A joyous moment captured by a professional photographer played a critical role in the recovery of a diamond engagement ring that was lost in the sand on Tybee Island, GA, just seconds after Brian Quercia dropped to one knee and popped the question to Anna Davis.
Davis said "Yes" to Quercia's proposal, but then the mood turned very, very dark.
"He stood up to hug her and the ring fell out of the box," photographer Taylor Brown told The Jeweler Blog.
Brown explained that the ring got buried in the wet sand, and although she and the couple spent more than an hour trying to find it on Saturday, they came up empty.
Devastated by the loss of her diamond solitaire ring, Davis turned to the Tybee Island Facebook group for help.
On Sunday, Davis posted the proposal photo with this caption: "LOST ENGAGEMENT RING!! Hey everyone! Yesterday my boy proposed to me right passed the jetties on North Beach. It was magical & I said yes!!! Unfortunately, my beautiful ring somehow fell out of the box when we hugged and the ring is now lost. It was a silver ring with an oval diamond and small diamonds around the band. We are devastated but still hopeful. This is a picture for location reference. If you happen to find it please send me a private message. There will be a reward!"
Her post immediately sparked an outpouring of hopeful sentiments and offers to assist in the search.
Most importantly, the couple's plight caught the attention of a metal detectorist known locally as "Mr. Foy."
Using Brown's photo to pinpoint the location where the proposal took place, Mr. Foy was able to unearth the ring in 20 minutes. It was only about 1 inch below the surface.
Davis posted a photo of her and Mr. Foy on her Facebook page, along with a closeup of her cherished ring — safely on her finger.
Her caption read: "UPDATE!!!!! Thanks to so many sweet people who went and searched for my ring. Sweet Mr. Foy here found my ring within 20 minutes of searching Tybee today! We are so excited and relieved!!! I absolutely love it Brian Quercia."
On Monday, Davis shared some of her engagement photos on Instagram, while adding, "The ring is actually on my finger! I wanna show off my incredible FIANCEĢ!!! It’s been a crazy 24 hours. What a story tell our kids & grandkids about this one day! So excited to do life with you."
The couple is reportedly planning a wedding in nearby Savannah.
Credits: Proposal photo courtesy of Taylor Brown Photography (www.taylorbphoto.com). Mr. Foy and ring images via Facebook.com/anna.davis.100.