Call it a diamond in the rough — very rough.
A Brooklyn resident who accidentally threw two heirloom rings into the trash last week got them back after searchers combed through as much as 20,000 pounds of foul-smelling garbage.
The stressful episode began Tuesday, when the New Yorker inadvertently discarded an antique platinum-and-diamond engagement ring that had been in the family for four generations, along with a small gold-and-diamond promise ring, the Sanitation Department said.
Panicked, the resident stopped two DSNY workers on the street, setting off a rapid response that ultimately ended with the rings recovered.
The sanitation workers alerted their supervisor, who helped arrange a search at a waste management facility on Varick Street. Within about 10 minutes, the rings were found, a Sanitation spokesperson told The Post on Friday.
“This was a very unique case where the rings were thrown into a compacting system at a large residential building,” the DSNY representative said.
“In every one of these cases, when we get the call, we isolate the truck, arrange a time for the search, and then we slowly dump the contents — up to 20,000 pounds of trash — across a concrete tipping floor.”
DSNY said it coordinates these searches by making facilities and equipment available, though department workers typically do not take part in the hands-on search for missing belongings.
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“If the truck has already dumped its load at a transfer station, there is no way to recover the lost item, as it is almost immediately mixed with trash from other trucks and put into a barge or rail car,” the DSNY spokesperson said.
However, a search remains possible if residents contact the DSNY and reach the facility on time.
“Sometimes we are able to use some clues to point the resident in the right direction,” the representative explained.
“For example, if the address was at the beginning of a collection route, we will point the resident toward the material at the back of the truck.”
The unlucky and bereft can bring a friend to assist in the search, although the task is hygienically daunting.
The DSNY provides searchers with equipment including gloves, shovels, pickers, and other tools.
Residents who accidentally toss a valuable item should call 311 as soon as possible, according to the department’s standard procedure.
