Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 17 of 31

White Gold Wedding Set Goes Flying in the Ocean While Playing Volleyball, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Just before 9 p.m. on the 4th of July,  I got a message from Carol stating “Good evening! I lost my ring today and just found out that you might be able to help me. Please let me know if this is possible.” I immediately replied saying “Call me” with my phone number. I didn’t hear anything from her and got to thinking maybe she was leery of calling some guy she didn’t know. So, I followed up with another message saying “I can help, need details and it’s easier if we talk than text.” I immediately got a call from her husband Steven. Low tide was at 11 p.m. so I figured if I had a good shot at finding it, now would be the time to go. Steven told me Carol lost her white gold wedding set this morning between 11-12 a.m. while playing volleyball around low tide. He also said that they were in the water between ankle and shin deep. Oh-oh, I was hoping she lost it closer to mid afternoon during high tide. Ok, a minor setback but no big deal. I asked Steven if he could meet me to show me the right spot. Then I remembered this was July 4th and the beaches would be packed with tourist watching fireworks and parking would be non-existent.  A minor setback #2. With the instructions he gave me, I knew exactly where to go except I didn’t know how far north of the beach access to go. On my way there he sent me a Google earth map with the area circled which was perfect. When I got to the beach, as I expected, there was no where to park. I finally found a spot to park about a block away, grabbed my gear and headed to the beach. As I’m walking out on the beach, in the pitch black, people were 3 to 4 rows deep sitting in the sand or on beach chairs. I made my way to the water’s edge and started a perpendicular grid search. Then the fireworks started!!!  I thought I was in a war zone and right in the line of fire, as everything was being shot off towards the ocean.

Ok, I focused on the mission at hand, which was to find Carol’s wedding set. What was ankle to shin deep water this morning for them was now a huge pool of water that was waist deep. The water was deep enough that I kept my headlamp off so I wouldn’t attract the baitfish, which in turn would attract bigger fish. Thankfully, the fireworks gave me enough light to see where I was going. I was probably a little more than an hour and a half into the search and about half way through the area Steven had circled when I got a great signal on the Nox 800. The VDI number was 13 and a little higher than what I thought it might be for a white gold set. I was waist deep and carefully dug the target out of the hole. I checked the hole and made sure it was clear. I then walked back up to the wet sand before I emptied the sand out of the scoop so I wouldn’t accidently shake the target out in the ocean. When I dumped the sand out on the beach, I turned on my headlamp and could see a little glimmer of something shiny. I reached down and picked up a beautiful lady’s wedding set. I didn’t have a complete description of Carol’s rings so I called Steven. He started explaining it and then said “here’s Carol, she can explain it better.” As she’s identifying the ring I’m holding to perfection, I took a picture and text it to her. I told her to check her text messages and I hear, with a lot of enthusiasm “Oh my gosh, you found my ring!” What a feeling finding someone’s treasure that they never thought they’d see again. With no way of knowing what the ocean, tides, and tons of sand will do between tide cycles, I’m not real sure her rings wouldn’t have been buried below a metal detectors capabilities by low tide the next morning.

Carol and Steven – Thank you so much for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe drive back home to Ohio!

Jim

     

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18k Clemson Ring Lost Throwing a Football at the High Tide Line, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Brent, who was referred by Joe Denton, asking if I could help find a lost Clemson Ring. He said his friend, Ed, whose daughter Natalie’s friend Britta had lost her ring within the last 10 minutes Knowing it was high tide, I asked him how deep in the water Britta was, and he replied she was just getting her feet wet. I got the location and told him I’d be there in 10-15 minutes. This being a Saturday and 4th of July weekend the traffic was very busy.

I called Brent when I got close and he was waiting at the beach access for me. As we walked out on the beach he directed me to where Natalie and Britta were standing. I introduced myself to both of them and then got more of the story. Britta showed me about where she was standing when she threw the football, and Natalie showed me about where she was standing to catch it. Thankfully, neither one was in the ocean, but Natalie had been standing close to a buried storm drain pipe. The search area was no more than 20 yards long. Someone had mentioned the Clemson ring was 18k gold, so I knew what number I was looking for on the Equinox 800. I started my grid search parallel to the beach. My fourth line I hit it, a booming 9 VDI. I just looked up at Britta and smiled, I don’t think she realized what the look was for. I took a scoop of sand and dumped it on the beach, moved the sand with my foot and saw the ring. Somebody else in her group saw it about the same time and reached down and snatched it up and handed it to me. Big smiles, a few hugs, maybe a couple of tears, and Britta had her college treasure back on her finger.

Thanks to all for trusting me to help find Britta’s ring.

Britta – I wish you all the best on your future endeavors.

Jim

      

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Beach Proposal at 11:30 am, Ring Swimming With the Fishes by 1:30 pm at Sunset Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Saturday, June 5th, about 2:30pm, I received a frantic call from Mackenzie asking if I could help find her “silver” ring that she lost in the ocean. Knowing that low tide was around 11 am, I was hesitant to ask the normal questions, but I did. “What time did you lose it, and how deep in the ocean were you?” Mackenzie responded that she lost it about an hour ago and she was in a foot of water. I knew with the 30 minute drive that the ring would be out of reach with the incoming tide by the time I’d get there. I wanted a chance to see what I’d be up against when I went later that evening. I also wanted to meet Mackenzie and get the full story so I went ahead and made the trip. When I got to the beach, I met Mackenzie, her fiancé, Alex, and 3 or 4 of her friends. I had Mackenzie show me the area she was at and tell me exactly what happened. She told me Alex had proposed to her at about 11:30 am; she said yes, they took pictures and a little while later she got in the ocean with her new engagement ring. She also said that the ring was a little big, and while in the ocean she watched it slip off her finger and disappear. I talked to Alex to get his perspective and he told me pretty much the same details Mackenzie had except he said the ring was Platinum. I started a perpendicular grid search from the shore to out in the ocean. After a short time, Mackenzie came out in the ocean where I was and said her friends thought she was further south down the beach. By that time, it was close to high tide, so I told her I’d be back around 9.

I got back up there around 9 pm and started a grid search from the far end of the southern boundary working north towards the pier. After an hour plus, and working about three quarters of the area, I got a great signal on my PI detector. I dug one scoop of sand, checked the hole and had the target in my scoop. I walked back up the beach to get out of the water before I dumped the scoop of sand. I turned on my headlamp as I spread the sand out with my foot and didn’t see anything. I ran the coil over the sand again and still got the signal. I reached down with my hand and spread the sand out some more and got a little glimmer of something shiny. Boom, I had Mackenzie’s engagement ring. I sent her a picture and waited for a response. After 5 minutes, I called her and told her to check her text messages. Her excitement was what I expected! I had a second ring search that I still had time to make before low tide on a different beach and ask Mackenzie if they could meet me there. It was actually closer to where they were staying so they agreed. I was finished with the second search shortly before they arrived and I was waiting in the parking lot. When I returned the ring to Alex to put back on Mackenzie’s finger it was within a minute or two from being 12 hours since he had proposed and slipped the ring on the first time.

Anna – Thank you for sharing my information with Mackenzie and Alex.

Mackenzie and Alex – Thank you for trusting The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure

Jim

         

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White Gold Engagement Ring Lost in the Ocean Day after Proposal, Sullivan’s Island SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This morning, Wednesday, about 11am, I got a text “Good afternoon. Is this Jim Wren with Ring Finders?” I responded with “Yes.” She came back saying “My name is Mallory, my fiancé Nick proposed on Monday. Yesterday at around 8PM (the day after I got engaged) I got into the ocean at Sullivan’s Island. The tide took my engagement ring right off my finger. I am absolutely devastated…is there anything that could be done?”I called her and got more details. They were here on a little vacation from Chicago after they both graduated from Law School. With the loss of her ring and another issue going on, she wasn’t having a good vacation. I checked the tide tables and low tide on Sullivan’s Island was roughly at 2:30pm and with a 2 ½ hour drive, I could be there about 30 minutes before low tide. I know there are a couple of guys who are Ring Finders around Charleston, but when I’ve called in the past they weren’t available. So, instead of giving Mallory the run around trying to find somebody, and with time being a major factor, I just grabbed my gear and headed south.

When I got there, Mallory and Nick had a parking spot reserved for me. As we walked out on the beach, Nick showed me the area, which was larger than I thought. It was an area about the size of a football field. Luckily, Nick had found a plank on the beach and had used it to mark the spot where they came out of the water after the ring came off. On Tuesday, Mallory was in waist deep water about an hour after high tide. I started a north/south grid line parallel to the high tide line working towards the water line. After about 6 grid lines, I changed directions, and ran the grid line east/west perpendicular to the beach. On my second grid line pass the mid-tide line on the slope, I got a solid 8/9 on the Equinox 800 VDI screen, which is what I was looking for. It was further down the slope than I thought it would be, as well as deeper in the sand than I thought after less than 24 hours. After I got it out of the sand, I had to verify I had the right ring against the picture Mallory had sent. Boom, Perfect match!! I knew Nick and Mallory were watching, so I just held my arm up. Nick saw it first and came running, Mallory wasn’t too far behind him. Big smiles and hugs. Total search time was about 35-40 minutes.

Nick/Mallory – thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to find your beautiful engagement ring. Best of luck to both of you in all your future endeavors.

Jim

                                

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Wedding Celebration Contributes to Lost Wedding Band in the Ocean 8 hours after saying “I Do”

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Sunday afternoon, I received my second call of the day for a lost ring.  This one had been lost in the very early hours of Sunday morning on Ocean Isle Beach, NC. The call came from Jim, the groom. He said that he had lost his wedding band in the ocean after an evening of celebrating his and he’s new bride, Marie’s 6 pm wedding. At exactly the same time, I was talking with Jim, I was getting a text from Cindi, Jim’s mother. She had done the research and found me through The Ring Finders web site. She had sent my information to her son, and both of them were trying to contact me. At some point Jim passed the phone to Marie’s dad, Jim, and I learned that Jim had lost his ring in waist deep water at 2 am. A quick check of the tide table showed low tide was about 10:30 pm Saturday night, so I’m thinking this might be a tough search. I advised one of the Jim’s and Cindi that I had another ring search at 6 pm and that I’d be there as soon as I got finished with the other search, which was probably going to be about 8 pm with travel time.

I got to Ocean Isle about 7:45pm and met Jim (father), Marie and Jim (bride and groom), and a few of their friends. To help as much as possible with my search, I needed to get a consensus, from everyone that was there when he lost the ring. I needed to know the time, the location, and how deep Jim was. I started my grid search parallel to the beach, trying to work the outgoing tide. Within a couple of hours, it was pitch black on the beach and both the wind and waves had picked up to the point I wasn’t comfortable out there by myself. So, I called it a night and called Marie telling her I and a buddy would be back out around 9:30am the next day.

At some point I had called Jim Brouwer, a good friend that has helped me in the past, to see if he was interested in giving me a hand on this one. The search area wasn’t huge but with all the circumstances, it’d be great to have 2 of us looking. When Jim Brouwer and I got there around 10 am, I showed him the area and we drew a line in the sand where Jim (groom) suspected he entered the water. Jim B. took the north side and I took the south. After about 2 hours and almost at dead low tide, I see Jim B digging a target in about thigh deep water. Considering the time we were out there, I had dug just one bottle cap and Jim hadn’t dug anything, so this was a good sign. As I watched Jim search through his scoop, he raised his head and gave me the “yes” nod.  Thank you, Jim!!

Marie and husband Jim went to get Jim B and me some water, so when I tried to call Marie she didn’t answer. I called Cindi to see if the kids were with her, she said no and then asked if we found the ring. I told her yes but I wanted to surprise the kids. Cindi said she was coming down. Marie called me and I asked her if she’d come down. The plan was to tell Marie and Jim that we were done with the search while I was pointing out the areas we had searched with my index finger. The whole time I had Jim’s ring on that finger. It took a few minutes and I finally said “Follow my finger down.” Jim saw his ring first, and then Marie. Beautiful reactions from both and a few tears ran down their cheeks.

Jim and Marie, Thank you so much for trusting me, Jim Brouwer, and The Ring Finders to help find one of your most treasured items. In just two days, your rings have started the stories of your lives together, and what stories they are. Best of Luck to you both, I wish you only the best.

Jim

    

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Beach Siesta Causes Lost Wedding Ring on Wrightsville Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Sunday, I got a call from John Finnerin (TRF Wrightsville Beach NC) asking if I could take a search for him at Wrightsville Beach. He gave me the gentleman’s name (Jim), phone number and a brief description of the man’s lost wedding band and the area it was lost. I called Jim and he confirmed that he had lost his ring on Saturday in the dry sand. I asked him the story connected to his lost ring. He said he was on the beach, lying on his towel all nice and comfortable. He decided to move his wedding band on his ring finger from its normal spot to between the 1st and 2nd knuckle. When he woke up and they decided to leave, he picked his towel up and shook off the sand. Later that evening, he approached his wife, Shelly, saying “I lost my ring.” He concluded that at some point during his nap, the ring came off his finger and when he picked up the towel to shake it, his ring went flying. Since it was a Sunday, we figured the beach would be packed with no place to park. He gave me the location and we agreed to meet at 6 pm.

About 3:30, I got antsy and decided to go ahead and make the hour and half a drive. I figured I’d go ahead and detect the area, hoping to find the ring before he got there. When I arrived, parking was available, and the beach wasn’t too crowded. I had a vague idea of where to search, so I started a grid search in the dry sand. After about 5 grid lines, I moved out of the dry sand to the wet sand. As I’m walking the grid line I spotted his ring sticking up in the wet sand.

When he and his wife arrived to show me the lost area, I was waiting next to my car with his ring in hand. I walked up to the passenger side of the car, and we introduced ourselves. I’m holding his ring between my thumb and forefinger and told him “you don’t even have to get out of your car”. He looked puzzled until he spotted his ring then there were all smiles.

Jim and Shelly, thanks for trusting The Ring Finders to help find your lost ring.

Jim

  

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Lady’s White Gold Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned on Carolina Beach, NC.

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from John Finnerin, The Ring Finder for the Wilmington NC area today asking if I could take a ring call for him. He had family coming in town and wasn’t able to take the call himself. “Absolutely!” So he gave me Justin’s name, number, and a brief scenario of what had happened. I called Justin and told him I’d be there in about an hour and a half, and I was on my way. After I got through the traffic, I called Justin to get more details. He told me that his wife, Ty, had taken her 3 rings off and handed them to him so she could get wet in the ocean. He put the rings in his lap for safe keeping. Within a few minutes he stood up to get a beer out of the cooler and the rings went flying. He saw one of them land in the sand and was able to find it, but wasn’t able to find the other two. I assured him that once I got there, he’d have the rings back on her finger within 5 minutes. I wasn’t being cocky, it was the fact that he had just lost them, knew exactly the small area where he lost them, and hadn’t moved from the spot since it happened. As a beach ring finder, these are the searches you dream of.

I called Justin when I got to the beach and he met me at the beach access ramp and walked me out to the lost ring area. I had him move a couple of beach chairs and a cooler. The search area was maybe 3’X5’, I turned on my Equinox and told him to time me. I was able to stand in one spot and cover the whole area. Boom, I got the 9 on the VDI that I was looking for. I took a small scoop of sand, checked the hole and knew I had the rings in the scoop. I gently shook the sand out of the scoop and held it up for Justin to retrieve both rings. I heard Justin’s friend say 10 seconds. Big smiles from everybody. I also found out that Justin and Ty were down from Raleigh, with another couple, to celebrate Ty’s birthday tomorrow.

Justin and Ty, thanks for trusting The Ring Finders to help find your lost rings. Ty, I hope you have a great birthday, and you guys have a safe trip home. Oh, and thanks for the shot!!

Jim

   

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Man’s 14K Gold Wedding Band Lost, Found, and Returned in Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I received a call today from Josh looking for the guy with a metal detector that can find rings. I confirmed he had the right guy, and asked what had happened. He responded that he had given his gold wedding band to his wife, Emily, for safe keeping while they were on the beach. She had put it on her thumb and at some point it slipped off. I asked a few questions including where they were. When he responded they were staying at the Holiday Inn in Myrtle Beach, I knew I’d have to get a hold of Matt Fry. Since Matt’s The Ring Finder for Myrtle Beach, any calls I get for that area I pass to him. When I called, he said he was in the middle of something and to go ahead and take the call, thanks Matt. I called Josh back and told him I’d be there in 30-45 minutes.

Vacation time is definitely back in full swing at Myrtle Beach. Traffic was bumper to bumper, and parking was non-existent. I grabbed a parking spot in the hotel parking lot, and stopped by the front desk to let them know, so my car wouldn’t get towed. As I walked out on the beach, I saw a couple waving at me. When I got close, we introduced ourselves and Josh showed me a small area in the dry sand, maybe 5’X5’, where they thought the ring slipped off. I turned on the Equinox and thoroughly scanned the area with not even a peep. So, I started a grid line working north, still with no targets. After about 4 lines, I went back over the same area working the grid south. Two lines south from my original starting point; I got a solid 17, which told me I had gold! I scooped the ring out of the sand, shook the sand out and let Josh reach in the scoop and retrieve his wedding band of 7 years. Both Josh and Emily were extremely excited their lost treasure was found.

Josh and Emily, thanks for trusting me and the Ring Finders to help find your lost ring.

Jim

   

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Lady’s Black Onyx Silver Ring – Lost, Found, and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Tuesday afternoon I received a FB text from Crystal saying, “I lost my ring at Beach Cove Resort: 4800 South Ocean Blvd. I know the area right where it is but haven’t found it yet! I’ve been trying to find someone with a metal detector but we leave Thursday, and they are few and far between”. I replied saying call me with my number. When she called, I got a little more detail and told her I’d be there in 15 minutes.

When I got there, I called her from the lobby. Shortly after, she walked off the elevator and we introduced ourselves. On the way out to the beach, she told me she had lost the ring the day before.  I was a little nervous, and hopeful the beach cleaning truck or a person with a metal detector hadn’t already found it. She said the ring was a black onyx silver ring, and showed me the small area, maybe 10’X10’, where she had been sitting. I turned the Equinox 800 on and started a grid search. On my second pass, I got a strong 25 on the VDI (visual display indicator) and I knew I had a solid silver target. I looked down and could clearly see the ring sitting on the sand; Crystal saw it about the same time. She said they had been looking off and on for the last 2 days for it.

Crystal, Thanks for call me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip back home to Virginia.

Jim

    

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Man’s Wedding Band Lost, Found, and Returned on Oak Island, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Ring and Jewelry Metal Detecting Recovery Service. Call Jim ASAP!  843-655-5889

On Friday, March 12th, I was out doing some metal detecting on the beach after a long spell of being stuck in the house due to COVID-19. After finishing up, and with little to show for my efforts, I checked my cell phone for any calls or text messages. I had a text from Travis that said in part, “Jim – have a silver ring Lola red somewhere in an azalea bush on Oak Island at my in-laws house. Let’s touch base and see what your availability is when you have a moment. Thanks!”  This was my first lost ring call for 2021 and I was ready. I called Travis and asked what the situation was. He stated that he had lost his ring almost a year ago in some azalea bushes. I told him I had nothing going on and could be there in a couple of hours. He said he’d text his mother-in-law and let her know I was coming. In the meantime, I did a quick Google search to get an idea on what type ring I was looking for and get an idea of what numbers on the detector to look for.

When I got to his in-laws house, I knocked on the door and met Travis’ father-in-law, Bill. We introduced ourselves and he showed me the bushes where the ring was supposed to be. I asked how the ring ended up in the bushes. Bill said that Travis had been cleaning out a bucket and when Travis threw the water from the bucket into the bushes, the ring went with the water. Bill also stated that he had used a metal detector himself but wasn’t able to find the ring. I grabbed my Equinox 800 and pin pointer out of the car and went to work. The back of the bushes were accessible so I was able to work the detector in and around the low hanging branches and over some roots. Within just a couple of minutes, I hit a target showing a solid 14 on the 800 VDI (visual display indicator). I wasn’t positive I had Travis’ ring because with the description I got from him and my Google search, I expected a higher VDI number. I learned a long time ago that with all the different metals and percentages of metals being used to make rings and other jewelry, things don’t ring up on a metal detector like you’re expecting. Also, if I’m looking for someone’s lost treasure; every signal I get needs to be checked. Because of all the low branches, I wasn’t able to get to the target from where I was. I marked the spot with a stick and made my way to the front of the bushes. I was able to crawl far enough under the bush that I could use the pin pointer to find the target. I moved some dead leaves and Bingo! I took a quick picture and sent it to Travis asking “is this it?” Within seconds he texted me back saying “That is it!”

I called him and asked if he wanted me to mail his ring home or leave it with his father-in-law, he told me to leave the ring with his father-in-law and he’d pick it up the following week.

Travis – Thanks for trusting The Ring Finders and me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

   

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