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Expensive Hashavat Aveidah

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Rabbi Baruch Finkelstein

23 Elul 5767
Question
I own a house which i rent here in the U.S. After my last tenant, who is non-Jewish moved out, i was repainting and i came upon an expensive diamond earing in the main bedroom of the house. i do not know how long the earing was there, whether it belongs to my previos tenant or the previous owners of the house [i bought the house 1.5 years ago]. I ASSUME it belonged to my tenant as i found it wedged in the window track but,truth be told i dont know. So i called my previous tenants to ask them but their cell phone number had been disconnected. I then left a message with her son’s voicemail asking if anyone had lost some jewlery in the house, which i had found [i didnt mention it was an expensive diamond]. But still no one replies. I suspect they will not ever reply and want no further contact with me. What should i do with the diamond? keep it? try to track them down ? i suspect the diamonds is worth 15-25,000$ and am surprised no one is calling me back. I dont want to keep it if its theirs but what more can i do?
Answer
You don' t have to make anymore attempts to return it.
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