Woman Reunited with Great-Grandmother's Diamond Ring Lost at Sea Thanks to Complete Stranger
A wedding ring is the most precious piece of jewelry a woman will ever own — but not just because of the price. The symbolism behind the jewelry is what really makes it so close to the heart.
And when that beautiful representation of a woman’s marriage also happens to be a family heirloom, it adds a new level of depth to the symbolism.
Francesca Teal was privileged to have such a beautiful marriage heirloom. The lovely piece of jewelry was made of white gold and diamonds and was also a double ring.
It originally belonged to her great-grandmother, and was rather distinctive in that it was her engagement ring and wedding ring soldered together.
Teal and her husband were enjoying a day at the beach earlier this month. They were tossing a football back and forth in waist-high water when Teal’s wedding ring flew off her finger.
“This one throw hit my hand, and I saw the ring pop off my finger and go into the water. In that moment, my heart dropped,” Teal told The Boston Globe in a phone interview earlier this month.
She and her husband searched for hours for the ring before finally giving up. Before leaving the beach, 29-year-old Teal even explained to the lifeguard what happened in the hopes that someone might find it and turn it in.
When Teal got home, she also posted her story on Facebook on the Hampton Beach group page:
“The post was shared thousands of times,” she said.
There were several metal detector hobbyists who responded to her, one of which was Lou Asci.
Asci became an enthusiast after receiving a metal detector for Father’s Day five years ago. He was moved by her story and empathized with how important the ring was to Teal.
It took Asci three attempts, but he actually found the ring with his metal detector. I was buried under four inches of sand.
When Asci contacted Teal and told her the good news, she was thrilled to the point of tears.
Teal also shared the good news on Facebook with the Hampton Beach group:
“I posted in here last week about my ring that fell in the ocean on 8.6, at North Beach in Hampton & I’m so happy to say —- My ring was found and has been brought back to me! Thank you to everyone who shared that post, sent well wishes,” she wrote.
“But mostly thank you to Lou Asci & all the other very kind, generous & inspiring strangers that took time out of their days to search for it. I have been so overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers this past week.
“It has been so amazing to witness humanity in this positive way & has brought so much faith to myself & others. People helping people, I will always extend my hand to others in the way you all have showed to me. As my Dad would say ‘do good, be good’ Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
