Skyrim:That Was Always There

Quick Walkthrough
#Speak to Revyn Sadri to begin the quest and obtain Viola's Gold Ring.
#Choose whether to:
#* Break into Viola Giordano's House and return the ring, or
#* Tell Viola Giordano about the ring.

Detailed Walkthrough
The Accidental Fence
Revyn Sadri runs a pawnshop, Sadri's Used Wares, in Windhelm's Gray Quarter. Revyn tends to tell visitors to his store, somewhat overemphatically, that, "All my goods are legitimate, which is more than I can say for some". If you question him on it, he will change his story and confess that he bought a ring before realizing that it matched the description of an item recently stolen from Viola Giordano.

Even if you offer to return the ring for Revyn, he is still worried. He insists that Viola can't be told, because she would surely report the crime to the Jarl. Instead, he wants you to sneak into Viola Giordano's House and leave the ring.

Your quest log at this point suggests that you only have one option for how to proceed, namely to return the ring. However, Revyn's dialogue hints at a second option: you can tell Viola about the stolen ring.

Option 1: Return the Ring
To return the ring, the first step is gaining entrance to Viola's house. Her house is a large manor located in the Stone Quarter, on the west side of town. The front door is locked with a difficult leveled lock (Expert or Master level). Alternatively, you can opt to pickpocket the key from Viola.

Once you enter the house, the dresser where you are expected to place the ring is located immediately to the right of the front door. Open the dresser, and select that you want to "Store" the ring in the dresser. This will trigger a quest update.

Return to Revyn to obtain your reward, a medium leveled amount of gold. In addition, Revyn's disposition towards you will increase. The most immediate implication is that you will be able to freely take all low-cost items in the store and sleep in his bed for free. You will also be able to buy training in Speech to level 50. He is the only Speech trainer that you can trade with (which you can do to get the gold back) without joining the Volkihar vampires .

Option 2: Tell Viola
The other option requires you to find Viola. She is frequently found walking the streets of Windhelm, or else at Candlehearth Hall in the evenings. If you talk to her, you will have the option to tell Viola about the ring. She takes the ring but seems more interested in finding ways to punish Revyn than actually being happy to have the ring back. In particular, she promises to report this to the Jarl and get Revyn's taxes doubled or even tripled.

She will also reward you with a medium leveled amount of gold. Her disposition towards you will increase, one implication being that you can freely take all low-cost items in her house. This is also the only way to be able to marry her. On the other hand, Revyn's disposition will decrease. This will result in negative comments every time you enter his store, but he will still trade with you (and his other dialogue will be as friendly as otherwise).
Reward
 

 

Notes
Because this is a favor quest which positively affects either Revyn or Viola's disposition, it will count towards the "Help the People" part of the Thane of Eastmarch quest.
After returning the ring in the drawer and getting the quest update, you can remove the ring and tell Revyn that you returned it. The quest will complete and you will still have Viola's ring, which is no longer flagged as a quest item.

Quest Stages