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What happened the last time you lost a $90,000 pendant on the dance floor? If you’re like Erica Courtney, honest retailer Gerry Amerosi of Gerald Peters Gold Mine Jewelers in Staten Island, NY, found and returned it promptly.

Scottsdale, AZ—The scene unfolded during the Boogie Nights dance band performance during the Centurion 2012 Show.

On one side of the dance floor, retail jeweler Gerry Amerosi of Gerald Peters Gold Mine Jewelers in Staten Island, NY, felt something under his feet as the hotel staff moved the dining tables to open up the dance floor. He picked it up and the group at the table—his colleagues and staff from exhibitor Peter Storm—briefly took a look at it. It was part of a pendant featuring a rare mandarin garnet, but thinking it was an earring, Amerosi spent the next part of the evening looking at all the ears of the women around him. Everyone had two earrings on, Amerosi kept it in his pocket and planned to tell Centurion president Howard Hauben about it the next morning. 

On the other side of the dance floor, designer Erica Courtney and her employees Mikka Johnson and Holly Prazoff were having a great time dancing to Boogie Knights’ music. As Johnson remembers, “Suddenly Erica put both her hands on her chest (where the necklace should have been) and had this look in her eye. Our whole world stopped! We all stopped dancing immediately and started searching the dance floor.”

Johnson spent the next few minutes trying to get the attention of the lead singer in the band, thinking he could make an announcement. “He probably thought I was just a super-groupie,” she laughed, remembering. When the song was over, the lead singer leaned down and she shared her dilemma. He made the announcement about the lost jewelry.

“I heard the announcement and stuck my hand up in the air immediately,” Amerosi said. He took the piece toward the band.

“Erica and I ran over and tackled him!” said Johnson, noting the piece was in perfect condition despite its time on the floor. Amerosi said the group was very excited and appreciative, and invited him to come by the Erica Courtney booth the next day.

“Lost and found,” Amerosi sang out the next morning as he went by the booth. Everyone recognized him and laughed. They showed him the piece again and told him the retail price—a whopping $90,000.

Amerosi said Courtney was grateful for his honesty. “Don’t think anything of it, I’m in the business,” he replied, but joked that now “he could get anything on memo [from Erica Courtney] from now on, right?”

Our modest hero downplayed his part in the return, saying was happy he found and returned it and that all worked out well. Amerosi thought that was the end of it, until a few days later a nice note and a very nice $300 gift certificate to Peter Luger’s Steakhouse was delivered to his store. He plans to share the gift with his employees, treating some staff members to dinner one evening.