Found ring

Location: Roanoke, VA

My ex husband put his heart and soul into stealing my engagement ring before our divorce.

I had my suspicions my ex husband was having an affair. I didn’t really have proof at the time, just a very concrete feeling. But one night while I was asleep he took my ring from the nightstand (I put my jewelry in a small ring dish next to the bed) and he switched it out for a fake while I was asleep. I think it took me less than 24 hours to realize it wasnt the right ring. Before you go crazy and say HOW DIDNT YOU KNOW, he had the fake made by the same jeweler who made my original engagement ring, so it was perfectly fit to my finger and the CZ, moissanite, glass, whatever it is, was cut exactly to the same dimensions as my original diamond. The jeweler would later confirm he, my ex, came in and asked for a ring for us to travel safely with.

I told him I wanted my ring back as soon as I noticed the switch. At this point I already knew what he was doing and had a lawyer working in the background. I knew all communication needed to be documented. He said he’d give it back over text. I played nice for a while but the marriage was over. He was very much aligned with his affair partner, now wife and mother of his child. I never saw that ring again.

The ring is worth about 22k. I was fully prepared to go to litigation. I had him on abuse, abandonment and adultery, pick whichever one you want but we were able to work through a PSA.

I told my lawyer he either had the ring or he filed the insurance on it. My lawyer said he wouldn’t be that stupid… but he was. He filed the insurance on it, silently, and kept every single dollar of the payout. He had no intention of paying me. Ultimately that was my property and I got that money in our PSA, as I legally should.

Here is where it gets interesting. My ex husband has been dancing a fine line with lying to his new wife. I don’t think he wants her to know he stole my ring. He scrubbed the PSA to say anything about an insurance payout for the ring. They just classified the insurance (there was no contractual use of insurance) money as part of a “settlement agreement”. I’m sure he didn’t want to answer any new questions to his wife.

It’s now 4 years later and well guess what, holy shit, I just found the original ring. Yes, confirmed by the jeweler. I’ve been baffled for days. When I moved out I took everything that was mine, and only mine. . I guess I grabbed one of his boxes by accident. I’ve sat on a few of these old boxes in the shed for far too long. As I was going through a box last week I ealized it was my exs. I picked up some shirts and thought I heard some change fall to the bottom. When I reached my hand down, as soon as I felt the prong I gasped. It was my fucking ring. I hadn’t even seen it but I knew the feel. I pulled it out and there it was.

Sp. I’ve confirmed with the jeweler it is a diamond, it’s the actual diamond from my engagement setting. I do not have the GIA report on it but she confirmed it’s the diamond.

The jeweler is aware of my divorce. She’s willing to give me the same credit for the amount spent on the diamond in her store. I’m fine with that.

My ex husband filed against his homeowners insurance policy that I was never on.

I’d like to get rid of this ring and get something else.

What am I liable here for? I have the money (I assume the insurance payout but I cannot confirm that anywhere, according to the PSA) AND the ring.

Thanks