Struggling mum selling engagement ring overwhelmed by the kindness of a stranger.
A mum trying to make ends meet has been overwhelmed by the kindness of a stranger.
Angelique Bankhart had fallen on hard times and was forced to sell her engagement ring online.
But Chloe Boerema bought it, then gave it back to her.
Boerema was scrolling through the Hamilton buy and sell page when she saw a post from a bride-to-be, who had made the heartbreaking decision to sell her engagement ring in order to keep a roof over her head.
Boerema said the post captioned: "My beautiful engagement ring is up for grabs, trying to make ends meet", broke her heart.
Boerema, a wedding celebrant by trade, told the Herald she couldn't bear the thought of someone having to sell their engagement ring in the lead up to their wedding.
"Working on a daily basis with couples, and seeing all the emotions that go into a piece of jewellery, I think that's what struck a chord with me and I really wanted to help."
She decided to comment on the post with an offer to buy the ring, but with the condition that the future bride kept the ring after payment.
"I messaged her saying, I was very happy to purchase it, but she had to keep the ring," said Boerema.
Bankhart was "completely overwhelmed" when she received the offer, but was hesitant to even check her Facebook messages as she didn't want to see the ring go.
"I hadn't even looked - I didn't want to see if anyone wanted it," she said.
Angelique didn't even want to check Facebook to see if someone had purchased the ring.
A struggling Bankhart had already pawned several other items, trying to make her rent payment and recover from a number of her children's birthdays in a single month.
Then, having to make the hard decision to sell her beloved engagement ring was nearly enough to make her lose faith.
But Bankhart said that this one selfless act really hit home for her: "It restored my faith in humanity - it really did."
It looks like the encounter may have also blossomed a relationship of another kind too. With Bankhart stating it was "definitely fate" that in just a few months she will need a wedding celebrant and just found the perfect person to do it.
Bankhart added that it means "everything" to keep the ring, picked out by her partner and children, firmly on her finger for many years to come: "Words can't express how thankful I am."
