jamiejones@daltoncitizen.com
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During this past Christmas season, someone anonymously placed a diamond ring into a red Salvation Army kettle at the Walnut Avenue Kroger in Dalton.
This week, another person who wished to remain anonymous purchased the ring for $3,100.
Several people bid on the ring — a round, brilliant-cut diamond just a shade over one carat set in a 14-carat white gold, four-prong Tiffany mounting — while it was on display for auction at Maryville Jewelers during July.
The monetary infusion for The Salvation Army will go a long way to help area residents in need. In 2011, 4,025 families received assistance from the organization’s food bank. Since The Salvation Army opened another food bank in Murray County this year, the number of families seeking help is likely to double, said Pat Thompson, office manager at the local Salvation Army
“It will definitely help now because donations are always low in the summertime,” Thompson said. “Of course, we usually see more donations around the holidays. Both food banks were hit hard in July and into August. The food bank shelves are bare, so this will help us restock the food bank.”
Salvation Army officials were excited to receive the donation. The donor put the ring in a plain white envelope and placed it in the kettle. There was no information inside the envelope, so they held the ring for about a month. They then had it appraised before auctioning the ring during a “Christmas In July” promotion at Maryville Jewelers in downtown Dalton. The opening bid was $2,500.
“I think it’s a great thing that someone would actually donate their ring for a cause like The Salvation Army, to help them out the way they’re helping them out,” said J.T. Finley, co-owner of Maryville Jewelers. “We had several people asking about it and hoped that it was going well. I think it creates buzz for our community. I hope this spreads. I hope it continues. It just shows the spirit of our community.”
It was the second ring donated to the local Salvation Army. On Dec. 22, 2010, a couple approached bell ringers at the Kroger store in Calhoun. They had a diamond wedding ring and a Christmas card. On the back of the card was a handwritten note: “My husband and I are still deeply in love. We think you could make better use of this ring than we can. ‘All for Jesus.’” Below the note was the Bible verse John 1:14. The couple provided the background information on the ring such as carats, shape/cut and clarity.
That ring sold for $3,000.
