But when a sparkling diamond lost contact with a GPS signal it was thought to have been lost forever, leaving dozens of disappointing hunters in its wake.
However, married couple Allan and Pat Bell now have their inquisitive dog to thank for finding the perfect Christmas present while out on a walk in Lincolnshire.
The dog found the missing 1.14 carat diamond.
The rock was shot into the air as part of a PR stunt in August. It was put in a helium balloon which was expected to pop when the precious cargo reached 100,000ft, causing it to fall down back to the earth.
But as it fell, the GPS signal was lost and the precious gemstone appeared to have vanished.
In the details, Mr Bell, 75, was out walking his two dogs, Rosie and Dylan along a country path in the village of Brattleby, Lincolnshire, when Rosie 'got scent of something' and quickly ran under a hedge.
Mr Bell, a retired lorry driver, said Rosie was “scrabbling about for 10 minutes before dragging a package attached to a limp orange parachute - out of the hedgerow on December 23.”
“She took about 10 minutes dragging it out from under the hedge and I saw that it was covered in mud and leaves.”
It wasn't until about 30 minutes later that Mr Bell realized it could be the diamond everyone was searching for and he dashed back to the hedge to retrieve the package.
He added: 'I looked a bit closer and saw the package had an orange parachute underneath it and details of who to contact written on it - and I knew it must be the diamond.
When Mr Bell got home he told his wife of 25 years, Pat and they opened the box to find the diamond inside and a number to call.
Mrs Bell called bosses at 77 Diamonds, which organized the stunt, telling them her husband had found the missing sparkler under a hedge.
She was congratulated on the find, but has yet to decide on whether to have the 1.14 carat diamond set in a ring or sell it.
The £12,000 diamond was hand-picked for its 'brilliance and sparkle' and is a 'modified cushion brilliant cut', similar to the engagement rings of Kim Kardashian and Jessica Biel.
Bosses at 77 Diamonds, which takes its name from the first ever diamond engagement ring given by Archduke Maximilian I of Austria to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, say the 'stunt' was to raise awareness of the firm's access to 80 percent of the world's finest polished diamonds. Source