describes her hair as more valuable than all the jewels and gifts of the queen of Sheba Had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty s jewels and gifts Jim s Gold Watch Jim s prized possession was his gold pocket watch which had been passed down to him from his father and grandfather It was not only a symbol of family heritage but also a rare and precious item Jim felt proud of the watch because of its sentimental value and how special it was to him The narrator even compares it to the riches of King Solomon Had King Solomon been the janitor with all his treasures piled up in the basement Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed just to see him pluck at his beard with envy Sacrifice and Love However their love for each other was far greater than their attachment to these items This is why Della sold her hair to buy a chain for Jim s watch and Jim sold his watch to buy combs for Della s hair In essence their sacrifices show that while they were proud of these possessions they valued their love for each other even more This selfless act of giving makes their story so meaningful