A 23-year-old clubber who found another woman’s engagement RING in her handbag after a drunken night out has launched a world-wide appeal to find the mystery owner.
Sophie Reynolds found the expensive antique gold and pearl band last Sunday after celebrating her friend’s birthday the night before.
When she recalled the evening she remembered consoling a tearful blonde woman in a takeaway shop at 4.30am who told her she had been cheated on by her fiancé and gave her the ring.
Kind-hearted Sophie posted an appeal on Facebook and Twitter for the woman to contact her but she was stunned when she received offers to help from around the globe.
Sophie, a purchasing administrator from Lincoln, has had her appeal retweeted tens of thousands of times from people in Australia, America and Europe.
She said: “Me and my friends were out celebrating a 24th birthday at a club called Lola Lo’s in Lincoln.
“We had a good night and as we were going to get a taxi home I popped into a local kebab house to get a pizza.
“Once I ordered, I looked across the counter and saw this girl crying, she was on her own and had her head in her hands on the counter so I went over to see if she was okay.
“I asked her what was wrong and she told me she had just found out her fiance had cheated on her, she was distraught.
“We spoke for about ten or 15 minutes and I kept trying to calm her down and told her she deserved better.
“I vaguely remember her taking the ring off and telling me that she needed to get closure from the relationship and the only way to do that was to get rid of the ring.
“I don’t remember taking it from her, I think she must have just put it in the bag, but soon after she said that we said our goodbyes and I got in a taxi home.
“When I tweeted picture of the ring and an appeal for help I wasn’t really expecting any responses but within hours I was getting messages from around the world.
“People were desperate to find out if they could help and some said they recognised the ring. It was amazing, the appeal went viral, it was mad.”
Despite their heart-to-heart in the Charcoal Grill takeaway in Lincoln, neither of the girls exchanged numbers or even got one another’s name.
The next evening Sophie emptied her bag and noticed in a zip compartment that she had the woman’s ring – which she believes may be a family heirloom.
She added: “When I found it, it gave me a flashback and I started to remember the conversation, but I was sure I didn’t take the ring from her, she must have put it in there.
“I felt horrible, I still do and I just want to find her and give it back to her.
“All I know is that she had blonde hair, was wearing a black-and-red tartan top and spoke with a Yorkshire accent.
“I have looked on the clubs website at pictures and haven’t found her, I don’t know if she was from the area, she might have been visiting.
“But the ring is lovely, it looks like a family heirloom and I am sure she is missing it, I have called the club and they don’t know anything about it, all I want to do is find her.
“I just want it back to her, it does looks old fashioned and worn, but it looks like it has sentimental value, it could have been passed down by generations of a family and now I’ve got it.
“I shouldn’t have it and just want to get it back to its rightful owner.”
