasing a 5-carat diamond ring.

“He lives in Sandusky, Ohio, and I met him when I was working up there. That is the reason I got the diamond. It was for him,” he said.

While this customer is in no hurry to buy the ring at this moment, Southerland said he is in no hurry to sell it.

“I can keep it in the store and show people and keep it as a talking point for me,” he said.

The 5-carat stone is a round, brilliant-cut diamond, which Southerland said is the best cut you can get on a diamond.

“It’s not like an old mine cut diamond from the early 1900s. They are beautiful, but they don’t pick up the brilliance like the new cut stones,” he said.

The 5-carat diamond of Southerland’s is mounted in a wide yellow gold engagement ring setting.

“It’s in a beautiful mounting; it’s just an older setting. If I had to guess, this stone was purchased in the early ’90s by looking at the mounting,” he said.

More than likely, Southerland said, once the ring is sold it would probably be remounted. For now, he said, he will just keep the ring as is, making it easier for people to look at and try on.

“I have had plenty of ladies who have come into the jewelry store who have said they would take the ring just the way it is.” And naturally, he follows up with, “this is what your husband needs to buy you for Christmas.”

While there won’t be too many men shelling out more than $100,000 for a ring, Southerland said it is still fun for the women to come in and try it on.

There is never anything wrong with dreaming.

As to who owned the 5-carat diamond ring before Southerland bought it, that remains a mystery.

The ring was bought at an estate sale and one can only surmise who the previous owner was and why it had been sold.

Sounds like the making for a movie or possibly a song, because everyone knows, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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