Barry Landis, a retired jeweler who helps at Goodwill by sorting through donated jewelry, said that what caught his eye was the filigree swirls on the band. While 90% of the jewelry donated to Goodwill is costume jewelry, this 2.6 carat diamond ring may be the single most expensive donation given to the Harrisburg Goodwill.

But no one knows why the ring was donated. Was it a generous gift? An accident? Or maybe a relic from an ended marriage?

No one knows, but “We can have fun thinking up stories behind it” said Jennifer Ross a Goodwill spokesman.

Apparently Linda Vancel, from West Lafayette (go Boilers!), IN, took the ring off while making a batch of fudge and when she was done she couldn’t find the ring. Fortunately for her someone she knows at work had bought the fudge. A quick email discovered that her work acquaintance’s sister-in-law’s father, it’s a midwest thing, had noticed something hard when he bit in to the fudge and decided to look at it rather than assume is was just hard fudge and keep chewing.

The ring has been reunited with Linda and I’m hoping she bakes up a fresh batch of fudge to replace the crunchy fudge she made last time.