The prized piece of jewellery had slipped off her finger during a practice game of touch footy on Wednesday and was immediately lost.

But her luck changed when a group of Good Samaritans offered their help.

Peter Erbacher drove past Henwood Park twice on Saturday, both times noticing the woman with the metal detector. 

It was Lake Albert resident Lisa Matthews, who had lost her engagement ring on Wednesday night at the park when it slipped off her finger. 

“It was a bit cold last week so my fingers shrunk and I didn’t even think to take off my rings before playing, because it was just a muck around game,” she said.

“I found the wedding band and the team stopped and we were all having a look, but it was mowed and it was very chunky grass.”

Determined to find the ring, Mrs Matthews searched that night and the following three days.

She hired a metal detector and marked out grids of the footy field to search through.

But by Saturday afternoon and after 10 hours of searching, Mrs Matthews was losing hope.

“I was resigned to the fact that I was going to have to report that I had lost it,” she said.

“It was the sentimental value, it wasn’t about how much it was.”

Mr Erbacher, who is a member of Riverina Relic and Jewellery Recovery, parked and asked Mrs Matthews what she was doing. 

“They told me she had lost her engagement ring and had hired a metal detector and they were trying to find it,” Mr Erbacher said.

“It was looking pointless, but I told her we had a Facebook group and we could get the word out and get some people to come down and help.”

Soon one of its members, Darrel Ingram was down there to help search.

Mr Ingram, who is coincidentally married to Mrs Matthews ’ cousin, searched for three hours on Saturday afternoon and returned on Sunday afternoon.

He found the ring after unearthing it under a clump of grass. 

Mrs Matthews said she was over the moon at the miraculous find.

“I offered to buy him a carton or three,” she said. 

“There are good people that aren’t after a quid, but still want to help other people and not charge for it.”

Mr Erbacher encouraged any Wagga residents who may have lost a prized metal possession to contact his Facebook group.

Its 200-plus members comb areas of the Riverina for lost relics. They offer no charge for their services and can by contacted by posting in Riverina Relic and Jewellery Recovery on Facebook.