Family heirlooms get the boot

The rings were hidden in a pair of boots

A Dundee woman is kicking herself after mistakenly donating a pair of diamond rings to a charity shop - inside an old pair of boots.

The valuable pieces of Victorian jewellery have been in Sybil Berrecloth's family for 150 years.

She had hidden them inside the boots as a security measure, but forgot they were there when she handed them in to a Shelter shop in the city.

I saw there was no boots and no rings, and my heart sank

Sybil Berrecloth

Ms Berrecloth is now hoping to track down the bargain hunter who received the unexpected gift.

She said that the two diamond rings were valued at £5,000 a decade ago.

"They were handed to me through my mother and grandmother, and, though I can claim for some of the cost of them on my insurance, that wouldn't make up for losing them," she said.

She last had them last in July, when she decided to hide the rings in a pair of knee-high boots.

"I thought they would be safer there than in a jewellery box if there was a break-in," she said.

Valuable bonus

"A while later Shelter came with charity bags and, although I normally put books and bric-a-brac in, I decided to add the boots as they were in good condition.

"I was going to London last week and I went to get the rings.

"I saw there was no boots and no rings, and my heart sank."

The boots have now been sold and Ms Berrecloth is hoping that their new owner will return the valuable bonus.

A spokesman for Shelter said the homeless charity hoped that Ms Berrecloth would get her rings back.