Before serving dinner at a dinner party in Manhattan (yes, that’s the gorgeous house shown in the photo above), my host asked that I do “a little something” for the guests. I declined politely — I don’t like to perform when I’m not actually working — but when people hear that there’s a magician at the table, they expect to see a trick. These were not children, mind you, but some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in New York.

I turned to the woman next to me and asked for one of her earrings. She was hesitant to remove one of her diamond studs for a magic trick. She thought I might damage it. But when our host nodded his approval, she allowed me to remove it.

“The Flying Earring Trick!” I announced, holding up my hand to silence the guests. The glittering diamond earring rested in my left palm, shining in the light from the chandelier overhead. I slowly closed my hand into a fist, and explained that I would make the earring fly – invisibly! –  from one fist into the other. All of the guests looked at me with skepticism as I opened my left fist: empty. They craned their necks in closer. I then opened my right fist: also empty. The lady’s face turned pale.

“If the earring didn’t fly into my other hand, it could only have gone one other place.” I pointed to her ear, and her hand darted upward. She screamed in shock as she discovered that her earring had reappeared pierced in her earlobe.

It was several minutes until everyone calmed down enough so that dessert could be served.

—

When I first wrote up this story for my book Win The Crowd, several magicians asked me if this trick was fictional. I’m proud to say that this trick is a real item in my repertoire, and I often perform it at my exclusive monthly show, Miracles at Midnight. The original title of the trick is “Pierced” but I’ve changed the blocking and theme of the trick to suit my style. In its current form, it reminds me of the type of impromptu miracle that Max Malini might have performed.

And I’ll always remember the host and his amazing Victorian townhouse on the Upper East Side, with old-fashioned gas lights out front.

Here are some interior photos of the same townhouse – one of the most stunning in Manhattan.

I’ve been invited to some incredible homes, both in and out of New York. Here’s a list of some places you may have met me.