Tampa Treasure Hunters Recover Engagement Ring Lost in the Surf for Six Days

After six days of scouring the surf at Egmont Key on Florida's Gulf Coast, a brokenhearted Isliany Rawshdeh was nearly ready to give up her quest to find her cherished engagement ring — an irreplaceable custom keepsake that was lost on Memorial Day.

But, instead of throwing in the towel, the St. Petersburg, FL, resident acted on a tip and reached out to the West State Archeological Society, a Tampa-based club comprising amateur treasure hunters dedicated to preserving Florida history. Utilizing their keen skills and advanced equipment, the team was able to rescue the young woman's ring.

Rawshdeh couldn't have imagined that a joyful Memorial Day romp at the beach would be quickly turning into a nightmare. She had been playing volleyball in about five feet of water when her engagement ring went flying off her hand.

“I was like ‘Oh my God, no! I can’t believe this is happening.’ I told everyone not to move. ‘Please don’t move. We are going to find it,'” Rawshdeh told Tampa-based CW44.

Nearby beachgoers assisted in the search, but their efforts were in vain.

“People were snorkeling. We even got someone with a metal detector right quick and we couldn’t’ find anything,” she said.

Rawshdeh's determination to find the ring was motivated by what the one-of-a-kind ring symbolized to her and her family. It was custom made by her husband and his design included many special elements.

“Like everything has a meaning in the ring, so we were really devastated,” said Rawshdeh.

Jim Thobe, the president of the West State Archeological Society, acknowledged to CW44 that finding an engagement ring was a unique challenge for his group. They most often search for historical artifacts and coins.

Thobe assembled his members and they worked as a team to find Rawshdeh's ring. After a few hours on the scene, metal detectorist Mike picked up a signal and dug the ring out of the sandy bottom.

Mike gave the ring to Rawshdeh's husband, who saw this as a great opportunity for a surprise second proposal.

Rawshdeh explained how it went down… “He sat next to me and he kissed me and he says, ‘Sometimes life just smiles at you,' and put the ring on my finger again."

Credits: Screen captures via CW44 Tampa Bay.

54-Carat 'Chrysler Diamond' Edges Out 'Dancing Sun' As Top Lot at Christie's NY

Framed by an oversized graphic of New York City's iconic Chrysler Building, auctioneer Rahul Kadakia slammed his hammer down to close out the bidding on the top lot at Christie's Magnificent Jewels event on Tuesday. It was 1:25 in the afternoon, and the 54.03-carat "Chrysler Diamond" — Lot 136 — had just fetched $5.07 million, narrowly edging out the 204.36-carat "Dancing Sun" diamond, which earned $4.95 million 90 minutes earlier in the session.

Based on Christie's choice of background graphics, the New York auction house clearly anticipated that the Chrysler Diamond would be the star of the high-profile event. The internally flawless diamond had been owned by Thelma Chrysler, the daughter of industrialist Walter Chrysler, who self-financed the 1,046-foot-tall Chrysler Building, an Art Deco marvel that was, for a short time in 1930, the tallest building in the world.

As the heir to the Chrysler fortune, Thelma became a prominent figure in New York high society. Her wardrobe was so spectacular that much of it was bequeathed to the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art before her death in 1957.

Among Thelma's prized possessions was the pear-shaped Chrysler Diamond, which was then known as the Louis XIV diamond and weighed 62 carats. Later, under the direction of luxury jeweler Harry Winston, the Chrysler Diamond was recut to achieve the highest potential color and clarity of D-flawless. At 58.6 carats, the newly trimmed stone was mounted as the centerpiece of a tiara, which included six pear-shaped diamonds totaling 22 carats and 233 smaller diamonds weighing 120 carats.

Christie's reported that the opulent headpiece was exhibited in 1962 at the Louvre in Paris as part of the museum’s "Ten Centuries of French Jewels" exhibition.

Just a year later, the Chrysler Diamond was removed from the headpiece and paired with a second diamond weighing 61.08 carats. The pair of diamonds — now called "The Geminis" — were made into matching earrings and sold to Canadian socialite Eleanor Loder. During this time, the original Chrysler Diamond was recut to its current size of 54.03 carats.

In 1983, the earrings were acquired by a private collector, who chose to separate the Geminis and, instead, highlight the Chrysler Diamond as the centerpiece of a regal necklace adorned with 43 brilliant-cut, pear-shaped diamonds.

Bidding on the Chrysler Diamond started at $2.6 million and edged up in increments of $200,000, finally topping out at $4.2 million. With the Buyer's Premium, the final price was $5.07 million.

Two hours earlier, bidding on Lot 68, The Dancing Sun, also started at $2.6 million. Bidding accelerated in increments of $200,000, then $100,000 and then $50,000 until the price settled at $4.1 million. With the Buyer's Premium, the final price was $4.95 million.

The Fancy Intense Yellow, cushion modified brilliant-cut, VVS2-clarity gem had been cut from a rough stone called "552," a name that was a nod to its enormous 552.74-carat size. The gem had been unearthed at the Diavik Diamond Mine in Canada's Northwest Territories and has the distinction of being the largest rough diamond ever discovered in North America.

The winner bidders for the Chrysler Diamond and The Dancing Sun were not immediately revealed.

Credits: Screen capture via christies.com; Images courtesy of Christie's.

San Diego Padres' 'Swagg Chain' Honors Home Run Hitters and Player of the Game

Borrowing an idea from college football's Miami Hurricanes, the San Diego Padres recently unveiled the "Swagg Chain," a 10-inch tall, two-inch thick pendant emblazoned with 8,000 yellow and brown semi-precious stones. A player gets to wear the pendant if he hits a home run or is chosen as the Player of the Game. The piece features a spinning "SD" logo.

Made from 3,500 grams (7.7 pounds) of gold-plated sterling silver, the "Swagg Chain" resulted from a collaboration between Padres third baseman Manny Machado and New York-based luxury jeweler Gabriel Jacobs, who owns Rafaello & Co.

Jacobs pitched the idea to his long-time friend Machado during spring training in Arizona.

The jeweler told Fox 5 San Diego that he wanted to bring some swag to Major League Baseball.

"It's the oldest pastime sport in America," he said. "We wanted to give it a little flair, a bit of excitement, you know?"

Jacobs said that he and Machado traded design ideas, sending pictures back and forth. It was Machado's idea to include the spinning "SD" feature.

Back in 2017, the University of Miami football team introduced the "Turnover Chain," a massive, gem-encrusted pendant that was awarded to a defender who made an interception or fumble recovery. The chain featured a diamond-encrusted “U” hanging from a Cuban link chain. Shaped like the state of Florida, the 2020 edition of the chain was dotted with 4,000 orange, green and white sapphires set in 10-karat yellow gold.

In late May, slugger Fernando Tatis wore the "Swagg Chain" after the Padres' 9-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners, a game that included two Tatis dingers.

“Oh man, it’s amazing. We played good, and we deserve to look good,” Tatis said of the new bling. “It’s team bonding. We’re pushing for each other and we’re just having fun so far.”

Despite being pressed by a Fox 5 reporter, Jacobs would not reveal the value of the "Swagg Chain."

Credits: Screen captures via Youtube.com; Instagram.com/rafaelloandco.