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'I saw it glimmering.' Man finds U-M class ring snorkeling in Mexico, sends to owner

Posted at 2:45 PM, Apr 28, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-29 12:12:22-04

(WXYZ) — Social media isn’t all bad — and here’s proof: an Arizona man who found a University of Michigan class ring while snorkeling in Mexico was able to reunite it with its owner thanks to a Facebook post.

“I just looked down and there it was … I saw it glimmering,” said Jared Raymond. He was in the water off the coast of Playa del Carmen in mid-April when he made the discovery.

Jared said the ring had a 2012 date and a name “Gary Franklin.”

He says as soon as he got back on the boat, he posted on social media with some information withheld, to try to find its rightful owner. The post garnered more than 5,000 shares.

There were a few false hopes, but then Gary’s wife commented on the post.

“It turns out that Gary and his wife were actually on the same catamaran that we were on the day before,” said Jared. “He told me it slipped off his finger and he thought it was gone.”

Jared said it was a feel-good experience to be able to find the ring’s owner.

“He put himself through college, he said, with a wife and two kids and this was a reward for himself, the class ring from the University of Michigan … to be able to get that back to him … it actually gives me chills talking about it right now,” said Jared.

He sent the ring to Gary’s home in Southgate — and it arrived on Thursday. Gary's wife filmed him opening the mail and pulling out the ring inside.

"I didn't think I'd ever get this back; that is the coolest thing ever," said Gary in the video. "I worked so hard for that."

He added, "thank you, Jared. My main man."

Check out video of Gary opening the mail below:

Michigan man gets his U-M class ring back after losing it while snorkeling in Mexico