Finder and keeper...Aoife Calvey (right) with Deirdre Casey, who found Aoife's engagement ring on a Navan street. Photo: Seamus Farrelly.

Diamond rings are forever!

It’s rare that the loss of something precious results in a happy ending but that was exactly the case for Aoife Calvey from Navan who recently lost her engagement ring in the town.
Aoife was devastated when she realised she had lost both her engagement ring and another diamond ring on Monday 14th April and she spread the word everywhere she could think of in the hope that someone may have found them.
Aoife was elated when, two days later, she was reunited with her precious engagement ring thanks to local woman, Deirdre Casey, who found the ring on the street.
Aoife works in The Central Bar & Restaurant and explained that she took a 15-minute break on Monday 14th April to go across to the shopping centre to get Easter eggs.
She went to Tesco and Choice in the shopping centre and went back to work but, about an hour later, realised she had lost two rings - her engagement ring which had two diamonds and a pink diamond, and another diamond ring, given to her by her husband.
“I did very little afterwards that day. We searched The Central. All the staff were great and searched high and low but, in my gut, I knew it wasn’t in The Central,” recalled Aoife.
She then retraced her steps and walked up and down Kennedy Road several times without any luck but still did not give up hope.
“I didn’t accept I wasn’t going to see my ring again. I was praying to St Anthony and anyone else I could think of,” Aoife added.
She said her husband, Joe, was very understanding and kept telling her it was just a ring but every time she thought about it she said she “welled up”.
Aoife mentioned she had lost her ring to a customer she knew in The Central and he suggested that she should share the appeal on Facebook. So she went ahead and made the appeal, which quickly had more than 150 ‘shares’.
“So many people shared it. Everyone was great and they also gave me great ideas on where to go and what to do,” she added.
On Wednesday 16th April, two days after losing her rings, Aoife said a lady came into her place of work to say there was someone who might have something belonging to her.
It emerged that Deirdre Casey from Navan was crossing over from the AIB Bank towards Ribbon Rouge on Kennedy Road when the sun shone on the pink diamond in the ring which caught her eye and she picked it up.
Aoife explained that Deirdre’s sister, Celine, works in Smart Spot, which is beside The Central, and she walked up to the shop and showed it to her. Celine knew Aoife had lost her ring and thought maybe this was it.
Aoife couldn’t believe she had been reunited with her ring and has expressed her extreme gratitude to Deirdre. “I hoped it would be my engagement ring and I couldn’t believe it that the woman had picked it up,” she added.
“I really want to recognise how fantastic Deirdre is. She is a lovely lady and so honest,” added Aoife.
Aoife has also thanked everyone who helped look for her rings and all those who shared her appeal on Facebook. Unfortunately, her other diamond ring did not turn up but she said she is just grateful to have her engagement ring back, which is of huge sentimental value.