Before Racquel Cloutier went to the hospital to deliver her fifth child, she hid her $23,000 diamond wedding ring in a plain watch box to keep it safe from her two-year-old twins. As she was in the hospital recovering, her husband, Eric Cloutier, decided to hold a yard sale in part to keep the couple’s other children occupied. Only one problem: he accidentally put the watch box, containing the $23,000 ring inside, for sale – for $10 – and someone bought it.
Cloutier realized the ring was missing last week, when she returned from the hospital.
“I go into my husband’s closet, can’t find the box, and then he tells me he sold it. I said, ‘You sold it? What do you mean you sold it?’ I immediately started crying,” Cloutier told ABC News.
I’m very, very, very upset,” Cloutier continued. “I’m trying to remain optimistic but I don’t know anymore. There’s a small chance whoever bought the box doesn’t know the ring is in there.”
The ring, according to Eric Cloutier, was bought by a blonde woman, who hesitated before making the purchase. Cloutier said she’s optimistic the woman – or whoever finds it – will return the ring. “If you’re honest, you’re honest,” she said.
As for Cloutier’s husband, he’s had better weeks. “He feels terrible,” Cloutier said.
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10 Responses
If he knows who he sold it to, he can get it back under virtually all legal theories.
If they can afford a $23,000 ring, they can afford losing it. An engagement ring has no Jewish significance.
Note to all husbands out there lacking common sense: Don’t hold a yard sale when you’re wife isn’t home- it’s a recipe for all types of disasters!!!
There’s no reason to be heartless.
If you check other news sources (video), you’ll see that they mention that they can afford to replace it (though that doesn’t mean they want to throw out another $20K+) but it’s the sentimental value that she feels bad about.
Also, to clarify the story, it seems she had placed the ring underneath the cushion in that old watch box so the husband thought it was an old and empty box.
Bogen….. Whether we frum people consider the engagement ring significant or not, if it were worth $23,000 I sure would consider that significant and would run after it if lost.
2. You talk like you’ve never given one and like you never will.
Granted there’s nothing halochik about the engagement ring, it is the one of 2 rings that cost significantly more. The chasuna ring is fairly plain as minhag requires.
I guarantee you the poor guy will be sleeping on the couch for a LONNNNNNNNNNG time!
Cloutier does not sound jewish. Why all these comments about the jewish traditions ? Where did this story happened ?
mark levin: I’m sorry that you had to go through a divorce r’l, but that is no reason to think that an engagement ring has any Jewish value. It was invented about 90 years by the De Beers diamond cartel of South Africa. I wonder if it falls under chukas hagoyim.
Bogen…. You can say the same thing about Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, July 4th (because it is chutz laeretz), Thanksgiving, giving red roses (because those are used in Catholicism ceremonies), and going to Disney World. Many things in life have little to no Jewish value.
The woman was aware of the hidden ring because no one shells out $10 for a used empty watch box at a garage sale (which is probably worth less than a buck).