Chinese girl trades $140k in mom’s jewelry for $8 lip studs: “I had no idea why she wanted to sell it”

A Shanghai teenager just pulled off the deal of the century. But this deal is best defined as a parental-heart-attack-inducing trade in history. Imagine swapping a $140,000 jewelry collection for the grand sum of... eight bucks. That’s exactly what happened when a girl, identified only as "Li," raided her mom’s treasure trove to fund lip studs and earrings.

(Image via Pinterest/ bullet)

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Mom’s worst nightmare: The case of the vanishing Jade

(Post via Pinterest/cinnamonapplesaucelord)

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Mrs. Wang, a woman who likely aged ten years in ten minutes, noticed something was off when her jade bracelets, necklaces, and gemstone pieces mysteriously vanished.

Instead of assuming they had just grown legs and walked away, she called the police. The Wanli police station of the Putuo Public Security Bureau soon sprang into action. After checking surveillance footage and questioning market management, within no time, they tracked down the missing loot at a jade recycling shop.

Every last piece was recovered, which is great news for Mrs. Wang but possibly a major bummer for Li, who thought she was just getting rid of some knockoffs.

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Why sell heirlooms? The lip stud explanation

And now, for the jaw-dropping reason behind this escapade. Li had no clue about the value of the jewelry she had offloaded. According to her mother’s statement to the police, the conversation went something like this:

“I had no idea why she wanted to sell it. She said she needed money that day. When I asked how much, she told me, ‘60 yuan.’ I asked why, and she said, ‘I saw someone with lip studs, and I thought they looked great. I wanted one too.’”

One hundred and forty grand's worth of family heirlooms, gone in a flash for the price of a couple of piercings.

Mrs. Wang added:

“She said that the lip stud cost about 30 yuan, and they will give me another pair of earrings for 30 yuan, so 60 yuan total”.

The police coordinated with the shop owner (who was out that day) and got everything back where it belonged.

Case closed and jewelry retrieved.

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The debate over parenting and pocket money

(Image via Pinterest/biubuni)

But, as with all truly ridiculous stories, the internet had to have its say. The online world exploded, splitting into two camps.

One side thought the family should’ve been giving Li more pocket money.

As per the news outlet, one commenter argued:

"If they can afford jewelry worth a million yuan, surely they can afford to give their daughter enough pocket money".

The other camp wasn’t buying it. Their take was that this wasn’t about money—it was about values.

"This isn't just about the money," one viral Weibo post pointed out. "It's about a disconnect between mother and daughter. Why did she feel the need to resort to theft? What kind of values are being taught at home?"

Ultimately, everything works out as long as you keep your valuable stones hidden from adventurous children.