Mystery of wedding ring found on Richmond beach one step closer to being solved

RICHMOND, Calif. (KGO) -- A missing wedding ring, found in the Bay Area, is one step closer to being reunited with its owner.

We first met Richard Grassetti as retraced his steps along a rocky shoreline in Richmond. Four months ago, he stumbled upon a hidden treasure.

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"As soon as I picked it up, I was like...it's a wedding ring," he said.

It wasn't just any wedding ring. Inside the gold band read "From Now to Eternity" with the date of May 1, 1949 and a woman's name, Lily.

"How it got to this beach is really a mystery...that's the mystery we're trying to solve," marvels Richard.

Richard, a self-proclaimed anti-tech person who does not do social media, wasn't sure how to find the ring's owner, so the piece of jewelry sat on his kitchen counter for months until his friend stepped in to help on Twitter.

"Hopefully it'll work," she beamed via FaceTime.

The tweet was shared thousands of times.

Since then, and ABC7 News' story on Thursday, offers to help in the search came from all over the country. It all boils down to a woman who we think is Lily's granddaughter.

Karen Krause lives in Santa Cruz. Her father was the son of Lily and Ernest Canepa. They were married May 1, 1949 and married 62 years -- until Ernest's death in 2011.

Karen has fond memories of their relationship.

"It's one of those stories you always hear about...this romantic story," she said.

According to family friends, the Canepas were fishermen and originally immigrated from Italy to the Bay Area to fish for sardines.

"He could have lost it while fishing," wonders Karen.

With both her grandparents deceased and two out of three of their children gone as well, the mystery continues -- hopefully not for eternity.

"I have a feeling it is. Just for my grandma, it would mean a lot to her, I know it would," said Karen.

Karen's father, David, is skeptical the ring is his father's since he never wore a ring while they fished together and would oftentimes warn David about the dangers of wearing a ring while working on the boat.

Nonetheless, he is open to the possibility of the ring belonging to his father.

David and Karen are currently digging through their archives to find additional clues to confirm 100 percent the ring belonged to their loved one.