ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

How did this woman find a vintage 18-karat gold and diamond ring for $15 at a thrift store?

The ring that is worth thousands of dollars
UPDATED JUN 26, 2024
Cover image source: Reddit, Getty Images
Cover image source: Reddit, Getty Images

Thrift stores are where rare hidden gems are found hidden in a pile of junk. Several stories of people finding literal gold in such stores have shocked the world. Recently, a Redditor u/Radiantlyred shared her story on the forum r/ThriftStoreHauls of finding a vintage 18-karat gold and diamond ring at a Goodwill store for just $15.

A Goodwill retail store | Getty Images
A Goodwill retail store | Getty Images

In the post, the user wrote that she was in disbelief when she realized that it was indeed a diamond ring. Sharing the picture of the ring, she wrote, “Nvm my nails, but I found this vintage 18k engagement ring at Goodwill for $15.”

Screenshot from the post | Reddit | r/ThriftStoreHauls
Screenshot from the post | Reddit | r/ThriftStoreHauls

Being a veteran thrift shopper, she did her homework and found out that the ring was indeed a real diamond and gold. In the comments, the original poster replied to several questions from the readers and she even revealed that she tested the diamond using her “gemoro diamond tester”. "I believe it’s in between .25 and .40 of a karat,” the user revealed in the comments.

Screenshot from the post | Reddit | r/ThriftStoreHauls
Screenshot from the post | Reddit | r/ThriftStoreHauls

Redditors couldn’t believe what the user had snagged for a mere $15. "How the heck did they miss that?" asked one user whose account has now been deleted. To this, the original poster replied that the manager told her that it was tiny and “probably not worth a lot.”

Most users were amazed by the rare find. “It's worth at LEAST its weight in gold! Seriously, that is a truly awesome find. I am proud of you! I don't seem to have the patience (or the eyesight) to look at all of the jewelry and when I see posts like this it reminds me to slow down...take my time...and maybe bring my glasses. Keep up the good work!” wrote another user, u/EvenLouWhoz.

Screenshot from the comments | Reddit | u/IRLJewelcrafter
Screenshot from the comments | Reddit | u/IRLJewelcrafter

Meanwhile, another user u/rawdaddykrawdaddy asked, “This is so pretty. I'm jealous. Does it fit you OP?” To this, the user replied that it only fits on her pinky as the size of the ring seems to be just 3/4.

Screenshot from the comments | Reddit | u/theflipflopqueen
Screenshot from the comments | Reddit | u/theflipflopqueen

Earlier this year, a nearly identical story was shared on the same subreddit by another user, u/urmomspotaytoes. The user had also found a vintage ring made of 18K gold that featured a rare emerald gem in the middle.

The best part was that the woman got the ring for just $16. The user took it to the jeweler to resize and polish it, which is how she discovered it was a high-quality emerald and 18k gold ring. The jeweler even confirmed that it was definitely worth more than $2,000.

The woman further confirmed that the ring also had tiny diamonds around the edges.  

When asked how did she find the ring, the user wrote, “Right at the counter. The ones we go to the counters are glass cases and there’s jewelry inside of them. If that makes sense. My daughter is the one who usually checks out all the jewelry. This just caught my eye as we were checking out,” indicating that it was indeed a very lucky find.

For more such stories, follow r/ThriftStoreHauls on Twitter.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
For the contestant named Linda, the deal was further sweetened as she got to meet a celebrity.
9 hours ago
When it was her turn to play, Mama Doris went blank on the fifth answer costing her team.
10 hours ago
She herself couldn't believe that she had come up with a solution that seemed impossible.
11 hours ago
Carey called the aspiring actor a 'future star' while celebrating his win on the show.
13 hours ago
Kimmel successfully bagged a multimillion dollar deal as well.
14 hours ago
He got too close to the contestant but she played along while the audience laughed awkwardly.
1 day ago
The answer is one of the most absurd things that a contestant has said on the popular game show.
1 day ago
The farmer did admit that he could be biased in his explanation but made points many agreed with.
1 day ago
Fans joked that the host had a "senior" moment on the show while Carey also took it in a light-hearted way.
1 day ago
While Steve Harvey was eager to start the Fast Money round, the players were busy dancing.
2 days ago
The woman shared that one package had a single banana and an industrial size box of ramen.
2 days ago
Seasoned viewers took to the internet to call out the blunder while the woman seemed unaware.
2 days ago
His mother also joined him in celebration and walked right to the car.
2 days ago
Belz later said that nothing is as good as the win and it was his dream to be on the show.
3 days ago
Several commenters pointed out the possible reasons behind this issue.
3 days ago
Her technique was unusual but it did the trick and everyone was elated about the spectacular win.
3 days ago
Seeing others win big may be exciting but not many people quite the tax burden that follows.
4 days ago
The host was asked about the possibility of four $100,000 wins in a row, but said that it was virtually impossible.
4 days ago
The shopper was alarmed after seeing what she thought of as objects crawling around.
4 days ago
The player had proceeded to the bonus round after simply adding one letter to another contestant's guess.
5 days ago