Very Sentimental Antique Gold Engagement Ring Lost In An Acton, Maine Pond, Found With A Metal Detector

On Monday evening, August 11th, I received the following text, from John

John – “Can you search in water up to 4.5 feet”

Me – “Yes. If in the ocean, it would depend on the wave action.”

John – “Horn Pond near the boat launch. It’s in Acton, Maine.”

Me – “What is the object that I would be searching for?”

John – “An antique 10k gold ring with gems? It was my girlfriend’s grandmothers?”

Me – “Did she see the ring come off and that is why the ring is thought to be there?”

John – “Yes. She was wearing it on a necklace splashing around and the necklace broke.”

Me – “Ok, how long ago was it lost and I’m sure people have visually searched? Is the bottom of the pond sandy?”

John – “It was lost Sunday. Two people searched for about 30 minutes but we had to leave. It’s sandy with a lot of rocks.”

Me – “Ok, I can certainly search for it. Would someone be able to meet me there and show me the location?”

John replied that he could meet me there, on Wednesday, at 8:00am. I told him that I would be there, with my diving detector, the Minelab Excalibur II.
So, Wednesday morning, Cheryl and I drove the 50 minutes to Horn Pond, in Acton Maine!, from our home, in Saco, Maine. We arrived a few minutes early and John was still on his way. He explained the location to me and I decided to start searching for the antique ring, prior to his arrival. I would grid search parallel with the dam, which runs across the state border line, from Acton, Maine, into Wakefield, New Hampshire. My first multi state search, let’s hope it’s successful. I immediately realized that this area of the pond had never been metal detected. I was finding many coins and even a stainless steel fidget or spinner ring. During the first grid line pass, John and his girlfriend, Brooklyn showed up and sat on the dam, as I searched. I explained that I need to start along the dam, because it was where they entered the pond and when the chain broke, Brooklyn’s ring May have flung, in any direction. I needed to know where I had been and where I hadn’t been. I would work my way, to the area where they had been splashing around, just 15 or 20 feet or so away. Brooklyn told me the ring was yellow gold, with a blue gemstone. I told them that if the ring were here, I would find it.
I continued the first grid line pass, but no ring. I then started back towards the Maine shore and more coins were being found, but no ring. For such a small area, there were a lot of coins. I then headed back to New Hampshire and I told John and Brooklyn that I was hoping the ring didn’t end up in the deeper water, on the New Hampshire side, of the pond. I will usually go as deep as my neck, if I feel safe. If the ring ended up in 6 feet of water, I wouldn’t be able to get it. Nothing but more coins found m heading to New Hampshire. I then turned and headed towards Maine, once again. Approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the Maine shore I received the best sounding tone, in my headphones. Unlike the Minelab Manticore metal detector, that I use, the Excalibur is by sound only. No VDI screen to show me ferrous or non ferrous. No depth gauge and no conductivity VDI numbers. The Excalibur is just by tone and tone alone. I have been using an Excalibur since 2006 and you get to know the sound of different items. Gold has a very low tone that is music to my ears. This target was the sound of gold. I stopped what I was doing and told Brooklyn and John that “this one sounds really good”. I told Cheryl to start the video because I knew if this wasn’t Brooklyn’s ring, it was still going to be gold. Because the bottom of the pond was sand and rocks, I had been fanning the sand, with my hand, because my scoop couldn’t get through all the rocks. By fanning the sand away, I could then see the target. So I knelt and bent over low, slowly fanning the sand away and then I caught a glimpse of a shiny gold ring. It had a blue stone, just like Brooklyn had said. I pick the ring up, raised my hand up out of the water and said, “there you go, I got it.” I then walked it over to the young couple and passed it to John, who then passed it to Brooklyn. She now had her extremely sentimental ring back. A ring that was once her grandmother’s engagement ring, in now back where it belongs. Brooklyn and John were all smiles and still in disbelief that she had the ring back. Just three days earlier, they thought the ring was gone forever and John mentioned to his sister that Brooklyn had lost her ring. John’s sister told him he should call The Ring Finders of Maine and John who had never heard of us looked at his sister and said, “The Ring who?” John and Brooklyn know who we are and told me they will be telling everyone about us and they will be doing it with smiles, on their faces.
I love being able to help people like Brooklyn because a ring like hers is more than just a ring, more than just a monetary value, it is family history. Now Brooklyn will have a chance to continue to add history with her ring. When I see her face and it is no longer sad, but happy, I know I will sleep well tonight. ❤️🙏