AURORA — The ring sparkled: 18-karat white gold, double-banded, with a 1.5-carat diamond at its center. It was the ring that Cathy Woods-Sullivan’s late husband gave her on their wedding day, a family heirloom. Other than their two teenage daughters, it was the most precious thing she had left. She handed it forward to the pawnbroker feeling sick to her stomach. He looked at her, then at the ring, then back up at her. “I’m going to hold onto it for a little while,” he said.
