10-year-old boy discovers diamond wedding ring in Costco parking lot. What he did next surprised everyone…

During a recent Saturday morning outing with his father, a little kid who says he “has an eye for things that are shiny” saw a diamond wedding ring in a Costco parking lot. What followed moved his parents, as well as the owner of the ring.

Kal Blank, ten, told local St. Louis station KSDK that when he saw a sparkling object in the lot, he was instantly impressed by its weight. “I said, ‘Why is this so heavy?’” I placed it in my pocket, and it was like—whoa—just hanging down,” Kal said.

He eventually revealed his discovery to his mother, Dr. Kelli Blank.

“He drops this ring in my hand, and my hand about hits the floor,” she said, thinking, “This is a beautiful ring, and someone is missing it terribly.”

Indeed, the ring’s owner, Mae Pratzel, was distraught to realize that it was no longer on her finger. She told KSDK that she had lost some weight following recent surgery, and her typically snug-fitting ring slid off when she was returning her cart at Costco in Manchester, Missouri.

The ring’s central stone was the original diamond from her engagement ring, which was presented to her by her husband, Alan Pratzel, over 50 years ago and had been reset multiple times over the years.

“It was one of the most awful feelings,” Mae remarked after losing the ring. “We kept shouting, ‘It’s a thing; it’s a ring.’ “But it was more than that.”

Little did she know, the ring was on its way back to her in a very special way.

Kal’s mother phoned the Costco shop and discovered that someone had reported a missing ring with a description that matched the one her son had found. But before she and Kal returned the ring to the store, the 10-year-old did something unexpected—and really moving.

He polished the ring and placed it in a unique box that Kelli had brought back from her vacation to Ireland. He then sat down to write a message to Mae.

“I wanted to keep it ’cause it was pretty and shiny,” he wrote to her, according to KSKD, before finishing with, “I hope you relax now that you have your ring back.”

Mae later drove from Springfield, Missouri, to the Manchester shop to reconnect with her ring.

She then contacted Kal and his parents to thank them for their compassion, and the conversation took an unexpected turn, revealing some links between the two families. One of Mae’s grandkids goes to school with Kal’s sister, Josephine. In addition, Kal’s father, Shane Blank, an assistant US attorney, had professional ties to Mae’s husband, Alan, a retired lawyer.

Mae and Alan insisted on meeting Kal in person to thank him once again. When the pair arrived at the Blanks’ house with gifts, Mae quickly approached Kal, placed her arms over his shoulders, and whispered, “You don’t know how special you are to me!”

She then told the boy’s parents, “He is an exceptional kid, and you guys have to be so proud.”

Alan told KSDK that Kal’s considerate gift for his wife “just restores your faith in humanity.”

Kelli, who stated that her son “has been a finder of things since he was old enough to walk,” said Kal generally keeps the “treasures” he discovers in the world in a separate collection that includes anything from coins and rocks to other trinkets.

However, he was delighted to make an exception for Mae, returning her ring just in time for the Pratzels’ 50th wedding anniversary in December.