A frantic fiancée's search for her lost rings was saved by her mum's makeshift sign.
Lucy Brock was beside herself after the three treasured bands - including her engagement ring and another inherited from her late gran - slipped from her finger.
The 36-year-old had placed the rings on her lap while putting on hand cream before picking up her mum Margaret to go wedding dress shopping in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
But in a momentary brain lapse, Lucy sprang from the car, throwing the rings onto the street.
Lucy, a vet, realised minutes later and rushed back to search for the jewellery, which included her silver diamond engagement ring, a white and gold twisted band ring for her 21st birthday and an 'irreplaceable' family heirloom vintage gold ring with two diamonds.
But after her search proved fruitless, with Lucy even reporting the missing rings to police, Margaret resorted to placing a sign in her living room window offering a £500 reward for the jewellery's return.
Three days later, she received an unexpected call.
Lucy told the Manchester Evening News : "I burst into tears at work when mum rang me to tell me they'd been handed in.
"I was convinced they had been stolen and was in utter disbelief to begin with. All three of them had been turned in and it made me so emotional and truly overjoyed."
Carmel Serridge, 63, had been walking her dog and was looking down to avoid the bright sunlight when she saw something glistening on the curb.
She said: "I saw the rings and picked them up out of the road, but it wasn't until I got home I realised these were valuable and clearly important. I hesitated to reach out on Facebook or knock on doors - people are quick on their feet to claim and I was worried they wouldn't be returned to the right owner.
"It wasn't until a few days later that I saw a big sign outside a residence asking for the rings that I rushed home to return them. I was relieved it was me that picked them up - I'm aware other people may have not returned them."
Fiancé Kieran Geoghegam, 37, had proposed to Lucy on holiday in the Peak District in August, and chose the ring himself.
Lucy said: "I was devastated to lose them, it's the sentimental value and you think is this really happening? There's so much emotion linked to my engagement ring - even if we had made them again it's not the same ring."
She realised the rings had disappeared as she headed to her wedding appointment.
Margaret said: "We drove for only a minute, having spent less than five minutes in my house when Lucy screamed 'my rings'. We did a three-point turn back to the street but there were no signs of any of the three rings.
"It was remarkable that within five minutes they were gone. There was nothing else we could do."
It wasn't until later in the week that Kieran suggested putting a sign outside Margaret's house - for the small possibility it would draw attention to somebody who has them.
Margaret could not believe she received a knock at her door and a lady held out the three rings to her.
She said: "The doorbell rang and I looked through the window to Carmel standing and pointing to her palm and saying she had the three rings, holding up a little blue velvet pouch. I really didn't dare believe it could be true.
"I was so happy but knew Lucy would be ecstatic. I hugged Carmel and thanked her profusely."
Carmel visited Lucy's vets to book in her dog's grooming appointment and dropped off a special little box for Lucy to keep her rings safe.
"It takes a really special kind of person to go that extra mile. Not only did she return the rings but she refused my mum's reward offered, and made me a gift."
