When Melissa Greene discovered a special keepsake of hers had been found on a boardwalk in Prince Edward Island, she was in disbelief.
The B.C. born-and-raised woman said her Canadian travels have never taken her further east than a trip to Banff.
A gold ring with intricate Haida designs, hand-carved by her father Tom, had taken quite the journey since she last saw it 13 to 14 years ago.
“I have no idea what that journey entailed,” Greene said. “But I’m glad that it’s come full circle.”
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Her sister Shoshannah was the first to alert Greene of the jewelry’s discovery.
“She text messaged me a CBC article, and as soon as I opened it, I thought, why is there a picture of my old ring in here?” she said.
Greene read the article – Newfoundland woman looking for owner of ring found on Cavendish Beach in 2018 – a few times in a row, and learned how her keepsake was located by Christa Stacey while on a trip with her fiancé.
The East Coast woman had been doggedly searching for the ring’s owner for almost three years.
Greene quickly got in touch with Stacey through social media and sent her a few pics of her father’s other carvings to prove the piece of jewellery once belonged to her.
Stacey has put the ring in the mail, and Greene expects it any day.
To show her gratitude, Greene plans on commissioning her sister, Shoshannah – who is also a Haida artist – to paint something nice for Stacey.
She would also like to visit the East Coast to express her thanks in person.
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The ring was a late 19th birthday present, Greene recalled.
Her father, who lived in Haida Gwaii, had never carved gold before, she said, and was excited to give her the first piece.
He asked her what she wanted on it, and she decided a hummingbird would be nice.
She treasured it, but fell upon some troubled times, where many of her possessions were lost.
“I had a really dark phase in life,” Greene said.
“I didn’t care about life, and wasn’t making good life choices. I didn’t care about stuff, and I lost everything.”
Seven years ago, she made a complete turnaround, and has been regaining much of what she had squandered while battling addiction.
The lost ring’s miracle recovery is a sign she’s on the right path, Greene believes.
“A lot of people I was in recovery with have watched my life come full circle, and they thank the ring coming back is like a completion of the process I’ve been going through.”
Is there more to the story? Email: ronan.p.odoherty@blackpress.ca
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The boardwalk in P.E.I. where Greene’s ring was spotted. (Special to The News)
