A three-year-old boy accidentally swallowed his mother’s diamond ring while the two were playing at home. The mother said she was showing the ring to her son as he was lying down, but it slipped from their fingers and into the mouth of the boy who then swallowed the jewellery. It took doctors about half an hour to retrieve the ring, which has sharp edges and posed a risk of damaging his digestive system had nature been allowed to take its course.