The incident occurred in Ruili City, Yunnan province, on June 27. The woman was trying on the bracelet when she asked for the price. When she heard the outrageous price, she hastened to take it off – and accidentally dropped it on the ground, at which point the bracelet broke into pieces.
At the shock of spiraling tens of thousands of dollars into debt without even having a college diploma to show for it, the woman became so distraught that she fainted. A customer roused her back to consciousness by pinching her upper lip, the traditional Chinese method of waking someone from unconsciousness.
"She fainted because of the shock, but fortunately she is fine after having emergency treatment in hospital," said Lin Wei, one of the shop's owners.
Even broken, the bracelet was appraised at an impressive $26,000. The woman's family hasz offered only a fraction of the bracelet's value in compensation: 70,000 yuan ($10,300). The matter may end up going to court if the parties cannot agree.
In China, jade represents good health and a long life – but not financial fortune, it seems.
