Dear Queenie,
My wife and I gave my mother a beautiful piece of jewelry for her last birthday. She is getting old, and when she passes away I would like to give that piece to my wife, but I think my mother is planning to leave all her jewelry to one of my brother’s daughters and I expect the person who inherits it will probably sell it.
Queenie, would it be okay for me to ask my mother to leave this particular piece to me?—Looking ahead
Dear Looking ahead,
I cannot think of any reason your mother would be offended if you ask her to do this. However, if she does not wish to change her will, or does not have time to do so, and you think the person who inherits it will probably sell it anyway, you could offer to buy the piece from her when the time comes, at whatever price she could have gotten from someone else – and it may turn into a bidding war.
