A kind-hearted hobbyist shocked a newly married couple after he returned their lost wedding ring, 18 months after he first found it.

%image(14635875, type="article-full", alt="The ring was found in September 2018, and only had the couple’s first names and date they were married: just three months earlier. Photo: Stephen Jennings")

When 37-year-old Stephen Jennings stumbled across a gold wedding band with his metal detector on Lowestoft beach, his first thought wasn't of the nearest pawn shop, but on getting it to whoever had lost it.

"This was the first time I ever found something gold. I was so happy to see it but I instantly thought about other stories of metal detectorists returning precious items to people, I can understand that because it's priceless."

Mr Jennings has been into the hobby since he was 13, when he lost his bicycle key at the beach and a stranger with a metal detector "found it within five minutes".

He said: "That was always in the back of my mind. So I had to find a way to get it back to them. They must have been devastated and I just thought how happy would they be."

%image(14635876, type="article-full", alt="Mr Jennings said: “Just to see their faces was amazing. They had tears in their eyes, it was such a happy moment. Basia put it on her finger and you could just see how happy they were." Photo: Stephen Jennings")

The ring was found in September 2018, and only had the couple's first names and date they were married: just three months earlier.

"It was a recent loss," Mr Jennings added. "So I took it home and started searching. But after going through hundreds of matching names I found nothing."

It took Mr Jennings 18 months to eventually find the couple through an article about their marriage.

Rafal Kolibski, 40, and Basia Kolibski, 35, live in Eye and say they lost the ring on a day trip to Lowestoft.

%image(14635877, type="article-full", alt="It took Mr Jennings 18 months to eventually find the couple through an article about their marriage. Photo: Stephen Jennings")

"I was so emotional when I lost it," Mrs Kolibski said. "I thought I would never see it again and was so disappointed. But it was amazing to hear form Stephen I didn't believe it. We had gone back and never found it."

The couple returned to Lowestoft to meet Mr Jennings, where they had a coffee and he returned the ring.

"Just to see their faces was amazing. They had tears in their eyes, it was such a happy moment. Basia put it on her finger and you could just see how happy they were.

"That feeling is worth more than a few quid in the pocket, it far outweighs the value of money."

You can watch the full video on Stephen's YouTube account here.