Treasure-keeper

I've met two men in my long and happy years who have taken joy in telling me the secrets of jewels -- one an old gem dealer in Bangkok, who taught me more about rubies in an afternoon than most people know in the lifetime; and the second in Chicago, who was patient over decades sharing his knowledge of stones colored and clear.

We just heard that Sidney, who made gems his life, died over the weekend. The newspaper said he was 89, though I suspect he was as many million years old as the treasures he loved.

The world has lost some of its sparkle. Still, Sidney, like a diamond, is forever.