Chatham Beach, MA Sentimental Ring Found and Returned by Richard Browne

July 22, 2025 A family heirloom ring was resting peacefully on Zoe’s towel until it was time for her to pick up the towel and go. Then it happened, the ring slipped silently from the towel into the sand. As it happens 90% of the time a search on the area with one’s hands the results are not as one would wish for. In hope for help J&E Enterprise was contacted and Eleanor, the owner, recommended the one person who could help, me.

I received the relayed call for help as I was gearing up to search for a lost wedding band and told Zoe that I would come to search for her ring around 7PM. Well after a three hour search with two other detectorists with no success in finding the lost man’s band. I took Leighton and Jim, the other two detectorists, back to Yarmouth and I headed east to Chatham.

On the way to Chatham Zoe texted me precise location of her loss of her ring. I arrived at the beach, found the two “Private Beach” signs, and the water drain. Following Zoe’s instructions I moved four feet from the drain and started to swing my detector. On the third swing, in less than 5 seconds I had my first and only signal that I needed, it was the ring. I took the ring back to the car, called Zoe and was given the address and restaurant name where she was with others having dinner.

Well, downtown Chatham was jammed up like the bridges onto Cape Cod on the 4th of July. I saw the girl in the blue dress (Zoe) outside the restaurant, pulled into a one car wide driveway and with half my van still in the roadway and a car coming at me, I stopped. Zoe and I did a quick exchange of the ring and thank yous. I took a second to snap a picture before trying to back out into the roadway which was barely wide enough for two cars to pass each other. I made it and was on my way home as the sun set. Zoe was heading back to her dinner feeling much better and happier that she had her very sentimental ring back on her finger. Now the sun was just about beneath the horizon the start of a wonderful evening for all.