A man dumpster diving in California has stumbled upon a significant find: an 18-karat Cartier necklace.
As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure, and a significant proportion of Americans have taken to testing that theory, searching through dumpsters and trash cans for food and other disregarded valuables.
In 2017, a Statista poll of 980 U.S. adults found that 13 percent had gone dumpster diving multiple times, while 8 percent said they had done so at least once and 13 percent expressed interest in trying it.
Evan, an avid dumpster in Orange County who requested not to use his last name, has long explored the practice.
"I used to occasionally dumpster dive in my grandma's apartment complex with my cousin when we were kids," he told Newsweek. "I always seemed to be on the lookout no matter where I'm at."
What started as an occasional foray into garbage evolved into something of a hobby. "It's addictive," Evan said. "Dumpster diving gives us the same feeling as when you sit down at a slot machine or poker table at a casino. It doesn't pay much or anything near being able to live off. But it's fun, and that's why I do it."
Recently, while rummaging through a dumpster in a commercial business park, Evan's gamble paid off. He spotted a "cloth type of basket with handles" that he thought his girlfriend would like. When he moved it, however, he caught sight of something even more intriguing: a gold chain in the corner of the dumpster.
"I picked it up and felt the weight," Evan said. "I knew it had to be a real gold necklace."
Evan began keeping an eye out for gold pieces after coming across jewelry while dumpster diving behind a thrift store two years ago.
At the time, he had not thought much of the piece: a gold bangle with three panthers on it. However, he later discovered the piece comprised 26 grams of 18-karat gold. On another occasion, he stumbled upon an 18-karat ring, a 14-karat clip-on earring and a couple of thin 14-karat gold chains all at once.
Evan attributed his eye for grand finds to his family. "My mom has knowledge of antiques and that got passed to me. Her dad and her would go picking," he said. "My grandmother on my mom's side also had an antique store, and apparently my father used to dumpster dive all the time."
With this latest find, it was Evan's partner who said the necklace was Cartier, while Evan noticed the marking on the clasp that said it was 18-karat gold.
Though he did not know how much the piece was worth, he planned to have it appraised and already had a ballpark figure for what it could fetch.
"I see the pendants alone for sale on eBay without the chain for $700 to $900. I'm going to guess about $1,900 to $3,200 if it's got the chain with it," he said. "Used may be a different story."
As for how such a valuable piece ended up in a dumpster, Evan had a few theories. "I feel it may have been thrown away out of spite. Maybe a breakup," he said. "There was some girl's clothing in a bag in the same dumpster. Maybe her boyfriend or hubby got it for her after he got caught cheating, and she already had enough high-end jewelry that she would rather throw his apology away. I'm not sure."
While news of the Cartier necklace could prompt others to start exploring their neighborhood trash cans, Evan said he wouldn't rank it or any of the other jewelry among his best dumpster discoveries.
"The best thing I ever found in a dumpster was my late rabbit Bobo," he said. "I also have a pet chameleon that I found in the dumpster. Yes, a chameleon. In the trash. Still alive."
Evan offered a few tips as he encouraged others to go dumpster diving for themselves: "Clean up your mess after you've been there, and try to stay out of sight because it is frowned upon. People look down on you as if you're some parasite. But I'm not hurting anyone or messing up anyone's routes or making a mess while diving. It's just fun."
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English (US) ·