Dumpster Diver Diamonds Find: Woman Looks For Owner After Trash Discovery

One lucky dumpster diver found diamonds during one of her daily runs in Utah last week, and the woman decided to find the owner of the two diamonds. Brooke Stewart could have easily kept the diamonds for herself, according to Opposing Views. Instead, the Utah single mother visited the appraiser listed on the envelope to find out more about the owners and locate them if possible.

This is not the first time that Brooke Stewart went dumpster diving in the area, and it is not the first time the woman found a piece of costly jewelry either. Stewart revealed more about her dumpster diving experience to the local media.

“It may sound weird, but I love trash. Mostly I look for recyclable metals like copper and stuff… in the same (dumpster) I found a white gold and emerald ring one time.”

Stewart visited Lynn Van Wagenen after finding the diamonds, and the appraiser was shocked that the woman wanted to find the owner of the diamonds. The diamonds could have been sold at a pawnshop for $4,000 to $8,000 dollars, according to KUTV.

“Who does that? She deserves a medal for honesty.”

The appraiser remembered the diamonds. He had appraised the jewels seven to eight years ago, and he still the had the owner’s contact information on file. He called the owner, and he met with Brooke at that location on Friday.

For her honesty, Brooke did receive a cash reward. She hoped her good deed would bring her some “karma.” Stewart did admit that the money from the diamonds would have helped her out.

“I really am broke, and I really would have enjoyed that much money.”

However, she decided to be honest and did the right thing. The owner revealed that the diamonds had been stolen from him years ago. His identity was not revealed.

Diamonds are a popular item to steal because they can be worth so much. The Inquisitr reported on a diamond heist involving a young girl just last month.

This is not the first time diamonds have been tossed out with the trash. Back in 2011, one Florida man accidentally tossed out his wife’s engagement ring with the trash, according to NBC News. Brian McGuinn realized his error, but not before the trash was picked up by the local waste management company.

His wife, Anna, called the company and they were able to locate the pile of trash from their route, and her husband immediately suited up and went out to the location. He dug through the pile of trash until he located his wife’s ring. He shared the reasons behind his search to the local media.

“She’s the love of my life. That ring was meant for her and no one else. She’s everything to me.”

The man also revealed that he would search the trash again if he needed to in the future, but he promised his wife that he would “never touch [the ring] again.”

As for Brooke Stewart, diving through trash is a weekly activity for her. Her dumpster diving activities are used to raise money for her and her daughter to live off. She revealed that it helps her pay the bills.

Can one make money dumpster diving? Apparently, some people are making the search through other people’s trash a profession. Sustainable Cities Collective shared the story of one man on Sunday.

Matt Malone, a man in Texas, revealed that he could make an income of $250,000 a year if he made dumpster diving a full-time career. He searches through the trash at big box retailers in his hometown.

The Pro Dumpster Diver Who’s Making Thousands Off America’s Biggest Retailers | WIRED http://t.co/pujOipcSKh – Worth the read.

— Andy Fekete (@afekete01) February 10, 2015

The site revealed more about Malone’s activities.

“It seems we’ve hit a sort of perfect storm in terms of planned obsolescence and information technology: perfectly good materials (including food) regularly get tossed to make room for newer products, and a diver can take advantage of this situation to make a decent income. In fact, Malone might describe his day job as his avocation, because he keeps it only because he enjoys the work so much – he could make more money as a dumpster diver.”

Malone is not the only professional dumpster diver discussed in the report. One Chicago mother finds things in the trash and sells them on eBay as Mom the eBayer. She shares videos of her trash searches, and she finds plenty of good things to sell on eBay.

What do you think? Would you be willing to dive through someone else’s trash to make money?

[Photo: Brooke Stewart Facebook]