In a heartwarming incident at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a woman accidentally lost the diamond set in her engagement ring while returning to the local airport. Several airport staff who were complete strangers to her spent hours assisting her in the search, eventually recovering the precious gem that held great sentimental value to her. This experience not only restored her faith in humanity but also showed her the bright side of human nature.
According to KDKA TV station, the incident took place last Friday on June 13th – a seemingly unlucky day for the woman named April Schmitt, who had just returned to Pittsburgh after working in Los Angeles for 17 days.
As she was retrieving her luggage at the airport, misfortune struck. Her hand got stuck while reaching for her suitcase on the conveyor belt, causing the diamond on her engagement ring to come loose.
She said, “My hand got caught between the suitcase and the edge of the conveyor belt. It pinched my hand, so I quickly pulled it back.”
In a state of shock, she proceeded with her suitcase, but about 30 minutes later, as she was driving close to home, she noticed something amiss with the engagement ring on her ring finger – the diamond was missing.
This ring was given to her by her husband in 1992 and held significant meaning for her. Upon realizing the diamond was gone, she felt dismayed and physically unwell. She immediately returned to the airport and began searching for her lost diamond at the luggage claim area.
Shortly after, several airport employees, including engineer Tom Riordan, joined the search effort. Riordan described the conveyor belt as a “steel maze”.
Despite spending around 90 minutes without success in finding the diamond, Schmitt sadly had to head back home, but the others continued their diligent efforts. Despite multiple flights arriving and numerous passengers’ suitcases, they did not give up. Four hours later, Schmitt received a call informing her that they had located the 1.25-carat diamond.
Schmitt exclaimed, “I was literally in shock. I was euphoric. I couldn’t get to the airport fast enough.”
This diamond held extraordinary meaning for Schmitt. It was with this diamond that her husband proposed to her on Friday the 13th in March 1992, and they got married on a Friday the 13th in November of the same year. Now, on Friday the 13th in June 2025, she considers this unfortunate day as her luckiest day.
Schmitt added, “Honestly, it restored my faith in humanity.”
She further remarked, “These people didn’t know me at all, didn’t know how long I had been married, didn’t know anything about my husband, the emotional or economic value of this gem, but none of that mattered to them, they were just focused on doing the right thing.”
This airport had a similar incident in 2023 when a passenger lost a diamond, and the airport staff helped recover it.
Previously reported by Epoch Times, when Brett Tunno and Kristen Tunno, a couple, were preparing to leave the airport, Kristen noticed that the central diamond in her engagement ring was missing. This ring was a gift from her 99-year-old grandmother.
The airport customer service personnel, April Laukaitis, subsequently searched the restroom and found Kristen’s diamond on the restroom floor. This discovery left Kristen overjoyed and grateful for the assistance.
(Source: Epoch Times)