A shiny surprise in the parking lot
On an ordinary Saturday morning in St Louis, 10-year-old Kal Blank was tagging along with his dad on a Costco run when something on the ground caught his eye. Kal, who proudly says he has “an eye for shiny things”, spotted a glimmer in the parking lot.
“I was like, ‘Why is this so heavy?’” Kal told local station KSDK. The object was no ordinary trinket—it was a diamond wedding ring, so large and weighty that Kal’s pocket sagged when he slipped it inside.
Little did he know that tiny moment of curiosity would spark a heartwarming story of honesty, kindness, and unexpected connections.
A mom’s jaw drops
Kal couldn’t keep his discovery to himself for long. When he showed the ring to his mom, Dr Kelli Blank, she was stunned.
“He drops this ring in my hand, and my hand about hits the floor,” Kelli recalled. “This is a beautiful ring, and someone is missing this terribly.”
And she was right. The ring’s owner, Mae Pratzel, had just endured the gut-wrenching realisation that her beloved diamond band had slipped off her finger while she was returning her cart.
“It was one of the most awful feelings,” Mae told reporters. “We kept saying, ‘It’s a thing; it’s a ring.’ But it was more than that.”
The ring’s centre stone was the original diamond from her engagement, given by her husband, Alan, over 50 years ago. Reset multiple times through the decades, it was steeped in memory and meaning.
More than just returning a ring
Kelli quickly called Costco, where staff confirmed someone had indeed reported a missing ring. But before the family returned it, Kal decided to do something extra special.
First, he polished the ring until it gleamed. Then he placed it inside a keepsake box his mom had brought home from Ireland. Finally, the 10-year-old sat down and penned a heartfelt note to the stranger who had lost it.
“I kind of wanted to keep it ’cause it was pretty and shiny,” he confessed in his message, before sweetly assuring, “I hope you relax now that you have your ring back.”
For Mae, who was devastated by the loss, those words carried as much weight as the diamond itself.
A reunion full of surprises
When Mae arrived to reclaim her ring, gratitude wasn’t the only thing exchanged. During a phone call to thank the Blanks, she discovered surprising ties between their families.
One of Mae’s grandchildren attends the same school as Kal’s sister, Josephine. And Kal’s father, Shane Blank — an assistant U.S. attorney — had crossed professional paths with Mae’s husband, Alan, a retired lawyer.
The coincidences didn’t stop there. When Mae and Alan later visited the Blanks’ home to thank them in person, Mae immediately embraced Kal. “You don’t know how special you are to me!” she told him before turning to his parents with tears in her eyes. “He is an extremely special kid, and you guys have to be so proud.”
Restoring faith in humanity
Alan echoed his wife’s feelings, telling KSDK that Kal’s thoughtful gesture “just restores your faith in humanity.”
Kal’s mom wasn’t surprised, though. She explained that her son has been a treasure hunter since he was little, collecting everything from rocks to coins. While he usually adds his discoveries to his personal “treasure box”, he knew this one didn’t belong to him.
Returning the ring wasn’t just the right thing to do—it turned out to be the perfect gift. Mae and Alan will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary this December, with her treasured diamond right where it belongs.
And as for Kal? He still has an eye for shiny things — but now, he also has a reputation for having a heart of gold.
