An Illinois woman made a welcome discovery in the pocket of a handbag purchased from a local thrift store.

Vanessa from Chicago took to Reddit, posting under the handle u/oakparkv, to reveal what she found inside when she got home.

“I found it at a goodwill near me,” Vanessa told Newsweek. “I always keep an eye out for real leather bags, and I liked that this one was a nice brown leather crossbody. The bag was made by Madewell, which is a brand I like. I grabbed it to take on an upcoming vacation.”

In these increasingly austere times, thrifting offers consumers the opportunity to purchase quality items at discounted prices. According to figures published by Capital One Shopping, thrift shoppers save an average of $2,071 annually by purchasing items secondhand.

Vanessa had already saved a tidy sum by getting the Madewell bag secondhand, but things got even better when she took it home. “I looked in the interior pocket and found a ring, along with a Tylenol tablet and a receipt from a Mexican restaurant,” she said.

Eager to find out more about the ring, she took to Reddit to find out more. “I went thrifting this weekend and found this ring in the pocket of a purse I bought,” she wrote alongside a striking, close-up shot of the ring. “It has a hallmark of ’18k.’ Assuming it’s yellow gold with an amethyst. Maybe a custom piece.”

The discovery garnered plenty of interest. “That’s gorgeous! it was meant for you!,” one user wrote in the comments section. Another said: “That ring is a lovely find! The 18k hallmark suggests it’s likely high-quality gold, and amethyst is a beautiful, affordable gemstone. It might be a vintage or custom piece. It’s always fun to find something like that while thrifting!

A third said: “My heart bleeds for the one who lost it.” Vanessa responded directly to that final comment, explaining “I’ve put a post in my neighborhood’s Facebook page, where I said that I found a gold ring in a thrifted handbag, and if it belongs to someone, asked them to describe the pattern and the gemstone. So far nobody has responded, but if I get an honest reply, I’ll do the right thing and return it.”

Vanessa has learned some valuable information about the ring as a result of her Reddit post. “People have told me it’s worth about $200-$300 for the gold but the stone isn’t worth much,” she said. “It looks like an amethyst which is my birthstone.”

Though she has no idea how the ring may have ended up in the bag, she does have her own theories. “I tend to take my rings off when I wash my hands, so I’m guessing the prior owner may have done the same, then put it in the purse pocket and just forgot,” she said.

Vanessa is happy to wait for the original owner to come forward. Failing that, she has a pretty good idea of what she will do with the ring. “I’m thinking I’ll just keep it, versus trying to sell it,” he said.