Alabama woman's lost ring fished out of California lake after 53 years

July 12 (UPI) -- An Alabama woman who lost her high school class ring while swimming in a California lake soon will be reunited with it after 53 years, thanks to a couple who found it while fishing.

Dana Scott Laughlin said she was swimming in Lake Berryessa shortly after her high school graduation in 1969 when her ring fell from her finger and sank to the bottom of the lake.

Laughlin's son received a message a few days ago from a couple who said they found a ring while fishing in Lake Berryessa and were trying to identify its owner.

Laughlin, who lives more than 2,000 miles away in Foley, Ala., reviewed photos of the ring and confirmed it was inscribed with her initials and the name of the school she attended.

"I just said I was so grateful, and I couldn't believe that she had found the ring after so many years. I guess it was meant to be. My husband was like in a state of shock," Laughlin told WPMI-TV.

Laughlin said the ring is on its way to her via UPS.

The Cambridge Fire Department in Massachusetts said firefighters plunged into the Charles River earlier this month to recover a diamond ring dropped by a woman visiting the Charlesgate Yacht Club.

The department's Dive Team and Marine Unit went to the location specified by the woman's husband and were able to locate the ring within a few minutes.