Sarah, your original post made me very sad. My mother passed away almost 4 years ago. She left a will stating that my brother and I split everything, but no specifics. He is not the most mentally stable person in the world, I had to be responsible for all the details of the estate...all the bad stuff. He did nothing. He wanted her house (a beautiful 5000 square foot home that my father built) and my father's business. I decided it wasn't worth fighting with him, I just took everything else. I never dreamed that he wouldn't let me have anything out of the house, but when it was all said and done, he wouldn't give me a stick of furniture, none of her jewelery, nothing.
My twin daughter and son were the light of my mother's life. She struggled with stomach cancer for several years before she passed and they were all she was living for at the end. My daughter, now 16, asked her uncle for my mom's pink pearls, which my mom had told her would be hers. My brother said no.
A year or so passes...my mom's beautiful house is in shambles...my brother has all sorts of parties and unsavory people through the house. Broken windows, everything just a huge mess. We go for a visit and daughter asks her uncle just to look at the pearls. He DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY ARE!
So, I distract him and daughter goes to look through her grandmother's drawers. Finds lots of costume jewelery and mixed in, what she thinks are the pearls. So, she pockets them. We bring them home, but I don't think it is them, plus the clasp is broken and I didn't see how it could be since it was in tact when she died. My mom loved costume jewelery, but only had a few really good pieces. Don't tell daughter...wanted her to think she had her grandmother's pearls. Anyway, I think they are fake...leave them in my daughters drawer for a year or so.
Last winter I had a chain that needed to be repaired and daughter asked me to get the clasp fixed on the "pearls". So, I take them. And guess what...I know nothing about jewelery. IT WAS HER REAL PEARLS! Daughter just wore them last Saturday to her prom.
And, my brother has never even mentioned that they were gone... He probably thinks one of his friend pocketed them or he forgot about them entirely.
Sorry so long...now back to
Coach...my mom has at least 3 beautiful leather Coach bags, still in her closet. Don't think they will fit in daughter's pocket...