80-year woman mistakenly swallows $5,000 diamond she won at charity event

• The woman, known only as Miriam, unwittingly swallowed the diamond which was in her glass of champagne
• An x-ray failed to show it in her system, but then her doctor stopped it during a routine colonoscopy

By DAVID MCCORMACK

An 80-year-old Florida woman mistakenly swallowed a $5,000 diamond that unknown to her had been placed in her glass of champagne at an charity event she was attending. 

The woman, known as Miriam, has declined to give her last name, but was attending the event organized by the Tampa Women's Club last weekend.

As a surprise for the attendees, the organizers filled each of the 400 flutes of champagne with a cubic zirconia, except for one which contained a $5,000 diamond donated by a local jeweler.

The $5,000 diamond had been donated by a local jeweler to be a prize at the charity event organized by the Tampa Women's Club last weekend

The diamond was swallowed by a woman who prefers to be known only as Miriam

The idea was that at the end of the evening everyone’s glass would be checked and whoever had the diamond would be allowed to keep it.

But disaster struck after Miriam unwittingly swallowed everything that was in her flute.

‘We were laughing and I wasn't paying attention and I took a swallow,’ Miriam told WFTS.

 

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To begin with Miriam hid her embarrassment about what she had done, hopeful that someone else would be found to have the diamond and announced the winner.

Eventually Miriam was forced to came forward and admit what she had done. Immediately she was taken to a local hospital for an x-ray, only to find out that diamonds don't show up on x-rays.

Fortunately for Miriam she had a routine colonoscopy booked for the next day, although it turned out to be anything but routine as she gave her doctor strict instructions to be on the lookout for something sparkling.

The organizers filled each of the 400 flutes of champagne with a cubic zirconia, except for one which contained a $5,000 diamond

A doctor spotted the diamond while carrying out a routine colonoscopy on the woman

Her doctor found the elusive diamond, but Miriam still had to check out if it was the winning jewel, so Miriam stopped by the jewelry store to have the diamond tested.

'She came with it in a bio-hazard bag and it wasn't even cleaned,' said Joy Pierson, a partner at Continental Wholesale Diamond which had donated the precious stone.

Once the diamond was washed and steamed it was tested and confirmed as the winning diamond, which Miriam has decided to keep as a family heirloom.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2314990/80-year-woman-mistakenly-swallows-5-000-dollar-diamond-won-charity-event.html#ixzz2RaClIYcP 
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