Woman Loses Bracelet of 'Sentimental Value'—Then Security Cam Reveals Truth
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A California woman feared the worst when a priceless family heirloom went missing—but, thankfully for her, a little modern technology saved the day.
Everyone is guilty of losing something from time to time. In 2023, a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted by the jewelry firm Shane Co. revealed Americans lose around five items a month and spend an average of 16 minutes searching for them.
Antonella, a woman from Chatsworth in California, found herself embroiled in one of those searches last month, after her mother realized a prized personal item was missing. "My mom noticed her bracelet was missing when we got back from the store," Antonella told Ring. "She immediately said, 'Oh no, it fell at the store!'"
The slow process of trying to work out where the bracelet could be had begun in earnest, but it wasn't long before Antonella hit upon an inventive idea that would utilize the Ring security cameras' position inside and outside the house.
"We started to retrace our steps around the house when we were unloading groceries, which is when I thought of looking through our Ring cameras," Antonella said.
In doing so, the mother and daughter were able to deduce where the bracelet could be, although its likely location was not the most inviting.
"By carefully reviewing footage from the front door, garage, and side gate, I was able to pinpoint the exact moment it slipped off while she was taking out the trash," Antonella said.
What followed was a slow, methodical and often-unpleasant forage back through the trash to try to find the missing bracelet.
Footage of Antonella and her mom wading through the trash to look for the jewelry was captured on a Ring device in the backyard of their home, with the footage subsequently shared with Newsweek.
Despite the fact they were looking for something tantamount to a needle in a haystack, Antonella and her mom never gave up hope of finding the bracelet, as the Ring footage shows.
The pair were eventually rewarded for their efforts too when they eventually located the irreplaceable piece, down at the bottom of the trash can.
Despite the unsavory nature of what they were doing, both Antonella and her mom couldn't help but be overjoyed at finding the piece, which was of special significance to their family.
"It was such a relief to find it, especially because it holds deep sentimental value connected to our late grandparents," Antonella said.
The experience has also opened Antonella's eyes to one of a series of potential alternative uses for her Ring security camera system that she had never considered.
"This was the first time we used a Ring to find a lost item, and now I always tell people how powerful it is for more than just security," Antonella said. "We're so grateful. Ring truly brought peace of mind in an emotional moment."
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