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A Father’s Legacy Restored: Expert Metal Detection Recovers Treasured Ring in Montecito CA

  • from Santa Barbara (California, United States)
Contact:
Lost Ring Recovery in Santa Barbara – Dave MacDonald, The Ringfinders at DaveTheRingFinder.com
Lost your ring in Santa Barbara, Hope Ranch, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, Ojai, Faria Beach, Solimar Beach, or Goleta? Don’t let it stay lost—call or text Dave MacDonald, Santa Barbara’s #1 Ringfinder and proud member of The Ringfinders, at 805-290-5009 or visit davetheringfinder.com for expert lost ring recovery. I’ll reunite you with your cherished jewelry, wherever it’s hiding!
Gerrie’s Story: A Lost Heirloom Ring in Montecito
In the heart of Santa Barbara, Gerrie, a devoted dog trainer, faced heartbreak when she lost her father’s 1942 Penn State fraternity ring—a family heirloom steeped in memories. This wasn’t just any ring: it symbolized her father’s presidency, his marriage, and his WWII service in the South Pacific. For over a decade, Gerrie cared for him through Alzheimer’s until his passing at 99. Inheriting this treasure, she carried it everywhere—until it slipped away, possibly while training a dog in Montecito. Desperate for lost ring recovery in Montecito, she called me, Dave MacDonald, The Ringfinders’ metal detector expert.
We met Tuesday morning at her client’s home, launching a quest across Santa Barbara’s lush landscapes—like those in Hope Ranch or Goleta. With my Minelab Manticore, I tackled a sea of metallic clutter in the grass. Prayer and precision guided me as I gridded the area, from Carpinteria to Summerland in spirit. Then, a clear signal broke through—buried in the grass was Gerrie’s father’s ring! Relief flooded us as this irreplaceable link to her father’s legacy, echoing Ojai and Solimar Beach resilience, returned to her finger.
Why Choose Dave MacDonald for Lost Ring Recovery?
For lost ring recovery in Santa Barbara, Hope Ranch, Montecito, Summerland, Carpinteria, Ojai, Faria Beach, Solimar Beach, or Goleta, I’m your expert. Dave MacDonald at davetheringfinder.com, a trusted member of The Ringfinders, combines top-tier technology and experience to find rings in sand, grass, or beyond—think Faria Beach shores or Goleta yards. Gerrie’s story proves professional help beats DIY every time.
Time’s critical—don’t wait! Call or text me at 805-290-5009 now, day or night, for swift assistance. Whether it’s a lost ring at Ventura-adjacent Solimar Beach or a bracelet in Montecito, trust Dave MacDonald to deliver. Contact me today for expert lost ring recovery across Santa Barbara and beyond!

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Breast Cancer Survivor Ring…FOUND in Car in Harvest, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder/Metal Detectorist for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

Just after noon on Saturday, October 22nd, 2022, I received a text message from Paula stating that she had lost her ring in her car and wanted to know if I was available to look for it.  She said that she lived in Harvest, Alabama.  That’s the same city I live in, and she was only a 6-minute drive from my house!  At the time of Paula’s text, I was helping a local flower shop deliver flowers, because all the regular drivers were unavailable that day.  I told Paula that I could swing by after I was done or the following day.  I finished the deliveries around 3:15 and told Paula that I was going to run by my house to change and grab my equipment.

I arrived at Paula’s house around 4pm.  I asked her to tell/show me what happened and the story behind her ring.  Paula told me that she was a breast cancer survivor and her best friend from Jacksonville State University had given her this special ring on her 5-year anniversary of being cancer free.  They had seen the ring in an antique store in New Orleans.  Her friend had secretly purchased the ring and held it until the anniversary to surprise Paula.  You can imagine the sentimental value this ring held to Paula.  I was determined to find and return it to her!

Paula said that the day before she was sitting in her car and took off the ring to put on lotion.  She set the ring on her lap, but it fell onto the divider she had between her seat and the center console.  The ring landed on some papers in the divider, but when she went to grab it, her ring was gone.  Paula and her mom looked for about an hour but could not find it.  Paula told me that she found out about The Ring Finders by watching a YouTube video of a ring recovery in a car by one of my good Rind Finder buddies, Jeff Morgan “Seattle Ring Hunter”.

I grabbed my high lumens flashlight and endoscope and started searching.  I started by feeling around the seat and floorboard.  Next, I used my endoscope to search under the seat, in the air vent, and other crevices.  I didn’t find the ring in any of those spots.  I decided to research along the seat and found a metal bracket.  It had a tray and when I slid my hand in there, I could feel a ring!  I was able to carefully grab it with my hand and when I pulled it out, I saw a gorgeous 14K white gold antique looking ring.  This was Paula’s special cancer survivor ring!!!  I was so happy to see it and thanked the Lord!

At the time I found the ring, Paula was out talking with her neighbor.  I took some pictures and headed out to surprise Paula.  I introduced myself to her neighbor and said I was trying my best to find Paula’s ring.  At that moment, I opened my hand and said, “is this your ring?”  Paula gasped and said, “yes, that’s it!”  She was so happy and thankful that she had her ring back!

We took some pictures and I chatted with Paula for a few minutes afterwards.  I told her about some of my prior searches.  Paula was so fascinated by The Ring Finders and excited that one lived so close by.  We said that maybe we’d run into each other somewhere around town.  Paula gave me a big hug and thanked me again.  I headed home and Paula was now able to enjoy the rest of her Saturday evening with her beautiful ring back on her finger where it belongs.  I love getting to go on these adventures, hear these stories, and find/return these sentimental items to people!  Best job and feeling in the world!!!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Lost and found diamond engagement ring Inverary Ontario

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My ring recovery today took me to a horse farm in Inverary, just north of Kingston Ontario.  Received a text from Nick and Meaghan, about her having just lost her beautiful diamond engagement ring while feeding the horses. She just had taken out a couple of bails of hay to their feeders when she realized that her ring was missing. The good news is that she knew for sure she had her ring on before feeding the horse. The bad news is she wasn’t exactly sure where and when she had lost the ring. Even worse, did one of the horses eat the ring while feeding on the freshly spread hay in the feeder. She moved the horses into another field for the night, while they tried to find the ring through the hay.
I met with them first thing this morning and started to spread and search through the hay, with no luck so far. While picking her brains, in the chain of events during last evening, she did mentioned that she had thrown old wet feed from the feeder onto the ground prior to putting in fresh Hay, Since we’ve had 3 days of solid rain this week, the ground near the feeders was a soup like wet mud. After a few minutes, I heard that distinct sweet sound of gold and while using my pin pointer, was able to fish out her ring from the mud. Very happy and appreciative young couple plus, I got to visit and pet some horses. Another happy ending!

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Lost 152 Diamonds & Gold Cartier Ring at Four Seasons Resort Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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THE FISH THEORY! So back in May 2019 I was asked to recover this stunning Cartier 18K gold diamond saturated ring at the Aulani / Four Seasons lagoon in greater then chest deep water. Story goes husband and wife go lighted paddle boarding at night. Wife’s ring comes off and husband immediately takes note of their location in the lagoon. When I received the first pic which covered a large area to search on scuba (red box) I asked if he could narrow the search area down a bit which becomes the (green box). After at least 4 unsuccessful searches I communicated to them I couldn’t find the ring. Many thoughts went thru my head. Since the ring has 152 diamonds could a swimmer see it glistening in the morning sunlight and dive down and recover it? Every dive in the lagoon there after I wondered what happened to it. I even thought that the sparkling ring during it’s descent to the bottom and in the light of the paddle board was looking like a tasty morsel for a fish. So yesterday morning I had a scuba hunt for some Oakley sunglasses at Aulani. I’m still learning the Deus II so after my buddy Terry adjusted some excessive noise out of the Deus for me I started the scuba hunt. I canvassed the area the sunglasses were supposed to be and found nothing. It’s more of a visual hunt but I’m going to swing a detector while I’m out there. I decided to see what the Deus would do over the coral rubble fields which is in the deeper waters of the lagoon 15 feet. When suddenly I got a booming #85 on the Deus which is 99% of the time a Zinc Lincoln Cent. I fanned the sand / coral and could not believe what came into view. The sparkler in the photo above. I said a few, « Thank you lords » then grabbed the ring and secured it away. I then went to the surface to see my exact location. It was the white dot in the pic. I can’t really explain the disparity in the lost to recovery locations but the « Fish Theory » certainly seems legit. I’ve reached out to the owners but it’s been 3 years and 4 months since the loss. Praying they call back soon. Love this hobby!
Update. The owners got back to me this AM. Working out details for the return. Originally thought my voicemail (which was on their business line) was a telemarketer. A skill I didn’t know I had! As you can imagine after 3 years and 4 months they are over the moon.
The Stunning Ring finally made it home tonight!  Aloha to Tawnia & Troels
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Lost Ring Found at Navarre Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
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Alex, his wife Andy along with their two adorable children were vacationing for a few a days on Navarre Beach. Alex was careful to put his wedding ring in the beach bag before playing with the kids in the sand on Sunday. Some where in the outing his ring fell out of the bag maybe while removing something or perhaps the bag fell over. In the mean time the kids were having serious fun digging in the sand. Alex was an Army Vet whose last duty station was in Alaska, had since separated and now the family lived in Tennessee. So as you could imagine, the kids were absolutely loving the beach. Andy called me Monday morning to see if I would come recover Alex’s ring. I said I would and arrived about 10:30. Both Alex and Andy showed me the area they were at the day before, but maybe two thirds of the areas sand looked like the kids had dug holes filled some, made mounds and generally had a great time in the process. As I started my search they were still digging. After 30 minutes or so and digging several targets, a fish hook, a stainless bolt, a piece is iron, a couple of pop tops and a a hair pin, I got a encouraging signal but it indicated it was almost off the scale deep. I dug anyway. The first scoop came up empty, the second try I pushed the scoop as deep as it would go. As I shook the sand from the scoop I could hear something heavy shaking around. I smiled and that tipped Alex off that this target was a good one. I reached in and handed his wedding ring to him. Everyone was all smiles. As I like to say, no more worries and no regrets, time for the vacation to continue!

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River Ring Recovery in Kananaskis

  • from Cochrane (Alberta, Canada)
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I received a call from Paul. He lost his ring in the river while surfing. His fingers got cold and the ring disappeared into the depths. Good thing that the river flow is controlled by a dam and for a period of time there is a chance to recover the ring. Paul wanted to help, so I loaned him a detector…….it worked.  Watch the video below for the story.

 

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Woman’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost on her 12th Wedding Anniversary, Found and Returned Sunset Beach, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a phone call just before 4 pm today from Elizabeth, who was very upset about losing a wedding band on the beach. After getting a few details, including the fact the ring was lost in the dry sand, I told her I’d be there in 30-35 minutes. She seemed a little surprised in the fact that I’d be there so fast. We hung up and I grabbed my Deus II and Equinox 800 detectors.

As I’m pulling in the parking space next to the beach access she gave me, my phone rang, and it was Elizabeth. I thought she had found it and was calling to let me know. When I answered she said she was just checking to make sure I was still on my way. I told her I was just pulling in a parking spot and asked her if everything was ok. She said she was just worried.  I said, you told me you knew the area, and it’s in the soft sand. I then made a bold statement and told her I’d have it back on her finger within 2 minutes of getting in the area. That seemed to ease her concerns a little. As I’m walking over the boardwalk to the beach, I saw Elizabeth waving to me. I made my way to where she and another lady were sitting. That’s when I found out the other lady; Kelly was the one who lost her wedding band. Kelly was very upset as I asked what happened. Kelly said that today was her 12th wedding anniversary and she and Elizabeth were reminiscing about the events 12 years ago. When she took her wedding band off to relive the moment, it slipped from her fingers and disappeared in the soft sand. Elizabeth pointed out the area where they had been sitting and I went to work with my Deus II. After a couple of grid lines and not hitting the target, I had self-doubts about me and the Deus II. So I swapped detectors and used the Equinox 800 and took 2 steps outside my original grid line and hit a booming 8 VDI (visual display indicator). That number was exactly what I was expecting for a lady’s platinum wedding band. I glanced at Kelly with a big grin, which I’m not sure she saw. I took a scoop of sand, re-checked the hole and gently shook the sand out of the scoop. I glanced in the scoop and saw Kelly’s beautiful ring. I walked over to her and held the scoop out for her to retrieve her ring. Her tears started flowing and I could see the weight of the world get lifted off her shoulders. She couldn’t believe it and either could Elizabeth. Elizabeth reminded me I told her I’d have it back on her finger in less than 2 minutes, and that was less than 1 minute. This never gets old when you can return a special treasure back to someone who thought it was lost forever.

Elizabeth – Thank you for calling me.

Kelly – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. I wish you all the best!!

Jim

   

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Newport Beach, CA. Lost Wedding Ring Found and Returned to Owner

  • from Newport Beach (California, United States)
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***  Gabby’s husband put his gold wedding band in his sandals on the dry sand at the beach while he went for a swim in the ocean. When he returned , he picked up his sandals and walked to his home two blocks a way. 

That’s when he realized his ring had to be back in the sand. Returning to the spot he couldn’t find the ring. His wife, Gabbby called me. She gave me verbal directions saying she would meet me in a half hour. 

I was there before Gabby showed up, so I began my grid search with my metal detector. I found the gold wedding ring before she showed up. So she was very happy and surprised that her call for help worked out successfully.

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Lost Gold Chain, Corona, California…..FOUND!

  • from Corona (California, United States)
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There was sadness and a hint of despair in the phone call I received from a mother of a young football player.
She explained that last night her son, Luka, had football practice at a local park and was wearing his 18k gold braided chain they got him from Italy, with a gold cross. Somehow it got snagged and broke somewhere on the field. After searching, Luka found the cross but was unable to locate the chain. Then, in another stroke of bad luck, he dropped the cross and couldn’t find it.
So the sadness and despair was warranted.

I told his mom, Maddy, that I was immediately available and we met at the park.
After she and Luka showed me the area he thought he lost it, I began doing a grid search, but without luck. I expanded the search area and in less than a half hour found the chain just a bit further out.
Mom was ecstatic and gave me a big hug. Maddy and Luka went home and I continued to search for the next two hours for the cross but was unable to locate it before having to leave. I hope to go back and continue the hunt.

With mom’s permission I’m posting Luka and the Found Chain!

UPDATE: I went back to the park the next day with my other metal detector. A slow and concentrated search in the muddy area of the practice field, which was pointed out by Luka’s coach and another young football player the day before, brought success! The gold cross was also found!

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Hurricane Ian Causes Total Destruction of House, Garden City SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call on the morning of Oct 1st from Harriet saying her brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Martha’s, house had burned down and was wondering if I could look for some family jewelry. Included in the jewelry were pieces that belonged to Martha’s mother and Joe’s father’s class ring. Totally destroyed house fires are so difficult to search. Not only is there the personal shock of someone losing everything, but the shear difficulty of trying to find anything in all the rubble. I told Harriet to have Joe call me so I could get further details.  Joe texted me later that afternoon saying, “hey Jim, this is Joe. My sister called you this am about helping me find some jewelry in the remains of my destroyed house. I have a good idea of where to look if you would like to call me when you arrive. I will send you some pics of the area. Thanks so much for your help!” We exchanged some more texts about what I was looking for. I also informed him that due to the heat factor, most, if not all, the jewelry would probably be melted. He fully understood and further advised me that there’d be a pass at the gate for me since this was a gated community. I contacted Matt Fry, TRF Myrtle Beach and asked him if he wanted to help, knowing that this was going to be a chore.

Sunday, I met Matt at his shop, and we headed out. Matt had heard the road we needed to take was closed so we’d have to make a few detours. Once we got in the area, detours were an understatement, it was a mess. The hurricane had pushed water and sand two blocks back from the beach. The road crews were working hard to get all the sand off the roads.  I think it took them 4 days to get it done.

When we pulled up to where the house was, it was as I expected. It was a 1 story house that was on 12–15-foot stilts that had collapsed to the ground. The area we needed to search was the rear left side of the house, not a big area, but still overwhelming. The first task at hand was to clear as much metal as we could.  Nails, mending plates, nail plates, bed springs, etc. I couldn’t find my big magnet before we left, but Matt had a makeshift magnet that helped clear most nails, but nowhere near all of them. Matt had his Minelab 30-30 detector, and I had my Equinox 800. Both of us were swinging the detectors and anything that rang up as a jewelry signal, we were putting in a big bucket. Problem was that we weren’t finding anything that wasn’t melted together with something else. After about 3.5 hours we were hot, dirty and pretty much exhausted so we called it a day. I had planned to go back the next day and finish up. Meanwhile, I had talked to Joe who told me that Martha had kept her jewelry in a couple of bags, which consisted of rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and a watch. Joe also mentioned that his father’s class ring, which he was given, should be in a particular area.

Monday, I showed up and started clearing the area again.  I had found my big magnet and it was a Godsend. I ran the magnet through the area where Joe’s father’s ring was supposed to be and cleared more nails and plates. I did get a great signal in the area but other than what it rang up on the detector, there was no way I could definitively see or tell what the object was. Unfortunately, everything Matt and I found was melted beyond recognition.

Wednesday, I went back one more time to check the parameter (the soft sand) around the back side of the house. There was always a possibility the firemen might have blown something into the sand with the fire hoses. I did find a few more pieces, but think it was more junk, like aluminum, than anything else.

Saturday, I went through every piece, one by one, that we had found and started sorting it out by the various metals my detector was indicating it could be. I can’t say with absolute certainty everything we got was a piece of jewelry, nor can I say for sure that we got anything that was jewelry. I can say that we gave it our best effort and pray to God that we got some, if not all of their important treasures back. Luckily Joe has a best friend who is a jeweler that makes jewelry and maybe he’ll be able to melt this stuff back down and give a different look to their treasures.

Wednesday, Oct 12th, I was able to meet Joe in a parking lot to give him all the objects we had found. The picture of him shows him holding 5 separate bags. The bags were labeled with items containing possible yellow and white gold, silver, and a variety of other metals.

Matt – Thank you buddy, I know I can always count on you to lend a hand.

Joe and Martha – Thank you for trusting me to try and help find some of your lost treasures. I wish you only the best!

Jim

   

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