Brendon Chapman, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 3 of 5

14K Gold Heirloom Ring lost at UC Campus…FOUND!!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

It was late afternoon Saturday that I received a message regarding a lost 14K gold ring lost on the UC Berkeley campus.  At my earliest convenience I contacted Mike back to get the scoop.  He had already found a metal detector to purchase and was on his way back to the scene of the missing ring.  I was happy to give him a few pointers on metal detecting and bid him well wishes.  I told him to let me know if he wasn’t successful and I could head that direction either that evening, or early the next afternoon.

Later that evening I got another text regarding the missing ring.  A request was made for a search the following day.  To this end, I was glad to assist.

The following morning I had T-ball with two of my boys, but afterwards we picked up some snacks and headed to Berkeley for a treasure hunt, picnic, and some romping around the park.  We met Michael and he briefed me on the events leading up to the missing ring.

While taking a break from his Masters degree he met up at the park with friends for a meal.  Mike had removed the ring to clean his hands and rested the ring on his leg.  Moments later, he got up and the ring dropped away into the tall grass.  After having no success with friends locating the ring, another friend located THERINGFINDERS.COM website and hence my contact information.  His back up plan was to locate a metal detector for sale and come back to find the ring himself.  He was fast to find one and was back searching quickly.  He admitted that nerves and frustration set in quickly with all the nobs and noises the machine was making, as well as not quickly locating the ring.

I gave him 4 cones to define the perimeter of the search zone which was quiet small and we got started with the grid search. I can attest that the ground was quite noisy with targets.  I informed him that the ring would indeed be on the surface and ring in between 14 and 20 on my Equinox.

Less than 5 minutes into our search I got a beautiful signal that came up as an 18 VDI.  I told Michael we had his ring before we ever set eyes on it, an sure enough… »we made the recovery! »

Mike gave me a huge hug and was extremely relieved to have the ring back.  Thank you Mike, it was a great way to spend my afternoon and I wish you all the best in your future.

The boys and I stayed on and picnicked in the park and climbed some trees… It was a beautiful day!

14K Gold Heirloom Ring

A relieved Michael with ring back where it belongs.

The ring peeking through the tall grass after discovery.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Beautiful Gold Ring with Diamonds Lost at Baker Beach…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Mishkin admitted to me at the end of this story that she doubted that we would find and recover her ring lost the previous evening at Baker Beach in California.  I’m excited to share this story for a number of reasons. First, for it’s success as always. Second, because it’s kind of a beautiful tale. Lastly…this marked my 25 ring recovery!  This was a milestone that I had set for myself earlier this year, one that at the time seemed far off and yet feels amazing to achieve.  I’m a year and 6 months into my membership with THERINGFINDERS.COM team and I have really enjoyed my experiences helping people like Mishkin…Let’s get back to her story…

It starts with a sunset marriage proposal on Baker Beach in the shadows of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.  It’s a very high point in the story. However the story takes a tragic turn when a ring Mishkin is wearing on her hand is removed to make way for a new engagement ring. It somehow falls, and in an instant is swallowed up by the sandy beach.  The excitement of the proposal now is stained by the loss of another cherished ring.  The couple attempts to locate the ring but is forced to leave it behind.

The next morning, while sailing the high seas on a pirate ship in an exciting game of make-believe with my boys, Mishkin contacted me to ask for help.  The request was made to meet the couple back at Baker Beach at 5pm.  Our pretend treasure hunt and « Privateering » venture would materialize into something real later that evening.  There was no way I was going out on this call without my crew!

We met Mishkin at 5pm in the parking lot and made our decent down to the beach.  In the midst of leftover rose pedals and flowers from the prior evening, the couple assisted me in setting out some cones to establish some initial boundaries for the search zone.  I began working a grid pattern while the couple, working together, reestablished some of their previously set boundaries. I stopped and asked if they thought that the new area was a more likely location, to which they answered « yes ».  And indeed they were right, on my second line in the new grid…WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

The couple was in disbelief when I walked up to ask if this was what they were looking for with the ring in hand. Disbelief turned to excitement! That is when Miskin admitted that she had doubted the success of the search and had explained that later that night she would be on a plane back to the East Coast. I had no idea how dire the situation must have felt to her until that point.  I, on the other hand, was full of confidence and anticipation knowing that this would mark my 25th ring recovery and I would be accomplishing a goal set earlier in the year almost 3 months early.

As always, thank you Mishkin for allowing me to take part in this beautiful story.  I wish you both a very happy future!

The missing ring.

The happy couple.

Obligatory detector shot.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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Platinum Mens Ring Lost in Berkeley, CA….Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

On Sunday August 27th, I had the pleasure to assist Fred with his lost Platinum Ring.  Due to the nature of the call and the information he provided, this would be as quick and simple as you like.  He was removing some plants from his front garden when the ring went amiss.  There were only three small locations the ring could possibly be when I arrived.  Within 5 minutes of being onsite Fred had his Platinum ring back. A VDI of 11-12 and good tone meant « WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!! »

He and I had a pleasant chat about metal detectors, metal detecting, and permits for certain parks in the Bay Area.  He had thought about renting a metal detector prior to finding our THERINGFINDERS.COM site.  Additionally, he called a neighbor who had recently lost a hearing aid in their backyard a few blocks away.  Fred was already shopping my services and spreading the word.

Thank you Fred, I’m happy everything worked out as it did, and it was nice to have met your acquaintance.

Fred’s Platinum Ring back where it belongs.

 

The Platinum Ring

 

The hiding spot!

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

 

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Beautiful Sapphire and Diamond engagement ring lost in Pleasanton, CA…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

On August 20th, Samantha sent me a kind message requesting help with a ring that was lost. The project, would be to search some thick bushes in the front yard of a home in Pleasanton, CA.  I informed her that I’d be glad to help, but that the next day I would be celebrating my son and metal detecting buddies 4th birthday.  The search would have to take place on Tuesday mid-afternoon.  This was agreeable with Samantha.

On Monday, I was able to drive by the home to assess the gravity of the project.  What I saw was a seemingly endless sea of juniper mixed with rosemary bushes.  The probability of detection (POD) for this search was not going to be good.

An endless sea of juniper and rosemary bushes to search.

When Tuesday arrived, I readied my gear for the search effort and headed to the site.  It was a beautiful warm day and I was feeling good.  Talking with the neighbors was a bit of a revelation. Although I was requested to specifically search the bushes, I was informed that searches had already taken place of the landscaping and lawn next door…with a metal detector. Another new piece of the puzzle was that there was a sound of the ring hitting concrete the night it went missing.

I spent a good 45 minutes performing a difficult search of the brush, as that was what I was hired to do. As I worked, I kept thinking about the new information I had learned from the neighbors as well as from one of Samantha’s friends who stopped to talk to me about the lost ring.  I decided to have a look for myself over the area that had previously been searched while I pieced together the information I had.  I used a Garrett pin pointer around the base of some of the foliage and that’s when « We made the Recovery!!! »

Can you spot the ring in this photo?

In the end, I spent an hour and a half searching.  I was extremely relieved to not be wading through the brush.  It really would have been a humongous undertaking searching that area and even after searching, I don’t think I would have been confident it was sans engagement ring. As always, I was very much appreciative of everyone who contributed details and information that led to a successful ring recovery for Samantha.  The tears of joy I heard when I let her know the sapphire and diamond engagement ring was secured told me that it meant a whole lot to her.  Thank you Samantha for taking me on this journey with you and allowing me to be firmly embedded in the wild story this ring will tell.  Best wishes for your future!!!

First look at the recovered sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

Photographed at the site.

Photographed at the hand-off.

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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Unique ring lost in Concord, CA… RECOVERED!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Gold is a big part of Neelums culture, so when she had the opportunity to purchase a very unique 22k gold ring while in Dubai, she jumped all over it. The ring style is thought to bring good luck to its owner…more on that later.   This particular ring had become one of her favorite possessions, so when it came up missing, she sought help quickly.

Finding theringfinders.com site led her to me and after some text messages, we agreed to meet the following afternoon to search.  We started at her mothers apartment where she last physically had the ring. She had put multiple rings into her purse there before running to pick up her husband from work and returning to their apartment.  After nothing turned up at that location nor inside her vehicle, we decided to move to the final location where Neelum realized the ring was missing.

Interestingly enough, as we walked the pathway to her apartment discussing what areas we could search, there on the path sat the 22k gold ring.  It had sat there in the open with people constantly walking past it for over 24 hours.  We had made the recovery!

Remember earlier when we discussed that luck thing?  Well, that ring truly brought luck to Neelum on that day.  There would have been so many opportunities for someone to spot that beautiful and unique ring and to take it for themselves, however she now has the ring back in her possession and their story together got an exciting new chapter in lieu of a sad ending.

As always, Thank you Neelum for contacting the The Ring Finders and entrusting me to assist with locating this wonderful ring?  Best wishes for you and your family for the future.

22K Gold Ring

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Solitaire Diamond Ring Lost in Fremont, CA… Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

When you receive a call just before 10:30 pm at night, you get the since of urgency that an individual is feeling about their lost item.  I did not answer the phone, not because it was late and I was in bed, rather I was at a movie with my family.  Instead a text message followed… « Hi Sir, I lost my ring and need your help finding it. »

The next morning around 7:00 am I sent a message back to get more details about the lost ring.  The couple was packing the car for a very important event at a friends house. There were two rings both in her right hand and not on her fingers while shuttling things to the vehicle.  At a certain point, she remembers the rings, looks into her hand and only one is there.  The entire event happens over not more than 5 minutes in the afternoon and puts an ominous dark cloud over the day.

When I arrived, I was met by the woman who promptly walked me through the events of the previous day.  Through the story she told, I identified a few valid locations for our search.  We started by doing a grid search of the small yard area in the front of the home.  This was the path of travel from the home to the vehicle.  The yard was void of targets on the surface.  We then visually inspected the driveway including some cracks and gaps that could potentially conceal the ring… nothing!

My next logical thought was the vehicle itself.  We started in the trunk and removed and inspected all the object within…again nothing!  I then moved to the front passenger side of the vehicle and utilized my video endoscope and a flashlight.  I saw something on the screen that I liked…turned out to be a coin, but also another object.  I moved around to the back passenger seat and removed the floor mat to reveal the diamond solitaire ring sitting against the plastic trim of the front seat.  WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!!

I don’t often play tomfoolery with my clients when I’m performing recoveries, but I couldn’t resist.  I asked the woman if she had a photo or image of the ring.  She replied yes and started to search her phone.  I then asked her, « Does it look like this? »  The look on her face was first confusion, than astonishment, then relief, and there it was…the smile!!!

She then explained to me that she was only seconds from telling me not to waste my time on looking through the vehicle, convinced it was in the yard or somewhere else.  She also stated that she did even think about searching the vehicle because she was convinced it was elsewhere.

I spent a good amount of time talking with the pleasant couple.  They had ordered metal detectors to search for themselves before the husband found THE RING FINDERS on a google search.  They revealed that they spent a long time reading my profile and testimonials before deciding I was trustworthy and capable of handling their dilemma.  The husband joked about the hour at which the woman called, excited about finding help and hopeful for the recovery of her cherished ring.  She explained that she had always wanted a solitaire ring and had worked so very hard to purchase the ring for herself, an accomplishment she was very proud of.  And in the end, we were successful in locating it and the ring has a renewed story for the couple to share.

Thank you for allowing me to take a small part in that story!

The diamond solitaire ring recovered.

The couple still in disbelief that we found it!

As seen in the vehicle.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

 

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AMAZING…14K wedding band lost for 25 years…RECOVERED!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Almost 25 years ago, a gentleman working in his yard in Oakland, CA lost his 14K yellow gold wedding band.  The family searched, but never recovered the ring.  In 2008 this same gentleman, a beloved father and husband, lost his life to cancer.  May he rest in peace!

Fast forward to July 2023, fellow ring finder and friend Jes Muse from THERINGFINDERS.COM requests that I cover a call out she had received.  Jes is recovering from a recent surgery and I wish her a successful and speedy recovery.  She sent all the pertinent information for me to reach out to Mr. Limon regarding his fathers lost ring.

After a brief conversation, it was decided that 7-18-2023 at 3pm we would meet at his childhood home.  This home is on the market to be sold and this week would likely be the last opportunity to search for the long gone wedding band.  We met on the street and he showed me the area we would be working,  a small terraced hillside that once was covered in ivy at the front of the home.  The hillside had since been reworked and the ivy removed, being replaced with mulch.

I set up my Equinox 800 and anchored in at the corner of the hillside and grid from bottom to top, right to left facing the hill.  The very first signal was perfect… a VDI (visual discrimination indicator of 16 in both directions….heart break as we pulled an odd brass like fitting.  We continued the grid search systematically removing every target we found.  Then, mid-slope almost exactly where Mr. Limon recalled his father telling him it was lost all those years ago…WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!!

The signal was not as perfect as I had hoped, but may have been partially masked by another metal object or maybe laid in an awkward position .  The VDI was 18, 19, 20 at 4″ deep and I dug a large plug as to not damage anything below. There, in the spoils of the plug, was the 14K wedding band that went missing almost 25 years earlier.

After recovering the ring, Mr. Limon was kind enough to share all the details I have included above.  He and his family were also most generous in sending me some very emotion evoking photos later that evening.  Thank you very kindly for entrusting me with the search for this very precious piece of your family history and I’m very happy that it will continue to tell a very exciting new story.

The cleaned 14K gold wedding band that rested nearly 25 years in the ground.

Photographed with her late husbands wedding band after 25 years lost in the yard.

Mr. Limon with the fresh recovery of the ring.

Metal detecting the slope where the ring had been lost nearly 25 years earlier.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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Gold ring lost in San Francisco Bay….RECOVERED!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

The sun had set 30 minutes earlier and the fog meant no moonlight would be available.  The tide was going out of the San Francisco Bay at a rapid clip.  The water temperature was approximately 53 degrees and the ambient air was about 55 degrees.  I dressed in my farmer john wetsuit and fired up the Equinox 800 knowing that this recovery was possible, but would likely be difficult.

Earlier in the  evening, Ben contacted me stating that he had lost his heirloom gold wedding band at a private beach club while performing a « plunge » in the bay.  He could narrow the search to a 10×10 foot area of water about waist deep.  The request was made for immediate mobilization for a recovery effort.

After meeting Ben at the Aquatic Park, he escorted me to the beach location… a beautiful little private section of the beach along docks housing historical ships for the maritime museum.  An aesthetically pleasing and adventurous treasure hunt was now under way.

I entered the water for a hasty search of the area and made 4 passes from the top of the beach to chin deep water.  The only light was provided by the headlamp I donned on my head.  The water was void of any targets.  I had to test the coil against the sand scoop to be sure it was functioning proper.

On the 5th pass I hit a jumpy 16-17-21 target in chest deep water, the only thing I had detected in 30 minutes of searching.  It would take several attempts to collect the object in the sand scoop, but upon inspection…a ring, a gold band…WE HAD MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

If I’m being honest, this was one of my proudest recoveries.  I felt the part of a true treasure hunter searching cold water, in the dark, beneath the tall ships of the maritime museum.  The owner of the ring, Ben was both astounded and grateful that the ring he once thought lost was back in its rightful place on his finger.

Thank you Ben for entrusting me with the recovery of your very precious ring.  It was a pleasure to assist you.

Ben was ecstatic to have his 10k heirloom wedding band back on his hand!

 

Bens 10k Gold Heirloom Wedding Band.

 

Night Shot of the search area.

 

Search Area without supplemental lighting.

 

As seen with headlamp.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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Gold earring lost in Sausalito, CA…Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

A very kind Susan contacted me on Memorial Day to assist in searching for her gold clip-on hoop earring lost at the Cavallo Point Lodge in beautiful Sausalito, CA.  She was spending the weekend there with her daughter and while out for a walk she felt her hair tugging at the earring. Just like that, she attempted to clear her hair from the earring and the rest was a blur.  The earring she had owned for 30 plus years and had been present for all the major events of her adult life was missing.  The mother and daughter duo spent hours searching for the lost gold hoop to no avail and a huge cloud loomed over the trip.

Susan had used a metal detectorist to assist locating a missing ring while on vacation at the beaches of the East Coast. She sought out a last ditch effort to recover the earring when she reached out to my friend and fellow TheRingFiners.com  member Jes Muse.  Jes was kind enough to pass along my information to Susan, who text me right away and the next afternoon I’d make the hour and a half drive to Cavallo Point to meet with her and perform the search.  Susan reenacted the events of the night and the path she took.  She also established an appropriate search area, which was fairly small and our probability of the detection was pretty good. I spend 30 minutes or less metal detecting and visually observing the search area.

After searching the area, I could say with full confidence that the earring was not there.  At that point, she thanked me for my efforts and I could tell she was quite disappointed.  After she left, I couldn’t help but wonder that if I walked further along her route, what I could find find.  If there was a possibility that the lost earring event may have taken place further than originally thought and that was why the initial  search turned up nothing, I wanted to know.  As I walked further along the route, there laying in the road was the gold clip-on earring we had both sought out.  We had made the recovery!!!

Early in the search, Susan had stated that she had a dream that we located the missing item.  I remembered that statement when I called her to return to the Cavallo Point Lodge to collect her belongings.  She was ecstatic when I turned over the once lost item and I hope in some way it made the grey cloud over the Mother and Daughter trip depart.  Best of wishes Susan!

The gold clip-on as found in the road.

The missing earring.

The roadway that I located the earring.

Susan preferred not to have her photo taken, so here I am!

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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Key and Key Fob lost in San Ramon, CA…Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

When Bethany awoke early Saturday morning to check in at work, it is doubtful she could imagine the absurdly frustrating events that would play out once she arrived.  The parking lot was near empty. She backed into a nice space close to the building, collected her things and got out of the vehicle.  Upon closing the door the preposterous action occurred.  The keys she held in her hand while shutting the car door were flung from her hands and directly into a bush.

Bethany, a very sweet and sensible young woman, had no doubt she would recover these items quickly and be on her way.  Four hours later, after combing and climbing through the large bush, she still had not located her keys. That is when a quick google search connected her to theringfinders.com page.  She found that I was the closest individual that might be able to assist her using metal detecting equipment to search for the wayward keys.

I would not make it there for about an hour, but once I arrived I met young Bethany and the giant bush next to her vehicle.  After a brief description of the events that took place and her previous actions, I provided her with a pin pointer and I, myself, started scanning the top and sides of the vegetation with the Equinox.  After 10 minutes or so, I caught a signal very near to the door she closed.  It was at about chest height and a visual inspection revealed her set of keys within the bush.  We had made the recovery!!!

Thanks for the call Bethany!  I’m so glad we put an end to your little nightmare, and I can only hope your day got way better moving forward!

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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