SANDPOINT - While most people were preparing for fireworks and barbecues July 4, Matthew Marciniak was on a more personal mission.

After participating in the Fourth of July parade that morning, he noticed that his wedding ring had disappeared. Now the hunt is on for the valuable piece of jewelry.

"I'm really hoping that someone will find it and be able to get it back to me," Marciniak said.

As an employee of Idaho Stone Landscape and Mason Supply, Marciniak was in the business' float in the Fourth of July parade. The float featured a pool of water in its design, and throughout the parade, Marciniak ended up submerging his hand in the cold liquid for substantial periods of time. In fact, it was such a frequent occurrence this his hand ended up numb as a result. Without any sensation in his ring finger, he couldn't feel a thing when the ring happened to slip off.

"I just didn't notice it wasn't there anymore," he said.

By the time the Idaho Stone float neared the end of the parade route, Marciniak saw that his wedding ring was gone. However, he knew he was wearing it while aboard the float.

"I remember seeing it on my hand after we got onto the main drag near the Panida Theater," he said.

After the parade, he returned to the float and combed through it searching for the wedding ring. His efforts were in vain, leading him to believe that the ring had fallen from his finger off the float at some time during the proceedings. All his other efforts to find the ring throughout the day came up empty as well.

The loss is particularly unfortunate since he and his wife, Debbie, have only been married for about a year. At the very least, she took the news of the missing ring well.

"She was kind of bummed, but there was no major emotion involved," he said.

Even so, it's a significant emotional loss. The couple took special care in selecting their rings, favoring emotional connection and symbolism over the traditional materials and designs that are often the default choice. In Marciniak's case, he picked out a ring bearing emeralds, since that was his birth stone.

"I'd always wanted a ring with my birth stone in it, and it turned out that I got to do that with my wedding ring," he said.

The three emeralds are set in a diagonal pattern along the ring's silver, size-11 band. If anyone finds a similar ring or has any leads, contact Marciniak at (989) 717-1420.

"The whole thing is kind of a bummer, but you just have to roll with it," Marciniak said.