Friday 26 April 2013

Woman swallows $5,000 diamond: Colonoscopy turns into diamond treasure hunt

Woman swallows $5,000 diamond: Colonoscopy turns into diamond treasure hunt, After a woman accidentally swallowed a $5,000 diamond and the diamond did not show up on an X-ray, a colonoscopy turned into a diamond treasure hunt. After the hunt ended successfully, 80-year-old Miriam Tucker’s daughter immediately drove her mom and the treasure in a biohazard bag to the jewelry store where jewelers confirmed that the colonoscopy treasure was indeed the missing 1.03-carat diamond, reported the Tampa Bay Times on April 25, 2013.

“Early the next morning, she [80-year-old Miriam Tucker] alerted Dr. Bruce Edgerton ‘to be on lookout,’ briefing him on the case of the missing diamond. During Tucker's examination, the doctor struck, well, a diamond. With the stone in a biohazard bag, Tucker's daughter drove straight to the jewelry store. The jewelers confirmed Tucker's bling was the real thing. She took her prize home, cleaned, polished, sparkling.”

Each diamond has its own story and so does Miriam Tucker’s diamond.

The story of 80-year-old Miriam Tucker’s diamond begins in Tampa, Florida, at the Fashionollia fashion show fundraiser staged for the 65th year by the Tampa Woman's Club on April 20.

The diamond, “a round brilliant cut beauty appraised at $5,000,” found itself tossed into an equally brilliant glass of bubbly champagne by its owner, Continental Wholesale Diamond.

Unfortunately, the company of bubbling champagne and 280 beautiful women in the ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel International Plaza didn’t last too long. One of the beautiful women in the ballroom who had paid $20 for a glass of champagne and the chance to win a diamond unknowingly swallowed the diamond – and the dark, deep journey into a human’s digestive system began.

Just as surprised as the diamond was from the unexpected turn of events was 80-year-old Miriam Tucker, who lives in South Tampa, Florida.

"’I thought I'd drink a bit of champagne so I didn't have to stick my finger so far into the glass,’ said Tucker, a retired real estate broker. ‘We were laughing and talking when I realized I swallowed it. What a dumb thing’."

Somewhat embarrassed, Miriam Tucker didn’t want to draw attention to her little mishap of having accidentally swallowed a $5,000 diamond but after the ballroom was nearly empty, she finally confessed to the diamond’s unintended destination.

Fashionollia chairwoman Gina Roth took Miriam Tucker and the diamond to St. Joseph's Hospital for an X-ray only to learn that “the diamond didn't show up on the X-ray.”

As diamonds know well, sometimes nature has to take its course and "as luck would have it, she [Miriam Tucker] was scheduled for a colonoscopy in two days." Apparently, the right man for a quite unusual but successful diamond treasure hunt was Miriam Tucker’s gastroenterologist Dr. Bruce Edgerton.

Almost all diamonds have a story about a journey. However, not too many diamonds have a story like Miriam Tucker's diamond.

In the end, as Miriam Tucker’s son said, “All's well that ends well."

No comments:

Post a Comment