Woman accidentally swallows diamond at charity event

TAMPA, Fla., April 28 (UPI) -- An 80-year-old woman says she accidentally swallowed a diamond at a charity event in Tampa, Fla.

Miriam Tucker attended the 65th annual Fashionollia fashion show fundraiser April 20 when she accidentally swallowed the precious stone, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

As part of the event, the 280 attendees had a chance to win a 1.03-carat diamond, which was placed at the bottom of one glass of champagne -- all the other glasses had cubic zirconias.

"I thought I'd drink a bit of champagne so I didn't have to stick my finger so far into the glass," said Tucker, a retired real estate broker. "We were laughing and talking when I realized I swallowed it. What a dumb thing."

It was not until the event was over that Tucker told organizers what happened.

"She said she swallowed what was in her glass," said jewelers Joy Pierson, "but as luck would have it, she was scheduled for a colonoscopy in two days."

During the colonoscopy, a doctor retrieved the stone, which was then brought to the jeweler, who confirmed it was in fact a real diamond.

As her son says, "All's well that ends well," Tucker said.