A Los Angeles woman has shared how she thought she’d stumbled on the thrift-store discovery of a lifetime after finding something unexpected in the pocket of a coat she bought online.
Jaymie Rubin, 30, said she purchased the black faux‑fur coat for about $30 from the resale platform Poshmark while planning winter outfits for an upcoming Aspen trip.
When she was recording a video trying on the coat, she slipped her hand into a pocket and pulled out what looked like a diamond ring.
Clearly shocked, she looked at the camera and said: “Do we think it’s real?”
“I did pay for the coat. I bought it on Poshmark,” Rubin told Newsweek. “I was filming a video about outfits I want to wear in Aspen and then found the ring. The video is my true reaction.”
Rubin shared the video on TikTok where it has been viewed more than 860,000 times. Comments followed, from suggestions on what to do with the ring and speculation on the value.
Unsure whether she had stumbled on an expensive heirloom piece, Rubin sought clarity.
“I did bring it to a jeweler and it’s not real, totally costume jewelry,” she said.
While disappointed, in a follow-up video she explained: “I mean it’s still pretty, it’s still a statement piece. I’m kind of relieved that I’m glad I don’t have to go through the trials and tribulations of trying to get someone’s antique ring back to them.”
“Look in the inside. For 14K or 10k. Good Luck. Great find,” said one viewer. While other TikTokers shared their own stories of unexpected thrift finds.
One commenter said: “I bought a purse and there was $50 in one of the pockets. I guess the person returned it after using.”
Another wrote: “I found a vintage wedding ring in a little musical jewelry box I thrifted.”
One commenter said: “Man all I find are used tissues in the pockets of the coats I’ve thrifted.” Another joked: “I found a dry cleaner receipt.”
While Rubin’s jewel find was not real, many thrift store shoppers have found themselves in the lucky position of uncovering jewelry in unexpected places.
Last year one shopper found “black pearls” in a store for just $10 before finding out that it was actually a string of freshwater pearls.
Meanwhile a shopper in Michigan stumbled on a pair of $2.71 earrings that were revealed to be vintage Chanel, worth up to $750.