I bought a ring for £5.50 thinking it was jewelery – I sold it for £8,000

A WOMAN who bought a ring from a charity shop for a few pounds was left stunned when she learned its true value.

The 58-year-old found the jewelry among other items.

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The lady thought it was just a small piece of jewelry and bought the ring for just £5.50.

“I saw the ring in a charity shop in the Bromley area around Christmas,” she said.

“I like sparkly things and a bit of bling, and that really caught my attention.

“I found it in a plastic container with a lot of other jewelry. The box said 'junk jewellery'. I paid £5.50 for it last December.”

However, she was soon told that the ring, containing a huge 2.30 carat diamond, was far more valuable than a charity shop – and could fetch up to £8,000 at auction.

The woman, aged 58, from Bromley, Kent, brought the ring along with another pendant of hers to Hansons London for a valuation.

She said: “I wanted to have an opal pendant appraised and only decided to take the ring at the last minute. I didn't think it could be real.

“I just assumed someone would have noticed if that was the case.

“The stone was so big that I thought no one would be able to miss it if it was a real diamond.”

However, the lucky founder was told by experts that the fake stone was actually a precious diamond with an estimated value of £7,000 to £8,000.

Sonia Jackson, the appraiser from Hansons Auctioneers who checked the ring, said: 'I told her it was a real diamond and she was amazed. She had had the ring for months and thought it was a piece of jewelry with a fake stone.

“I was very happy for her and took the ring to have it valued by our consultant jewelery specialist David Byrne.

“When I called her to tell her the appraisal, I said, 'I think you might need to sit down for a minute.'”

The jewelry expert said the ring was of very high quality – and was a “real sparkler”.

“They say diamonds sparkle and this one really does,” he added.

When she heard the big news, the delighted woman said it was the “best windfall” she had ever had.

She added: “I'm over the moon. You hear about these things happening to other people, but you never think it will happen to you.

“I've only worn the ring a few times. Now that I know its worth, I wouldn't be able to wear it because I would be too afraid of losing it.”

The generous lady later said that the money she would make from the ring would go towards her daughter's education – and that she would not spend a cent on herself.

“I hope the ring does well at auction, because I would like to use the money it raises to pay for my daughter's master's degree. I'm not going to spend it on myself, I have everything I need.”

Ways to make money from charity shops

While many people love charity shop thrift shopping, only a few know how to turn it into a profitable side business.

Charity shops usually sell things donated by other people – sometimes very rich people giving away expensive things.

And they can be a treasure trove when it comes to picking up high-quality items at affordable prices.

People who shop at thrift stores at such stores can resell the items to make a profit for themselves.

One of the best platforms for selling goods bought from charity shops is eBay, where you can easily earn a few hundred pounds by putting in some part-time hours.

Luke Hadley says he earns an extra £500 every month by reselling items from charity shops.

He turned to resale last April, when millions of households were feeling the pinch of rising bills from energy to food.

The father-of-one searches his local charity shops for women's clothes from high-end stores and sells them on eBay for a profit.

Hadley, from the West Midlands, says it is worth it as he was able to give his 14-month-old son Harrison and partner Catherine Saunders, 25, a Christmas to remember.

He also took the family for a week-long vacation Butlins and has started building his savings and a separate emergency fund.

Meanwhile, a charity shop guru has shared his top three tips that could help you make a fortune.

According to the expert, people should look for shoes from brands such as Nike and Adidas because they sell quickly and generate the highest turnover.

The second tip to make good profits is to buy seasonal clothes from charity shops as they are always in high demand.

And finally, people should always check for vintage and antique items as these may prove to be very rare or valuable.