An airport full of strangers look for lost diamond

FRIDAY 13TH LUCK

- SYDNEY PAGE

APRIL Schmitt was never superstitious about Friday the 13th.

She got engaged on Friday, March 13, 1992, and married on another Friday the 13th that November. For more than three decades, those dates marked happy milestones. But on Friday, June 13, Schmitt found herself wondering if her luck had run out.

After a stressful week managing a work event in Los Angeles, Schmitt landed in Pittsburgh. Her trip home had already hit a couple of snags - a delayed flight, an unanticipated overnight stay in Philadelphia - and she was eager to be back with her family.

About 30 minutes into her 40-minute drive home, Schmitt noticed something strange.

"I touched my ring, and it felt sharp," Schmitt said. "I looked down, and there were just four empty prongs staring at me. I instantly felt sick to my stomach. My heart sank."

She turned her car around and rushed back to Pittsburgh International Airport. On the way, she retraced her steps and realised her round diamond - the one her husband of 32 years proposed to her with - likely came loose at baggage claim.

"I think the bag sort of shifted, and I pinched my hand between the suit case and the carousel," Schmitt said. "I jerked my hand back and didn't actually think anything of it."