The sparkling diamond or gemstone with which your partner popped the question is undoubtedly one of your most prized possessions. So imagine losing it—and the soul-crushing fear you'd feel until you found it. It's enough to send a girl into a wine-induced tizzy. But these eight women—and one guy—don't have to imagine it. They lived through losing their engagement rings and are here to tell the scary tales.
"I thought I had lost my diamond-and-sapphire ring while visiting my mother in the at her summer place. I had been to the beach and thought it might have dropped into the sand, so I went back to the beach and dug for hours, everywhere, to no avail. As it turned out, I had left my ring at home in jewelry cleaner. I felt terrible and didn't tell anyone—definitely not my husband." —Wesley
"I just hired a personal trainer to get me ready for the big day, so I'm finding myself at the gym all the time these days. I have to take my ring off when I lift weights, so I usually leave it on top of my sweatshirt on the floor. I can't tell you how many times I've walked off to my next exercise, only to realize 30 minutes later that my ring is gone. Thank goodness it has usually been on the floor near my previous machine, but a girl has to learn!" —Candace
"My wife lost her engagement ring while she was helping me put concrete sidewalks in front of our house. Once the concrete work was done, we noticed her ring was gone. We couldn't find it in her gloves or anywhere else for that matter, so we assumed it was buried in the sidewalk. It was lost for what seemed like forever until one day, while doing the laundry, she noticed a sparkle in the lint trap of the dryer—and when she looked closer, she saw it was her ring. Evidently, she had put it in the small pocket on her jeans, and it remained there until it came out in the dryer." —Jonathan
"I once lost and found my ring on a road trip from Pennsylvania to Minnesota. On the road, we casually stopped at a McDonald's for a break. About an hour later, we stopped to visit family on the way and I quickly realized my ring was missing. I felt sick. We immediately searched the car and when we couldn't find it, we decided it must somehow be back at that McDonald's. We called the McDonald's, and my husband and family hopped back in the car to the restaurant. Two hours later, they returned with my ring. Some kind soul had found it and turned it in." —Sharon
"I lost my ring and eventually found it along the one-mile route I run every day. But before I found it, I lost my mind searching for it. When I realized it had to be somewhere on that one-mile stretch, I ordered a $7 lookalike for overnight delivery on Amazon—and my husband was none the wiser. Then I did a lot of 'running' that week for the ring. By some stroke of magical luck, I found it near the end of my block. Now I have a backup ring in case I ever lose it again." —Danielle
"During a bathroom renovation, I put away all my husband's valuables, but forgot to put away my own engagement ring. I left it out on my dresser, and one of the contractor's helpers took it. At first, I was convinced I lost it, but later the contractor called to tell us he'd overheard the helper bragging about taking it! The contractor tried to get it back personally from the helper, and kept his ear to the ground when he was unsuccessful. A few months later, he heard that my ring had been pawned. We provided the pawn ticket number and ring description to the police so they were able to retrieve the ring and return it to us. I judged myself and had a pit in my stomach every day it was gone. It was a miracle I got it back and I am so grateful for that." —Sarah
"I was getting my hair colored when I felt my finger was bare and immediately started shaking. I had no clue where my engagement ring was or where I had lost it. I tried to stay calm—after all, I couldn't run outside with color in my hair!—and the first thing I did was tell my husband. My husband and our children started looking for it at home, until I could come and join them. It was nowhere inside, so we went out back—and my husband spotted it on the deck, caught between two slats of wood. We couldn't believe it did not fall through the deck. I later realized that when it starts to get cold outside, my fingers to shrink and my ring becomes a bit loose. Now when it gets colder outside, I ensure my ring is on and try to keep my hands as warm as possible." —Shari
"My family and I went to the pool, and my husband told me to take my engagement ring off so it wouldn't fall off in the water. Bad move. I put it in the stroller and forgot it was in there, so on the way home, we realized I didn't have it. We opened the trunk and it wasn't in the stroller. And because we're Orthodox Jews and it was close to sunset on Friday—hours from the Sabbath—I was running out of time to look for it. We went back to the pool and looked everywhere, but couldn't find it. When looked through the car and couldn't find it. We tore apart all the pool bags and still couldn't find it. Finally, when we decided to give up and drive home, my husband spotted it on the parking lot ground. It felt like a miracle that it was just lying there." —Jennifer
"I lost my engagement ring at the Minneapolis airport. I flew home for a visit and placed my ring in my carry-on bag because I was nervous about removing it at the security checkpoint. But when I retrieved my luggage at baggage claim, I inadvertently left my carry-on bag on the cart. I didn't realize I had left my bag—and my ring!—behind until I arrived at my parents' home. Of course I called the airport's lost-and-found, but because of the significance and value of the ring, I couldn't wait and do nothing. I drove back to the airport that night and again the next day to look for my bag, and I finally found it in the lost-and-found cage with the ring still inside it. When I opened it, I started sobbing and hugged the clerk who had opened the cage for me. I probably lost three pounds in three days from anxiety and lack of eating." —Tricia
Have you ever lost your engagement ring? If so, how did you lose it—and how did you find it?