I bought old ring for £5.50 thinking it was costume jewellery – I sold it for £8,000 thanks to detail on the stone

A WOMAN who bought a ring in a charity shop for a few pounds was left dumbstruck after learning its actual worth.

The 58-year-old found the piece of jewellery casually kept among other bits and pieces.

Thinking it was just a small piece of costume jewellery, the lady bought the ring for just £5.50.

"I saw the ring around Christmas in a charity shop in the Bromley area," she said.

"I love sparkly things, a bit of bling, and it really caught my eye.

"I found it in a plastic tub with lots of other jewellery. The box was marked 'junk jewellery'. I paid £5.50 for it last December."

However, she was soon told that the ring, which featured a huge 2.30-carat diamond, was way more valuable than a thrift shopping item - and could fetch up to £8,000 at auction.

The woman, aged 58, from Bromley, Kent took the ring alongside another pendant of her to Hansons London for a valuation.

She said: “I wanted to have an opal pendant valued and only decided to take the ring at the last minute. I didn't think it could be real.

“I just assumed someone would have picked up on the fact if it was.

"The stone was so big, I thought no one could miss it if it was an actual diamond.";

The lucky founder, however, was told by experts that the fake stone was actually a costly diamond with an estimated value of £7,000-£8,000.

Sonia Jackson, the valuer for Hansons Auctioneers who checked the ring said: "I told her it was a real diamond and she was amazed. She'd had the ring for months and thought it was costume jewellery with a fake stone.

“I was delighted for her and brought the ring to have it valued by our consultant jewellery specialist David Byrne.

“When I rang her to tell her the valuation I said: 'I think you may need to sit down'."

The Jewellery expert said that the ring was of really high quality - and was a "real sparkler".

"They say diamonds sparkle and this one genuinely does," he added.

Hearing the big news, the delighted woman said that it was the "best stroke of luck" she had ever had.

She added: "I'm over the moon. You hear about things like this happening to other people but never think it will happen to you.

"I only wore the ring a couple of times. Now I know what it's worth I couldn't wear it anyway because I'd be too worried about losing it."

The generous lady later said that the money she would make from the ring would go towards her daughter's education - and she would not be spending a penny on herself.

"I hope the ring does well at auction as I'd like to put the money it makes towards the cost of my daughter's Masters degree. I won't be spending it on myself, I've got everything I need."

Ways to make money off charity shops

While many people love to thrift shop at charity stores, only a few know how to turn it into a profitable side hustle.

Charity shops usually sell items that are donated by other people - sometimes very rich ones who give away expensive stuff.

And they can be treasure troves when it comes to picking up high-quality items at affordable prices.

People thrift shopping at such stores can resell the items to make a profit for themselves.

One of the best platforms to sell goods bought from charity stores is eBay, where one can easily make a few hundred pounds by putting in some part-time hours.

Luke Hadley says he makes an extra £500 each month by reselling stuff from charity shops.

He turned his hand to reselling last April when millions of households felt the pinch of rising bills from energy to food.

The dad-of-one scours his local charity shops for womenswear from posh high street shops and sells them for a profit on eBay.

Hadley from the West Midlands, says it's worth it as he's been able to give his 14-month-old son Harrison and partner Catherine Saunders, 25 a Christmas to remember.

He also took the family away on a week-long holiday to Butlins and has started to build up his savings and a separate emergency fund.

Meanwhile, a charity shop guru has shared his top three tips that could help you make a fortune.

According to the expert, people should scout for footwear from brands such as Nike and Adidas, as they sell quickly and give out the highest turnovers.

The second tip to make good profits is to buy seasonal clothes from charity shops as they are always in demand.

And lastly, people should always check for vintage and antique items as they might turn out to be really rare or valuable.