Ajay is a friend of ours from Jaipur, in Northern India. We met him at his jewelry shop which is a large labyrinthine affair with an unassuming doorway. The first time we went there, he showed me a pre-Victorian opera length emerald necklace. Each of these emeralds was faceted, larger than robin's eggs and mouthwateringly lustrous. Each of these emeralds was surrounded by the most brilliant diamonds I had ever set my eyes on. I knew this was way beyond my reach and this was confirmed when he mentioned the price - could have bought a nice condo in Honolulu. Next one of his assistants brought out a lovely little choker - a large emerald bead inscribed with words from the Q'uran strung from four strands of Basra pearls. He said that it had belonged to the Emperor Akbar - the greatest of the Mughal emperors of India. When he mentioned the price of 25000, I smiled - I could afford it. I quickly did a mental calculation and wrote a cheque for 650 US dollars. He smiled shyly. He was ineffably gentle in telling me that it was 25,000 dollars and not Rupees. I was mortified at my stupidity and deeply appreciative that he was polite and did not treat me like a clod. Despite his affluence, he is one of the most humble men we have met. He is due in Montana tomorrow from New York, and so we decided to create a gastronomic experience for him. Bill, my husband, rated it at an 8 or even a 9 on a scale of 10.

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