Jim Wagner, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 4 of 5

Lost Platinum Wedding Band recovered in Severna Park, Maryland!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

The streak continues! A gentleman by the name of Brock emailed me several days ago about his lost wedding ring.  Again, I can’t emphasize enough how important taking good notes, both physically and/or mentally, are important to the success of finding your lost item. Brock did an excellent job at this which in turn made the chances of success very likely. Brock not only had the details fresh in his mind of exactly what happened, but he physically marked the spot he was standing on his property when he believed the ring flew off. He did go out and buy a metal detector and gave it a shot himself, but quickly realized that having a metal detector is only half the battle. Knowing how to operate it to its fullest capabilities is a must.  Once I arrived at his home,  I was able to recover the ring in about 25 minutes. It was about 5 yards from the spot he marked, buried in a small pile of leaves.  Here are a few pictures of the ring itself and a very happy Brock!Brocksringphoto a

 

Remember, if you are unfortunate enough to lose a ring, piece of jewelry, keys and the like,  attention to your surroundings is the most important factor. The other is to contact someone that not only has a metal detector, but the skill and experience to use it. Please be sure to check everyone’s blog in your area if you need help. Once you do that, the decision who to contact should be an easy one based on success.

Platinum Wedding Band Recovered near Wye Mills, Maryland!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

I’m happy to say that the 100% success rate is still going strong!!!!! With that said, I was fairly confident on this occasion that we would find the lost wedding band simply because of the conviction the owner had.  As you have probably seen mentioned many times here at the Ring Finders, being able to describe in detail how, where and when you lost your valuable is the biggest factor when it comes to a successful recovery. Jeff had two of those three things going for him. He was able to describe in great detail exactly where and what he was doing when his wedding band slipped off his finger. Unfortunately Jeff did not hear of The Ring Finders until recently and despite losing the ring almost a YEAR ago, I was able to get it back where it belongs! Jeff was fortunate that this happened in a secluded, wooded area and not a community park, playground or ball field as the result could have been quite different. With that said, if you are reading this and think too much time has passed since you lost your valuable, keep in mind that might not be the case! Here is how things went down in Jeff’s own words…..

 

It was around a year or so ago when I went hunting near Wye Mills, MD (across the bay bridge). It was getting late in the day when I shot a deer, then had to field dress the deer in the dark. I walked into the woods and threw away the insides of the deer, and then wiped my hands with some old hickory tree leaves. After getting the deer back to my Jeep and driving for a while I noticed my wedding ring was missing! I sadly had to tell my wife that I lost my ring. We both were pretty disappointed, but I had hope because I was going to go back the next day to search for it….on my hands and knees for hundreds of yards. No luck finding the ring, but I still would not lose hope. I knew in my heart it was there in the woods, or somewhere in the field where I was hunting. Every time I would go hunting in that spot, I would always look in the direction of where I thought the ring was.

A year goes by, always thinking what if? I was reading an article on Yahoo about a woman who lost her ring, and how she used « TheRingFinders.com » to find her ring. I immediately thought to myself, this is my chance….no way! I contacted several members and Jim Wagner (who had a 100% success rate) was the first to call. I gave Jim my story, and I said I know it’s there or that’s what my heart tells me. Jim said, « If it’s there, I will find it »!! Wow, was he right! Lance and Jim started their search, and BAM… Jim says to me, your search is over! He found the ring!! I was in tears and so thankful that I never lost hope. I was also very happy that their 100% success streak  is alive and well!

Both me and my wife are so thankful for Jim and Lance! We will always be thankful to both of them for returning the ring in style. I have been telling everyone about these guys. What a awesome end to a search that was going on in my heart! They are simply the BEST, and two of the kindest people I have met. Jim and Lance, you guys are definitely classified as « Lord of the Rings »! Wow……  

Sincerely,

Jeff and Senayit

92913jeff

It’s always a great feeling to return a lost item to anyone, but it was a little extra special with Jeff because you could see how much his marriage and the symbol of the marriage really means to him!

Gold & Diamond Ring recovered from the water in Baltimore County, Maryland!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:
Yuriy with his girlfriend's ring!

Yuriy with his girlfriend’s ring!

I must tell you, the 100% success streak looked to be in jeopardy! This was the first time I initially came up empty during a recovery attempt, but due to the fact that Yuriy was so certain that the ring was lost in a certain area of a popular beach hang out, we decided to give it another try. I’m glad we did! Here is Yuriy’s take on the experience in his own words.

My girlfriend, some friends, and I went boating on Carlo’s (a friend of mine) boat to Hart Miller Island. We were throwing a football around in the water and my girlfriend realized that her ring had fallen off. Without seeing it hit the water it was difficult to pinpoint an exact location. We attempted a search but it was futile. The following day I decided to try to Google for “ring finding services” and came upon the theringfinders.com. Seeming too good to be true I emailed all the finders in Maryland and received prompt responses from all of them. Jim’s response was unique because he was ready to go that instant with his 100% success rate. One big issue is that I do not own a boat. I quickly contacted Carlos who was kind enough to make the drive with me to meet Jim and his friend Lance to search for the ring. While driving it all seemed too good to be true that there are people who do this and I was a little concerned about being mugged. When I met Jim and Lance that concern went away, they are two genuinely good guys. We boated out to the location where the ring was lost and they searched for about 3 hours. The location was filled with a lot of trash and the first search was unsuccessful. They were nice to offer a second attempt and we agreed on the following weekend. After the amount of trash I thought that the chances of the 2nd attempt were slim.

Only Jim was able to come out the 2nd time and my friend Carlos was once again kind enough to provide the transportation. Jim began his search and I began texting my girlfriend who at this point in time was on vacation with her family. All of a sudden Jim comes up to me and asks me, « is this it? ». It was surreal when he showed me my girlfriends ring! We celebrated and I texted my girlfriend we found it. She didn’t believe me at first so I sent her a picture. She was ecstatic. Even now it all seems too surreal.

Big thank you to Jim and Lance for searching for the ring.  These are two great guys and I would recommend everyone to not hesitate to contact them to help you find what you’ve lost. Also, great to be part of their continued 100% success streak!

Out of the water, safe and sound!

Out of the water, safe and sound!

The ring was in knee high water unfortunately surrounded by bottle caps, pull tabs and other junk!

The ring was in knee high water unfortunately surrounded by bottle caps, pull tabs and other junk!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gold and Diamond Rings recovered in Centreville, Virginia!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

The streak continues! 100% success in recovery since I became a search member of The Ring Finders! This time the lost items were in Centreville, Va. About 90 minutes from my residence. I got a call from David this past Saturday. I could hear the concern and panic in his voice, but luckily he contacted me immediately and gave a very accurate account of what he was doing and where he suspected he lost the rings. Because of that, along with the help of my buddy Lance, we have yet another successful recovery to add to the list.. I’ll let David tell you how things went down in his own words.

 

I had just finished cutting the lawn at my home in Centreville, VA, trying to beat the rain showers that were slated to move into my Northern Virginia location later that evening, when I realized that my Grandfather’s diamond ring and my wedding band of 30 years were missing from the little finger of my right hand where I wore them both. (This because of late life weight gain!)   I was certain that they must have come off while I was emptying the lawn mower cuttings into plastic bags.  However, after a careful search of three bags of clippings,  and repeated searches of my yard, I could not locate the rings.  When I told a neighbor what had happened and that I was considering buying a metal detector he suggested I hire a “Ring Finder” to come a search my yard for the rings.  I had never heard of such a thing, but a quick online search took me to the Ring Finders web site @ http://theringfinders.com/   The closest ring finder to my location was Jim Wagner of Pasadena, MD.   I called his number and told him about my situation.  He was very personable and wanted to help me, but he wasn’t sure if he could get to my until the following weekend, however he said he would check with a friend of his to see if he could help me sooner.  The prospect of living with my loss for a week without doing anything was worrisome to me so I decided to purchase an inexpensive metal detector and give it a shot myself.  Fortunately, Jim called me back the next day and said he could come and assist me that very afternoon.  This was very encouraging to me as my attempts to use the metal detector I had purchased were not yielding the desired results.  Jim and his partner Lance arrived at my location within a couple of hours of his call and began to search immediately.  Jim had told me in our previous phone conversation, (and as you can see on his web page), that he has a 100% success rate.  I found that statement to be very encouraging, however, I couldn’t help but thinking that I would be the one to break his streak!  As they began to search my front yard, I went around back to put my dog in the house as she was barking hysterically.  After putting my dog in the house, I was about to make a call to my wife and let her know that the Ring Finders were here and searching when there was a knock at my front door.  When I opened it, there stood Jim and Lance, my rings in hand!  It literally took them less than 5 minutes to find them!  I can’t tell you how amazed and appreciative I was!  These guys are good at what they do!  So if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, don’t despair, just call the Ring Finders!  I give them my highest recommendation.

Thanks David for the endorsement! I’m glad the rings are back where they belong!

Lance with a very happy David!

Lance with a very happy David!

So glad we were able to find these for David.

So glad we were able to find these for David.

 

White Gold Wedding Band recovered in Trippe Creek in Easton, Maryland!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

Success once again! This time my buddy and I found ourselves back in the water looking for this target. I have to be honest, after 20 minutes or so of searching this creek bed I really thought we would be skunked for the first time since joining The Ring Finders. The bottom of the creek was not only muddy, but it was extremely SOFT! So much so that every step we took put us 6-9 inches deep in the clay-like bottom. What was worse, when we went to scoop a potential target, we sunk another 6-12 inches! It was like searching in quicksand. One slightly off scoop attempt could push the ring down into no man’s land making recovery impossible at that point. We decided a few minutes later that we would give it another 20-30 minutes and admit defeat if we were unsuccessful at that point. Luckily, a few more minutes of searching I got a good audible signal and made a very careful scoop attempt and……..well, I’ll let Denise tell you her story!

Up the creek!

 

My son was kayaking with my nephew in Trippe Creek near our house in Easton, Maryland.  Men will be boys, and they started cutting up and tipped over the kayak. His wedding ring (which should have been sized better) slipped off his finger in 4 or so feet of water.  He could not find it.  He was in serious trouble with his wife and was quite upset with himself.

 

The next day I searched online to find someone who had equipment for us to buy or rent or perform the search for us.  I found The Ring Finders website and called the person with the address closest to our home and it was Jim.  He agreed to come out on Sunday with his friend.

 

He asked us to try to narrow the search area as much as possible.  So, when they arrived on Sunday we had lined up my mom who had witnessed the incident and with my son on phone (he had already returned to his home out of state) we outlined a search area. The guys were patient, polite, and friendly. They were thorough in the search, and after almost 45 minutes in the water, Jim found the ring. Even they were amazed to find it, as it was in the muddy floor of the creek in almost 4 feet of water.  I would highly recommend to anyone as Jim says, they have 100% success rate.

 

Denise

Easton, Maryland

Returning the ring to Denise

 

A happy Denise!

 

The « thought to be lost forever » band.

Lost Platinum Wedding Band Recovered in Forest Hill Maryland!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

Once again I am proud to say that my 100% recovery success rate is still in tact! Earlier in the week I received a call from Michael telling me that his wedding band slipped off while doing some yard work and asked if I could come out and see what I could do.  Luckily I work about 25 minutes from his residence so we made plans to come out the the next day. Michael had a plane to catch in the morning so I ended up meeting his wife Gina when I arrived. Here’s how things went down in her own words….

My husband was out in the yard spreading grass seed a couple weeks ago. He came into the house and told me that he felt his ring fall off while he was sifting through some of the excess seed with his hands. I went out to where he said that he was and we both spent about 20 minutes before we gave up on it. We both went out the next day and spent another 15 to 20 minutes looking for it and still no ring. We decided to buy a metal detector and had the same result..NO RING! We were both dumbfounded and ready to chalk it up as a loss. I decided to try once last attempt on internet to search for a company that specializes in recovering lost jewelry. After about 10 minutes and different google entries, TheRingFinders website came up. I found Jim’s name and read his blog and my husband called him. He was very pleasant and informative during the conversation. You could really feel his enthusiasm for what he does as a « hobby ».  He was able to come by after work the following day and begin the search. Jim had full confidence that he would find it and I was trying to be as positive as he was about it. After about an hour, all that was found was a flat soda can, aluminum foil and a  juice top, I was having my doubts but Jim kept reassuring me that the ring would be found. He began to search the other part of the lawn where it could have possibly fallen off with no such luck. He then started to go over the initial area where my husband said he felt it slip off. I went inside for a few minutes and came back out to see Jim on the ground digging at something. He turned around and said, « I found it ». I couldn’t believe it when he showed me the spot where it was. It was lying under some grass about 8 feet from the initial area. I was completely amazed and so excited when he held it up. We can’t begin to thank him enough for his professionalism and true passion to help people. I would not hesitate to use him again or recommend him to anyone in a similar situation. Thanks again and congrats on a perfect recovery record!!!

 

Take Care,

 

Gina & Michael

I’m glad I was successful Michael/Gina….for your sake and for my own personal track record!

 

Hiding in the grass!

 

She said she may charge a ransom once her husband gets home!

 

 

 

Lost Engagement Ring Recovered In Severn Maryland!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

Back on April 3rd, I was contacted by Laurie via email informing me that over the weekend she lost her wedding ring while doing yard work. What I remember most about the email was her last sentence…….. » I’m absolutely heartbroken ». I got back to her the same day and we made arrangements to come out that weekend. Once again, my detecting buddy Lance was available to tag along.  Were we successful you ask? I’ll let Laurie tell the story in her own words…..

We were outside most of the day Saturday.  My husband was working in the yard all day.  I was outside most of the day as well , simultaneously cleaning up the flowerbeds and the kids’ play area and playing with the kids.  After coming in for the day, we had a quick dinner, gave the kids a bath and put them to bed.  Once the kids were in bed and we had a chance to relax we realized my engagement ring was missing.  We panicked and tried to look for it in the house and outside, even though it was dark.  We barely slept and continued the search on Sunday and for the next couple days.  We sifted through the bags of yard waste, checked drains in the house, took apart our washing machine and used a cheap metal detector that we had in our garage.  We had no luck finding the ring but kept googling for ideas.  We came across Jim’s web page and figured we had nothing to lose.  We e-mailed Jim and he responded right away.  He told us not to throw out our yard waste so that they could check it with their detectors.  We arranged for Jim and his buddy Lance to come out in a few days.  They arrived as scheduled and were very friendly and eager to help find the ring.  They asked some questions about what we were doing and where and then they got to work.  They were very methodical in their search and their equipment was top-notch.  Within and hour of searching, Lance found the ring in a bag of yard waste.  As our daughter said, “Yay, nice men!”  Thanks again Jim and Lance!  ~ Laurie & Jason

I tell you what, the feeling never gets old returning something to someone that has practically given up hope of ever seeing it again.  And this 100% success rate I(we) have going……I’m really getting use to it!

Lance returning the ring to Laurie

 

Glad we could got this beauty back to Laurie

 

Lost Platinum Wedding Band Recovered in Ashburn, Virginia!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

I’m very proud of my perfect recovery record thus far as a member of The Ring Finders. The most recent recovery gives me a perfect 4 for 4 record!  I must admit, this time it was my detecting buddy who I asked to come along with me that actually found the lost platinum ring we were looking for, but nonetheless the recovery was a success! Being able to make a  couple’s St. Patty’s Day extra special sure was nice. I’ll let Sarah tell you the rest of the story in her own words….

My husband was out in our yard doing some gardening including spreading grass seed and pulling up weeds and throwing them over an embankment in a wooded area behind our house.  A few hours after finishing the yard work, he noticed that his ring was missing.  Even though he wasn’t sure he had lost it in the yard, he immediately went out there searching for hours with no luck.  He was even able to rent a metal detector and searched the area and still had no success.  He finally gave up and decided that the ring was lost for good.  When he told me, I wasn’t sure that a metal detector would pick up platinum so I did a search online for lost platinum ring and I stumbled upon Jim’s blog.  I sent him a quick e-mail asking if it would be worth it for him to come out if my husband had already searched with a metal detector.  Jim wrote back right away saying that the skill of the detector had a lot to do with the ability to find things, so I figured we’d give him a try.  Jim came out about a week later on St. Patrick’s day with his friend Lance.  They both brought their metal detectors and after my husband gave them a description of his yard work activities they began searching in what they thought were the most likely areas to find the ring: over in the area where he was throwing weeds and in the area he had been planting the grass.  Maybe 15 minutes after they arrived, I started to head out to meet them and my husband said to me « I hope you don’t get your hopes up. »  I said I hadn’t, but I really had!  I stepped outside and asked if they had any luck yet and they said they had found it already!!  It was located in the area where my husband had been planting grass and was under about an inch of dirt.  My husband and I couldn’t believe that they had found it so quickly!  I think it took longer to write this letter than  it took for them to find the ring.  I later realized that it was the 5th anniversary of us getting engaged.  So five St. Patrick’s days ago he had given me an engagement ring and on this one, he had gotten his wedding ring back!  Now St. Patrick’s day is twice as lucky for us.  Thanks again Jim and Lance!

There she is!

Lance and one happy camper!

 

Back where it belongs!

Lost Platinum Wedding Band Recovered in Laurel, Maryland!

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

People say things like, « three is the charm » and « things come in threes ». If you are a hockey fan like myself you are familiar with the term « Hat Trick ». Any way you put it, it rang true today! I was able to help my third person this year by recovering his lost ring. Speaking of threes, all were platinum wedding rings!

I was contacted by Adam earlier in the week through thefingfinders.com. We made arrangements to……..actually, let Adam tell you in his own words!

In December of 2011, I lost my platinum wedding ring while rough-housing with our 2 dogs in our back yard. I felt my ring slide off of my finger and thought I heard it fall into leaves a few feet away. My wife and  I searched the area on our hands and knees for the next several hours without any luck. We even bought a cheap metal detector to aid our search but couldn’t find it.

I decided to search the internet to see if platinum could actually be detected and came across Jim’s blog.  My wife was skeptical, but I figured it was worth a shot and sent Jim an email to see if he could help. From this point forward I do not have enough positive things to say about Jim. He responded to my email within 20 minutes and was very responsive in all of our exchanges afterwards.

Unfortunately I cannot say the same thing about myself. We had agreed to meet up at 5:00pm. I had trouble leaving work and showed up 10 minutes late. It was dark and slightly rainy but by the time I arrived Jim had already found my ring !

Thanks so much !

-Adam

 

 

Lost platinum wedding ring recovered! Fort Meade, Maryland.

  • from Baltimore (Maryland, United States)
Contact:

This is my 2nd recovery in 2011 so far….and I’m 2 for 2! I’ll let Jeff P. tell the story. Thanks for checking out my page!

In May 2011, my platinum wedding band came off during a soccer game. I knew I had it on at the beginning of the game and realized midway through the second half that it had come off. I thought back and suspected that it flew off during a throwin, but had no idea where on the field it had fallen. The field is a very large area, approx.100×75, so I thought it was a lost cause.
After the game, I went home and began researching metal detectors with the intention of renting one and searching for it myself. I was surprised to find the RingFinders.com community and decided to contact Jim Wagner. Jim returned my email and within 2 hours, we were out on the field looking for the ring. After only 40 minutes of searching, Jim found my ring! What a feeling of relief! My wife was out there with us and she was thrilled. Thanks, Jim!

Jeff P.

Yours truly and a VERY happy Jeff P!