- Land/Shallow Water Search
Steve Smith
Cost For My Service
The main thing to keep in mind, if you lost something in a public location, such as the beach, or a park, you need to call as soon as possible, because there are so many variables that can lessen the possibility of a recovery.
I tell everyone who calls me, I do not charge for my service, but will accept what you believe my services are worth for the recovery of your lost item. For me, getting what you lost back in your hands, is the most important thought in my mind as soon as I receive your call. All rewards are thoroughly appreciated.
Search Types
I can search pretty much anywhere, in and out of the water, at parks, or beaches, lakes, open fields, etc.
Search Locations
All Los Angeles County Beaches, all Orange County Beaches, and all of the inland of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, I can search other areas if needed.
Steve Smith's Bio
I am retired, which allows me to do a search at all hours of the day or night. I look forward to being a help to all who call. This hobby has been a great learning experience, and I have made sure that for the searches that I go on, I am using the best up to date equipment that is available. I have also found that being a member of The Ringfinders, and helping people find what they thought was “Lost Forever” has been a very rewarding experience. Please make the possibility of finding your valuable a success by calling as soon as you can after the loss.
Steve Smith - Recent Blog Post
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Custom Engagement Ring Lost in Sand at Will Rogers Beach…Found and Joyfully Returned. (2024)
Steve’s Emergency Metal Detecting Service For You if you lost a ring or something precious to you. Please don’t wait until tomorrow, time will work against you, please CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CALL NOW! 310-953-5268 Steph contacted me regarding the loss of her engagement ring. She was at the beach, and was hit by […]
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Cell Phone Lost at Venice Beach…Found and Returned. (2024)
Steve’s Emergency Metal Detecting Service For You if you lost a ring or something precious to you. Please don’t wait until tomorrow, time will work against you, please CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CALL NOW! 310-953-5268 Grace contacted me after having lost her phone the night before in the sand at the beach. My hopes […]
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Range Rover Car Key Lost in Sand at Santa Monica Beach…Found and Happily Returned. (2024)
Steve’s Emergency Metal Detecting Service For You if you lost a ring or something precious to you. Please don’t wait until tomorrow, time will work against you, please CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CALL NOW! 310-953-5268 Got a call from Declan about 7:00 PM about a key fob he had lost earlier in the day […]
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Cell Phone Lost in the Sand at Santa Monica Beach…Found and Returned. (2024)
Steve’s Emergency Metal Detecting Service For You if you lost a ring or something precious to you. Please don’t wait until tomorrow, time will work against you, please CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CALL NOW! 310-953-5268 Jasneev called me in the morning about her lost cell phone. I asked when she lost it, and she […]
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Wedding Ring Lost in Los Angeles Yard…Found and Returned. (2024)
Steve’s Emergency Metal Detecting Service For You if you lost a ring or something precious to you. Please don’t wait until tomorrow, time will work against you, please CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CALL NOW! 310-953-5268 Got a contact from Douglass. He had lost his wedding ring in the back yard of his house. He […]
Steve Smith - Testimonials
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Steve is the absolute best thing that has happened to this planet... (2024)
Steve is the absolute best thing that has happened to this planet. I went into an absolute panic when I could not find my diamond ring at the beach. Worst part is, it was already getting dark. I went back, spent 2 hours looking for it, digging in the sand, tearing apart our car, and I just could not find it. I was crying my eyes out because the ring has so much sentimental value and this incident was truly going to wreck my month, if not year!
Meanwhile my fiancé was messaging Steve and asked him if he would be able to find it. Steve immediately responded and hopped in his car straight away. He drove over 40 minutes just to meet us and arrived with a smile and ready to save the day! He was so kind and immediately went to the scene of the crime. And within less than 10 minutes, he pulled out my ring from the sand! It was truly magical!
I cannot thank Steve enough. He is truly incredible! I could not have found someone better!
-Sabrina
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Thanks to you I feel I am really able to help my aunts memory live on. (2024)
Thank you so much again for your time and services! I truly appreciate you. Thanks to you I feel I am really able to help my aunts memory live on. Below is my testimonial!
I lost my three rings and earrings on a Huntington Beach day - two of the rings were from my late aunt. I found out about Ring Finders through Reddit and knew I had to give this service a shot after I realized I would not be able to replace these rings readily and easily - one of them was a particular black opal and I felt there was no way I could find another like it. I called Steve and he sprang into action - my boyfriend said he was like Jason Bourne! Steve drove out to Huntington Beach within the hour and was able to find all of my jewelry that same night. Steve is an absolute hero and a gem (like all of the gems he helps find). Highly recommend relying on him and his services.
Thank you!
Yumi
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I wanted to write an email to note just how professional, attentive, and selfless Steve Smith is as a ringfinder. (2024)
Hello,
I wanted to write an email to note just how professional, attentive, and selfless Steve Smith is as a ringfinder.
I lost my wedding ring on Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica on Sunday. After an hour of scrounging through the sand, I was resigned to the fact that it was lost for good. A few hours later, I was pulling out my insurance documents when I had the 11th hour idea to Google similar stories, mostly to find commiseration in other unlucky ring-wearers who suffered the same fate as me.
Luckily, I came across a Reddit post that mentioned TheRingFinders. Steve's profile was the first I saw. I noticed that he stayed current on his page and figured, why not give it a try? Steve responded to my text about 10 minutes later as he was sitting down for dinner and offered to meet me two hours later.
What I didn't know at the time was that Steve lives in Palos Verdes, about an hour away. What I learned later was that Steve had just returned from jobs in Glendale and Will Rogers Beach. Still, after a busy day of searching and driving, he made himself available on a Sunday night. Within five minutes of being on the beach, Steve miraculously found the ring on a dark beach.
While this is just a ring and there are much more important things in the world, it carries great meaning to me and my wife. Steve was responsive, warm, and highly determined to help locate this ring. We'll be toasting his efforts for years to come (and I'll never wear my ring to the beach again). We are endlessly grateful for his time and efforts.
If I ever hear anybody - friend, family, or stranger - lose something at a beach or park, I will be singing Steve and the Ringfinder network's praises.
With many thanks,
Rob Harrington
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Words cannot express how grateful I am to Steve for finding my missing wedding ring set.. (2024)
Words cannot express how grateful I am to Steve for finding my missing wedding ring set. On my last day in California, I was enjoying a day at the beach with my sister, and as we packed up to leave, I realized my rings were missing. Despite our efforts to find them, we left the beach empty-handed. However, my sister found 'The Ring Finders' online, and we connected with Steve, who searched the beach for four hours and found my engagement band. This community is filled with kind and selfless people like Steve, who go above and beyond to help others. Thank you so much, Steve!
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. I will be singing his praises and telling everyone I know… (2024)
Thank you, thank you, Steve…
I found Steve on TheRingfinders.com and he responded promptly and came out to my house the next day. I know I wouldn’t have been able to find the ring without his help as I had tried for hours during that day and at night with a flashlight, no luck. The ring flew off my finger into my the flower garden in my front yard that is filled with dense foliage and thorny roses. Steve was not deterred by the thorns and went to work…in only 25 minutes he had found my ring!! I cannot thank him enough and I’m amazed that there are people like Steve that offer this service. I will be singing his praises and telling everyone I know that there’s no need for despair if you lose a ring…it can be found by The Ringfinders!
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I wanted to say thank you so much... (2022)
Hi Steve!
Joe here. You found my wedding band almost two weeks ago now down in Redondo Beach.
I wanted to say thank you so much. From the day I lost my ring bodyboarding to the time I called you was about a 3-day difference.
You hopped on it right away that same night, and found it before midnight!! I can’t thank you enough for finding this ring for me. It means the world to me, and I now know never to wear it again in these kinds of activities. I always thought it would never get lost, until it slid right off my finger without me knowing.
Thank you again Steve!
Best,
Joe Elias
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I am so thankful to Steve for the selfless service that he provides to make people happy! (2022)
Jewlery is about many things, not just about a monetary value of it. Most often, it signifies important moments in our lives, and treasured memories, that mean to us more than just a price tag.
I am so thankful to Steve for the selfless service that he provides to make people happy! He found my ring, that meant a lot to me, and interestingly enough, now memory of his help is a part of this ring story as well…
Thank you so much for rescuing my little treasure, and all the best to you!
Igor A. Len
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I was amazed, and I honestly can speak highly enough of both Steve and his work. He’s a true gentleman and very skilled. (2022)
I was out celebrating the Independence day weekend with my new wife of two months and friends on the beach. A beautiful day was had enjoying the wonderful weather. Only once sat at home and about to start a film did I realise my wedding band had come off my fingers. A small breakdown and copious amounts of anxiety ensued and the following morning, frantic messages to social media were posted. A kindly neighbour posted about Steve the ring finders and I called him up. Despite it being July the 4th he kindly agreed to meet that evening due to time being of the essence.
We met at 10 pm once all the fireworks had died down, and Steve got to work. He was meticulous and methodical and to my utter amazement, he found my band. Need to mention again this was all in the PITCH DARK. I was amazed, and I honestly can speak highly enough of both Steve and his work. He’s a true gentleman and very skilled. I sit here typing this testimonial with not only my ring on my finger, but a smile on my face. Steve, you legend.
Nick
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I would highly recommend him to anyone that finds themselves in dire straits, on your hands and knees, desperately searching for your lost jewelry.” (2022)
“It was the Fourth of July, and as I sat back in beach chair I came to the realization that my 1 month old wedding ring was gone. I spent the next hour searching the sand in the immediate area to no avail. A google search for metal detecting services led me to Steve, who would turn out to be my savior.
A quick text and Steve was on his way to keep me out of the doghouse. Steve was polite, prompt, and found my ring in less than five minutes (realistically probably less than two minutes). I was ecstatic. I could not have asked for a better solution. Steve and I ruminated on lost jewelry and surfing, and then went our separate ways. I would highly recommend him to anyone that finds themselves in dire straits, on your hands and knees, desperately searching for your lost jewelry.”
Best,
Brock
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He is an Angel and I am so happy I got to thank him in person. (2022)
Hello!
He found my Wedding Ring AND band on the Beach! Steve was absolutely amazing!! My husband came across his page on "The Knot" and I am so happy I did! I went to the beach late at night and in the morning my ring came off my hand it was gone. I was devastated especially because we just got married a month ago.. I texted steve and he got back to me within minutes. I described where I was on the beach and within 30 minutes he took a selfie on the beach of where I was and he got to work. He kept me updated and I am so happy he did. Then he found my rings! It was an absolute miracle and I am forever debted to this man. The amazing part is he even came to my home and dropped it off in Torrance which he did not need to do. He is an Angel and I am so happy I got to thank him in person. I hope this does not happen to you but if it does, Steve is the man to call!
Thank you again! You are the best!!
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BLESS YOU and the work you do, Steve Smith... (2022)
My daughter lost her wedding rings at Huntington Beach Monday night. We dug for over 4 hours with no luck. We ended up going home long after the sun had gone down, defeated, sore from digging and crying. As I was about to sleep, I Googled “what to do when you lose your ring at the beach” and I came across the RingFinders website. At first I was going to dismiss the option because the initial testimonials were from North Carolina/east coast area, but I did eventually see there were services in Southern California. I decided to call in the morning (now I know to call ASAP, meaning *immediately* even if it’s 11 p.m.). I texted Mr. Smith the next (mid) morning and after some who/what/when/where questions and info, he was on the hunt for the rings. I honestly was not optimistic because there were 4 of us looking for over 4 hours, digging digging digging with zero luck, but I just had to try because the rings have such deep sentimental value. The rings were my engagement/wedding rings from my husband who passed away in 2016, and I had just recently resized them for my daughter. My daughter and son-in-law (who is a Marine) decided to have a quick civil ceremony due to his military schedule not being amenable to planning the wedding they want anytime in the near future. I offered them my wedding rings for the civil ceremony since my daughter would inherit them eventually anyway. They had just gotten married the Friday before. 11 minutes. Upon arriving at the lifeguard station where the rings were last seen, Mr. Smith found the rings in 11 minutes. I can’t begin to put into words all the motions that engulfed me as soon as I saw the text: “I found your rings” with the subsequent pictures of the actual rings in the sand. BLESS YOU and the work you do, Steve Smith. Not many people know about this site, but they will now! I’m telling anyone and everyone this story and about this service!
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My faith in humanity was renewed that day. Good people who genuinely want to help people do exist. (2021)
My name is Guyen (Guy) and I was taking my daughters pet Luna for a walk on the Marina del Rey beach on Monday the 21st 2021. Luna loves to play with rocks on the beach by digging holes and burying the rocks. That day was like any other day but suddenly Luna wanted to get my attention and lunged towards me. That broke the necklace. I had a cross, my mothers wedding band that was gifted to me and my daughters name in 22ct gold in Sinhalese. I found the necklace but the other three items just vanished. This was at 5.50pm. Luna and I was looking for the lost items until 7.30pm and decided to call it a night. Before leaving, we marked the spot to come back the next day to look for the three lost items.
I came home and searched online for metal detector rentals to rent one for the next day and I was unable to find one. Then I randomly stumbled upon the website of Mr. Steve Smith “The Ring Finders”. I immediately called the number and Mr. Smith answered the phone. I explained my situation and he said that he would like to come out that night itself as the beach cleanup tractor can shift the items or the tide can wash the missing items Mr. Smith said that he will meet me in 30-45 minutes.
I explained this to my daughter who was skeptical and was concerned for my safety as I was going to meet this person that I connected online to look for the three missing pieces of jewelry. She even took my phone and shared my location with her incase this person who volunteered to help me was to harm me.
Mr. Smith met me at the Marina del Rey beach and we walked towards the location where the jewelry vanished. It was about 9.50pm. I directed Mr. Smith to the location and within a few minutes he found the Cross, my mothers wedding band and my daughters name in 22ct gold pendent. It was unbelievable to say the least. I asked Mr. Smith how much it would be for his services and he said that he would only take a donation. He did ask if it was okay for him to take a picture of me holding the three items that was found. Naturally I agreed as it was the least that I could do.
My faith in humanity was renewed that day. Good people who genuinely want to help people do exist. For anyone who goes to the beach, I highly recommend that you store the number of Mr. Steve Smith “The Ring Finders” in your phone. You never know when you might need his help. It’s as good as having AAA on the beach.
Thank you Mr. Steve Smith “The Ring Finders” from the bottom of my heart.
Guy from Marina del Rey
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Thank you a million times Steve. You are amazing and the job you do is god sent! (2021)
My name is Yvette Cisneros. I have written this testimony about 3 times now and I can’t find the right words to express the gratitude I have for Steve Smith. After losing my engagement ring at Redondo Beach , I lost hope of ever finding it again. My mom suggested renting a metal detector online. So when I searched “where to rent a metal detector, the first site that popped up was theringfinders.com. I then proceeded to open the page, saw Steve’s number and called. When he showed up walking down the beach with all his gear my heart felt relief. When he found me he asked a few questions as to where it might have possibly fallen off, so I showed him. (I also had made a barrier around where I thought it might have been). He then equipped himself to start the scavenger hunt. He found a quarter and a penny before he found my ring and let me tell you every time he would get one out my heart just felt like it was going to explode. When I finally got my ring I was overjoyed with emotions. I cried like a baby. I can’t ever put to words how grateful I am to have been able to find theringfinders.
Also I would love to add… he found my ring in less than 5 min. Which I had spent an hour looking for. Thank you a million times Steve. You are amazing and the job you do is god sent!
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My husband and I would highly recommend this service and Steve... (2021)
Steve aka Life Saver!!! Thank you so so incredibly much for helping my husband and I locate his wedding band in the pitch dark at Malibu beach! Steve knew the beach so well and helped us find the ring in less than 1 minute. (We had narrowed it down to a box of where we knew it was) My husband and I would highly recommend this service and Steve was a true pleasure.
Thank you,
Elizabeth Balasanyan
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a true act of kindness... (2020)
Steve,
I just wanted to send you a quick email to thank you again for the amazing find this afternoon.
I was fairly certain that all hope was lost and I was preparing for the worst, yet within minutes of meeting you, you had found my wedding ring! Simply amazing! Your willingness to take the time out of your day to drive down to the beach to help a total stranger is a true act of kindness. I am truly grateful.
I appreciate your time and efforts and hope to see you again sometime down on the water.
Best,
Steve
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I am so happy I found this service and Steve and will continue to recommend this to literally anyone ... (2020)
Ok, I seriously don't even know where to start! I lost my mother's gold ring at the beach, at night, and lost all hope that I would be able to find it. I was so heartbroken and was desperately looking online to rent my own metal detector. I didn't think I was going to find anything, but you know, I was super desperate.
SOMEHOW, I happened upon Steve's site, and man was he a lifesaver! He showed up at Santa Monica beach at 11 pm and found my ring within 5 minutes! When he said 24/7 service, he really meant it!
I am so happy I found this service and Steve and will continue to recommend this to literally anyone that loses a valuable item at the beach.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for preserving my mother's legacy Steve. I am forever grateful!
Farhanah
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Thank you Steve you’re talents is a blessing. With gratitude, (2020)
What can I possibly say except thank you to Steve for recovering my wedding ring. I lost it yesterday at the beach with my son and today had to go back and search for myself. Knowing the approximate area and searching for some time I took a break and said a few more prayers. I truly believe I was sent a thought to look online and search out someone who might be into finding missing items. Once I searched on yelp I came across some names but was directed to call Steve Smith. Praise God I did and my prayers were answered, he found it in record time! He is your #1 and only call and I’m grateful beyond words. Thank you Steve you’re talents is a blessing.
With gratitude,
Daniel
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We need more people like you in the world... (2020)
Hi Steve,
I cannot thank you enough for finding my wedding ring today at the beach. I was so discouraged when I first lost it and then you showed up and were not going to stop until it was found! I appreciate the extra hours you stayed to look. It’s amazing there are such great people in the world. Thank you so much again! We need more people like you in the world.
Ashley
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Steve is the real deal. A truly nice person wanting to help others... (2020)
I just want to acknowledge the professionalism of Steve Smith of TheRingFinders.
From the moment I reached out to him, I knew this man was a professional.
His care in asking the right questions. His ability to arrive quickly. His compassion and quiet fortitude in his search.
I would call him an angel. I had lost my wedding ring and I had all but lost hope of recovery. I believed it would be a real miracle to find my ring after 3 days lost at the beach. He found it in 5 minutes! It was completely miraculous.
Steve is the real deal. A truly nice person wanting to help others. What a great job!
So grateful to have met this wonderful person!
Pam
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Thank you, Steve, you are truly an ANGEL! (2020)
Steve is truly an ANGEL!
My husband lost his wedding ring at Redondo Beach, CA. This happened when he was IN THE WATER! We were very very sad......we thought that it was swept away by the waves and that it was lost forever. But we still did not want to give up and that's when we came across Steve's information. We called him the next morning and he immediately took action! We were so impressed by his knowledge and professionalism. After an hour, he sent us a picture of my husband's ring!!! AMAZING!!!! He is so kind, sweet and he really wants to help others. Thank you, Steve, you are truly an ANGEL!
On Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 09:30:16 PM PDT, Steve Smith <ko6zc@yahoo.com> wrote:
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His dedication and passion really meant a lot to me, he truly cares about his work!! (2020)
After I lost the ring, I just kept telling myself that it’s okay and it’s just a ring. But it kept bothering me and I felt so sad as if I lost someone. I lost the ring in the afternoon and I was still up and crying about it past midnight. I really couldn’t believe that I had just lost something so important to me so fast. At one moment I was having fun with my friends splashing in the shallow waves (and making sure my ring was on and safe). The next minute later, I was trying to get up from being hit with a scary wave and then I realized my ring was gone.
I already felt much better after contacting Steve. Knowing that someone would still be searching for the ring, comforted me and I had hope! Once the ring was found, I literally felt “in balance” again. The ring was my late grandma’s and wearing it everyday for over three years now has always kept me tied to her. Having it back felt like I had a part of my grandma with me again.
Steve was incredibly kind when we met each other. His dedication and passion really meant a lot to me, he truly cares about his work!! I will always remember this story and Steve!
Thank you Steve!!!!
Leah
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you provide a very important service, for which I’m eternally grateful. (2020)
Steve,
Thanks a million for finding my lost wedding band. I still cannot believe that you were able to locate it (buried under sand, in the water).
Please pass this message along to the folks who run the Ring Finders website, as you provide a very important service, for which I’m eternally grateful.
Sincerely,
Matt
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I cannot say enough about how lucky I feel that I found Steve Smith via TheRingFinders network. (2020)
"I cannot say enough about how lucky I feel that I found Steve Smith via TheRingFinders network. A relatively new and expensive hearing aid somehow fell out of my ear while having a small , "social distancing" cocktail with friends in our backyard recently. My wife and I raked and raked the grass with expectation that we would find it but failed. I then decided to try to rent a metal detector to search again by myself-but, found that to be a tough process. And, as my new hero Steve pointed out, I would have had trouble learning how to use it. I found Steve via a Google Search and the rest was history. We live in Pasadena area Foothills-which is a long schlep for Steve-but he drove over the next day. He is a class act and a real gentleman and he found the device after almost an hour of very dedicated searching. My only "quibble" with Steve's services is that he lets the customer decide on payment. I decided to both pay him, and then make a donation to a charity that he chose. Eric"
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Steve the Ring Man is one of those special breeds of people,,, (2020)
Hey Ring Man!
Steve the Ring Man is one of those special breeds of people that seem to just want to put a smile on your face. After losing a ring in the sand and looking all over to rent or buy a metal detector, of which I knew nothing about, I took a shot and called The Ring Finders. No more than a couple minutes later, Steve agreed to meet me at the beach. He's clearly good at what he does, as he uncovered my ring before I knew it. A couple high fives and laughs later, the deed was done, and now I know who to call should something else ever go missing.
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Steve thank you for finding my ring and for being an overall amazing person! (2020)
Words can not describe how grateful I am to Steve in helping me find my lost engagement ring. After a fun filled day on Ventura county beach I realized that my engagement ring was missing from my finger. We all looked for the ring frantically having maybe 20 minutes of sunlight left. I left the beach feeling discouraged and upset and thinking I would never see this ring ever again. The next morning I decided to look up someone that could help and luckily I found Steve. He was so kind and reassuring that it was definitely worth going out to look for the ring. I met him in a remote location that was hard to find but he was a real trooper and climb down the Rocky steps to help me. Within maybe five minutes he worked his magic and found my ring! I was so incredibly happy and grateful! Steve thank you for finding my ring and for being an overall amazing person!
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He’s the real deal – a ring finder and a gentleman! (2020)
After working all afternoon in our yard, cleaning out leaves from the planting beds, I was horrified to look at my hands and realize that my wedding ring was no longer on my finger. What can you say about a ring that’s been there for 34 yrs and daily reminds you of all those shared years? I was stunned. We looked for it unsuccessfully and then we found Steve’s website. He arrived at our house in about 15 minutes and found my ring in less than 10. Wow. I couldn’t stop smiling for 24 hours. The whole drama transpired within an hour … from lost to found. I don’t know which chapter was more astonishing … losing the ring or Steve’s quick recovery. I hugged him (asked permission first!) – he was so gracious, knew exactly what he was doing, and in a short period of time left 2 VERY grateful people. He’s the real deal – a ring finder and a gentleman!
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Steve is like a superhero! (2019)
Steve is like a superhero! I'm so happy I didn't give up and took to the web to find some help. Steve responded to my message first thing in the morning and was quick to make himself available that afternoon. He kept me updated on his status and was positive in all communications - a real comfort when you're panicked. He arrived with a smile and was ready to roll.
That ring has been on a journey through the family for over 75 years and I'm glad it didn't end that night on the beach.
Thank you, Steve, for being so generous with your time and being available so quickly. It's a breath of fresh air to meet someone who uses their talents to help others for the right reason. You rock!
Thank again.
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I was floored, and beyond grateful... (2019)
A cool thing that happened to me today, a bit of an emotional rollercoaster (don't worry, nothing serious):
For background - my wedding band was purchased from Amazon (prime!) for a variety of reasons. (1) It was $7, at a time that I was spending a lot on other wedding-related expenses, (2) I'm notorious for losing personal items (especially sunglasses) and didn't want to risk losing something valuable, (3) its cheapness (and replaceability - did I mention Amazon prime?) would cancel any potential emotional attachment, (4) I thought it would make for a funny story.
Well, as things worked out, I've held on to the damn thing for almost 5 years. And never lost it outside my house, but the brief times I can't find it around here I freak out. Emotionally attached indeed.
Today, my kids had the day off for Veteran's Day, but I was at work. Our new babysitter was helping with the kids, and she took my toddler son to the park a few blocks away. I work nearby so I decided to drop by and say hi. My son was so excited, and grabbed me to follow him to the swing. I chatted nearby with the babysitter, then followed him to another slide. He grasped my hand tightly again to follow him, and I froze - I felt a sudden panic as if I felt my ring fall off. I frantically looked around, sifted through the nearby sand, but couldn't find anything. Or maybe it didn't fall off, and it was never there? I've definitely left it (or lost it) at home a few times, so that was the more plausible explanation - just a phantom sensation associated with his squeeze and seeing my naked finger. On my walk back to my office, I called my mother-in-law to ask her to check the bathrooms or my nightstand, in case I left it. No dice, but I still knew it could be hiding somewhere.
I went back to the playground about 45 minutes later, did a cursory sweep of the area again and realized the futility of such a task. I spent the afternoon in a bit of a funk. Not certain it was lost on the playground, but very much not certain it wasn't. This time felt different. I put up an ad on Nextdoor. I started researching metal detectors, and even ordered a basic one on Amazon. I looked for my ring and realized it's been discontinued, much to my chagrin, but some other company offers an identical one (this time $18! alas!). I contemplated getting a nicer ring this time, but really wanted to keep trying to find it. After all, THIS is the ring that my wife put on my hand on our wedding day. I can't pretend I'm not invested.
I returned home, futilely searched the few spots it might be, then gave it up to spend time with my kids. My son was sad, but I knew this wasn't his fault - his only "crime" was being so excited about seeing his father that he may have accidentally pulled off a cheap piece of jewelry? And I can't even be sure that happened? Perspective!
Meanwhile, someone on Nextdoor recommended a metal detecting network called The Ring Finders, comprised mostly of volunteers and amateur sleuths. On a lark, I contacted the first guy listed in my neighborhood. A man named Steve (https://theringfinders.com/Steve.Smith/) seemed more than willing to come give it a shot, and said our best bet was to get started ASAP. We arranged to meet at 6:30. I felt sort of sheepish as I drove over to the park, as there was still some shot that I had misplaced it at home, and imagined the entire episode. He pulled out a nicer looking metal detector than the beginner one I had ordered, and a scoop to sift the sand. We set out in the darkness to the area I believed the ring might be hiding. Not 30 seconds later, and he gets a ping, almost exactly where it would be in my mind's eye! Eureka! Instead, his bucket came up with a half dollar coin. Cool, but not the treasure we were after. He methodically swept the area and moved further away from our starting point. He came up with a few dirty pennies, but nothing else. I started to lose hope, but Steve was undaunted, and we started to move towards the only other area I knew my son and I had been.
Just before we left, he decided to check the other side of the path, in case the ring had flung itself a few meters in the wrong direction. My hopes were fading fast, but onwards. He got a faint pinging, one that indicated the source was buried a little deeper. I was sure this was another penny. The scoop came up with some detritus, but the pinging persisted. He scooped again, and then again. Lo and behold, my little ring! Buried about 6 inches deep, no idea how. I was floored, and beyond grateful. This was a pretty great way to redeem a day that was heading south quickly. Steve asked to photograph the ring, and myself, and we both left the park in great spirits. A good day!
Anyway, just thought I'd share. Thanks to Nextdoor and definitely to Steve. That was pretty cool.
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Thank you again for everything Steve you truly saved the day. (2019)
"My worst fears had come true after proposing to my girlfriend. No she didn't say no to "will you marry me?" but as we were taking celebratory pictures with our photographer, the ring fell into the waves below the Malibu Pier. My Fiance and I were overcome with emotion and our greatest day was shaping out to be one of the worst. My best friend who was there with us called his uncle, who referred us to Steve from the ringfinders.com and this man could truly not be more of a saint. He stayed and never gave up searching below the pier with full gear for hours. Finally, as I was losing hope steve held up my glittering ring into the sun and I was overwhelmed by his kindness and diligence. Thank you again for everything Steve you truly saved the day.
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Forever grateful for your service and kindness... (2019)
Steve, Thank you so much for finding my daughters first ring!! My friend and I were sweating after 2 hours of being on our hands and knees in the sun. I wanted to give up and suffer the loss but Thankfully, we found you!! And just like that, you came and delivered. Forever grateful for your service and kindness.
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If you have lost something, don’t give up hope, give Steve a call. (2019)
Steve Smith is amazing! I called Steve after I lost my vintage Scottish Rite ring in my garden after pulling weeds. The ring was given to me by my late mother, and was from the 1920s. It has tremendous sentimental value to me and I was heartbroken after discovering that I had lost it. Tip: never pull weeds without wearing gloves, no matter how tempting. After immediately discovering my ring not on my finger, I told my wife. She found Steve’s info and I was about to call him, but she said to try finding the ring myself first. I spent several hours crawling around where I thought I had lost it. Digging into the ground well into the evening. I then remembered a friend telling me that he owned a metal detector and that he occasionally would go gold hunting. I called him up and picked up the metal detector wrapped in a plastic garbage bag. He told me to pull up the instructions off of the internet and wished me good luck. After watching several Youtube videos, I started to look for the ring. The metal detector began to pick up sounds from every type of metal in the ground, including years of nails, and other garbage. After about four frustrating hours, I gave up and called Steve. He came over the next day and I told him the story of what happened and my attempts at finding the ring while he assembled his gear. He then started to search and within two minutes exclaimed “is this what you are looking for?” I was amazed at Steve’s abilities at finding things. I really can’t thank him enough. We ended up speaking afterwards for a good forty-five minutes. It turns out we are both surfers and had a great time talking about that. If you have lost something, don’t give up hope, give Steve a call.
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We were really inspired and touched by what you and other Ring Finders are doing. (2019)
We truly thank you for your response, speedy recovery of such an important symbol of our marriage, and generosity with your time last night. We were really inspired and touched by what you and other Ring Finders are doing. With so much disappointment and sadness in the world, people like you and organizations founded upon purpose and authentic helpfulness is a wonderful reminder that there is so much good all around us.
Thank you thank you thank you, and good luck in all your future searches!
Victoria & Peter
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Mr. Smith is nothing less than a true angel ... (2019)
My daughter was visiting Los Angeles and lost her engagement ring when she got knocked down by a wave in the surf. She was completely distraught and we tried contacting anyone we thought could help her. Totally by chance, I stumbled across The Ring Finders website and contact information for Steve Smith. With it already being 24 hours after the fact and her having already flown out of the area, I was not at all optimistic.
I sent him satellite pictures from Google maps of where she was, pictures of the ring, and told him what time of day she lost it. He immediately identified that when she lost it was at high tide and said he needed to look for it between midnight and 2 am so he would be out there looking that night. I was shocked that a complete stranger was willing to go out at midnight wandering on the beach to try to find her ring!! I was even more astounded when he messaged back that HE FOUND IT!! I can’t even begin to comprehend HOW he did it (other than he must be an absolute genius) but whatever he did, it works!!
Mr. Smith is nothing less than a true angel and we can’t begin to thank him enough!! Not only did he find a ring that everyone was certain would never be seen again but he did it in the middle of the night when he could have been home in bed asleep!! Mr. Smith, you have definitely restored my faith in humanity and proven that there are still truly good people out there who are willing to put others interests ahead of their own! The world is blessed to have people like you in it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
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Steve showed up and saved the day! (2019)
It was a typical beach day. I removed my diamond eternity band to apply sunscreen as I always do but somehow got distracted and forgot to put it back on. Suddenly about an hour and a half later I realized my ring wasn’t on my hand. I had set it next to me on my beach chair and now it was gone. Likely buried in the sand somewhere. I was distraught. I had a fast thinking friend who called a metal detector shop and they referred us to Steve. We had tried to contain the area where we thought it might be as best we could. Steve showed up and saved the day! After going over some details with me, he put his equipment to work and sure enough, the first swipe yielded my ring! I will be forever grateful to Steve for finding this very sentimental gift given to me by my husband.
Thank you again Steve
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It's not often that a stranger is so willing to show such kindness and willingness to help someone they don't know. (2019)
Good Morning Steve!
Wow, what an awesome post! I can't thank you again for taking the time and for your efforts in finding my ring. It's hard to put into words just how much it meant. It's not often that a stranger is so willing to show such kindness and willingness to help someone they don't know. My ring is like my security blanket. It's something so small, but I have with me at all times. It's been there through it all and the second it's not on my hand, something feels 'off' It was a strange feeling taking it off this Sunday before beach Volleyball, as typically I wouldn't do that, but after learning my lesson from the previous week, I think it'll have to start sitting the bench for games haha. I would hate for you to have to come out again and find it...while i'm positive that you would be able to do so! I'm not sure that many people are aware that a service such as the one you provide, exists so i'll continue to rave about the convenience and helpfulness that you so kindly had shown me. Feel free to clip an excerpt for above to use as a testimony. Should you need anything else from me, please do not hesitate to reach out. I can't thank you again Steve and think you're doing a wonderful thing!
Warm Regards,
Katelynn Bickle
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You made my day & am truly grateful... (2019)
My late husbands ring found today after an extensive search by Steve. Can’t thank you enough for all your help. Just when we were ready to give up the search, there it was hiding in plane site, I can’t tell you how happy & relieved I am.
You made my day & am truly grateful
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You are a great guy with a great calling in life! (2019)
Steve,
You are a great guy with a great calling in life! My lost ring in my backyard was probably a run-of-the-mill search and find for you, but I had been wearing it for over 20 years.
I had been doing yard work the previous day and within minutes of it falling off my finger (still don't know how it happened), I realized my finger was bare. But me finding you was a bigger part of the story.
We looked for it all evening until it got too dark. The next day, I had to go to work. I told my co-workers that I had lost my ring the previous day, and the general consensus was that I would need to buy a replacement. I'm surrounded by co-workers wearing replacements.
A couple of them had heard of your website. So I gave it a try. I think I called you around 11:00 in the morning, let you know my wife would be home by 3:30, and you were there by 4:00. I shared your emails and texts with my work mates so they were all along for the ride. - Ring found within a few minutes in a part of the yard that I didn't think it would be in.
"It's never where you think it is" I believe you told my wife. Anyhow, I had to run around the office saying "Steve found it!" It was a nice touch to a stressful day.
Thanks again and best wishes in all your future searches!
cheers,
Eric Reynolds
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Steve at Ring Finders is simply put, “A God-Send.” (2019)
Steve at Ring Finders is simply put, “A God-Send.” He is an old school type of guy who is all about helping people out; a “golden rule” type of guy, you do not find people like Steve anymore. I am thankful for Steve at Ring Finders and the miracle he can provide for locating lost treasures. Here is my story: A few days ago, on Friday, May 24thI was on the beach in Hermosa tossing the Frisbee around with some friends and I went running after a long pass. When I was in stride chasing after the Frisbee, I felt my wedding ring go flying off my finger, I heard the ring hit the sand, and in a matter of seconds, the ring disappeared in the sand. My heart dropped, and all I could think of was how pissed off my wife was going to be because the ring was going to be gone forever. I had four friends on their hands and knees in the sand trying to help me find my ring, and after about 30 minutes of looking I felt hopeless, I felt like giving up, cursing left and right to myself that the ring is gone. Someone brought up a metal detector, then someone else looked on their phone and found Steve at Ring Finders. Steve said he would be there as soon as possible to help us try and find the ring. My friends had to leave the beach, but I was still looking and waiting for Steve to arrive. I thought to myself, this guy isn’t going to even come, and if he does come, he isn’t going to find my ring, there is no way. Steve ended up arriving about 45 minutes later (the time he said he would be to the beach) and I explained the situation to him and where the ring could be. I asked him what the probability of him finding the ring was, he simply said, “if it is in this area, and you didn’t move from this area, I will 100 percent find it.” About 10 minutes into the search, Steve found my wedding ring, he bent down and picked up and I thought, no way, no way, I cannot believe he found my ring. I asked him what I owed him, he said, “if you want to give me a reward, you can.” I gave him a big hug, shook his hand, thanked him a hundred times, and give him all the money I had in my wallet, $37.” I just want to personally thank Steve at Ring Finders, and let people out there know, that Steve is the real-deal, and if you lost a wedding ring, or any other prized possession, Steve will find it. Thanks again Steve, I am so grateful that you found my wedding ring, God Bless ya!
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Steve, you are my forever hero!!! (2019)
Steve, you are my forever hero!!! The diamond in my engagement ring broke off while I was setting up a school fundraiser. It could have broken off in a giant grassy meadow, gymnasium or parking lot. The search area was HUGE
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Steve is a legend!! There are no words that can describe how highly I recommend his service! (2019)
Steve is a legend!! There are no words that can describe how highly I recommend his service!! My wedding ring flew off my finger into the sand/sea up in Malibu. Bolstered by the enormous swell and giant waves that day, I had no hope of recovering it. I scratched through the sand for an hour and had nothing to show for my work. The tide came in within two hours and my ring was under 6ft of water. I called Steve on a whim. Little did I know the power of Steve and his metal detector was the magic I needed. He came out the next day and spent three hours finding it. I was ready to throw in the towel but he insisted he keep looking. 10 minutes later Steve pulled it up from about 2ft deep and 15m away from the lost location. Steve’s perseverance prevailed. Not only that, he is a stand up guy and a pleasure to meet! Thanks for all you hard work, Steve! If you lose jewellery, call Steve!!!
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I am eternally grateful for you and your service (2019)
Steve,
I want to say thank you so much for finding my necklace. This was the last true gift from my mom and my dad before he passed. There are not enough words in the English language to describe how much this necklace means to me. The fact that it was even recovered brings more joy to my life that you can even imagine. There is a reason why life is the way it is, and I am eternally grateful for you and your service to help me find such an important piece of my life.
All the best,
Sarah
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Thanks a million to Steve (2018)
I gave my ring to my wife when going surfing in Malibu on Christmas Day, in the afternoon.
When asking her to give me back the ring, she realized she lost in in the sand as it slipped from her finger.
We searched in the sand for 30 minutes but were unable to find it. We finally drove back home later in the afternoon.
As searching on Internet for a solution, I ended up finding the Ringfinders website and emailing Steve. He answered super quickly and we met on the beach in Malibu around 9.30PM.
It only took him 10 minutes to find my ring. I was really happy with such a happy ending ! Thanks a million to Steve for this, a great, helpful and friendly professional.
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I am so grateful to have my ring back! (2018)
Thank you for sending me the link, and I appreciate the story you've written on your blog. It was fantastic to meet such a kind and diligent person! I am so grateful to have my ring back! I really feel like the Luke scripture on your business card!
All the best,
Austin
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Steve you were an angel sent by my Father on Monday... (2018)
Steve you were an angel sent by my Father on Monday. God crossed the paths of you two to help my sister in her time of need. We all miss our father very much and each have a piece that he left us that is important to us, for Feliz that invaluable relic is my fathers ring. Thank you for all your hard work and determination. You are always welcome with our family.
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Thanks a million, Steve!!!" (2018)
"I forgot to dig my phone out of the sand underneath my towel after I was done body boarding one late afternoon. I've been hiding my phone underneath my towel ever since I started body boarding and such but I guess I got unlucky and forgot to dig it out this time. I walked to my car and realized that I didn't have my phone and then rushed back to the area where I set my stuff. Having forgotten where I set my towel exactly,
I probably spent a good hour or so combing the sands with my feet. I couldn't find my phone although I recalled hiding it probably 2 inches under the surface of the sand. I went back later that night to try and find my device using Google's find my android system. Still didn't find it. I found Steve online and emailed him that same night and got an email back early the following morning. I called Steve and explained my situation and he offered to drive an hour down to the beach to help me out.
The phone was still there according to Find My Device. I drove down to the spot and marked an estimate boundary in which I was certain the phone would be within. Steve greeted me and went to work right away. Using a grid system in the boundary I laid out, he found my phone after finding a lot of metal pins and bottle caps.
It probably took around 30- 45ish minutes. It turns out I was combing the right area the night and afternoon the day before but I set my stuff a lot closer to the shore. Steve advised that I dry out my phone first since it looked like the waters came in over it, but fortunately the phone is water proof.
I'm really glad I contacted Steve in time as I had planned to find metal- detecting equipment myself and search for my phone. Steve explained why that was a bad idea when I called him that morning and you could observe for yourself why it was so just by watching Steve work. I also want to mention that Steve didn't hesitate to offer his help on an early Thursday morning, just shortly before a doctor's appointment!
I had a lot of cool pictures and memories stored on that phone from my travels as well as important notes and documents for school and work. Not everything was backed up into the cloud so I was pretty upset at the thought that I would lose the fun memories I captured with my phone. Thanks a million, Steve!!!"
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Thank you so much Steve, I highly recommend your service. (2018)
Hi Steve!
I can’t thank you enough!
When I had lost my favourite ring at Santa Monica Beach, I was worried that I would return home to England without it!
It may not be any beautiful diamond ring, but it has sentimental value to me and I was in tears when I lost it! I called Steve and he came down from Huntington Beach on such short notice, and found my ring unbelievably fast after we searched for half an hour.
I’m so glad I called Steve as he is not only a 5 star ring finder, but is a wonderful person and I was so happy to meet him.
Thank you so much Steve, I highly recommend your service.
Madison
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Steve is an absolute God send! (2018)
Steve is an absolute God send! He is professional, kind, courteous and relentless! My husband and I were at Santa Monica Beach where I took off my wedding bands and placed them in my shorts pocket.
About three or so hours later I realized that I did not have my rings on and that I had left them in my pocket. When I went to go look in the pocket, which I had hung on our beach chair, I found out with great disbelief, and immediate alarm that my rings were missing. I immediately started to cry and panic, while my husband and I dug through the sand all around us.
Hours later we decided to ask the lifeguard if anyone turned any rings in to him but to our dismay, he said no. He did say however, that he had some cards for people who found lost jewelry. I called the person on the first card that was handed to me but the phone just rang and rang. I called again and still got no answer. My husband called the person, Steve Smith, using the information on the second card and he received a quick and friendly answer.
We were concerned that it was close to 8:00 pm, which is when the beach parking lot closed, but Steve stayed calm and told my husband that he would find other parking and for us not to worry about that. That in itself let me know how great a person Steve was without even meeting him. We were assured that he would come out as soon as possible -and he did.
My husband and I told ourselves that we had a lot of faith and hope that the person that God sent to us would find our rings, but we’re also realistic. The fact of the matter was that it was past 8 PM at night and dark, plus we were sitting on a huge beach- sure we gave Steve an approximation as to where we were sitting, but with so many beach visitors moving around in the sand all day long, what were the chances of the rings been recovered?
Our hearts aches knowing that there was a chance that we would never recover the wedding bands that my husband placed on my finger at our wedding a little over 17 years ago.We went through so many emotions that night, including a lot of praying as well as a lot of crying. When we wanted to give up, Steve was the first to say that he had all night and that we would get them back. This gave me and my husband great hope once again.
About 2 1/2 hours after calling Steve out, he came walking back towards us and let us know about the specific effort he made to find our rings. Steve let us know that he found a lot of bottle caps and other items that were not our rings.
As he talked about the process, I felt a sense of dread and great loss but at the same time I felt thankful that Steve spent so much time and energy really trying to help us. Just then, Steve pulled out my wedding rings from his fanny pack. He kept talking but I couldn’t hear anything else out of his mouth, I just saw my cherished rings and immediately started sobbing and with much gratitude,
I gave Steve the biggest hug. He was truly our Angel that night. My husband and I are very thankful beyond words for all the effort that Steve put in to find something that is invaluable to us.
If you or a loved one has lost a ring or another item that a metal detector can locate, Steve is your man!
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Steve is incredible and I highly recommend him. (2018)
I contacted Steve because I lost one of my most important possessions in the Pacific Ocean, on one of the largest beaches in Orange County. As I was swimming my fingers shrank from the cold and suddenly I felt my ring slip off my finger into oblivion. I tried to catch it but I couldn’t, and neither could my boyfriend who was near me. We searched forever in the surf and the through the sand however we knew it was useless. With complete devastation I went home. That ring was a family heirloom and I lost it. I actually dreamt about it that night and woke up with the simple idea of googling “how to find a ring lost in the ocean?” And Ring Finders came up. I found Steve and was very impressed by his bio and finding record. So I sent him an email where he responded within 10 minutes. Then we spoke on the phone where he asked where I was, what time, how far out I was, how tall I am, the works. He knew high tides and low tides and the perfect times to search. I showed him the location where I lost it on a map via screenshots and by 10:30-11am he was already there at Hunting Beach looking for it. Around 2 he texted me to let me know so far no luck but he will continue after high tide has gone down and asked if I could meet him there after I get off work. I would up arriving around 9pm only to discover that I had circled the wrong spot on the map and Steve had been searching in the wrong spot. However he didn’t seem the least bit annoyed and after we found the correct spot it did not take him more than 45 minutes to find my ring. Steve has the entire set up, he was out there with a wet suit and all. I trust this man could find the Holy Grail. I simply could not believe that he has actually found my ring! He was amazing and so nice! And after everything was found and photos were taken I was shocked to learn that now at around 10pm he was on his way to another search. Steve is incredible and I highly recommend him. He is determined and trustworthy.
Special shout out to Mike from RingFinders, who happened to also be searching on the beach that night and after letting him in on what we were looking for he too offered to help. So kind!
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Such a nice guy and such an expert at his craft. If you lose jewelry in the South Bay, call Steve. (2018)
Thank you once again for coming down to the beach on such short notice to help me find my ring. I truly appreciate your help. The review I wrote up is below:
"When I lost my wedding ring on the beach and my friends and I spent 45 min rooting through the sand for it unsuccessfully, I thought it was lost for good. Thankfully I found Steve at theringfinders.com and he was able to come out within 30 minutes. I am not exaggerating when I say he found the ring in ONE MINUTE! It was incredible. Such a nice guy and such an expert at his craft. If you lose jewelry in the South Bay, call Steve."
Keep up the good work!
Kindest regards,
Kevin Viehland
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STEVE IS A LIFE SAVER! (2018)
STEVE IS A LIFE SAVER!
On July 4th I lost my wedding band in the sand on Hermosa Beach. I reached out to Steve and within an hour he was there searching with his magic metal detector and FOUND it in less than 10 minutes (I had been searching for an hour). Steve is a great guy and a life saver. I highly recommend him for finding any lost metal item.
Rick W.
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Lose something valuable and/or sentimental? Steve’s the guy to call!” (2018)
“My wife was in a panic when she realized her engagement and wedding rings were missing on a Sunday afternoon. We retraced her steps and realized the last time we saw them was on the beach the day before.
I went to Yelp to look for metal detection equipment and Steve’s site was the first listed. I was surprised that he picked up the phone on a Sunday but he did and we arranged to meet; my expectations of finding the rings a day later were not high.
We met at the beach that afternoon. There are people who comb the beach as a hobby but my immediate impression was that Steve was a professional at this. He immediately struck up a conversation with another beachcomber and got him to join the effort. Steve clearly used a grid to search, not random wandering and covered all of the search area. I told my wife that this was not going to work…
But…about 20 minutes into the search he got a hit and scooped one ring out of the sand. Once the other gentlemen saw it, he recognized that he had already picked up the second ring earlier without realizing what it was (very simple design with no gems). He dumped his bag out and we had the complete set back. Huge relief!
Steve specializes in ring retrieval and sure came through for us. Great guy who wants to help people and clearly loves what he does. Lose something valuable and/or sentimental? Steve’s the guy to call!”
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Highly recommend. (2018)
Steve is not just for finding lost engagement rings! My house was recently reroofed and I had the backyard swept over with a magnetic sweeper multiple times in order to catch nails and other roofing debris. My son is having a bday party this Saturday and I just couldn't rest easy knowing that children would be running around barefoot. Someone recommended Steve and I emailed him this morning. He came out this afternoon and found a handful of nails that looked like tetanus waiting to happen. So thankful he was suggested to me. Seems like a great guy as well. Highly recommend.
Sally Song
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Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! (2018)
I cannot thank you enough Steve! After having gone through cancer last year, we realized that things are just not important, but my wedding ring has so much sentimental value for my amazing husband who stood by my side through treatment and took care of me while having to be a single parent much of the year I was down from surgeries and treatment. No other ring could have replaced the love attached to my ring and I am so grateful that I still have it on my finger as I continue to be blessed enough to wake up every morning and enjoy this beautiful life! Alan and I are so grateful that you showed up so quickly and told us what to do right away to ensure we did not bury it further (although my 4-year-old did say that he was digging for "real treasure" after I lost it - we just moved him outside of the perimeter to do so!). Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
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If you have lost something precious, you should call Steve. He's like a superhero on his way to the rescue! (2018)
We're so grateful for Steve's help in finding the Austrailian Opal Pendant!
It was last Friday and I was working with one of the young horses at the barn, a 2 year old stallion who was feeling frisky, when he reared up in front of me and kicked my collarbone right where my Necklace was. He ripped it off my neck and my blue Opal disappeared in the shavings of that stall. I was super upset about it because it was the first Birthday present my Husband ever gave me and I was wearing it on our Wedding just 2 Weeks before.
I tried to find it for over an hour..( That doesn't sound that long but the Area where it possibly could have been was so small )..I gave up and called my Mark, my Husband.
He came up with the idea to try it again with a metal detector, because the Opal is held on the necklace by a small piece of Rosegold. Mark looked online to buy a metal detector & was having a hard time finding one for sale nearby. He could get them online but felt we didn't have time for that since they need to change the shavings in the stall soon. So then he searched for renting a metal detector and came across a website called ringfinders. He clicked on our location and Steve's name came up.
We were surprised to see there was someone out there who was helping people in this way & we called him immediately. Steve answered on the first call and told us he would love to help us find our lost item. He said he was on his way home and could pick up his equipment and meet us in about an hour and 1/2. As we waited for Steve to come to our side of town we said to ourselves what a great guy he must be to just drop whatever he was doing and spend hours of his time to help us.
Steve showed up as fast as he could, we drove together to the farm and began our search in the stall. We quickly learned the metal detector would not work in the stall because of the metal in the rubber mats on the floor which were made of old car tires. So we decided to empy all of the shavings out onto the ground in front of the stall. Steve was using his metal detector on the shavings and it appeared to be working fine on the dirt floor of the barn but he was not finding anything. This went on for over 1/2 and we had not found anything. My husband and I got down on our hands and knees and started sifting thru the shavings with our hands and after about 15 min of this and a couple prayers Steve turned to my husband and said, " Does it look like this? ".
We were overcome with joy and gave Steve a big hug & thanked him profusely. Steve is a real human being who is helping people out of a genuine desire to do good in the world and we are grateful to have met him. If you have lost something precious, you should call Steve. He's like a superhero on his way to the rescue!
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Thank you, Steve and TheRingFinders. Thank you so much. (2018)
An inspirational story to share on a Sunday...
On Saturday afternoon at my friend’s birthday party for her daughter, everyone including my son had a great time. We were at a park in Pasadena. It was perfect weather and my son was a powerhouse - non-stop on the slide, running around with no fear and 200% energy! He was having a wonderful time. But he kept coming back to the big slide which scared me because it was way too high, and he wanted to walk down, instead of sliding down! So when he tried to go the big slide again, I scooped him up and he struggled, hitting my face and neck. He hit my right ear so hard that the earring on my right ear flew out.
We looked for the earring for over an hour. But the play area had these chipped wood pieces as flooring. It was impossible to find. As my friend said, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack! Someone said, “Get a metal detector.” And I thought, where am I gonna find a metal detector? We left the party and I had a sinking feeling. I didn’t want to leave half of my earring in a place I may never come back to. That earring’s been with me for 20 years! But we had to go home. My son, was getting cranky and I didn’t want to drive on the freeway at night.
On the drive home, I asked my cousin to look up metal detectors for rent online. She found theringfinders.com. I called The Ring Finders (Steve Smith) immediately, he asked for pictures of the lost earring, the exact area where I lost it, and I texted him the photos. He said he would drop by the park after dinner. At 8:50pm, Steve the ringfinder called my cell asking for more specifics. He was at the park, already looking for the earring with his metal detectors, but couldn’t find it. I requested for him to look at one side of the play area near the benches. 15 minutes later, he texts me, “Found it!” And sent me a photo of my earring. He found the pearl earring and the back of the earring! I am so relieved! It felt like a scene out of a movie but this is real life. I bought these earrings with my first paycheck after college. It’s not about the $, but more of the sentiment. I wear them everyday, and these have been with me through my ups and downs.
Today - 3pm on a Sunday - my husband and I met Steve. He immediately gave me my earring and I hugged him so tight. Steve is a genuinely kind person, who was just happy to help. I had tears in my eyes upon seeing him and my earring. I remembered all the memories I have with this earring: coming to America wearing these pearls, building a family, and finding a career. Steve is a God-send, and I will never forget his kindness. It was a leap of faith to make that first call to The Ring Finders. I didn’t hesitate because I knew they can help me. Steve said their joy is in giving back what they found. And I’m glad their group exists to bring back smiles without expecting a whole lot in return. Thank you, Steve and TheRingFinders. Thank you so much. I call this #MyPersonalMiracle.
-Sue
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Thank you again, Steve and Ring Finders! (2018)
I could not be more grateful for Steve a! He is so kind, goes the extra mile & truly gave me back my most prized gift!
I went to the beach with my husband down the street, just like any normal weekend. That Sunday, we decided to just walk down & enjoy the beach for 60 minutes before his parents were here for lunch. Right when we sat down, I decided (NEVER AGAIN) to take off my wedding band I wore down and put sunscreen on my arms. I placed my wedding band next to my leg on the chair. Well.. I then forgot to put the wedding band back on. 60 minutes later we got our chair and towels and walked home. We were almost home when I looked down and said "MY RING!!! I TOOK IT OFF ON THE SAND"!!! We dropped the chair on the sidewalk and raced to the sand where we had sat. We found the exact spot where we sat and starting sifting through the sand. The family next to where we sat saw me crying and they all came over and helped us look. I knew the ring couldn't be deep, as it only had fallen off a few inches up from the chair.
After we looked for 15 minutes with the kind family, we knew the ring was gone! We had to race back to meet my in-laws for lunch. I couldn't stop crying but pretend to be ok at lunch. After lunch, I was absolutely DEVASTED. I cried the entire afternoon and evening. I was so upset that I could do something so ridicules to something I treasured so much. We had JUST celebrated our 1year Anniversary.
That night before bed, I googled " HERMOSA BEACH LOST & FOUND". The first website that came up was RINGFINDERS.com . I clicked it, found Steve Smith and started reading his testimonials. All the stories sounded so similar to mine! It sounded too good to be true but I decided to email Steve, as it was late at night. I emailed him and only told him the street I had lost the ring at. And Hermosa Beach is known for its MILES of sand! I went to bed crying and felt helpless.
Fast forward to 2am. I woke up and the pit in my stomach was still there. I grabbed my phone to see if Steve had emailed back. Not only had he emailed back, but he had texted, called AND had already been to the beach!!! He had gone to the beach immediately at 12am! My heart was pumping! He had texted me that he had found a ring but unfortunately, it wasn't mine. I emailed him back at 3am and put together a very basic map of where exactly we sat and what my ring looked like. I was so hopeful that maybe he could give it another shot in the morning.
The next morning while I was at work, Steve reached out that he was at the beach again looking but he needed more details on the location. This was 8:30am!!!! I texted my husband to call Steve right then and explain where we sat. less than 2 hours later....STEVE FOUND MY RING! He texted me a picture and I started crying at work!!!! He even offered to bring the ring to me AT WORK!
Steve is unbelievable. I thought that ring that I treasured was GONE for good. Not only did he go in the middle of night, he went first thing the next morning. He never gave up searching and was so kind. I was reluctant to email Steve with Ring Finders but I cannot explain the appreciation I have for this website and Steve Smith. If you have lost something, please do not hesitate to call Steve. He is a true professional and angel! I am forever indebted to Steve and am so immensely blessed to receive this gift from him. Thank you again, Steve and Ring Finders!
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I’ve never been so overcome with relief and gratitude, thank you Steve for doing what you do!!!” (2018)
“Steve came to the rescue when I honestly though I had forever lost my rings! A lazy day at the beach in Malibu quickly turned to a really stressful afternoon when I realized we were on our way home…without my engagement ring and wedding band. Luckily, when I contacted Steve, he immediately responded. Within 10-15 minutes of arriving at the spot on the beach where I had hung out, he had found BOTH the rings!! I was immediately in disbelief that I was able to get them back and extremely grateful for Steve’s services. He was very friendly, highly skilled with the gear he brought and pinpointed with good accuracy where the rings were in the sand. I’ve never been so overcome with relief and gratitude, thank you Steve for doing what you do!!!”
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Steve Smith showed up quickly and found the ring (2018)
"It was a great first day in Hermosa Beach, CA and even better when Mark proposed at sunset. For me, it was truly special how Mark asked me with my mother's wedding ring, but during the excitement the ring was dropped. It soon turned extremely stressful when the sun had completely gone down and the water was coming up.
Steve Smith showed up quickly and found the ring in no time. It meant a lot to all of us that the ring was located. He was a great help during this stressful time and he truly cared about helping us find the ring. I would not hesitate to call him again if needed!"
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I was totally devistated about losing my chain (2018)
I just wanted to say that before you came I was totally devistated about losing my chain that my gf got me for my 6 month anniversary. I was scanning through the sand looking a needle in a haystack and I thought I lost it forever. Bu then Steve “ the finder” smith came as my gaudrian angel to help me find my chain. The feeling when he found my chain was priceless all the weight of losing my chain was lifted and I could sleep that night. All my thanks goes to the finder from saving me from my sanity. Thank you and God bless
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Very thankful that Steve was available... (2017)
I was spending time with my family during the holidays in 2017 on Newport beach, and happened to be tossing a football with my cousins. About an hour later, I noticed my wedding ring was missing. I had a feeling that it happened during the football toss. I had mentioned it to my wife about me misplacing it, she was not too thrilled.
My cousin and I rushed back to the spot, but couldn't locate the ring. He pulled up a site called Ring Finders on the web, and told me to call. I called and Steve Smith picked up and said that he was on his way. I asked how much the service was, and he said whatever we felt we wanted to pay. This was Christmas Eve so we were a bit worried about any one actually working.
Steve arrived, and I told him what had happened. I showed him the area where I felt it could be and he asked me a few questions and then proceeded to work. I was back to my family and within 10 minutes, everyone started cheering. I looked back and Steve was walking towards me holding the ring in his hand.
I couldn't believe that within such a short time, he was able to produce the ring! We chatted for a few minutes, and he told me about his method. Best part of our conversation was the reason why he did it, he said it was THAT moment when he finds the item and how the mood changes in an instant!
Very thankful that Steve was available and he was able to locate something very important to myself and family. Thank you a ton RING FINDERS!
YOGI GOYAL
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Steve is a true detective of a different kind... (2017)
My wife Cathy and I cannot be more indebted to Steve for finding my wedding ring in the sand at Redondo Beach.
It's amazing how quick things can get lost in the sand. No pun intended.
Steve is a true detective of a different kind. He took the witness information and the clues and went to work to solve the case.
And like a great investigator he got his man, or this case his ring.
I would suggest taking pictures when you go to the beach. That helped us immensely in determining our positioning from the day before and helping Steve to narrow his search area.
It was indeed money well spent.
Thanks Steve!
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I met a charming person who wants to help with all his heart! (2017)
This is my story
On Saturday, 11/19/2017, at 4:00 PM, I went with my wife and my daughter to the park. As I rocked my girl on the swing, my wedding ring was pulled from my finger and fell into the sand.
After extensive searching and lots of help from good people, the loss was not found and I had to accept fate.
The evening came and I decided that this ring was too important to me and I was not going to give it up so easily.
I started looking online with a professional who comes with a metal detector and the first person who intrigued me was Steve Smith who answered me on the phone right away.
I told him the story and asked how much his service would cost me.
Steve answered that I could pay as much as I think fit. I was in in shock from his answer! He said that in any case he would come to help me even if I did not pay him at all!
I really wanted him to find my wedding ring.
We met in the park at six in the evening. It was already dark. Steve would get organized quickly and after 20 seconds the loss would be found !!! And I was very happy
I met a charming person who wants to help with all his heart!
Thank you Steve Smith
NIR
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My pendant was found by Steve Smith, the best ring and pendant finder hands down. (2017)
TODAY WAS MY LUCKY DAY
My pendant was found by Steve Smith, the best ring and pendant finder hands down.
I had this necklace that was given to me in the 80’s it was really 80’s looking and I wanted a more contemporary piece.
I was telling my girlfriend that I wanted it redone.
I happened to be going to India towards the end of last year with her and she told me she had the finest Jeweler in Delhi.
I carried that necklace with me to India and met with the jeweller.
I sat for about an hour designing this and felt so proud of the out come. I cherished it.
Flash forward to today I was doing our Christmas pictures in Palos Verdes on the rocks at the beach no less.
I came home and noticed it was gone.
I had a knot in my stomach, I was so upset.
Ran back the next day and found the chain ,but no pendant.
Then I got frantic it had to be there it just had to.
I could not find it anywhere.
Went home went online and found Steve.
He was just awesome. Asking me questions and he was so calm.
We met the next day and I was so impressed with his gadgets he set up and he went to town.
He’s thorough and precise.
It helped that I guided him to where I was sitting. I was in 2 locations.
I was pacing and digging a hole to China while he was diligently scanning.
And then he held it up and said is this it ?
I shrieked in happiness and ran to hug and kiss him.
He found it he found it, he found it.
Today was my lucky day:)
Would recommend him to anyone and everyone.
He is absolutely the best, hands down.
Warmest Regards
Karyn
Happiest customer
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If you’re reading this because you have lost your ring and you need to find it... Call or text Steve Smith immediately!!! (2017)
If you’re reading this because you have lost your ring and you need to find it... Call or text Steve Smith immediately!!!
If it can be found, he will find it.
Steve is angel on earth. He is a humble and kind soul.
And if your ring can be found he will not only find it but also find it for a fair and hopefully generous amount on your part to pass forward good energy on Earth.
Thanks again Steve for finding my cherished wedding ring the day after it was lost near Zuma Beach in my favorite beach side enclave. Thanks for meeting me at my favorite store in the whole world, Vintage Grocers in Malibu to find my ring.
Steve I can’t thank you enough.
Much love,
Akida Mashaka, Esq.
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I googled the website theringfinders.com and read all amazing stories about wonderful results of their search. I found Steve Smith (2017)
In the evening, I decided to swim in the ocean at Santa Monica beach. I left my rings on my T-shirt and after swimming I took it so abruptly so the rings fell in the sand. It was already dark, so I spent an hour trying to find them but it was not possible. I tried to take a picture of the place and views to be able to track this place. In the morning, I looked up in the Internet where I can buy or rent metal detectors, but all of them must be only shipped.
I had to be quick to start searching since other people could also find them. So, I googled the website theringfinders.com and read all amazing stories about wonderful results of their search. I found Steve Smith who covered our area. His reviews we excellent. He helped many people in the same situations, so I immediately called him.
Steve promptly asked me questions about the location, and we met in less than 2 hours. After identifying the area, he started searching. He found a lot of coins and can caps. He told me it was a good sign because it meant nobody was there, and there was a big chance the rings were still in the sand.
After 3 hours of searching, we went all over again, taking wider area into consideration. And suddenly at one more sound of metal Steve dug the sand and there found my ring. The second ring came right after it. They were around 5 inches deep in the sand, so obviously, they could not be found without Steve’s help. Steve said you should never give up while searching things in sand and he was absolutely right! Thank you, Steve!
Best Regards,
Dmitry & Natalia
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Steve was super nice and very professional (2017)
Two days ago I lost my wedding ring doing yard work. It was my fathers wedding ring so it had double sentimental value. My wife and I were sad about losing it so I went out and bought a cheap metal detector and found a bunch of screws.
I googled ring finders and found Steve. I couldn’t believe he would come all the way out to Thousand Oaks from Palos verde for a donation but he did and much to my surprise he found it in no less than one minute. i took him to the part of my yard where I was putting in stepping stones into some 1” gravel.
I had used my metal detector down a 4 foot path of rocks and like I said, only found screws. His metal detector was much more sophisticated then mine and with it and his expertise found my ring almost instantly.
He told me it has a certain tone for gold. I just couldn’t believe it. We are so happy. Steve was super nice and very professional. If you lose a ring or anything else metal, I highly recommend you call him.
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Thanks for doing what you do. (2017)
Hey Steve,
I am very fond of the necklace you recovered for me. Your immediate response and search in the middle of the night was exceptional, and the fact that you dropped it off at work for me the next day made the recovery process a breeze. Thanks for doing what you do.
Cheers,
David
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Steve is amazing, an expert at what he does (2017)
Steve truly saved the day — after losing my wedding band just before the ceremony, my husband’s 8 year old god-daugther so sweetly offered me her ring.
The next morning I typed “lost wedding ring” into google and found Ringfinders and Steve. I emailed him and he got back to me within the hour (it was early) and made plans to come to our house later that morning. I was grateful for how quickly he responded. Once he got to work, he told me there was a lot of metal in the ground, making the search more difficult. After he had been searching for about an hour, I began to think it must have fallen beneath our deck and there would be no way to find it or retrieve it without pulling up the deck. I asked Steve if we should call off the search and he said he wasn’t ready to give up. I went back in the house, and had even called the jeweler to ask if they had a replacement ring in stock. A little while later Steve got my attention and I asked him if we should call off the search. He said “yes …. because I found the ring!” and a bright smile came across his face as I screamed “JEFF HE FOUND IT !!!!” I really couldn’t believe it — I was so surprised and thrilled! Steve is amazing, an expert at what he does, and he so clearly loves doing this - finding people’s treasures for them… You can see that the joy he brings to people is for him, priceless. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Steve !
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It is amazing how God answered my prayers and led me to this wonderful man that found my ring. (2017)
Today we are leaving sunny CA and I had a remarkable experience while here that I have to share. Last Monday we were at Redondo beach, having a wonderful time running around on the beach and catching waves. About an hour into our beach fun Tyler and I were knee deep in the surf when a big wave caught us and dragged my wedding ring off my finger. It was one of the worst feelings I have ever had in my life. My heart sunk as I told Tyler to go back up to where Dad was and I proceeded to start frantically looking for it, knowing it was like looking for a needle in a haystack especially since we were in the water and it was high tide. I was so scared to tell Tony, but of course I had to. Plus I needed his help to find it. I hugged him and told him what happened and he was so calm. He tracked down a guy with a metal detector who had been scanning the beach for treasures (after all, he had found a spoon earlier while we were there
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Angels come in many forms and I feel truly blessed to have encountered such an amazing and generous soul. (2017)
My wife and I would like to thank you so much for finding my lost wedding ring. After getting out of the ocean at Zuma Beach I completely forgot that I had put my ring inside my wetsuit.
I stripped off my wetsuit while standing in very deep sand despite all kinds of instinctual internal voices telling me that I should be peeling on a better surface. Hours later my wife asked me how my surf session was and I realized that I had no ring on.
The evening had set and I knew that I was going to be unable to seek out my ring. Fortunately my good friend Dave volunteered the next day to put some energy into trying to find what truly was a needle in a haystack. After his searching and scooping the area that I hoped I had dropped my ring, I had given up.
Then Dave asked, "What about Ring Finders.com?" A few minutes later I was speaking to Steve who generously volunteered to go to Zuma Beach after he finished a search in Venice for a misplaced phone. It took Steve less than 5 minutes to find my ring nearly a foot beneath the surface of the sand.
Angels come in many forms and I feel truly blessed to have encountered such an amazing and generous soul.
My ring is a matching ring to my wife's and it's loss would have been sad.We have always told our 2 children that they will each inherit one so thank you, thank you, thank you,
The Kincaid Family
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I’d been good about resisting crying up until this point, (2017)
I flew into LA for a long weekend. On Sunday I decided to go to the beach. Before I left the hotel, I very intentionally decided to wear my wedding band but not engagement ring out that day. I was travelling without my husband and wanted to make sure I looked married.
I jumped on the bus, grabbed a drink at Starbucks, and made my way to the ocean. I put on sunscreen. I sent happy pictures to my family. I popped in earbuds and was basking in the sun. I absentmindedly touched my left thumb to my ring finger. No wedding band!
I sat up very carefully. I combed the beach with my fingers. Then I gently pushed the sand to the side with my palm. A person nearby came over and started to help me – really pushing the sand away to try and uncover the ring. We searched for over half an hour. No ring to be found.
I returned to the apartment, certain that the ring was lost. A day passed. Two days later a friend chided me to be more active in trying to get the ring back. I called the bus company. No ring. I went back to Starbucks. No ring. A third day passed. Late that night a friend encouraged me to check CraigsList lost and found. No ring, but a picture of a guy with a metal detector.
I dropped a message to my husband (still at home, but with a Craigslist account) – “Can you contact this guy?” I gave my rough location for him to pass on– a cardinal direction and a life tower number. I sent along a vague aerial map with an arrow pointing to a stretch of sand. I described my ring – it’s practically a hollow dime – 3mm wide and tiny – a size 4. I went to bed.
I woke up in the morning and saw a text message from my husband. “Call him – his name is Steve.” I spoke with Steve. I was scheduled to get on a plane back home that morning and we agreed it was probably best for me to get on the plane versus meeting him on the beach.
Before I boarded the plane, Steve sent a picture of the beach. It had been groomed the night before – smooth sand. I saw even less probability of a recovery. I powered down my phone for the flight.
I landed at home in Seattle. I fired up my phone as soon as we touched down. I saw an image had been delivered, but it took a moment to download. The image pushed through – It was Steve’s hand, palm up, sand in the background. In the palm, of course, my platinum, hollow dime of a wedding band.
I’d been good about resisting crying up until this point, but I gasped and started crying when I saw this image. I called my husband, “Is that my ring?!” In retrospect, I am fairly certain the men sitting on either side of me on the plane thought they witnessed me being proposed to. In reality, I didn’t cry 8 years ago when my husband proposed. I reserved the tears for the moment that Steve presented me with the ring.
Less than a day after landing, the ring arrived via secure post, courtesy of Steve, was back on my finger. For good!
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. I can attest to this event, and I am a witness that The Ring Finders is legit. (2017)
On Sunday, April 30, 2017 I lost my diamond stud earring in the grass at Eternal Valley Cemetery. My little brother accidentally took it off my ear and it fell somewhere. We looked for two days but we couldn't find it.
On Monday, May 1, 2017 that night I searched up on google "how to find an earring in the grass" and that's where I found out about this website called, The Ring Finders. I read through the website and it said something about someone being able to find their diamond stud earring, in the grass with the help of whoever is in charge of this website.
I looked for more information and then I read a name. Steve. And so I assumed that he was in charge of this website. And I was right. His number was there, so I tried calling him. We arranged a meeting for the next day, May 2, 2017 and that's on a Wednesday. At 3pm. At first, I was hesitant.
Although I've read his blogs about him being able to help some people, I was still a little worried. I thought, would he really be able to help us look for my earring? Because I know we've looked for two days and we didn't find it.
But I took my chances. I knew that diamond earring had a sentimental value to me, so I just hoped he would be able to help us. And he did! It took him an hour and I almost thought he would never find it, but he did. He found it. We were all so happy. My parents, and especially me. It was really unexpected, but with the help of Steve and his equipments, my earring was found. I can attest to this event, and I am a witness that The Ring Finders is legit.
Sincerely,
Lauren Arcillas
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We highly recommend Steve (2017)
We were looking forward to spending a day at the beach and had a great time there. However, after driving 3 hours home, my husband realized his ring was missing. We had pretty much just accepted that we wouldn't be getting the ring back because for all we knew the ocean could have taken it anywhere!
After going to bed, I just couldn't sleep thinking about it and started to research of our insurance policy would cover the lost ring. In my searches, the Ring Finder website came up and I clicked on it out if curiosity.
After reading Steve's testimonials, I read about another couple who had lost their ring in the water. This gave me some hope, so I sent Steve an email late at night figuring we had nothing to lose! I was surprised when he emailed back right away, volunteering to go look for it the very next day. I kept checking my email the next day to see if we had anything from Steve, and a few hours after he started looking for it, we received a picture of the recovered ring!
We were BEYOND happy and grateful for the work he put into finding it! We highly recommend Steve if you're reading this wondering if you should contact him. The sentimental value of things like this can't be replaced, and he is such a genuine person to work with! He was so kind during the whole process and even volunteered to meet us closer to our home to save us some of the drive. He is very professional - the ring was even returned to us in a little jewelry box! I can't say how happy I am enough that we have the ring back. Steve offers a great service and you can tell he really cares about helping people recover their valuable and sentimental items. God bless you, Steve! We are so so grateful!
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I shared with him my story, he mapped out a grid, began to detect and the rest is history. (2017)
Walking to and around the Strand in Hermosa with my daughter has become routine over the past couple years. From the Baby Bjorn at just a few months, to the hip, an occasional seat on the shoulders overseeing what probably feels like sitting on top of the world, to now, keeping up with the little Olympic sprinter, one thing is certain, I am in love. Having married three years ago, my wife and I were blessed with a beautiful daughter and our lives were forever turned upside down from the moment she arrived.
Recently, walks to the Strand have one general purpose, the swing. We wake up, we eat breakfast, maybe take in a little PAW PATROL and then we’re out the door. April 10th started as usual business. We crossed the street and I asked my daughter if she wanted down to walk. Of course, she declined. I asked if she were ready for the swings and she nodded while looking at me knowing I had the answer.
As we approached our stomping grounds, on this morning, we would have company.
Not paying mind to the closeness of the action, I put my daughter in the swing where she immediately focused on the volleyballs flying in and around our direction. As usual, I would give her a few pushes, move back a bit, drop to my knees and begin building my princess her sand castle that she eagerly awaits to climb, stomp, smash and use as a slide.
We had been at the beach for no more than ten minutes. While constructing the castle, a ball zipped in my direction that I caught and without hesitation, threw back to one of the girls training. Moments later, another ball would finds its way in my direction that I would catch, again, throw back however this time, would throw with it my wedding ring. I immediately felt its weight “fly off” my finger.
Happening so quickly, I couldn’t see the exact direction the ring would travel however, my world stop spinning. Flashbacks of my wedding day resurfaced. Forgotten faces would reappear, and the sentiment of life would take new ownership. The beach became a sea of memories and with it carried a feeling of unexplainable loss.
I called my wife to share with her what happened. She would soon show up to help aid in the search. The volleyball team would literally come into play as well. A morning fit a father and his daughter would become without notice, a search and rescue effort.
After forty-five minutes without discovery, a couple had approached the swings and learned of my story. Not too focused on their involvement, I would overhear the woman conversing with her partner that she was going to look for a metal detector. Having no success at a local restaurant on the Strand, she walked to the Lifeguard unit where she was provided a yellow piece of paper with a gentleman’s phone number on it. That gentleman would happen to be Steve Smith.
Not losing hope, but confidence, I reluctantly dialed Steve who would answer and agree to meet with me. What would feel like an eternity, Steve would arrive a little over an hour after having talked on the phone with gear in hand and new life.
I shared with him my story, he mapped out a grid, began to detect and the rest is history.
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Thank you Steve! (2017)
Yesterday (03/24/17) I lost my house key at the park and I searched 3-4 hours for it on my own and had no luck. I called Steve and he said he couldn't make it out that day but tomorrow would be better.
We agreed to meet the next morning and he was there on time. He asked me a few intelligent questions, and his patience was remarkable. The hardest part about finding the key was that it was not on a keychain and not uniquely designed, but it still only took him 15 minutes to find it!
I really needed that key to get in and out of my house. He pretty much made my week by finding it, and I thank him for taking the time to help me out. He didn't make me feel like I was wasting his time, and I could tell he enjoys his job and takes it seriously. Thank you Steve!
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I'm so thankful for the quick and expert help Steve was able to give me. (2017)
I'm so thankful for the quick and expert help Steve was able to give me. I was visiting my brother and a group of his friends for the weekend, and we had decided to visit the beach to enjoy the weather.
I had absentmindedly placed my wedding band in the cupholder of my beach chair earlier in the day as I was playing volleyball and swimming. As the sun moved, our group decided to pick up stakes and move to a different part of the beach.
It wasn't until after we set up our new spot that I realized my wedding band was missing. I ran back to the area where our group had previously been and searched frantically for 20 minutes. Realizing I was probably in for a long day (or that my ring was gone for good), I found Steve online and gave him a call.
Steve's response time was incredible. I expected wait for hours at the beach, but in 30 minutes I saw Steve with his equipment walking down the strand. He asked me a few basic questions about where I thought the ring was, set up a search grid, and located it in about 15 minutes. I was awestruck.
You can tell that Steve is a passionate craftsmen, and I'm sure this is what made finding the ring so simple for him. As we wrapped up, I got a chance to pick his brain about how and why he does what he does.
You can sense that he has a deep understanding of his equipment and the right techniques for the job. More than that, though, Steve seems to have a mission. You can tell that he gets a lot of joy from finding items that are priceless to those that hold them dear.
Don't lose your wedding band. If that happens though, call this man. He will find what you lost, and put a smile on your face too.
- Mike Spiegel
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Steve - he is amazing! (2017)
So, on the last day of our recent vacation, while on a shuttle to LAX to fly back home, I realized my wedding ring was no longer on my finger. I was devastated and figured the ring I'd worn 18 years was gone forever.
I wasn't even sure where it had fell off. I contacted the theme park and car rental agency without any luck. The next night, in a desperate "what do I have to lose" attempt, I searched the internet for help. I hesitantly placed a Craiglist ad in the 'lost and found" section with a Google maps screen shot and address of the beach area we went to before flying back home. I offered a reward as incentive so if someone found it they might consider returning it to me instead pawning it.
I was texted right away by a guy named "Steve" who was a member of "TheRingFinders.com"
I figured he was probably a scammer. He called and left me a voicemail too - so I verified the website, and his phone number area code, which actually was from California.
I called him back (Friday at 9:00pm) and I provided him some more details about where
I thought I may have lost my ring near the beach. He was nice and sounded legit on the phone, and didn't ask for any money from me. Steve went out right away, and within an hour (Friday at 9:52pm), he had recovered my ring and texted me a picture that lookedlike my ring.
I was shocked and beyond happy! And and I couldn't believe it - and so I asked him to provide a clearer picture of the front of the ring (the first was taken with a flash in the dark area where he found it).
He sent a clear picture when he got home and it was definately my ring! We arranged shipment, and a few days later, it is back on my finger as I type this message! I'm so grateful for Steve's help. He is the real deal! So, if you ever lose a ring (or keys, or phone, etc) and need help - even from out of state - theringfinders.com might be a good place to turn for help (rather than hoping some honest person might see your ad on Craigslist like I did - I got lucky!)..... and if you lose something at the beach near LAX, call up my new found friend
Steve - he is amazing!
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Having the ring found was umm lost for words " a miracle!!" (2017)
While on my Honeymoon in Santa Monica I lost my wedding ring at Venice Beach. A young lady saw me and my wife Kyla searching in the sand and advised there are "guys with metal detectors" walking the beach who could find it?
Immediately we jumped on google and did a search. We called Steve and explained the situation. He was with us in about 10 mins and ready to get his hunt on!
It took him about 2-5 mins and found the ring! With out Steve we would have gone back to New Zealand with no ring and my wife and I wold have been devastated. I cant thank him enough!
Having the ring found was umm lost for words " a miracle!!" I don't know what I would have done if Steve never crossed our path.
Thanks so much!"
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Steve, thank you for putting a huge smile on my (and my wife's) face. You're clearly a passionate and talented guy (2017)
I'm incredibly grateful for Steve's help last night. I figured I'd leave a voicemail and hear back from him the next business day, being that it was 8:30 at night, but he picked up my call and said he'd meet me at the volleyball court in 30 minutes. Seriously? And the search process was equally impressive – it took him all of about 10 minutes to find my wedding ring, which could've been just about anywhere on/off the court. Steve, thank you for putting a huge smile on my (and my wife's) face. You're clearly a passionate and talented guy, and I hope many others will read this post, give you a call, and experience the same excitement and relief that I did last night. Thank you again, Steve. God bless!
Wes Putnam
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This was your 3rd ring in as many nights and you simply kick ass at making people happy. (2015)
Steve,
You are the man! Thank you so much for coming over tonight. I know you were busy and enjoying your evening, yet you made time to make our night. You are a great man for doing this work. This was your 3rd ring in as many nights and you simply kick ass at making people happy. Thank you so very much and many blessings to you and your family!!!
Warmest Regards,
Brian & Sara Morrison
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Thankfully you came to the rescue and I'm so grateful (2015)
Steve,
Thanks again for your help last night. You can't imagine how devastated I was when I realized that the ring was missing, and then again after 2+ hours of digging through the sand on my own.
Thankfully you came to the rescue and I'm so grateful that you were will and able to help on a Sunday evening. Briana and I truly appreciate your service and will certainly recommend you to anyone we know who finds themselves in a similar situation.
Hope your other calls were successful and that you didn't get home too late.
Again, much appreciated and all the best!
Greg and Briana
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Steve, you are an amazing human being! (2015)
Steve, you are an amazing human being! JuAnne wasn't sure if she lost her rings at the beach or left them at home. When we got home and did not find them, we were in a panic.
I began googling places to purchase a metal detector and started youtubing instructions on how to use one when i came upon theringfinders.com website.
I am naturally suspicious of anything on the internet but i came upon your name and blog on the website and read through a few of the incredible stories and decided to take a chance. You were 2 hours away and relaxing and did not hesitate to drive out right away to help.
When you met me on the beach, a kind employee at the restaurant was helping us comb through the sand with a sifting shovel but to no avail. After only a few minutes of searching, you pulled out some scrap metal and bottle caps and I already started to lose hope.
But then you stopped and dug out something - I heard clanking in your shovel and I saw a smile on your face and I knew
you found one of the rings. You found the engagement diamond ring I gave to JuAnne 11 years ago!!
Then you found her wedding band in minutes. I can't tell you how incredible that moment is when you pulled her engagement ring out of the sea of sand.
It would be so easy for someone in your position to take advantage of these type of desperate situations, but you are such an honest and generous person and i can tell that you genuinely want to help people.
Through this experience, we learned 1.) never wear jewelry to the beach 2.) there are still good people out there in the world and that is inspiring. Big shout out to theringfinders.com network for connecting me with Super Steve!
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Steve is the type of person that renews your faith in humanity. (2015)
The outpouring of appreciation for Steve you see on his blog in the form of email responses is certainly shared by me.
In fact, there should without a doubt be a statue of Steve by the Hermosa Beach peir. At the very least they could rename the airport after him.
Steve is the type of person that renews your faith in humanity. I've been known to lose things from time to time as a general personality flaw and few things these days is worse than losing your phone.
For a change, this wasn't ADD but my buddy Darius attempting an impromptu sneak attack / tackle as we were walking in to wrap up an otherwise phenomenal beach day. As is well known 85% of attacks happen from behind so I'm at fault here too for not picking up on it sooner.
Leveraging some college rugby skills I didn't know I still had I spun out of the tackle feeling pretty invincible. Unfortunately I immediately noticed the wait in my pocket was gone where my phone had been. Inexplicably it had vanished beneath the sand.
Doubt set in, had it been stolen earlier? We confirmed on find my iphone it was somewhere nearby and not moving away or powered off. That lead to our amateur search and rescue efforts described in Steve's write-up that were obviously unsuccessful.
After 30 mins or so of searching it really started to set in. I was in LA early for a business trip. That business trip was going to be nearly impossible without my phone which is consequently required to access my company VPN. Not to mention the guys I was supposed to pickup at the airport the next day getting straight to voicemail service from my lost/dead phone.
I literally sat down on the sand, head hung low, sorting through the impossibility of solving this predicament. Enter a friendly lifeguard with Steve's card. Sadly even when calling Steve I wasn't entirely sure if he would be willing or able to help or if he was someone I could trust.
Steve turned out to be all of those things in spades. From here, Steve's blog tells the rest of the story.
Thank you again Steve!
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I cannot believe he found it!! We jumped in joy and held onto each other with tears of joy flowing down our cheeks. (2014)
Stephanie’s Story:
At the end of my birthday celebration at Huntington Beach my husband realized that he lost his wedding band. He lost it while playing football out in the sandy beach.
The search was worse than a needle in the haystack. For hours we retraced his footsteps and hopelessly searched in the surrounding premises. The desperation, hurt, disappointment in my husband’s eyes were unbearable.
I located a ring finder who agreed to go back to the beach at 1:30am but was unprepared because his batteries were dead and his equipment was not working.
Unwilling to give up, we continued the search in the dark until 3am with couple of our friends. We went in a line up and searched step by step with flashlights hiding from beach patrols with no luck.
It was a very restless night for us. We just had just celebrated our one year anniversary last month and can’t believe that this really happened. AND of all days on my birthday after such a wonderful day. We cannot accept the fact that it’s gone.
The sentimental value of the ring cannot ever be replaced. Luckily I found Steve from www.ringfinder.com. I called Steve at seven am and he picked up the phone right away. He agreed to drive an hour down to meet us at 10:30am.
He searched the premises under the beating sun. He was very determined and professional. Inch by inch he meticulously searched with a metal detector and a sifter marking searched areas as he go. After 3 & a half hours exhausted from the search previous day and lack of sleep we lost all hope and left home.
Steve was so encouraging and optimistic. Even after we gave up he continued searching. He told us not to give up and he will go over the area once more and expand his search. He promised that he will locate our ring and refuse any reward until he locates our ring.
We have already accepted the fact that the ring was lost forever. We even located the same exact wedding band to be shipped to the closest jeweler. 2 hours later we got a text from Steve with a picture of the wedding band with the message. “You’re right, it is a beautiful ring.”
OMG he found it! I cannot believe he found it!! We jumped in joy and held onto each other with tears of joy flowing down our cheeks. Whether Steve wanted it or not, both of us gave him a huge hug when we saw him. We could not contain our happiness
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We always try to do the right thing, be a better person in life. I feel like karma was in play today and we finally got served what we deserved. Karma had led us to Steve! It is so wonderful that a complete stranger would show you the kindness that Steve has wanting nothing more than to help others. He is truly amazing!
We gave Steve a reward while he excitedly told us multiple stories of his finds. Words cannot express our gratitude.
This emotional event was nothing short of a miracle. I feel like our vows got renewed today. We are forever thankful to Steve Smith who gave our story a happy ending. Thank you Steve from the bottom of our hearts!
-Stephanie
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At 12:30AM I had received a Text from Steve saying he found the ring. I saw this and jumped out of bed in pure excitement. (2014)
Hey Steve,
Just wanted to thank you again. I am still so excited that you were able to find the ring. It truly means so much to me. Here is my story for your blog.
Best Regards,
Zack
My Grandfather had given me a ring a couple years back. I wear it all the time and love representing him as he has always been one of the most important people in my life. Unfortunately he got sick due to old age and passed away on Aug. 27 2014. Of course I was devastated and all I had from him was the ring he gave me. So I wore it. The funeral was on the following Sunday and on Monday a friend of mine wanted to take me to the beach to try and take my mind off of things.
It would have been a nice day but it turned for the worst when the ring he gave me fell off my finger. Once again I was devastated and did not know what to do. I had lost something that I held so close to my heart. I searched and searched with no luck. I went online and found Steve, who came over as soon as he got the call.
Just talking to him I could tell he was determined to find the ring not for personal gain but just to put a smile back on my face and do something good for someone else. He searched and searched combing a large area on the beach. Still with no luck, Steve put on a water proof suit and got into the water, searching while getting hit by wave after wave… but still after several hours, we still had not found the ring.
At the end of the night, I told Steve that I appreciated all his hard work but I did not want to waste anymore of his time because I felt that there was a possibility it was deeper in the ocean than I had guessed. I thanked him and we both walked away disappointed.
The next day I received a call from Steve. He told me how much he wanted to find the ring for me and that he was going back to the beach and continue searching at 10PM at night during low tide. I was speechless.
The fact that a man I just met was so caring and determined to put a smile on my face completely surprised me because I had thought the ring was gone. Steve had different plans. So he went out late at night and expanded the search to a wider range.
At 12:30AM I had received a Text from Steve saying he found the ring. I saw this and jumped out of bed in pure excitement. Steve is the best there is and I could not be happier to have met him. Not only because he did the impossible in finding my ring, but also because it was a pleasure to meet a man who is so genuine and caring about what he does for people. I would like to thank Steve with the bottom of my heart. I never would have found it without him.
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Steve – we could never thank you enough for what an amazing blessing you were to us (2014)
What a miracle it was that we met you Steve!
Our 1 year anniversary was less than 2 weeks away. My husband lost his wedding band while he was surfing in pretty rough conditions. I immediately assumed that it was lost forever, somewhere in the belly of the sea. But we still went back to look for it the next day, and that’s when we met Steve.
He graciously offered to help us look for the ring until he had to leave for the day. In that short time, he wasn’t able to find the ring but we shared our information and told him about the inscriptions in case he was to ever come across it.
The next morning, we were surprised when my husband received a text from Steve telling us that he was going to go back and look for our ring. That afternoon, my husband thought he’d swing by and do some more looking himself, and when he got there, he saw Steve was still there, waist deep in the water searching for our ring. My husband realized that if Steve wasn’t able to find it, that we probably wouldn’t either, and he left the beach. A few hours later, Steve sent us a text to tell us that he’d found the ring!
The following night we met up with him and he shared the incredible story about how he’d found the ring. It brought me to tears! What a miracle it was that we met Steve!
Steve – we could never thank you enough for what an amazing blessing you were to us and how dedicated you were to finding our ring. Thank you a million times, from the bottom of our hearts – you’ll never know how much this meant to us!
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