It’s a mystery.
Maybe not the kind that would end up as a Netflix documentary or a “Dateline” episode.
But the case of the lost man’s ring is a head-scratcher, nevertheless.
It was Mark Driscoll who found it — of all places, inside a man’s black work glove that was for sale, packaged and hanging from a display at Ace Hardware in Sugar Grove.
Driscoll opened the business that sits not far from the intersection of Galena Boulevard and Route 47 a few years ago.
He was getting ready to head to his cabin in Wisconsin for Memorial Day when he decided to buy a pair of the $17 Ironclad gloves from his own store so he could complete a few home improvement projects at his out-of-state retreat.
But when Driscoll stuck his hand into the left glove — they were packaged together — he felt something inside the ring finger.
“What the heck …” he muttered as he pulled out the ring.
Discroll describes it as a nice piece of jewelry — could likely be a wedding band — but does not want to give away much more detail so it can get returned to the rightful owner.
He was hoping that person would immediately realize the ring was missing and contact the store. But on Monday, when no one had come forward, he put up a “Lost Ring” post on the store’s Facebook page, hoping it would get that social media boost needed to find the owner.
“If you can describe the ring,” the post stated, “it is yours.”
As of Thursday afternoon, two people had contacted him — both women who had photos of their husband’s lost rings. And while one fit “fairly closely,” Driscoll told me, neither matched the ring that is now safely tucked away in the store’s safe.
“It’s a mystery, but one that I hope has a happy ending,” he said. “No one wants to leave a wedding ring inside a work glove.”
Or do they?
Because too many true crime shows have taken up my spare time lately, my mind does tend to wonder beyond the innocent and the mundane.
Could the ring have been deliberately left because it was a link to something more nefarious … or at least more interesting?
A glove, I needn’t remind you, was a focal point of one of the greatest murder mysteries of our time.
Alas, after checking out the Ironclad glove myself at the Ace store, I’ve decided I’m pointing the finger in the wrong direction.
We can only speculate as to how the ring ended up where it did. But as Driscoll pointed out — and I saw for myself — this work glove is meant to fit snugly. And if a ring was a bit loose, it could slide off when the man pulled the glove from his hand.
With all the construction going on in that area, particularly a big senior housing project, there’s been a ton of traffic through Ace’s doors, Driscoll noted. And likely plenty of those workers don’t live in the immediate area and may not even recall a stop inside the store after realizing the ring was gone.
Do they even realize the ring is gone?
All the more reason Driscoll wants to get the word out to as many people as possible in as many ways as possible.
If the glove doesn’t fit, no big deal. But if the photo of your lost ring is a match, then, well, case closed.
