Diamond Ring Lost At Bottom Of Lake Elsinore Returned To Owner

LAKE ELSINORE (CBS) — A diamond ring that was once lost at the bottom of Lake Elsinore has made its way back to its grateful owner.

Sonya Dravenstatt was devastated last summer when she lost her wedding ring in a boat mishap at Lake Elsinore. The ring had been safely tucked into her purse after she received a new diamond ring from her husband, Ronnie, in celebration of their 25th anniversary.

That afternoon, the boat sank, and her purse went down with the boat.

A year later, Pam and Cliff Ayers found Sonya Dravenstatt's purse floating in the lake. The ring was still tucked inside a zippered pocket.

"It was just a really pretty solitaire diamond ring," Pam Ayers said. She thought, "Oh my goodness, this is valuable and I know someone was missing this."

The Ayers' first thought after finding the ring was to find its owner. So the honest couple looked through the purse and found checks with Sonya Dravenstatt's name and contact information.

"She was excited to find her ring," Pam Ayers said.

Dravenstatt says it was nice to have the ring back, and even better to know someone was honest enough to track her down and return it to her.

"It was pretty exciting to see it again. We had long forgotten -- everything had been replaced, driver's license, everything," Dravenstatt said. "So it was neat. It was neat that someone would care enough to investigate."

Dravenstatt says she'll keep wearing her new ring on her left hand and will wear the old one on her right.