A couple were left in tears after their long-lost engagement ring was found in a toilet - 21 years after going missing.
Shaina Day, from Lakeland in Florida, US, was left devastated after she lost her engagement ring just days before her wedding day.
Husband Nick was informed the ring had been accidentally flushed down the toilet.
He told WFLA-TV : "She came to me one day and said, "I think I lost my ring," 'She said, "It was on the counter. Now it’s gone, and I think I may have flushed it down the toilet on accident."
But after more than two decades Nick's mum, Renee, decided to replace her toilet but was left astonished when their plumber found a ring lodged inside porcelain bowl last month.
The distraught couple had previously tried to recover the ring as Shaina even checked their septic tank system in the hope of recovering the jewellery.
She said: "I climbed down into the septic tank so we could pump it, every bit of it, through a strainer to try to find it. No luck."
The husband and wife replaced the engagement ring but also longed to find the missing piece.
Fortunately, after Nick's mum decided to upgrade her bathroom, the ring was found as Renne recalled the moment the plumber found the sentimental item.
She said: "He said, "Do you think it's Shaina's ring?"' 'I looked at it again, and I went, "Oh my God, yes!"'
The ring was deep-cleaned and gift-wrapped to the husband and wife by Nick's parents on Christmas Day.
Nick revealed he 'knew exactly what it was' when the pair opened the gift.
Shania was left emotional after opening up the ring, she added: "It was kind of an ugly cry. I sat there and I was like, "Oh my gosh, this is my ring. This is my ring." I’m wiping my eyes and mascara is going everywhere."
The husband and wife are debating whether to incorporate the diamond of the ring into a new piece of jewellery for future generations - as they believe it will be a heirloom with an incredible backstory.
But as the pair decide there has been a lesson learnt after losing their much-loved ring for over two decades.
Nick joked: "Check your toilets when you lose things."
