Most Recent Discovery Category | Page 39 of 393 | The Ring Finders

Lost Wedding Band on Inverness, CA beach…Found with Metal Detector!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

The California summer heat is here and the lost item recovery business is booming!

On Monday July 1st, I received a multitude of requests for assistance.  One of these calls was from a couple in Inverness, CA who were enjoying time at Shell Beach on Tomales Bay.  Over the years, Tomales Bay has become a favorite destination for our family, but is over an hour and a half drive from our little town and 2 and a half hours from my office.  I informed the couple that I was onboard with assisting but would be contacting a few of the other members who might be more local for their availability.  In the end, I found no availability and knew I’d be making the drive.

The couple had lost the ring very early in the day and spent the rest of their day searching and exploring any avenues to recover the sentimental object.  A sign was posted at the entrance to the beach for the missing ring with contact information, they looked into metal detector groups, and even found a metal detector for rent and searched the area to no avail. Over the phone I tried to provide a short tutorial on how to use it.

Rather than make the long drive out late in the day, I scheduled to leave early the next afternoon to perform the search.  I asked my family if they would like to escape the triple digit heat and head to the beach with me.  They were all too happy to tag along and so we packed for the outing.

On arrival we hiked the short path down to Shell Beach. We had stopped for a picnic on this beach while kayak camping a few years earlier.  The beach was moderately crowded with mostly locals looking to escape the days heat.  And we weren’t there long when we met Jacob who explained the circumstances and defined the search area.  The metal detector attracted just about every child on the beach who hovered and followed as I grid the target area.  I handed out clad coins as they were plucked from the sand to those who kept back and helped clear obstacles.  It wasn’t more than 15 minutes when….WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

The interested children were the first to know, then my family and the surrounding adults who all clapped and came up to offer praise and ask questions.  Jason was the last to find out, but when I showed him the ring…his reaction was priceless!  It’s absolutely my favorite part of doing this!  Thank you Jacob for the opportunity to assist and to your very kind spouse for coordinating the event.  I wish you both nothing but the best in your future.  Be sure to tell the story of that ring far and wide!

 

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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Lost Keys Found in Bloomfield Township Michigan

  • from Detroit (Michigan, United States)

All The Keys to His Kingdom…..

…..were on Rhome’s belt, or so he thought. While working on a steep slope on his property multi-tasking, pruning this and trimming that his sprinkler system suddenly went off spraying the slope. As Rhome ran to get out of the spray he slipped and rolled down the slope. After recovering he noticed all his keys were missing. Looking frantically thru the thick plants, thorn and picker bushes revealed nothing. As I stood looking down the 20 foot plus deep slope and seeing the dicey terrain, I decided to use my metal detector with a deep seeking round coil to penetrate the thick foliage. Scanning the ground, I had to balance myself on rock outcroppings that were part of the landscaping. Nearing the bottom of the slope I got a metal signal. Leaning forward maintaining my balance I pulled aside some picker bushes and saw Rhome’s keys! With his back turned to me nearly 30 feet away and 20 feet up I rattled the keys. Spinning around his hands went into the air as I tossed up the keys. He was shocked they were so far away from what he remembered. Back on level ground he began to check the keys with the remote fobs. All was well and accounted for as we parted ways as he was excited and relieved to have found all of the keys of his kingdom!

Jonathan

 

One Year Anniversary Vacation Saved, Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Shortly after 11 am on Tuesday, July 2nd, I received a text from Lora that said in part, “What kind of fee do you charge? My husband lost his ring!!!” I responded telling her, “I do this on a reward/gratuity basis. Call me so I can get the details” along with my phone number. When she called, I found out her husband, Mike had lost his ring the previous evening at about 8:30 pm while looking for shells. She gave me the hotel name and I told her I could be there in about 15 minutes. When we got off the phone, I looked up the hotel and found out it’s in Myrtle Beach and not North Myrtle Beach like I thought. I called her back to confirm Myrtle instead of North Myrtle, which she did. Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle beach are too separate cities but have exactly the same street numbers, so it gets confusing for both locals and tourist. Now that I got it straight, I told her I’d be there in about 30 minutes. She told me that her and Mike were out and about and they wouldn’t be there to show me the area. She was able to give me a pretty good idea of where I needed to search so I wouldn’t be wondering around aimlessly.

I text her when I arrived on the beach, and she responded back that they were heading back. Looking at the tide tables when Lora first called, Mike lost his ring about 2 hours before low tide. By the time I arrived I was about an hour after low tide, so I didn’t have a lot of time to search. I started a north/south parallel to the beach search right at the water line. When Lora and Mike showed up, I got a few more details. Mike was in the water, maybe shin deep and taking cupped hands full of water and throwing up towards the beach. With this new info, I changed to a perpendicular east/west grid search and a few yards outside the suspected search area. I told Lora and Mike that they didn’t need to stick around, and I’d call them either way. With the east/west search I was getting in the water to about thigh deep. I knew Mike’s heavy Titanium ring would ring up in the mid 20’s on the Equinox 800, so I was confident I had found his ring. After digging a scoop of sand and spreading it out on the beach, I saw Mike’s ring peeking up through the sand. I took a picture of the ring and sent it to Lora saying, “Kiss and make up.” I called her and all she could say was “OMG” about 4 times. Then she said, “we’re on our way.” When they arrived, I got a big hug from Lora and a strong handshake from Mike. That’s when I learned they were in Myrtle Beach celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary. This will be one they will never forget!!!

Lora/Mike – Thank you for trusting me to find your lost treasure. Wish you all the best and many many more Anniversaries, but none to match this one!

Jim

 

Lost Tungsten Ring Underwater Found in White Lake Michigan

  • from Detroit (Michigan, United States)

Reuniting….

…. with his lost wedding ring was all that was on Kyle’s mind the past week after it fell off in the water while stopping near a small island in White Lake to throw a football around with his son. Slipping on sharp rocks had them back in the boat fast but without the ring. Once I was in the chest deep water with my metal detector and snorkel mask, I started to grid search the area Kyle remember being. I too encountered sharp, slippery rocks and stirred up murky water. Sweeping the coil over the bumpy bottom I finally got a good metal signal. Holding my breath for a few seconds I reached down near a chunky rock and dislodging it I felt a circular shape in my fingers. Pulling it to the surface revealed Kyle’s ring! His friend with the boat spotted me holding it first and started yelling. Kyle whirled around in shock that his ring was found! Back in the boat I asked what’s better than a perfect union between a man and wife? A Reunion!……soon in the making!

Jonathan

 

Lost Gold w/Diamonds Pendant Underwater Found in Orchard Lake Michigan

  • from Detroit (Michigan, United States)

Mom’s birthday…..

…I got a call from Ruby last Sunday and learned that it wasn’t just her birthday, but her son Sean’s family heirloom gold pendant snapped off his chain while playing water volleyball Saturday.  I met Sean within 2 hours with his cousin and a watercraft. The high winds whipping across the lake caused waves that were quite large. While loading up my gear we got to chatting with the Oakland County Sherriff Marine officer. Since we had over 1/4 mile to reach the sandbar where the pendant was, the Sherriff parallelled alongside us to make sure we got to the location. Once there I started a grid search from where Sean recovered the broken chain. A few minutes later I got a good metal signal quite aways from the chain location. Using my handheld pin pointer the metal target was about 1-1/2 inches below the sand and waist deep water. Pulling it up I felt it was a round object and lifting it thru the water revealed Sean’s pendant! He saw it and fell over backwards into the water in amazement! This pendant is one of the most intricate and beautiful that I have ever recovered! We phoned the Sherriff to escort us back to the mainland and in the meantime, we facetimed Sean’s mom who was screaming in excitement that her father’s pendant was not lost forever! Thanking me for finding the pendant and making her day special, Ruby instructed Sean to hurry back for her birthday celebration!

Special Thanks to the Oakland County Sherriff Marine Division!

Jonathan

 

 

Lost ring in the Sound, Pensacola Beach. – Found!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Saturday afternoon I got a frantic call from Jason. He explained that his fiancé Kimberly had dropped her engagement ring in the water on the sound side at Pensacola Beach. He was really worried and told me that it had only been a few weeks since he had purchased the ring and he had to get it back. I packed up quickly and headed that way. It was so crowded that it took about 30 minutes to park. Once I finally got to them, Kimberly walked me out to the area where they had been playing and said that it really could be anywhere. I started my search and got to hear from other people who had been in the area and tried to help narrow down the search area. Finally, Kimberly waded out again to talk and I assured her that I would keep going until I found it. She had only taken a few steps back towards the beach when I heard the sound I was looking for. I knew it was lucky indeed when I saw the gold in the scoop nestled in next to a sand dollar. I hope that is a sign for awesome things to come from this marriage. Y’all are really nice people and I wish you the best. Congratulations.

Lost White Gold & Black Diamonds Wedding Ring at Four Seasons Resort Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

This ring find began when I got a call from Wesley at Four Seasons Security.  Wesley told me a gentelman named Ross lost his White Gold & Black Diamonds Wedding Ring at their beach and gave me Ross’ number to reach out to recover it.  I called Ross and he was so thankful and I let him know I’d be there the next morning at the low tide.   After hunting the area Ross had given me with no success I called him and asked if he could come down to the beach to ensure I was in the correct area.  After demonstrating how he lost the ring I told him I would go over that area one more time.  I also shifted direction to parallel the shore.  On the second leg I got a nice tone mixed in with an iron tone.  After two scoops there was Ross’ unique ring in the scoop.  I texted him a pic of his ring and he came right back to the beach.  Ross was very gracious and had many kind words.  Can’t help but cherish these recoveries of such gracious people.  Aloha to Ross!

Lost Diamond Ring – Dauphin Island, Alabama

A heavy thunderstorm had just blown over the island and another round was on its way. Just as the rain slacked off between storms I got a phone call from Jeremy who was visiting from Florida. It was their anniversary and he had just given his wife Jenny a beautiful new diamond wedding set. As the storm blew in, they were frantically trying to get their beach tent and belongings off the beach and under the shelter of the house. Jenny told me she remembered wiping her hands on her pants and then realizing the slightly too big diamond ring was no longer on her finger. They had combed through the sand for about an hour before finding my Ringfinders bio and giving me a call.

Luckily, I was about 6 miles away and the rain had almost stopped so I grabbed my gear and ran out the door. I got there, listened to her story and started swinging. I silently whispered a prayer to find it before it started storming again ! Within the first 15 seconds I heard that familiar “could be a pull tab; could be a gold ring” tone in my headphones. A few gentle shakes of my scoop and there was Jenny’s new ring sparkling in the bottom.

Not all jewelry recoveries are that easy and fun, but that one sure was !

Water Main Meter and Shut off Box Covered and Lost, Found in Longs, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call shortly before 2:30 pm on Sunday, June 30th from Perry asking if I could help find the Water Meter and shut off that had been covered up with dirt and new grass. I asked him to send me the address and I’d be there in about 15 minutes. Before I left my house, I ran my detector over my own water box to see what numbers on the Nox 800 I was looking for.

When I arrived, I met Perry in the driveway, and he showed me the suspected area. He also filled in the details as to what happened. Back in October of 2023, a local telephone and cable company was installing cable optics and broke the water line in the process. The company fixed the water line but drug their feet on fixing the yard. During the course of repair, the company brought in heavy equipment that sat idle for a couple of days. During those two days, the machine sank in the soil adding additional damage to the yard. Fast forward 8 months and the yard looks good with nice green grass. Within the last week or so, Perry’s neighbor asked if he knew where her water shut off box was. Perry had taken a picture of the area and thought he knew where it was. After probing the area with a 6 ft pole, he wasn’t able to find it. In the process of my search, Perry’s wife Shelley joined us and we were trying to figure out where this target was. I did the small area that was in the picture and nothing. I expanded out about two feet from the street and got the signal I was looking for. Perry dug the dirt and grass off the top of the meter, and everything was good again.

Perry/Shelley – thanks for allowing me to help find the lost water meter box.

Jim

 

 

Lost Gold Ring Found in Wayne Michigan

  • from Detroit (Michigan, United States)

When It Rains It Pours……

….All of us from time to time have experienced tough times, unforeseen occurrences affect everyone. Newly married couple Cassidy and Chris are no exceptions. Recently their home had a major repair done, then their car’s transmission went out and a few other things. So, to get away from it all they decided to have a picnic in the park and somehow Cassidy’s ring went missing. Chris called me asking for help and we met on a Thursday afternoon. When they got to the park he parked 200 feet from me, and they walked over. I asked why you park way down there? He said the car stalled thinking the fuel gauge wasn’t working and may be out of gas. So, he went to get a gas can and Cassidy and I went to search with the metal detector. Chris’s area of search was way smaller than what Cassidy described. It would take longer to search the wider area. As I was just getting into the search, high winds came in on us bending the tree branches followed by a torrential rain and lightning. We ran back to my vehicle to take cover and get onto solid ground. We decided to come back Saturday morning to continue. On Friday I checked in with Cassidy on the plans and she was so upset about everything she just wanted to forget about the ring and move on. I didn’t respond and Saturday I went back to the park, systematically grid searched and found her stunning ring. It’s a large ring and it was sticking up high enough beneath the grass that a lawnmower would have hit it. I sent pics to them and said I think you should come to the park! Arriving shortly, they both were overwhelmed with emotion that I came back to find her ring. With their problems put behind them I mentioned to them the importance of not giving up on their memories the ring has given them and hold onto their goals and dreams and strive to reach them because things will eventually get better.

Jonathan