One-Month Old Wedding Ring Found – Lake Mills, Wisconsin

Winter-driving conditions here in Wisconsin, USA can be challenging at times. Lake Mills, resident, Nick Nienas experienced this first hand around mid-day on January 28 when he attempted to navigate a snow-covered driveway entrance. As it turned out, the road was not where he thought it was and the front wheels of his car sank into the crusty snow leaving Nick’s vehicle high and dry in the ditch. Despite his best efforts to dig his car out, it was the kindness of a passerby that finally got him back on the road. However, in the process of excavating through the snow, Nick felt his one-month old, 10K gold wedding ring fly off his hand!

« Four out of ten married men in America will lose their wedding bands, » says Chris Turner, CEO of The Ring Finders, citing a survey done years ago by RingSafe.com, which sells a ring accessory. « That’s just the men — not including women. So, the number of rings being lost is unbelievable. »

Nick was only married four weeks! Now he was a statistic. He couldn’t believe his precious love token was gone! It had seemingly vanished into the whiteness.

Once his car was safely back on the road, Nick went back and combed frantically through the snow with his hands. The ring was nowhere to be found. He even made a trip to a local hardware store and purchased a metal detector. But the detector proved futile when it kept sounding off erratically. After a long, cold and disheartening afternoon Nick was at his wits end. Then he discovered The Ring Finders directory of metal detecting specialists and telephoned me about 7:30 pm. I could hear the desperation in Nick’s voice.

Immediately, I drove the half hour to Lake Mills and met Nick at a local service station. Following him out into the countryside we arrived at the location and surveyed the ditch. It looked like a war zone with its craters and evidence of digging. It was also cold, 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 12 Celsius) and a very dark night.

When I turned my equipment on, buried electrical cables instantly made their presence known in the form of what detectorists refer to as EI (electromagnetic interference). Little wonder Nick’s detector was futile in such a challenging situation. From experience I was able to make appropriate adjustments using my XP Deus high-frequency equipment. The search didn’t take long, only 10 minutes at the most. The clear, unmistakable tone of 10K Gold invited investigation into the now hardened, crusty snow. A detecting probe helped pinpoint the exact hiding place of Nick’s ring. The warmth of the ring had caused it to melt down some 8” into the snowbank where it landed. And it was still pristine, with hardly a scratch.

So glad to have found your ring, Nick! May its story and your marriage continue for many, many blessed years to come. While you are now a 4 out of 10 statistic you can be comforted in knowing you are also included in the approximate 80% of clients I’ve successfully helped to recover their lost rings!