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See how a kind stranger came through for a couple who lost their rings

Jazmin was in a rush to get to work and dropped her engagement ring and wedding band in a parking lot. They ended up in the hands of a kind stranger.
/ Source: TODAY

If you’ve ever lost something valuable, you know the feeling that accompanies that moment: sheer panic.

That was definitely Jazmin’s experience when she realized that, of all things, her engagement ring and wedding band were nowhere to be found.

“I was at a juice bar and I got out in a rush, but I didn’t think I had dropped them,” Jazmin, who has asked that her last name not be included, told TODAY.

Wedding rings returned
"The second she opened it up she just started bawling," said Toni Brooks, who returned the rings to their grateful owner.Courtesy Simon G

Jazmin, 27, and her husband, Juan, 28, live near Irvine, California. They were on their way to work together recently when the rings went missing, but they were both confident the precious jewelry would turn up.

About a week later, Toni Brooks, 34, was at her job as an administrative assistant when someone came in with an engagement ring they had found in the parking lot, not too far from the juice bar. Brooks initially assumed that it belonged to one of the women in her office, but after checking, she knew she had someone else’s ring.

Brooks was savvy enough to check the inside of the ring for branding and a serial number.

“So I went online and reached out to Simon G. (the brand),” Brooks told TODAY. “While they were looking to find the owner, about four days later my quality manager looks down on the ground and finds the second ring.”

Toni Brooks and Jazmin
Toni Brooks (left) and Jazmin (right) made sure to grab a quick photo after their crazy experience.Courtesy Simon G

Luckily, Simon G. Jewelry was able to trace the ring back to its place of purchase. The brand contacted the jewelry store, Robbins Brothers in Costa Mesa, California. Simon G. Jewelry then reached out to both Brooks and Jazmin and helped them facilitate a meetup at this store.

Brooks wrapped the rings in tissue paper so that it would look nice for Jazmin and Juan.

“They were both there, and it was just great,” said Brooks. “The second she opened it up she just started bawling.”

Brooks said that Juan told her the story of how he purchased the rings when he was young, and how he had worked so hard for so long to pay them off.

Simon G ring that belongs to Jazmin
"Before I lost them, I was just looking at my rings and admiring them," said Jazmin.Courtesy Simon G

Jazmin and Brooks also discovered that they worked right around the corner from one another, which is how the rings wound up in Brooks' hands.

“Just before I lost them, I was looking at my rings admiring them,” said Jazmin. “I kept thinking about the sentimental value of my rings and how he was so young and worked so hard to buy them.”

Both couples took away a precious experience: Jazmin and Juan got their rings back, and Brooks successfully solved her office's parking lot mystery.

“It’s a symbol of love,” said Brooks. “And seeing both of their faces when they got it back from me made everything worth it.”

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