Ring, ring, ring.

Ka-ching!

Eleven days ago someone dropped a flawless half-carat diamond ring worth $2,000 into a Salvation Army kettle in Fayette County.

A thief ditching a hot piece of jewelry? An engaged woman with a finger a size too small? An anonymous donor with a heart of white gold?

Capt. Christopher Blessing, commanding officer of the organization's Uniontown Worship and Service Center, would prefer to believe the latter explanation.

"It just proves that in times of struggle there are still angels at work," Mr. Blessing said yesterday. "That's all we can identify this person as, as an angel in disguise, and they're not seeking fame or fortune because they're doing it anonymously. We're humbled and blessed by this gift."

If no one claims the solitaire diamond, which is set in an 18-karat white gold band, the Salvation Army will sell it.

Any proceeds would probably be less than the appraised retail value. Nevertheless, it would still be a big drop in the bucket for the group's Uniontown Worship and Service Center's $70,000 donation target this season.

No one knows who dropped the ring in the red plastic kettle at the Giant Eagle in North Union on Nov. 22. If history is any guide, the Salvation Army will never find out.

For decades, people have been swelling the Salvation Army's coffers with more than just the standard coin of the realm. In addition to pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and the occasional wad of $100 bills, donors have deposited American Eagle gold coins, gold Krugerrands, French francs and checks.

Kettles in York, Pa., have swallowed gold teeth -- a pair of golden molars, to be precise.

Maj. George E. Hood, the Salvation Army's national communications secretary, recalled that professional hockey fans filing into Nassau Coliseum in the 1980s for New York Islanders games would drop extra tickets in the kettles. They were given out to Salvation Army band members who played before the games.

There's also the down side of collecting. Workers have found their fair share of lint, jelly beans, bolts, popcorn and complaint letters.

"You never know when you open that kettle up at the end of the day what might come out," Mr. Hood said.

Rings are a fairly common phenomenon these days. The Salvation Army does not keep statistics, but there are stories every year about gold and diamond rings showing up. Three years ago in Berks County, someone gave up an engagement ring with a note that read, "This ring did not bring me luck, but hopefully it will for someone else. Merry Christmas," according to the Morning Call.

In Mr. Blessing's case, he spotted the ring while sifting through kettles to remove any sharp objects or trash that could jam a coin sorter.

"We were removing the stuff by hand, and it was sticking up plain as day through the coins at the bottom," Mr. Blessing said.

At first, he thought it was a piece of costume jewelry. But then he took a harder look and saw how it sparkled.

On Friday, Mr. Blessing brought the ring inside an envelope to Uniontown jeweler Richard Hostetler. Ten minutes later, the appraisal was complete.

The valuable -- likely an engagement ring -- was real and worth $2,000.

Ginny Knor, the Salvation Army's local divisional spokeswoman, said it is unlikely the ring ended up in the kettle by accident. The X-shaped slot is about the length of two quarters and the width of three stacked quarters.

So far, she said, only one person has called to ask if the ring might be theirs. It wasn't.

The ring is being kept in a safe, where it will likely stay until the kettle season ends around Christmas Day. After that, if no owner comes forward, there will be a second appraisal. Then the ring will be sold, either through a retailer or possibly on eBay.

Meanwhile, state police in Uniontown will go through reports of missing or stolen high-end jewelry to make sure the ring is an innocent donation.

Not to be a Grinch, but Cpl. Matthew Steffey said when he was asking around at the barracks whether anyone had heard of a diamond ring being stolen, someone said in jest, "'Geez, man, can't someone just do something nice?'"

Cpl. Steffey said he hopes it was just a nice person -- not someone trying to ditch some hot jewelry.

"I guess we should try to be more positive," he said.

Positivity is Mr. Blessing's territory even though his caseload is up 20 percent over last year.

"It wouldn't surprise me if it was a gift because we have a wonderful community," Mr. Blessing said.