The 10-year-old spotted the sentimental diamond during a trip to the grocery store with his dad and brother.
Published on August 25, 2025 11:14AM
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Key Takeaways
- A woman recently lost her 50-year-old diamond engagement ring in a Costco parking lot.
- While she was unable to find it, a 10-year-old boy discovered the piece during a Saturday morning trip to the grocery store with his family.
- After realizing what the piece was, the boy was ultimately able to return it to the woman.
Your wedding ring is likely one of your most valuable possessions. In addition to representing the love between you and your spouse, such a piece was undoutedly an expensive purchase. The average couple spends approximately $5,000 to $10,000 on a sparkler. As a result, the concept of losing such a jewel can be an anxiety-inducing thought. Unfortunately, this fear became a reality for one woman, Mae Pratzel, whose 50-year-old diamond slipped off her finger one day in a Costco parking lot.
The loss was devastating for Pratzel. While she had reset the piece a number of times, it still featured the diamond from her original engagement ring. According to KSDK, she had recently lost weight due to a surgery, causing the accessory to unexpectedly slip off her finger while in the grocery store parking lot. "It was one of the most awful feelings," she told the outlet. "We kept saying, ‘It's a thing, it's a ring.’ But it was more than that." Unwilling to accept that the sparkler was lost, Pratzel and her husband retraced their steps, hoping to stumble upon the jewel. Unfortunately, they had no such luck.
Even though the couple couldn't find the diamond, a 10-year-old boy named Kal Blank did. On a recent Saturday morning, Blank's father took him and his brother to Costco. Before entering the store, the eagle-eyed boy surveyed the parking lot—and ultimately spotted something. "I was like, 'Why is this so heavy?' I put it in my pocket and my pocket was like—whoa—just hanging down," he told KSDK. Later that day, he showed his mother what he found. She was shocked at his discovery, telling the outlet she recognized that it was a beautiful ring that someone was likely searching for. She immediately called the store and notified them of the find. After learning that someone had reported a missing jewel earlier that day that resembled the piece, she knew they had identified the owner.
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Before returning the ring to Pratzel, the family polished the jewel, placed it in a box, and wrote a heartfelt letter to accompany it. "I kind of wanted to keep it 'cause it was pretty and shiny," the 10-year-old wrote. "I hope you relax now that you have your ring back." That Sunday, the manger of the Costco facilitated the return. And just a few days later, the Pratzels visited the Blanks to express their gratitude. Ultimately, the diamond was found just in time: The couple will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this December.
