A woman who accidentally flushed her wedding ring down the toilet has remarkably reunited with the diamond band – 13 years after it slipped off her finger.
Mary Strand, 71, and her husband, David, 75, of Minnesota, have been married for 46 years — and 13 years ago, David celebrated their 33rd anniversary by surprising his wife with a beautiful diamond ring.
However, the accessory – featuring a large diamond surrounded by 16 smaller stones – never quite fit Mary and one day disaster struck and it slipped off her finger and into the toilet while she was using the bathroom.
A devastated Mary thought she had lost the precious piece forever – until a few weeks ago when she received a call to inform her that the ring had been found after more than a decade in a water treatment plant just 400 meters away from her home.
Mary Strand, 71, who accidentally flushed her wedding ring down the toilet has finally been reunited with the diamond ring — 13 years after it slipped off her finger
On their 33rd birthday, her husband David surprised his wife with a diamond ring surrounded by 16 other small diamonds
However, the jewelry never quite fit right, and while Mary was in the bathroom, it fell off her finger and ended up in the toilet
The story of Mary’s missing ring – and its incredible rediscovery – was shared by the metropolitan councila government agency specializing in services for the Twin Cities metropolitan region.
On its website and in a YouTube video, the agency revealed how in 2010 Mary watched in horror as her gold band fell into the toilet bowl and was flushed down the pipe.
She reached into it, desperate for the diamond. She called David, who owns a sewer and drain cleaning business, to come to the rescue.
David took out the toilet in hopes of shaking the ring free and even hurled a camera 200 feet down the drain. With no luck, the pair contacted municipal workers to have them check the city’s pipes, only to be disappointed again.
Mary lost all hope and accepted that she would never see her jewelry again.
But 13 years later, Mary got a call she thought she’d never get.
In March, three sewer workers found the ring while trying to repair a machine.
When they turned around they saw a flash of gold floating in the water, it started a week-long public campaign to find its owner.
The lovebirds went to the Metropolitan Council on Wednesday to collect the ring, which was the first time Mary had seen it since 2010
Though she thought it was gone forever, she was in for a miracle when she was finally able to show the gold on her finger more than a decade later.
It reappeared at a wastewater treatment plant just a quarter mile away from their home (pictured)
Subsequently, many jewelers investigated and the city sent out a warning on social media before Mary claimed it
Hundreds of calls came in from families who had lost beloved heirlooms, but the descriptions never matched.
It wasn’t until Mary and David’s daughter learned about the ring from a nearby bulletin board that she alerted her parents and told her mother, “It must be your ring.
”
Mary called the councilor the next day, but after being missing for 13 years, she couldn’t remember exactly what he looked like, so she sent a picture.
And to the surprise of the city worker, the ring matched exactly.
Two jewelers then confirmed that the ring was the same and compared Mary’s chances and reunion with the ring to winning the lottery.
One of the jewelers said, “The odds are astronomical.”
On Wednesday, the lovebirds went to the Metropolitan Council to collect the ring, marking the first time Mary had seen it since 2010.
David – who searched their toilet looking for the jewelry 13 years ago – was shocked when it turned up all this time later
After thirteen years of wandering in grit and mud, four of the “little” diamonds had fallen off and the gold band was “really smudged,” but she was overjoyed to have it back
They captured the moment in a heartwarming video.
A council worker said, “Are you ready? Now it doesn’t look like it.’
Mary replied, “I’m prepared for that.”
She unwrapped a blue cloth to reveal the diamond ring.
“I was very excited,” Mary said of getting her ring back.
After 13 years of drifting in grit and mud, four of the “little” diamonds had fallen off and the gold band was “really smudged.”
However, Mary commented that the ring was still “absolutely gorgeous.” She added that she was just over the moon to have it back.
“I remember looking at it and looking back at the moment he gave it to me, it was that memorable,” she said.
And while Mary joked that she had a problem with losing rings, she said she’d make sure they never let her out of her sight again.