Flushing Out a Timeless Aquamarine
It’s a fabulous story about an aquamarine ring that came back to its owner after a very messy and undesirable life for a piece of aquamarine jewelry.
In 1968 Patrick Martinez bought his soon-to-be wife, Diane, a 14K gold band for their wedding in Palo Alto, California.
19 years later, when she was getting the band resized, her husband decided to make it a little fancier and surprised her by having a beautiful aquamarine gemstone set into the band.
Diane was thrilled with the aquamarine ring, and proud to wear it. Unfortunately, the ring didn’t always get along with her ring finger. Some days her fingers would swell, and she would have to remove the ring from her ring finger, and put it on her little finger instead.
That is what happened that fateful day in 1989. Diane was using the restroom in her home, and as she was flushing, the ring slipped off her little finger and into the toilet.
Patrick and Diane tried a number of things to try and get the ring back, hoping it was still stuck somewhere in the pipes and that a toilet snake would help them find it. No such luck. Eventually, they gave up the hope that the ring would resurface, and Diane got a replacement ring, this one with a diamond.
But not long ago, the couple needed to replace that almost three-decade-old toilet. Right before taking out the old toilet to put in the new one, Patrick snaked it, one last time.
Something came out. It was not as good looking as when it went in, but the sediment covered mess was Diane’s ring.
Since the ring was found is has been well cleaned and is being polished up to look like new. Diane was quick to move the newer diamond ring and put it on her right hand, and put the reclaimed aquamarine jewelry treasure back on her wedding finger, where it belongs.
