Dog eats $22,000 diamond

Posted March 16, 2010 |

A jeweller’s worst nightmare came to fruition when he lost a 3-carat diamond – inside his pet dog!

New York jewellery retailer George Kaufmann takes his dog, Sollie, to work with him every day.

On the night of January 26 Kaufmann and business partner Robert Rosin, owners of Robert Bernard Jewelers, were meeting with a diamond dealer and inspecting the $22,000 diamond when it fell on the floor – right next to Sollie.

Before they could react, the dog had swallowed the stone.

They immediately contacted a vet to find out how to retrieve the stone, only to be told they would have to wait for nature to take its course.

An anxious 72 hours followed for Kaufmann as he waited for the diamond to emerge.

Finally, after three days, Kaufmann was reunited with the precious stone.

"When we took a walk in the morning and evening I collected and went through everything. It wasn't glamorous, but you gotta do what you gotta do," Kaufmann told US television news station Fox 5.

Kaufmann had the diamond cleaned before returning it to the dealer.

There was no word on whether the dealer was happy to accept the stone, or if Sollie would still be welcome at the store.