This one was on me, no email or text. I was detecting 1 am low tide and was in knee to chest deep water when I found a beautiful ring. At first I thought it was a collage ring but after getting home and getting a better look it turn out to be a 1994 United States Naval Academy ring. The name on the inside was pretty worn but with the help of fellow RingFinder Matty St Germain we figured out the first and part of the last name. With the help of google and facebook we figured out who the owner was. First googled The class of 94 of the academy, Found the only Jose. Them went to facebook and found his page, even with a picture of him with the ring on. I sent a message, no reply. Posted on his page, still nothing. Then we turned to the ring itself. Found out the manufacturer who made the rings for the academy for that year and gave them a call to see if they kept any records. Luckily Jose wanted to resize the ring in 2019 and they had a phone number listed for him. I called him up and he couldn’t believe what I was telling him, that I had his ring and wanted to return it. Turns out he was visiting his in laws in Avon and was spending the day on the beach. He went for a swim and with having the ring resized ( a little bigger than he wanted) the ring slipped off his finger. After wearing that ring for 25 years he thought he would never see it again. It took 2 days of google searches but he now has his beloved ring back where it belongs. I knew if was the right thing to do, He worked hard for that ring and our country. A GREAT happy ending and good feeling.
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6 Replies to “United States Naval Academy Ring recovered in Avon NJ by Dennis Burlingame”
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So cool and Jose is such a great guy! Glad that he had someone as great as him find his ring and return it!
That’s awesome, Dennis!
I know the feeling. There is nothing more precious to me than my ring. It has seen many m
ore years than yours. The stone has many nicks and the chain has been eroded and even the other detail on it is hard to make out. However it is me and it represents my life and all the things I learned from that noble institution. So happy you found yours. Despite all these years, i don’t think I have an oversize problem. If I will need an oversize, then I will heed your experience. Hope you are doing well with your business and hope to see you when two or three shall meet. Good luck, give thanks and Fair Winds!
Words cannot express the sense of emptiness that came over me when I felt my class ring slide off my finger when I was riding that wave. As the ring slipped away, I made several hasty attempts to reach for it, but I knew that the ocean won. That look of loss on my face was enough to upset my wife and my daughter, as they were with me. We spent several minutes feeling for my ring in the sand, but I knew it was gone.
I had that ring for over 27 years, and I rarely took it off. It’s worn in only a way that time can wear down a ring. Beside my wedding ring, it was the only piece of jewelry that I wore, and I’ve had it a few years longer!!! I called my insurance company, and started the replacement process, but nothing could replace the sentiment of that ring.
A few days passed and an unknown phone number showed up on my cell phone. Normally I would allow the call to go to my voicemail, but something told me to answer the call. The gentlemen on the other end asked me if I was José Mercado, when I asked him who was calling, he told me that he found something of mine that was very special. “No way,” I thought. “My ring?” “Yes, your ring. I was out with a friend on Monday night metal detecting, and we found your ring,” he said. I couldn’t believe it! At first thought someone was playing a joke on me, but I really hadn’t told anyone that I lost my ring!
Dennis went on telling me that when he noticed it was a Naval Academy ring, he had to find the owner. He found a part of my worn-out name inscribed inside the ring and then he called Jostens. He described the ring to them and as luck would have it, they narrowed the “José” down to me! Dennis found me on Facebook and he even found my work web site and left me a message there, but he didn’t give up until he got my number and finally connected with me.
It’s easy to get sucked into the sadness and fear and hate that seems to take over the news feeds today. For a moment, please share in my happy moment! Dennis reunited me with a very special possession of mine. I am so very thankful for him not only finding my ring, but for finding me (which I think was harder)!!! My family and friends appreciate his kindness as several of them have commented on my Facebook page. Let’s appreciate that there are GREAT people among us and Dennis Burlingame is one of those GREAT people!!!
Thank you, Dennis! You are a special human being and I’m privileged to know you!!!
So incredible. It is like finding a needle in a hay stack
I had the privilege of taking this picture. The picture does not capture the full happiness it brought to both gentlemen.
Amazing to be part of the experience