Brendon Chapman, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 5 of 7

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

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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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)
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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)
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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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Lost Platinum and Diamond stud earring on Pleasanton, CA Soccer Field…Found!!!

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

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

When Aditi contacted me on the 7th of May, I had no clue about the new lesson I was about to be taught.  At this point, I did not even know the issues that existed that would lead to the lessons I would be learning during this recovery.

Aditi requested help locating her platinum and diamond stud earring. The stud had been displaced from her ear by one of her young sons.  They were in a large grass field observing a soccer match when the incident occurred and she had visually seen the disposed earring fall into the grass. Now, these were very nice earrings, but what made them even more special was that these were a 10 year anniversary gift from her adoring husband. After searching for some time the family sadly left the park and Aditi sought out an alternative solution.  A google search put her on The Ring Finders page and in contact with me.  With the last of the days light waning, it was determined that I would perform the search the following afternoon.

The next day was beautiful and I had high hopes for a successful speedy recovery, though I knew that a stud earring in a grass field might be extremely difficult.  I met Aditi’s mother at the sports fields.  She too, had been there the day prior and assisted with the search.  A boundary was set and I grid the search zone with cones I carry in my kit.  I was utilizing my Equinox 800 with the large coil and searched in Park 2.  Additionally, I was using my Garret pin pointer to scan the lawn when potential signals were noted. After 1 hour, the mother suggested we conclude the search but I stayed with it another 30 minutes before calling it off to regroup. I sent a message to Aditi letting her know what I had done and that I had been unsuccessful, but not to lose hope.  I knew that I was going back.

Back home I ran a series of tests with different coils and different settings on my wife’s stud earrings.  I contacted a few trusted detectorists for advice.  The first lesson I discovered in this process was that these stud earrings were very difficult to pick up regardless of settings and coils.  The second lesson I learned was that the Garret pin pointer could not pick up the greater majority of the stud earrings I tested.  This meant that all of the would-be-targets that I did detect and used the pin pointer to clear, it gave me a false probability of detection. I would be going back to the field.

The next opportunity I got, I made the trip back to the sports park and reestablished the grid in the defined search area. I also utilized the 6″ coil in the Gold 1 setting which I found to be the most useful during my testing.   This time I painstakingly visually searched the grass beneath any and all promising targets. About 45 minutes into this trip I had a booming repetitive VDI of 1, I got down low and combed through the tall, thick, green grass and that was when I knew, we had made the recovery!

Before removing the item, I tested the pin pointer…nothing!!!  I took a series of photos and sent a text to Aditi wishing her a Happy Mothers Day followed by images of her once lost and now found platinum and diamond earring.  I’m hopeful that it helped make her day just a little bit brighter.  Thank you Aditi for trusting me with the recovery of your jewelry!  I do not take that trust lightly and will always do my absolute best to prove that.

   

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

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Three gold rings thought to be lost in Alamo, CA…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 

A physiological response to real or perceived threats and stressors is that the body increases electrical activity in the brain and produces adrenaline and cortisol.  This is a basic fight or flight response.  Memory loss can also result if that process occurs when fear or anxiety is excessive and (or) persistent.

This seems to have been the case in a number of searches I have been called upon to perform.  Individuals state with absolute certainty that this is where or what they had done with their ring(s) only to later realize that what they perceived to be fact was incorrect. The stress and anxiety of loosing such a valuable and cherished item can cloud the memory of what actually took place.

This was not the case with Caeti!  She contacted me after misplacing 3 of her 4 rings during a trip to the nail salon including her beautiful wedding band with 7 diamonds.  She goes on to explain that she placed all 4 rings into a sunglasses case and then into her purse during the trip.  Once her nails were done, she returned to the car and opened the case to put her sunglasses on for the short return trip home.  Once home, she went to put her sunglasses away in the case and retrieve her rings.  Remember that physiologic response I babbled about above, that is where this kicks in.  Upon opening the sunglasses case, only her engagement ring was found.  The other three rings seemingly vanished and panic set in as she retraced her steps all the way back to the nail salon. A search of the salon and the parking lot produced nothing.  A search of the vehicle produced nothing. The driveway, the house, the purse…all nothing!

The next afternoon I joined the investigation into the missing three rings. I went to the salon and spoke with them, I searched the parking lot, talked to other businesses in the same shopping center, all with no results.  I then made my way to see Caeti.  She was clearly upset about the loss and resolute in the fact that the rings were indeed placed into the sunglasses case.  As I prepared to search her vehicle I recommended a look at the purse and sunglasses case.  She promptly produced both and as I looked down into the sunglasses case I also saw the tiniest of gold peaking out.  All three rings had slipped behind the satiny lining inside the case cloaking themselves from vision.  We had made the recovery!!!

In Caeti’s case the stress and anxiety did not cloud her memory of the events in the least, rather the shock of not initially finding the ring within the glasses case derailed her from what she already knew.  The rings were indeed placed into the case and there they remained.

I’m very much excited that I was able to help locate these (3) rings and get them back into (or onto) the hands to which they belonged.  Caeti, I wish you and your new family a very exciting future and am glad that your tale of woe has transformed into a funny story about that one time…

 

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

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Lost Wedding Band in Dublin, CA…FOUND!!!

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

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

This week represents my first year anniversary of being a member of The Ring Finders Team.  I have been extremely proud of the efforts I have put in and the families that I have helped.  I have networked with some of the very best and most kind metal detectorists out there.  I have learned a ton about my machine(s) and myself.  It has been an absolute pleasure! So…when Shashi called seeking assistance in locating his wedding band, it was the perfect opportunity to cap off a very successful first year.

Shashi and his family had been knocking around a volleyball at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, CA when he felt the ring slip off while striking the ball.  The most frustrating and helpless feeling has to be when you know exactly the when, where, and how you have lost an object, but just can not locate it despite monumental efforts.  This was the case for Shashi and his family who spend a goodly amount of time searching before they happened upon my information.  With the waning light and night looming, I requested he capture the GPS location with his phone and we agreed to meet the following day.

When we met, Shashi was able to put me literally on the exact spot his ring was lost and… we made the recovery!!!  Shashi was in disbelief that we had found it and I was overjoyed to cap off my first year with such a commanding triumph!

   

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

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Gold wedding band lost on muddy trail…Found!

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

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

I was pleased with myself, having disassembled, cleaned, and packed my metal detector for a impending trip.  So when I received the text from Will and his wife looking for assistance locating his missing gold wedding band, it was a scramble to unpack, assemble and get out the door with my rain gear.  I had to get the ring found before leaving for my trip or it might remain lost for an extended period of time.

I met Will in a lite drizzle at the Macedo Ranch Staging Area where only a few days earlier he and his family had been for a hike.  The trail, a muddy quagmire, proved to be detrimental to his gold wedding band (and apparently a pair of shoes) when he sank knee deep into the muck.  After warning others not to proceed he recovered and shook the mud from his hands.  At that moment, he felt the band slip away and disappear in the sticky mud.  The family, aided by a nearby photographer, searched for some time but came up short.

Disappointed at the loss and looking for solutions, Will thought about purchasing a metal detector.  He admitted he may have even had an Equinox machine in his cart on Amazon when he made contact with me.

At this point in the story, I’d like to thank the individual who located my services and past it along to Will and his family.  Without you, this might have had a very different ending and so thank you;.  I’d gladly buy you a drink should we meet-up at some point.

More to the point, it was a 10-15 minute walk through lite rain and sticky mud up the trail to where Will and his family left markers.  These markers coincided with a GPS coordinate they took to be able to get back to the locale.  These two actions put me within 8 feet or less to where we found that booming mid-tone (VDI-20).  The conditions were not great, the same quagmire that Will took his fall was now our search area, but after approximately 30 minutes of search time, we made the recovery!

Will- It was a pleasure talking with you on our little treasure hunt.  All the things your family did to get us in the right location was spot on, great job!  I’m very happy with the result and excited that the ring tells an even more exciting tale beyond just your marriage.  Best luck to you and the family in the future!

   

 

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

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Platinum Engagement Ring Lost in San Francisco, CA…Found!!!

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

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

When Danett was told that she couldn’t wear any jewelry to a recent procedure, she gave pause to whether or not to leave her ring behind. What would she do with her engagement ring? The item came with a proposal this last New Years Eve exactly 1 year after meeting her fiance.  It was brand new and very sentimental, and leaving it behind just didn’t seem right. Begrudgingly she removed her Platinum engagement ring and placed it on the night stand inside her studio…or did she?

I was contacted by Danett after my friend and colleague Jes past along my information.  Her Platinum engagement ring was missing and herself, her fiance, and a friend had all searched for the special item with no luck.  Things were getting desperate despite the fiance being very calm about it and the ring being insured.  I told her that I was glad to assist in any way I could and the following evening I headed to San Francisco for the search.  I brought all manner of tools and equipment not knowing what the search might hold.

Early on it was revealed that there were pets involved and I suspected they might have played a role in the missing ring.  I owe Angel, their dog, an apology.  I was almost certain he had possibly lapped up the ring. Detecting over his favorite potty spots cleared his name.

After an hour of searching the little studio, Danett shouted « I found it!!! »  The ring was in a cardboard ring box that once sat on the nightstand.  It was moved to a shelf during initial searches for the missing ring.  We had made the recovery!!!

Danett was very kind and sweet.  She had told me that she was extremely distressed about the missing engagement ring, but you would have never known it. She told me that my demeanor and confidence kept her calm and focused so we could smoothly and systematically search and that having a professional there soothed her nerves. Ultimately, the ring was found and that was the common goal we shared.  She was very happy to be reunited with her ring and I felt joy in play some part in the story this item now continues to tell.

Best wishes to the couple and my new friend Angel the dog!

     

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

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Lost wedding band in Oakley, CA…Found

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

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

My children and I established a Treasure Tuesday ritual in which every Tuesday we find some sort of treasure hunting/learning activity.  Sometimes it’s panning out pay dirt for gemstones, fossils, and even gold.  Some times we crack open geodes to reveal the crystals within.  In some instances we get out to metal detect a park, a field, a backyard. On one occasion we sought out stones to toss into the rock tumbler.  It’s been a fun and interactive way to spend family time with my boys.

This Treasure Tuesday I was requested to Oakley, CA to search for a missing wedding band lost during an allegedly wild backyard soiree.

Will had text me the prior day seeking out my services and availability. Permission was to be requested for access and the next day we would search.  It was a pleasant afternoon when I arrived and the scope of the area to be searched was much larger than expected.  The ring was known to be lost at the party, but exactly where in this large area was a mystery.  Luckily, as I started a grid search of one of the suspected locations, the home owner, who was wandering around the field along side of Will, was able to locate the missing ring laying on the surface.  We had made the recovery!

I did request to run my Equinox 800 over the ring to aid in my data collecting.  It was a solid 14 VDI in Field 2.

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

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