On Sunday, I was driving home when I spotted this man pushing his bike up a hill.  He looked to be plenty in shape, and since I've been biking to work frequently, I'd like to say I recognized his expression:  frustration over a flat tire or some other mechanical issue.  Since I've had two or three flat tires on my way home, I decided I couldn't just pass him by.  I turned around as soon as possible and found him on the road, asking him if he needed help.

As it turned out, there WAS something wrong with his bike.  I was about to help him put it in the back of my car, but when he moved to my trunk, I suddenly remembered that my husband had bought me a bike rack!  I looked to the man with a small laugh and said "See how good God is?  He moved someone to help you who actually could and had a bike rack!"  I set my phone on top of the car and told him not to let me forget it there.... after all, I had done so many weeks ago and drove off.

We spent a good deal of time trying to figure the bike rack out, and he asked me "Oh, so you believe in God too, huh?"  I told him yes, and we discussed that a little before we got back into the car. He told me that he attended a non-denominational church, and Jason and I are non-denominational!  We've been searching for a church, so I thought this was incredible.  Plus, the guy is helping open a restaurant which will be ready on the 20th, and he invited us over to have a free meal for my kindness.  How wonderful, right?  

Well, as I was driving him to his hotel... it suddenly dawned on me.... my phone.... I had driven off with it on top of the car... AGAIN. Except this time... my phone was NOT in its case.  I just knew my luck could not be as good as it was last time.  The phone had been resting towards the inside of the road, traffic was nuts... and with no cover?  I just KNEW it has to be gone.  Plus, unlike the last time, I had not been able to hear it fall off the car, and had drive quite a distance. There was NO telling where it might be.

The man felt terrible guilty, but I kept my panic down and just kept biting back my emotions.  "Please God, let me find my phone and let it be okay."  That's all I could say!  The man tried to reassure me as well.  "God wouldn't have you do something nice for someone else and then have something bad happen to you as a result."  

I put on the emergency lights and the man hopped out to help me look. We searched ALL the way up and down the road, and the more we looked, the less I was able to hold back.  I started jogging up and down the road, and finally, I sat in the car and buried my hands in my face. I can't afford a new phone, and now all that money would go to waste!  I pleaded with God to please help me, and got back up... dusted myself off.

The sight that met my eyes was the man I had picked up... holding my phone in the air and waving it to me! I nearly cried in happiness!  Bizarrely enough.... the phone was NOT on the road I had driven....!!!!  And God had led the man to look there anyways.  Furthermore... there's just a scratch, and the phone works perfectly. I have learned NOT to place my phone on top of the car... ever... ever again.  I don't even know how I left it there.... you'd think that as you got into the car... you'd see it right in front of you and pick it up... but nope.

Here's the damage:


Anyways, as we got back into the car, I halfway joked with the man.  "I hope I didn't lose my ring while I was jogging."  (For those of you that read the thread about my walk with my little sister, I had taken my ring off during the tour because my fingers swell when I exercise and get hot.)  I felt my pockets... and I swear ... I thought I felt the ring!

I dropped the man off and got home... but when I emptied my pockets.. no ring was to be found.  It was too dark to go out and look.  Besides that.... there are a LOT of places it could be. I think I had it the whole day while I was with my little sister, but what if I lost it before I helped that man? If that's the case..... it could be ANYWHERE.

I tried not to worry about it. If it fell off in the car, it's not like it'd go anywhere.  If it fell off on the road... well... nobody ever walks that road, so the chances of someone picking it up (especially at night) are negligible. Instead... I told my husband about the man and the church we might possibly like.... only to discover that I could not recall his name or the church's name!  We called the hotel and I described the man to the hotel clerk, but he did not know the man's name or what room he was in.  I even found the restaurant's facebook page and messaged it, but the page isn't owned by him and I didn't know who would read the message.  There was no response, and the night went on with a lot of events having no closure, which was disappointing.

So yesterday when I woke up, I tore apart my car, my dining room, and my backpack... my ring wasn't in any of those locations. Thus, when I got home from work, I decided to walk along that road where I searched for my phone.  It had stormed and rained... and I don't know exactly -where- I had jogged.  If the ring fell in the grass, it could be buried in mud and leaves. If it fell on the road, it could have been kicked up by tires and/or washed down the sewer drain...  Thus, I was walking terribly slowly.  I heard a shout behind me... and guess who it was?

It was that man again!  He was walking this time, and he joked with me "What'd you lose this time?" I told him that I had lost my wedding ring.  "Didn't you feel it in your pocket yesterday?"  I responded that I must have misinterpreted what I felt in my pocket, and he walked alongside me to help me look for it. I got to talk to him a bit more, and this time I made SURE I got his name, number, and church!

Well.. we didn't find the ring. I feel terrible sad... and very guilty. I loved the ring.  I mean... obviously, it was my wedding ring, but Jason didn't buy it for me. I bought it for myself and have worn it as my wedding ring. It's REAL jewelry, but I got it at a police auction for $1... yes... just ONE dollar. I've never seen another ring like it in all these years, and it was the PERFECT ring for me.  For some reason, I took pictures of it two years ago and have never deleted them, though I often thought about the futility of having the pictures (and came close to deleting them).



I know it's difficult to see, but it's pretty simple.  It's a gold band with two overlapping and textured zig-zags in the middle.  These are surrounded with a row of tiny 'diamonds' on top and bottom of the band.

My finger feels so naked without it, and I cried the first night I lost it.  My husband tried to console me (since he doesn't particularly care for such things).  You see.... there was also change, keys, and an arm phone case in my pocket... NONE of those fell out.. so why would ONLY my ring fall out?  My husband told me that maybe someone is getting married (who can't afford a ring) and needed it more than I do.

I wish I knew where to get another one. I mean....obviously, I want my original... but if I could at least get one that LOOKS the same...it would be better than nothing.  I can't imagine where a different ring at all, and I don't care about carats or dollar signs.

My husband says he will get me a new ring, but although I told him he can get something cheap... he refuses.  He says his condition is that I can't pick it out, and that he get something 'real'.  I'm not very fond of the idea, to be honest. For one, buying something with a price tag on it means that we can't afford it for a long.... long time.

I know it's been two days, but I also know finding my ring will be impossible unless God wants me to find it.  What should I do in the meantime?  How unlikely is it to get a ring like this?  How expensive is it (if even possible) to show a jeweler a picture and get it "recreated"?  Should I just buy a petite little ring (that's how I like 'em), or would that be inconsiderate towards my husband?  I feel so odd without my ring, and my bare finger just reminds me of the loss and makes me sad. I loved my old ring so very much, and I'm not even a materialistic person in the least.

Singelli : I was sort of in the same boat as you when my wife and I first got married. At the time, we could only afford one of us to get a wedding ring, and I figured it had to be her, right? It wasn't any problem for me to think that my wife had a wedding ring, but I did not. If your husband really loves you, then he shouldn't mind if you got a "petite little ring" since that is how you like them anyways. I will keep helping you pray that you do in fact find it.

I also think that its really sweet that your husband tried to console you and said that "someone else that is getting married needed it more than you do." That was a really cool thing to say, in my opinion. It sounds like he really doesn't want you to worry about it that much, and frankly I don't think you should, either. But if it really means that much to you, then just take your husband with you to try to find the best ring you can find that looked like your old one. You probably won't find one that looks EXACTLY the same, but if you do come around to getting a new one, I think both of you will feel better about it over time.

Just remember that God has a unique plan for everybody. If you don't find your ring, then one day, some guy will be walking down the street on his way to his girlfriend's house so happy (possibly skipping even) because he is about to ask the woman he loves to marry him. On the way, he'll find your ring and think it will be perfect for her. I know for a fact that if I was you, I will be thinking about that story, and it will make me smile and forget about the old ring, and start being more happy about the new one.

But life goes on Kelli. I wish you the best!

Judging by the design, it would be easy to replicate by jewelers, however, prepare your pocket for the price because custom made rings would always be pricier than their own original creations. Plus it's usually illegal to replicate a ring (specially those that are designed by renowned shops) so you're gonna deal with "shady" business here.

Second, it certainly won't feel the same.

There are some accessory makers that offer custom designing for a cheaper price but those won't be real jewelries.

Lastly, depending on what kind of person your husband is, buying a replacement ring on your own even though he's offered to buy you a new one might hurt his feelings. You can just go with him in a store and pick a ring together though.

I think if your husband wants to buy a ring, it might be nice to let him. You can get 'real" rings for very good prices online especially. Especially if it's a simply gold band with a design and no diamonds.

In the end, though, you could always talk to him about it again, mention that if he buys you an expensive one, you might just loose it again, so a cheaper one would be best.

Juliet :  I wanted to say thank you for that information. I had no idea that copying rings was illegal...O.o.... but that makes perfect sense, really.  I do know that my ring didn't have anything at all etched into it though, which is sort of weird, I guess.  I was afraid it would be pricey even if it was legal though.... but some small hope told me maybe it wouldn't be. After all, I don't really need it to be made of anything valuable.

There are usually Facebook pages, like swap or trading pages. Try looking them up, and post something to see if maybe anybody has come across it. I did the same with my military class ring that was stolen. I got some information, but I never got it back. Maybe it will be different for you. I think it's worth a try. Believe me, I know how valuable things can be without a price tag. I was devastated, and I am still am, about my Military Class Ring. 

Back in the day people would happily make so with a piece of string,  it's only meant as a symbol of eternal commitment.  The item itself is not so important. 
A more positive outlook would be a new ring representing a new beginning,  much like when people renew your vow.
Equally you could be gladdened that your husband is so committed to getting you another one and consoling you. 
The loss of it has reaffirmed he cares about you.
I'd dwell more on the positives, the negatives won't get you anywhere. 

thenumberone :  (I know I say this a lot but...) If I had another like... I'd like your post. Thank you very much.  

I'm not a materialistic person, so for me it's not about the loss of a WEDDING ring.... or about it symbolizing my marriage.  Instead, I just simply liked the ring very much and have worn it for 7 or 8 years.  About a year and a half ago, I also lost a ring my mom gave to me (and she gave an identical one to my twin).  I had worn THAT ring since I was 12 (15 years).  They were the only pieces of jewelry I really wear, so yeah... I was a bit upset.

However.. I very, very muchly like what you said about a new start.  I mean... I've been working hard since June to redefine me and establish personal freedom. I think what you said... well.. that's the best thing in this thread.  (no offense, anyone else). It made me very happy.

So again... thank you so much.  Sometimes, one person says just the right thing...