Over the summer, a couple came into our jewelry store, asking if we'd seen or bought a sapphire ring that was this girl's engagement ring. They were seriously they cutest couple, this girl and her lady, like the cutest couple, and I felt sooooo badly for them. I told them I'd keep a look out for it and they left us a flier at the store with their number and address, with something about a reward I guess (I don't recall that last part really, but I digress). Long story short, these two girls were up here to get married because it's illegal in their home state of Alabama or whatever the hell, and they really like New Hampshire, so that's why they were up here. They were out for the day and lost one of the engagement rings, and I can't even imagine how upset they were, being like a week away from their wedding and all. The ring never showed up, and never showed up, but when they were at the store, I told them we had a ring just like it, only with a different stone, and if they needed to re-order, I'd give them a super deal because how can you not feel terrible for someone in that situation?
December rolls around, and one of the girls calls the store asking if we'd ever seen the ring and how much would it cost to replace. I called our big jewelry supplier, the one that has the same setting they had on their ring, and I called them back with a quote. What they wanted was now something like $600-$700, whereas when they bought it it'd been $300. So she really couldn't consider it at the moment. I felt bad for her, but I really gave her the absolute lowest markup that we could without my dad throwing up all over the floor about it, and even then it just was far out of their budget.
Today, I went to the bank to deposit a check, and I came back and there was their fucking ring sitting on the shelf where we keep the scrap jewelry we buy every day. I'm still fucking floored by it, because some stupid schmuck found it and came to sell it for scrap for fucking $50 and they probably found it the same day those girls lost it and holy fuck, I'm glad I wasn't in the store because I would have punched the drunk asshole who brought it in straight in the mouth. Seriously, the guy is literally an alcoholic who smells of booze. Anyway, I called the police about it to try to get the couple's info so I could send it home to them, and they're so disorganized who knows how long they would have taken, and the scrap I'd written their number on was long gone, but I did manage to find one completely unfamiliar number in my cell phone. So I call it at work and get no answer. Maybe I'm wrong, I think. I googled the area code and it says it's Alabama, so I called it around an hour ago, and a girl picks up and I clumsily explain I'm a girl at a jewelry store who found a ring and I hope I have the right number. That girl goes sooooooooooooooo crazy on the other line, and is so overjoyed with the whole thing she can barely contain her joy over the phone, and I hear her talking to friends she's with wherever she is, so long story long, I'm shipping it home to them, and they're sending us a check for $50 because that's the least they could do as far as they're concerned.
Best christmas story ever :D