The ring was a family heirloom that had been passed down in her fiancé's family for generations
Credit: Eyewitness News ABC7NY/YouTube
NEED TO KNOW
- Isabel Lahn-Schroeder was heartbroken to lose her engagement ring while running the 2026 New York City Half Marathon on March 15
- The ring was a family heirloom that had been passed down in her fiancé’s family for generations
- After a fruitless search for the lost jewelry piece, the bride-to-be received an unexpected offer
Bride-to-be Isabel Lahn-Schroeder was heartbroken to lose her heirloom engagement ring while running the 2026 New York City Half Marathon on March 15. Then, she received an unexpected offer.
Lahn-Schroeder, a social worker at Lenox Hill Hospital, told ABC7 NY that she believes she lost the ring — given to her by her fiancé, Noah Weisbart, on Halloween last year — around mile 10 near Central Park South. She said she had put the ring in the pocket of her leggings for safekeeping, and when the race was over, she was alarmed to find it missing.
Lahn-Schroeder retraced her steps along the course, checked at the race's lost-and-found center, and even visited a local police precinct to see if the ring had been turned in — to no avail. She told the outlet that the ring — which was originally a tie clasp and features multiple diamonds in the shape of a flower — was a family heirloom that had been passed down in her fiancé's family for generations.
"He was not happy, neither was I. … We're still mourning it," she said of the loss, before explaining that she thinks the ring fell from the pocket when she went to pull out her headphones. "I felt like something fell but didn't see anything," she recalled.
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Determined to recover it, she posted a plea for help on the TCS New York City Marathon 2026 Facebook group, asking if anyone had found it. "It's a diamond ring with multiple stones in a flower shape. Forever grateful! You can message me if you have it or have seen it," she wrote, alongside a photo of the ring.
One day after Lahn-Schroeder spoke with ABC7 NY, there was an unexpected — and heartwarming — update to the story.
The owner of Big Apple Jewels, Zak Nissanov, stepped up with a remarkable gesture of generosity.
"What we'd like to do is make you a replica of the exact same ring that you lost without any pay," Nissanov told Lahn-Schroeder in a video call, per ABC7 NY. "We're happy that you came out to New York, ran the marathon, and it's an opportunity for us to take part in your special day that will last with the family and with you forever."
PEOPLE reached out to Big Apple Jewels for comment.
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