Photo: Shelly Romo
Shelly Romo, wearing a hazmat suit and goggles, found her wedding ring in the rubble of her home - the diamond unscathed but the band completely tarnished. Local business No Ka 'Oi Jewelers restored it for free. The wildfires avoided the home and storefront of No Ka 'Oi owner Omi Chamdi, so he was able to start offering free restorations. So far, he has restored over 150 pieces and at least 300 more are in the works. "These are not just ordinary items, these are the most precious possessions that people go back to the ruins and dig through the rubble to find," he said. For Michelle Quirk, her grandmothers' and great-grandmothers' rings were her connection to family heritage, and he restored all six of them. He helped Susan Fares restore a bracelet that was a gift from her older sister, who died two years ago, and a stainless steel heart necklace with her son's ashes. "Since I've lost both of them, I'm glad I have a little something from them," she said.
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