Paul Humphreys, Author at The Ring Finders

Lady’s heirloom wedding ring recovered! – Bradford Beach, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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A fun evening of beach volleyball with friends at the popular Bradford Beach, turned to horror when Milwaukee resident, Faith Platt, felt her mother’s wedding ring fly off her hand as she dove for a ball. The diamond-studded, yellow-gold band vanished in the loose sand. Despite halting the game and several players helping to look, even sifting the sand with their hands, the ring could not be found. The growing ache in Faith’s stomach only intensified as the possibility entered her mind that her mother’s ring might be lost forever. Did someone already pocket the love token? How could she face her mother with such news?

Faith’s fiancé, Samuel Rasmussen, stepped into motion and began to look on the internet for someone with a metal detector. That’s when he found my lost-ring-recovery services and the Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists. I received a text message early that evening and arrived at the beach about an hour later. A game was in progress on the court where the ring was lost and so I visited with Samuel and Faith until the court was clear.

As I moved towards the area where Faith believed she was when the ring left her hand, I picked up a solid signal in the sand about 8’ away. I noted the signal as being consistent with a small gold band and determined it worth investigating later. When I swept the location where everyone had been searching, I failed to hear any signals. The sand was quiet. This meant the ring had to be elsewhere. Had someone already picked it up? The thought was disturbing. Then I remembered the earlier signal and moved to that location. Immediately the signal I heard before repeated itself. One scoop later, a petite yellow-gold, diamond-studded ring lay gleaming in my hand—Faith’s heirloom ring! Tears, hugs, smiles ensued. Another mystery solved.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring or other jewelry item, don’t let its story end. Call me. I would love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who, like Faith and Samuel, are so glad they reached out to me for help. It almost goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, “It’s more than a ring!”

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Lost wedding ring recovered from Lac La Belle—Oconomowoc, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Watertown, Wisconsin resident, Jared Weide, enjoyed a day with his wife and family shopping and relaxing at a couple of the area lakes. Earlier, Jared had removed his 14k yellow-gold wedding band before applying suntan lotion. His wedding date, 9-25-22, was inscribed on the band’s inside. He deposited the love token deep into the pocket of his shorts for safekeeping. Later that evening, to his horror, Jared discovered the ring was gone.

Rewinding the day’s activities made the likelihood of finding the ring almost impossible. Jared recalled shopping and stopping at several places. He searched his car thoroughly in case it had fallen from his pocket. A larger possibility loomed like a dark storm cloud. He had gone swimming at small public beach on Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc. Was his ring laying on the lake’s murky bottom? Jared did his best to suppress the thought that his ring was likely gone forever.

A tiny glimmer of hope rose in Jared’s mind when an internet search revealed my lost-ring recovery services. It was a long shot for sure. But he thought, “Maybe, just maybe, Paul could find it.” A quick phone call was all it took to make the search arrangements.

A couple hours later, I met up with Jared on location at the southwestern shore of Lac La Belle. He pointed out the buoys near where he had been floating on an innertube. These served as reliable reference points. I donned my detecting gear and began a systematic grid-search in waist-deep water.

As with so many public beaches, the lake bottom was full of metallic leftovers; pull tabs, bottle caps, foil and rusty beer cans were in abundance. Ferreting a small gold ring from amongst the din in my headset was a challenge. About an hour into the search, however, I encountered a clear, shallow target. It sat atop of ledge of rock in about two inches of sand and pebbles. The rock ledge made it nearly impossible to use my scoop and so I dove down and brushed the sand and silt into the scoop with my hand. Upon shaking out the contents, a gold ring appeared amongst the pebbles. The inscription, 9-25-22, was unmistakable evidence that, against all odds, Jared’s ring was found! And the smile on his face tells the rest of the story.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring or other jewelry item, please give me a call. I would love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who, despite the odds, are so glad they reached out to me for help. Don’t let the story of your ring end. It’s more than a ring!

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Lady’s sentimental wedding band recovered from lawn – Caledonia, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Caledonia, Wisconsin resident, Rebeca Bravo, decided to surprise her husband, Matt, by mowing their lawn. Later, while taking a shower, Rebeca was shocked to discover her gold wedding band missing from her hand. Had it fallen down the shower drain? The thought added to the growing ache in her heart. The wedding ring had once belonged to her mother. It was irreplaceable.

Rebeca found me on an online directory of metal-detecting specialists @ theringfinders.com. After speaking with Rebeca, I arranged to meet her and Matt at their home. Since she had mowed the grass, it made sense to carefully detect the lawn in case the ring had somehow been dislodged from her hand in the process. I explained to the couple how ring searches are often a process of elimination, of knowing for certain where the ring is not. Beginning at the front yard, I carefully detected the grass and bushes up the house. Then I systematically covered the backyard. I was almost finished searching the lawn when I found myself underneath some low hanging branches of a tree. There, a crisp, shallow signal in my headset caught my attention. Upon investigation, Rebeca’s precious wedding band lay deep in the grass!

I decided to have a little fun with the reveal. The couple came out just as I was putting my equipment away in my car. The looks of disappointment in their faces were clearly evident. I reiterated our search strategy, explaining how it was a process of elimination. I told them I was 100% certain Rebeca’s ring was not in the lawn. And the reason I was so certain, I explained as I opened my hand, was because the ring was in my hand!

These are the moments I treasure most. The looks of shock, followed by smiles and tears of joy. Words fail.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring or other jewelry item, please give me a call; I’ve love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who are so glad they reached out to me for help. It’s more than a ring!

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Man’s wedding ring recovered from Potter Lake – East Troy, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Picturesque Potter Lake covers about 155 acres outside the town of East Troy, Wisconsin. It’s where Bruce Kolman and his family were enjoying time together at the Kolman’s beautiful lakeshore home. For safekeeping, Bruce’s son removed his wedding ring and placed it on a seat on the boat dock. Unfortunately, the ring was accidently knocked off the seat. It vanished in the murky water. Despite the family’s best search efforts, even with a metal detector, the ring could not be found.

Three-weeks later, I received a phone call from Bruce asking if I might help recover his son’s gold wedding band. Bruce found me on an online directory of metal-detecting specialists @ theringfinders.com. I arranged to meet on location that same evening.

Bruce sent me photos of the boat dock and the area where they thought the ring disappeared. Upon arrival, I donned my detecting gear and slowly waded to the location in waist-deep water. About 6’ from the dock, I encountered a signal consistent with a 14k yellow-gold band. It was situated deep in the mud, too deep I thought for so recent a loss. I decided to check it again later if I couldn’t find the ring near the dock.

I carefully detected all around the dock and underneath it but only picked up the usual signals of metallic targets such as pull tabs, foil and miscellaneous iron. Moving back to the earlier target, I dug deep down to extract it. It took two more scoops before the hole became quiet. Whatever was the source of the signal now lay in my titanium scoop. Shaking out the contents revealed a glint of gold amongs the pebbles—the missing wedding ring! It had inadvertently been pressed deeply into the mud when someone stepped on it.

The smile on Bruce’s face tells the rest of the story. If you or someone you know has lost a ring or other jewelry item, please give me a call; I’ve love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who are so glad they reached out to me for help.

TESTIMONIAL BY CLIENT – Bruce Kolman

One text. That’s all.

In a world where connecting with someone you found on the internet requires a leap of faith, I couldn’t have made a better choice.

After my son’s wedding band slipped of a pier into the lake, I found Paul’s website and texted him. To my surprise he responded within five minutes and said, « I’ll be there in three hours. » He was. One hour later, there was the ring.

One text. Five minutes. Three hours. One hour later, there was the ring.

He is genuine, trustworthy and someone we won’t soon forget. He’s been recovering lost items for decades, and it shows–not just in his expertise, but in the fascinating stories and history he shares from a lifetime of doing this work all around the world.

When something irreplaceable is at the bottom of a lake, you’re putting a lot of trust in someone you’ve never met. I did, and he exceeded every expectation. I recommend him without hesitation.

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Lost Wedding Ring Recovered from Pond—Waldo, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Florida resident, Alex Furlong, was enjoying a swim in a privately-owned pond in Waldo, Wisconsin, when his wedding ring was lost. Married only two and half weeks, Alex and his bride, Anna Rose, had taken care to remove their wedding rings from their hands before entering the water. They set their love tokens on the end of a paddleboard resting on the shore.

While returning to the beach, Alex noticed a monstrous blackfly sitting in the middle of the board. To save Anna Rose from being bitten, he lunged at the fly wth the paddle in hand, but the impact sent the rings catapulting up into the air! Amazingly, Anna’s rings landed back on the paddleboard, but Alex’s 14k band bounded down the board and dissappeared into the murky pond. Despite their best search efforts, the devastated couple could not locate it.

The Furlong’s found me on the Ring Finder’s online directory of metal-detecting specialists. I received a phone call from Alex later that same afternoon. I was searching for another ring at the time and so arranged to meet Alex on location at 5:00 a.m. the next morning. The Waldo pond was near Sheboygan, just over an hour’s drive from my home in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Upon arrival, Alex led the way in the early-morning haze to the spot where the ring had disappeared. A buoy in the water marked the location.

Using my XP Deus 2 underwater detector and an Extreme titanium water scoop, I began sweeping the bottom of the pond. Not far from shore, I heard a clear signal in my headset; it emanated from a metallic target deep in the mud. The conductivity numbers were consistent with a yellow-gold ring. I extracted a large scoop of mud and sand from the area and checked it again with my detector. The target area was now quiet. This meant the metal object now had to be in my scoop. After shaking the scoop’s contents out in the water, a small handful of pebbles remained. Another shake revealed the glimmer of gold —a man’s wedding ring!

Carefully extracting the ring, I confirmed it indeed belonged to Alex! Alex told me earlier, two ancient Greek words were inscribed inside the band, ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους. I recognized these words of Jesus from my biblical-Greek studies. Translated into English, they read, “love one another.”

The early-morning sunlight made the smile on Alex’s face all the more radiant, a smile that tells the rest of the story!

Alex, may the story of your ring continue for many, many years to come as you and Anna Rose faithfully “love one another.”

If you or someone you know has a lost a ring, recent or long ago, on land or in the water, give me a call. I would be honored to add your smile to the growing list of people who, like the Furlongs, are so glad they did.

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Lost wedding rings found! Eagle Springs Lake, Eagle, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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July 4th found Manitowoc, Wisconsin residents, Emily Zucchi and her family, enjoying a swim on Eagle Springs Lake, near Eagle, Wisconsin. As she waded out into the water from shore, Emily suddenly realized her wedding rings were missing from her hand! Everyone began searching but, given all the activity, visibility in the churned-up water was minimal.

I received a phone call from Emily asking for help. She found me on the Ring Finders online directory of metal-detecting specialists. Arrangements were made to meet up with Matt, Emily’s brother-in-law, at the public boat launch later that afternoon. After a 20-minute boat ride we arrived at the location. Other family members were waiting.

Water searches can be challenging. This is because it is often difficult to recall where exactly one was in the lake when the loss occurred. In Emily’s case, a log on the shore acted as a reliable reference point.

I set out four marker buoys to establish the initial search area. Being a popular gathering place, the lake bottom was littered with bottle caps, pull tabs and other metallic debris. It would be a challenge to ferret out the white-gold wedding rings from amongst all the other targets.

Being a weekday, hardly any other boats were on the water. Visibility was amazingly clear, clear enough for Emily’s brother-in-law, Billy, to spot a tiny circular structure in the sand, not far from shore. Imagine his surprise when, reaching into the water, he retrieved Emily’s wedding band!

This discovery meant Emily lost her rings very soon after leaving the shore. Forensically, this raised a question. Did Emily lose her engagement ring before or after the wedding band? Most women wear their wedding rings in a traditional order; the wedding band first, followed by the engagement ring. If this was true in Emily’s case, the engagement ring had to have come off her hand closer to the shore, that is unless she happened to be wearing them in reverse order.

I decided to continue checking the marked area with the goal of ruling it out. As it turned out, the engagement ring had indeed come off after the wedding band. A signal some 20’ away in the search zone proved to be Emily’s precious ring. The love tokens were reunited again at last! Since Emily was not present, Matt, her brother-in-law, did the honors in posing for the photo with both rings in hand.

If you or someone you know has lost a piece of jewelry, recently or long ago, on land, in the water or in the snow, don’t let its story end. Call right away. I’d love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who, like Emily, are so glad they did.

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Lost wedding-ring found in the water! Silver Lake, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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July 4th marks the official birthday of the United States, when its independence was enacted by a group of brave, dedicated men. Most of the signees paid dearly for their actions; they lost possessions, properties, businesses, even their lives in some cases. This past July 4th was extra special as it marked the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Celebrations were held all over the country. One family celebrated on picturesque Silver Lake, near Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. There Brookfield, Wisconsin residents, Brian and Maura Wilman were enjoying all the lake offers. After diving into the water, Brian returned to the boat dock. While standing on the dock, he brushed water off himself and heard the distinct sound of something hard bouncing off the aluminum deck. That’s when he noticed his yellow-gold wedding ring missing from his hand.

A desperate search ensued. A friend even used a metal detector. All that was found in the water, however, was the remains of brass shotgun shells from bygone duck-hunting days. Brian’s ring had vanished!

The following day I received a text from Maura, saying, “We’d love your help!” In a follow-up phone call, I arranged to meet the Wilman’s on location that same afternoon.

Metal detecting in and around docks and boatlifts can be challenging. The heavy aluminum pipes and framework tend to overpower a metal detector. As with previous efforts, the remains of brass shotgun shells were evident. I first cleared one side of the dock then moved to the boatlift area on the opposite side. Not far from the boat-lift, a signal invited further investigation. The bottom was rocky, preventing the use of my scoop, so I dove down into the water and immediately felt the target—Brian’s wedding ring!

The smiles on the Wilman’s faces tell the rest of the story! July 4th now has extra meaning for this couple as the story of Brian’s wedding ring continues.

If you or someone you know has lost a piece of jewelry, recently or long ago, on land, in the water or in the snow, don’t let its story end. Call right away. I’d love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who, like Brian and Maura, are so glad they did.

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Lost wedding-rings found in the water at City Beach! Lac Le Belle, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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July 2nd, 2026, found Janis Ammann enjoying a refreshing swim with her daughters and grandchildren at City Beach, on Lac Le Belle in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Then, without warning, her wedding rings along with a highly-sentimental gold band slipped off her hand into the murky water. Losing her wedding rings was traumatic. But losing the band that had once belonged to her mother, made the loss even more devastating.

Despite their best efforts, feeling the sandy lake bottom with their feet and hands, the rings could not be found. An hour later, Janis left the swimming area with a grieving, heavy heart. It was like leaving a piece of her behind.

A couple days later, on July 4th I received a text from Janis’s daughter, Angela. She found me on the Ring Finder’s online directory of metal-detecting specialists. She asked if I’d “be interested in helping to (hopefully) find it.” Being the July 4th holiday in America, I knew the beaches would be crowded. I also knew metal detectorists would be busy searching for lost items. Time was of the essence and so I made my way to City Beach within the hour.

On arrival, I was horrified to be met by a gentleman leaving the beach with a metal detector in hand. My heart sank. Had he found the rings? Would he give them up? A brief conversation with the man led me to believe he had not been in the area where the rings went missing. Maybe, just maybe, the rings were still there.

Angela sent me a Google Map with a pin showing where the family had been when the rings went missing. I waded into the water and carefully began sweeping the lake bottom. Not far from the marked area, a faint signal invited further investigation. Imagine my joy to see a thin gold band gleaming in the bottom of my scoop! It was the heirloom ring! Then, about six feet away, I heard another signal—the wedding rings belonging to Janis!

I sent a photo of the rings to Angela who in turn telephoned her mom with the happy news. Janis initially thought it was a cruel joke. How could her daughter do such a thing? Then the truth sank in; unbelievably, her precious rings were safe and sound!

Janis and her husband drove to my home in Waukesha, Wisconsin that same morning, to take delivery of the priceless love tokens. And the smiles on their faces tell the rest of the story.

If you or someone you know has lost a piece of jewelry, recently or long ago, on land, in the water or in the snow, don’t let its story end. Call right away. I’d love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who, like Janis are so glad they did.

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Lost wedding ring found! Lake Nagawicka, Delafield, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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A pedal-boat ride ended on a frantic note when Delafield, Wisconsin resident, Peggy Roberts, waved at friends passing by. That was when the unthinkable happened.

Peggy’s normally-tight-fitting wedding ring of 40 years, flew off her hand and disappeared into the channel in front of their picturesque home. Peggy’s daughter quickly jumped into the chest-deep water to mark the spot. Meanwhile, Mark, Peggy’s husband assembled a buoy system by tying a brick and milk jug together. Dropping it into the water provided an invaluable reference point for the search to come.

Peggy located me on the Ring Finders directory of metal-detecting specialists. I received a text from her explaining the situation. What stood out most was, “Bottom is thick silt.” I knew from experience the “thick silt” is what I fondly call, “Wisconsin Pudding.” The « pudding » can vary in depth from a foot to several feet in places. Locating and recovering a ring in such circumstances can be very challenging. However, since the Robert’s daughter had been able to stand in the water and mark the spot, this offered hope. We agreed to meet on location the next day.

When I arrived, I quickly spotted the marker buoys out in the channel. Getting there with my gear was a challenge in the chest-deep water and knee-high silt. Three hours later, however, I still had not found the ring. The channel was full of metallic debris. Ferreting out a small wedding ring in those circumstances tested my recovery skills to their limits. That’s when Mark appeared on the family’s dock and quickly noticed the buoys had moved about ten feet! Channel currents, wind, and wakes from passing boats had slowly shifted the markers from their original position. Armed with this fresh information, I moved into the original area and soon heard a promising signal in my headset. Several scoops of silt later, Peggy’s love token lay nestled in the scoop amongst shells and aquatic plants. And the smile on the Robert’s faces tell the rest of the story!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even in ‘Wisconsin Pudding,’ don’t let its story end. Call me or a member of the Ring Finders near you. We would love to add your smile to our growing list of overjoyed clients.

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Lost diamond pendant found in Lake Michigan! – Port Washington, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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A glorious summer afternoon found Indiana resident, Sandy C and her children visiting the picturesque South Beach in Port Washington, Wisconsin. It was a perfect outing, that is, until a tiny diamond pendant slipped off its necklace, vanishing in the Lake Michigan waves. The necklace held huge sentimental value for Sandy; it was a wedding anniversary present. Losing it was heartbreaking. Losing it in Lake Michigan’s surf, even more devasting!

Within hours, Sandy located me on the Ring Finder’s online directory of metal-detecting specialists and reached out by text. Could I find something so little, Sandy wondered. She was an hour’s drive away from my home in Waukesha. We arranged to meet on location a couple hours later.

Upon arrival, Sandy helped transport various pieces of equipment to the spot she had marked in the sand. I had two detectors with me, a larger one for general-purpose sweeping in the water and a smaller wand-type detector used by gold prospectors; its extreme sensitivity comes in handy when searching for small jewelry items like diamond-stud earrings and pendants. In addition, I employed an invention of my own, a commercial dishwashing basket designed for cleaning cutlery. I fitted the plastic basket with a fine filtration screen also made from plastic. This sieve prevents tiny metal targets, like Sandy’s pendant, from falling through the holes. And the absence of any metal on the sieve allows it to be scanned with metal-detecting equipment. Attached with nylon zip ties, Styrofoam pool noodles encased the basket, making it float in the water. It was designed for the exact kind of search Sandy’s tiny pendant required.

Faint signals in the surf, invited several scoops of sand and pebbles. I deposited the contents into my custom sieve and showed Sandy how to search through the contents, both visually and with the help of my prospector’s wand. Tiny bits of nails and a piece of wire came to light.

About twenty minutes later another faint signal, deep in the sand, invited investigation. I removed a large scoop of sand, rocks and seashells, emptying them into my custom sieve. Sandy got busy washing through the mixture in search of her precious pendant. That is when, above the din of the waves, I heard Sandy cry out, “THERE IT IS!” The smile on Sandy’s face tells the rest of the story as did the tears and hugs of joy that followed.

It is incredible really, that such a tiny metal object can be recovered under such daunting circumstances. The likelihood of success is almost as small as the lost item. But with the help of technology, innovation, experience and determination, Sandy’s tiny pendant now lives on around her neck.

If you or someone you know has lost a precious piece of jewelry, recent or long ago, even in the water, don’t let its story end. Call me or another member of the Ring Finders near you. We’d love to add your smile to the growing list of people who are so glad they did.

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