I received a call from Kevin, on late Thursday afternoon, November 13th. Kevin told me that a white gold engagement ring had been lost, in the backyard, of his New Hampshire home. I then asked him how long ago the engagement ring had been lost and why did he think the ring was out in the backyard? “Did your wife see or feel the ring come off, in the backyard”? Kevin replied that “The ring was lost last night. We were having a disagreement and the ring flew out the upstairs window and into the backyard. I have looked for it but can’t find it. I even threw quarters out the window to see where they would land, but the grass is tall and leaves are everywhere”. Well, ok then. These things do happen and Gary and I have been involved in 5-6 of these, over the last few years. Gary actually found a thrown ring earlier this year. The wedding ring had been thrown into the woods, back in 1997 and the ring was found 5” in the ground. That’s right, the ring had been in the woods, lost, for approximately 27 years. Anyways, this isn’t the first thrown ring and certainly won’t be the last. Kevin wanted to know if I would be able to search, for the ring, in the morning. I told Kevin I would definitely be there in the morning, probably around 9:00am. Kevin then asked if anyone needed to be there, as both he and his wife would be leaving for work, while it was still dark out. I told Kevin that no-one needed to be there but asked if he could send me a photo, of the area, that needed to be searched. Kevin agreed and actually sent me two photos. One photo was of the backyard, taken from the window, that the ring was thrown out of. The second photo was taken outside , showing the upstairs window, that the ring was thrown out of. This was perfect and the area was very small. Looking at the photos, I figured I could cover the area in just 20-30 minutes, max.
So, this morning, Cheryl and I headed out to New Hampshire. We arrived at right at 9:00am. We walked out back and the first thing I noticed was just how many leaves were in the yard, mixed in with the tall grass. No wonder Kevin didn’t find the ring. I decided to start at the top of the slope, because we found a test Quarter, that Kevin had thrown out the window. As I worked my way down the slope, I wasn’t receiving any targets, at all. A very clean lawn. Once I arrived at the bottom of the slope, I was making my way southeast, when nI received a nice sounding low tone, reading as a 19, on my VDI screen. Definitely in the gold range. I couldn’t see anthill because of the thick grass and leaves. I then took my pinpointer out and started zeroing in on the target. Once I pinpointed the target, I started removing some leaves with my hand, when I saw a beautiful engagement ring, staring back at me. We had found the ring in only 5-6 minutes. Because of the circumstances, I knew the ring should be found fairly quickly but it is still a relief when you actually see the ring. Since both Kevin and his wife were not home, I took a photo and sent it to Kevin, showing the engagement ring and my business card. Kevin replied “ WOW, that was fast.” I replied “5-6 minutes, Down over the hill.” He replied “Wow, In the leaves.” Because neither Kevin or his wife were home , Kevin asked me to place the ring in the garage. “The garage side door is open, you can leave it in a tool box drawer. Can’t miss it.” I went into the garage side door, to look for the tool box. Cheryl went to our vehicle, to find a sandwich bag, to place the ring in. I found the large tool box, with no issue. Cheryl brought the sandwich bag to me and we placed the engagement ring, the quarter and my business card, into it. I then opened one of the drawers and placed the bag under some tool, in the back right corner, of the drawer. Now this was a little unnerving to me. I really didn’t feel right just hiding the ring, inside a garage but Kevin told me neither of them would be home until 5:00pm or so. I then asked Kevin to let us know as soon as they get home and have found the ring. I have enough stress, in my life, I don’t need to worry about an engagement ring I found and left behind. At just after 5:00pm, Kevin texted me and said, “Got it!!! Back on the finger.” Kevin then thank me again and Cheryl and I couldn’t be happier or more relieved.
Like I have mentioned, Rings being thrown are nothing new to us and we don’t judge people for these occurrences. They happen and will continue to happen and we will continue to help find them, free of judgement. I am just so thankful that Kevin called me immediately. If the backyard had been raked, mulched, mowed, etc., who knows if the ring would have been found. Kevin did the exact correct thing he should have done. He did not disturb the area and he called us for help. After approximately 16 hours after being thrown, the ring was found and returned. Another ring is back on the finger and everyone is smiling tonight. Kevin and his wife were not home, so I was unable to get a photo with either of them. We have the best job in the world.
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