Invercargill Airport cleaner finds missing diamond ring after intensive three-day search

The owner of the ring says she is forever grateful for the cleaner's diligence and honesty. Photo / Getty Images

Le-Ann Peterson spent three days going through every nook and cranny of Invercargill Airport in order to find a traveller's lost diamond ring.

After hearing that the traveller had misplaced the family heirloom, Peterson did not hesitate to help and began a three-day-long treasure hunt for the 3.25-carat diamond ring.

A woman realised she was missing her large diamond ring just before she had to depart her flight out of Invercargill.

The traveller was joined by airport staff in a frantic search for the ring but no one could find it before she had to board her flight. She left, heartbroken at the prospect of having lost a much loved family heirloom.

The ring had belonged to the traveller's late mother, who had designed it herself and personally chosen the stones. The single old-European cut diamond was surrounded by six other diamonds and the ring is estimated to be worth more than $100,000.

Cleaner Le-Ann Peterson said she felt terribly sorry for the owner of the piece.

"If it was my mother's ring, I would have been heartbroken, and we all wanted to help her get it back," she said, quoted by Stuff.

Peterson, who works at Invercargill Airport for facilities management company OCS, went the extra mile to find the ring. She kept searching, as well as doing her regular cleaning job, going through vacuum cleaner bags full of dust, to check the diamond ring hadn't accidentally been sucked up.

After three days, against all odds, she found the ring.

"I saw something glinting in the sun over by the wheelchairs. I ran towards it and wrapped it in my hand and people were asking to look at it but I wasn't letting it go," she said.

"My grandpop had died a few days before and I think it was a sign from him that I found it."

The owner of the ring says she'll always be grateful for Peterson's diligence and honesty.

The cleaner said she didn't know how much the ring was worth but that didn't matter to her.

"It doesn't matter if it was worth $500 or $5 million. It was precious to that lady, so I did my best to find it for her."