A kind-hearted shopper at a Maryland mall is being praised for her extraordinary act of generosity after dropping thousands of dollars worth of Tiffany & Co jewelry into a Salvation Army red kettle.

Capt. Ryan Vincent, commander of the Salvation Army in Annapolis, told the Capital Gazette that everyone was shocked to find out the donated ring and two bracelets were real.

One of the bracelets, a yellow-gold piece by Tiffany & Co, was valued at $6,000 and was sold for $1,500.

A woman donated two gold bracelets and a ring with diamonds and rubies by Tiffany & Co to Salvation Army in Annapolis, Maryland, on Christmas (stock image)

The donation was dropped outside the Festival at Riva in Annapolis (pictured)

A gemologist will soon examine the ring and second bracelet that features diamonds and rubies to determine their value.

Pearl Eldridge, the Salvation Army ringer who collected the princely donation outside the Festival at Riva, called the donor a 'quiet spirit,' and said the woman told her the pieces were sentimental but had been laying around.

Vincent said proceeds from the sale of the jewelry will be used to buy up to a year worth of lunches for a group of low-income children the Salvation Army has been feeding weekly.

Other unusual donations have been reported in Salvation Army kettles around the country, including a gold bar in Kentucky and a more than century-old gold coin in North Carolina.

Vincent says the Salvation Army has a policy for dealing with jewelry donations. Pieces found in a kettle are kept for 30 days, but if someone acknowledges leaving a piece with the bell ringer, it’s immediately considered donated.

If big donations are found to be stolen, the charitable organization arranges them to be returned.