Dorian Filip was a massage therapist in 2009, working aboard the Seabourn Odyssey on its maiden voyage around the Mediterranean. After some years in the industry, he had developed aches in his neck, shoulder, and hands that were increasingly painful, and thoughts of quitting were on his mind. “I said, ‘If nothing works, I’ll go to the army—I’ll go spend five years there, and they’ll give me a pension after.’” One fateful day, Filip was assigned to take care of one of the cruise passengers, Brian Albert, who had booked a spa appointment. The two struck up a conversation about life plans. From a young age, Albert had been a wholesale jewelry dealer with an eye for spotting beautiful things; when he was 16, he started buying up trinkets at junk shops and selling them to family and friends. Albert invited Filip to come to New York and learn the …