On 08/22/19, I received a call from Tory asking for my help in finding her white gold wedding band that had been lost in the sand at Gordons Pond State Park Beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Tory said that she had taken her wedding band and engagement ring off her finger and placed them in the pocket of her husbands shirt for safe keeping. Tory said that the shirt was placed on her husbands backpack that was laying on top of the sand and that their 18 month old daughter grabbed the shirt and ran with it. Tory said that both of the rings fell out of the shirt pocket into the sand and that her husband was able to recover her engagement ring and that they were unable to locate the wedding band. After talking with Tory, I drove to the beach to meet her and to start the search for her ring. After being shown the area of the sand where the engagement ring was found I began a grid search and was unable to find the wedding band. Torys husband pointed out a hole in the sand that he and his daughter had dug and he felt that the ring may be in the hole because their daughter had carried his shirt that contained the rings over to the hole. I checked the hole with my metal detector and found that the ring was not in the hole so I then asked Tory and her husband to move all of their beach items from the area where they had been sitting so that I could search the area without interference from the metal beach chairs and the metal shaft of the umbrella. After the items were removed I continued with the search and was able to locate the lost ring just in front of where a beach chair had been sitting and only a few feet from the hole that I had previously searched. The lost ring was then returned to a grateful Tory.
November 25th, 2018 I got a call from Laura. Her daughter Kelly had lost a small gold hoop earring of great sentimental value. They thought it might have been lost two days earlier while raking leaves in the backyard. I explained how difficult it was to find micro-jewelry, but they still asked me to look.
I calibrated my ATMax with the 4 inch sniper coil using Kelly’s other earring and searched the yard. I then went over the bags of leaves. I did my best, but could not find it. I put my gear in the car. As I was walking up to the front door, I saw a glint of gold on the mulch. There it was, inches away from the front step!
If I can be of service, the fastest way to get me is to text or call 703-598-1435.
The ring means a lot to Victor it was given to him by his grandmother. It was lost after dark last night while he was walking his dog. The ring slipped off his finger when the leash got caught around it. With a quick search the ring was found in the grass. Thank you to fellow ring finder Rich Hageney for the referral.
On September 28th, 2018 Dee was in the backyard with her grandchildren when they were attacked by wasps. As she was escaping, Dee accidently knocked off her diamond stud earring. She contacted the other local Ringfinder, and Earl was able to search right away. Incredibly, Earl found the back of the earring! He knew I would be searching and left a marker showing where he found the back. Thank you Earl!
Using Dee’s other earring, I calibrated my detector’s digital read-out and began where Earl found the earring back. I looked carefully through the yard. In every lawn, there are many bits of small metal trash, and this was no exception. After several hours and many false hits, I was forced to stop looking. I regretted telling Dee I couldn’t find the earring, showed her where I searched, and pile of small metal I collected from the lawn. I also asked her if I could stop by and search again in the future. Even though she was disappointed, Dee thanked me for searching, and even gave me a bonus above my call out fee.
August 31st, 2019 UPDATE: FOUND! Dee didn’t realize it, but her case started me on a mission to find a metal detector that is more sensitive to small diamond stud earrings. Almost a year later I called Dee to ask if I could search again. This time I was armed with a new specialized detector. Luckily, my son was in town and offered to help. After a couple of hours of very, very small metal targets, he suggested an area to try based on the direction Dee was running. On the third target, he caught a glimpse of sparkle and pulled the earring out of the dirt!
If I can be of service, the fastest way to get me is to text or call 703-598-1435.
This ring find began when I got a call from Adam from Victoria, Canada on Sunday. While enjoying the day in the cool waters of Honu Lagoon and playing catch with his lovely wife Kaitlin. During a throw Kaitlin’s Wedding Band came off in chest deep water. Adam immediately took notice to where they were in the water in reference to the shoreline. Marriott personnel told them about my services and how to reach me. I told Adam I’d be there around 8am the next morning as I had another ring hunt in Lagoon 1 & 4. That morning I finished early at Lagoon 1 and decided to use the picture Adam texted me to commence the ring find. As I approached the area I saw a trench cut into the sand shaped like an arrow and recognized this as a mark Adam must have left for a reference point. I started a few grid lines to the North and worked my way towards that trench. When I was nearly directly out from the trench I got a nice tone on the Excalibur and one scoop later there was the glistening ring in my scoop. Adam had told me there was an engraving that said, « and together we will walk » on the inside of the ring. Sure enough that’s what it said so I texted them the good news. We met in the public parking lot for the return and you can see it was all smiles. Aloha to Kaitlin & Adam!
Hannah’s 14 Karat White Gold, 1 Carat Diamond With Surrounding Diamonds Engagement Ring
Hannah and Her Bridesmaids Excitedly Show Off Her 1 Carat Diamond Engagement Ring After Found in the Atlantic Ocean in Ocean City, Maryland!
After a Day in the Atlantic Ocean, Hannah’s Engagement Ring Returns to the Shore With the Help of The Ring Finder, Brian Rudolph!
It was Hannah’s bachelorette party weekend with the girls in Ocean City, Maryland! Her wedding day was two weeks to the day of that unforgettable summer afternoon! With such fun and celebration in the air, also came a time of heartache and despair. While Hannah was out in the Atlantic Ocean with some of her entourage, the bride-to-be was hit by a wave, causing Hannah to fall over into the water. As a result of the wave striking her and with her having to push herself off the sand, the bride’s beautiful fairytale-like engagement ring slid off her finger and landed somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, forty yards away from the shore.
Hannah was in a panic. She called Derek, her fiancé’, and told him everything. He kept it calm, went online to see if he could find a metal detecting service, and that’s when he found THE RING FINDERS and Brian Rudolph. Hannah was given all of the contact information and then she called me. I was just coming into Ocean City to do a search on 101st Street for an iWatch that had gone missing in the Ocean. As I was entering into the city limits, Hannah gave me the story of what happened. I explained to her that she had a great chance of getting the ring back because she was calling me just 45 minutes after the Ring settled to the bottom of the ocean. Rings can be found days later but she had the best chance because of how quickly I received the call and her group’s clear recollection of where the ring came off.
We talked about what she needed to do in order to remember approximately where she was when the ring slipped off her finger. I asked her to count how many feet out into the ocean where she was in relationship to where the lifeguard chair was at the time. I asked her to walk down the beach from the lifeguard chair and count how many feet over and then to count how many feet out into the ocean. Thanks to Hannah, her mother, and the other bachelorette party girls, they all agreed on a particular area for me to do the search.
After I finished the search for the iWatch, I headed over to the beach side of 47th Street, in front of the Gateway Grand condominium building where I met Hannah, her mother and all of the bachelorette crew. She took me through each step of what happened and so did the other girls. Then, Hannah walked me from the lifeguard chair area out into the water where she was accompanied by her friends to show me where they believed the ring may have come off. When the loss happened, her mother had been sitting on the shore watching the ladies out in the ocean when the ring came off and so she gave a very good idea as to the hot zone where I should start my search.
Once I got all of the information down while we were standing in the ocean looking out to the area where Hannah’s ring may have come off, I felt confident as to where I needed to begin and the yardage from left to right where I needed to search. It was looking like it would be a 40 yard area from left to right and 30 to 40 yards out in the Atlantic.
We all came up on shore and that’s when I got my gear and did a two-hour search even though it was during high tide. I thought maybe I would get lucky, but there was no way to get that far out because the waves were just way too aggressive. I would have to wait until the middle of the night when low tide would arrive again.
Everybody on the shore in the bachelorette party, including two guy friends that were in town at the time of the unfortunate incident, all took off to get ready for the evening fun. I knew that Hannah would be extremely preoccupied with the loss of her ring and I tried to comfort her and encourage her to go out and have a good time and that if anybody could find this ring, with the help of God, it would be me that could recover it for her. I told her later, that I never do tell people how difficult this kind of thing is to find a 1-inch piece of jewelry out in the roaring Atlantic Ocean. But, I knew that if I used my skills correctly and if I was divinely-guided, it was a good chance I could get it back for Hannah, just in time for her wedding that was two weeks to the day!
The two hour search that ensued that evening was very difficult and I didn’t even find a single target to scoop up. I resolved to leave the beach and return at 4:15 a.m. at low tide. I left the beach knowing that Hannah’s ring was left behind, buried far out in the water and sand, way out in the dark, needing to be recovered, as I headed to my car.
I think God woke me up in the middle of the night because both of my alarms failed to go off on my phone. I happened to wake up at 3:45 a.m. and I was so glad that I did not oversleep the low tide hour. I quickly got my wet suit on, geared up and headed for the sand in total darkness. I prayed for God’s help and guidance as I did the night before, to take me to the spot where the ring rested below. Throughout my search, I prayed and asked God over and over to bless Hannah with the recovery of the ring. I prayed to Him out of compassion for Hannah and Derek because of the disappointment that this loss weighed upon them. I fully identified with them regarding the feeling of losing something so precious and wondering if it could ever be returned. It’s a helpless feeling and all of the « what ifs » attack you over and over again.
Not a soul was on that beach. It was just me, the ocean, and Hannah’s ring which was somewhere out there. Pardon the pun but looking for a ring in the ocean is like looking for a needle in a haystack when doing a search of this magnitude. When you’re out there in the water, with the waves coming at you in the dark and all you have is a headlamp on, it’s a weird lonely feeling. A metal detectorist just has to get over it and focus on what the mission is and not think about the loneliness and the improbability of finding such a small target out in the middle of so much territory.
You are not only battling the darkness, but you are facing so many different factors at one time. You’re dealing with the waves, the current, the noise of the ocean while trying to listen to your detector, the pounding pressure from the water that is constantly going against your coil as you’re trying to swing to the left and to the right. You have to hear and read signals correctly. You’re fighting against the tide and the clock, because you have a small window of time to search farther out in the deep. You constantly deal with doubt and wondering what actually happened to the ring when it fell to the sand below. You are hoping the estimations of where the ring disappeared are somewhat accurate. You’re hoping that the ring stays in one place and that it did not get carried some distance away by chance. You are wondering how much sand may have gotten piled on top of it and if the metal detector will even be able to reach the depth where the ring rests below the sand. You fight your own pressure of knowing that you are the only one that can bring this ring back with the help of God. If I failed, that bride won’t be wearing her engagement ring for the upcoming wedding in 2 weeks. Love and compassion must be your drive to get you past all of the adversity that you face out there in the dark.
So I searched that morning from 4:15 a.m. until 7:45 a.m., detecting the ocean as the sun came up and I only got a few targets to search, and none of them were Hannah’s ring. After all that time I was physically worn out, as well as disappointed that I had not pulled the ring out of the Atlantic…but I didn’t give up. Once again, I resolved to return in the late afternoon during the next low tide to give it my all and see if I could get the ring back.
Once it was later that morning, I would call the bride-to-be and let her know that I was unsuccessful at my second attempt in finding her ring. I could hear her disappointment on the phone. We agreed that I would do another hour and then she would tell me what she wanted me to do next – to keep searching or to let it go.
That afternoon, I got back out onto the beach after resting up for a few hours that late morning and early afternoon. I was mentally strong and ready to attack the water once again. Just seeing all of the people on the beach and in the water made for a completely different scene from the night search. The beach was alive again, teaming with people everywhere. That made me happy.
I got my detector ready, geared up and once again headed for the same water that I got to know quite well in the middle of the night. I was not going to rest easy and allow the water to keep what rightfully belonged to Hannah. I would give it all I had and hoped that I could find her beloved engagement ring.
The tide was helpful to me, as was the tide in the middle of the night. However, the waves really battered me like a rag doll every time I was getting as far out in the deep as I needed to be. There was one thing I didn’t have to deal with which I dealt with in the middle of the night, and that were a few small sand sharks that were bumping into my leg as I metal detected through the night. It’s kind of eerie because you can’t see them but you can feel them every so often pumping and brushing up against your wetsuit.
Each target that I came in touch with ended up being a disappointment, one after the other. I would get hit by a wave, my headphones would go flying off, and my hat would go swinging to the back of me because it was tethered to a cord around my neck. Between the waves being aggressive when I was up where they broke, and the depth of many of the signals, it took quite a while to be able to get to each of the targets that were buried below the sand.
Finally, just before I reached the end of the first hour of searching that afternoon (my sixth hour in total), I got my 7th target signal. This signal was very weak and almost unrecognizable. It was the kind of signal that you could just walk right by if you weren’t listening extremely carefully because you’re dealing with the noises of the waves, and the headphones can only give you so much volume. Also, those low tones that you are looking for to detect white gold, are masked by false signals that sound the same when your detector coil is brushing up against moving sand in the water. So, you almost can’t tell the signals apart unless you stop and test whether or not there is something deep below that is made of metal.
Though I wanted to pass this signal up because it really didn’t sound like it was anything important, I decided not to compromise the search by giving up something that I just didn’t know what it was unless I scooped it up and found out. I attempted to pull the target out several times and it was probably the most difficult time getting to the target because of its depth and the waves were just pounding me. Every time I laid the scoop down into the water, another wave would take me by surprise. I kept going and going, scooping over and over again, until the detector did not read any signal i
n the hole any longer. I didn’t even think that the object was in the scoop because I had been digging so much that I didn’t believe anything was even in there. But once the detector did not sound off any signal any longer, I took a look in the scoop. I brought it down to the water to get some more sand out of it and then brought it up again. I believe it took a couple of times to do this and then when I got my focus back on the scoop and looked down for maybe the second or third time, I couldn’t believe my eyes! It was there! It came into focus! This beautiful princess-like object that was given to Hannah at the proposal by Derek himself was finally caught, cradled by my stainless steel net! It had been raised from the dead and it would be given life again above the waters that concealed it for 24 hours! It appeared from the dark! It was like living a dream because I knew I was looking for the ring but I didn’t know exactly what it looked like. One thing I knew and that was if I found it, I would know it was Hannah’s! After searching so many hours and finding nothing, the reality of finding that which I was searching for, for so long, became very emotional and almost to the point of being overwhelming!
There was victory, at last! I defeated the elements! I know that it was God’s hand and His immense favor that led me to that target and it was my determination to not reject that which was handed to me! I truly believe it was divine intervention. God loves marriage and loves symbols. Like the rainbow, which God told Noah it would always be a reminder of the covenant between man and God. I believe the ring is similar. It’s a representation of the covenant between two people.
And it was there in the Atlantic Ocean, 40 yards out, that I was introduced to the ring and the ring was introduced to me as my eyes laid ahold of it. Soon my fingers would greet the priceless keepsake as I grasped it out of the scoop! I will never forget how the diamonds and gold treated me so warmly as they reflected millions of brilliant colors back at my face!
I couldn’t hold back the excitement after what I finally found from the depths of the ocean! The impossible had happened and now I let it all out for everyone to hear on the beach! I started running to the shore and sharing my overwhelming joy to find that which had been lost 24 hours prior! People started clapping and some gathered over to see what emerged out of the waters of the Atlantic! This was one of the best « show and tells » that I had ever had! It really takes your breath away when something like this can be recovered! Many people on the beach rejoiced with me, knowing that Hannah was going to get her ring back soon enough! There were even people on the beach the day before who witnessed seeing the bride-to-be’s sadness and how all of her friends and mother reacted to the loss. Now, the same people witnessed redemption, a second chance, a new unbelievable fairytale of how the storybook ring would reappear and be carried back to the princess just before the wedding day!
I gave God the glory and credit for what had taken place. I just felt like I was the servant who He sent to the ocean to pluck that ring out and return it to the one who cried out for help! Apparently, on social media, a prayer group was assembled and requests to God were made known. Yes, the power of prayer! I do believe that God is not all about material things but most importantly, that which comes from the heart. But from my personal experience, I see how God gets involved when love and compassion are made the center points, and not idolatry of an object. This was one of those examples where I believe He divinely intervened. I know my skills and I know what I am capable of. But, in this search, I needed something more than what I was knowledgeable about, and more than the detector that I held in my hand 40 yards out in the ocean. I was thanking God the whole time for what He did to guide me to the jewel!
So, what did I do next? I took a survey from everybody on the beach and it was clear that I needed to do a fake out and make this a surprise worth keeping forever! So, I called her up and I told Hannah that I did everything I could to recover the ring and I just asked her if she would like me to continue beyond the one hour search that I had done so far. We had agreed that I would stop after the first hour and she would reevaluate everything with Derek about moving forward or not. Hannah decided to not continue the search. Had I not found the ring during that hour, it would have stayed out there in the Atlantic possibly indefinitely because the couple decided to let it go rather than to continue. I couldn’t wait to do the reveal!
This was an amazing story that I will never forget. Please watch the video for what happened next! It’s worth watching!
As much as it was a fairytale come true for Derek and Hannah to fall in love and to recover the lost engagement ring from the ocean just two weeks prior to their wedding, it was also a fairy tale story for me, as well. Just a few days after I returned the ring to Hannah, my wife and I received an invitation from the couple to join them in their celebration at their wedding! I was beyond honored and touched by their hearts of kindness! I was able to attend this most amazing wedding and celebration! It’s so hard to describe the emotions that were running through me when I saw the bride and groom exchanging vows and wedding bands! Also, to view Hannah, dressed as the fairytale bride, wearing the engagement ring and now accompanying the matching wedding band, it was simply magical! The set was complete, and so was this beautiful love between the newly crowned husband and wife!
This story was a fairytale come true twice over! I will never forget it as long as I live!
If you would like to watch the SEARCH VIDEO and how I surprised Hannah with the return of her ring, click below:
CALL BRIAN RUDOLPH WITH THE RING FINDERS AT (301) 466-8644 AND HE WILL RETURN TO YOU WHAT HAS BEEN LOST!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO BRIAN’S SEARCH VIDEO YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS WHEN OTHER SEARCH VIDEOS ARE UPLOADED! BRIAN’S SEARCH VIDEOS ARE FOUND ON HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL – THE RING RETURNER.
Joe needed to trim some dead branches from the big pine tree in the yard, so of course, he decided to climb the tree. But as he leaped up to grab the lowest branch, he felt his wedding ring slip off his finger. No problem, he thought, how hard can it be to find a big ring in a small lawn? He borrowed a metal detector from a friend and searched the whole area. He found trash, coins, wire, and even a lost fork, but no ring. Then they called me. We arranged for a time to meet, and I started searching through the junk-filled yard with my metal detecting equipment. I found the ring 20 or 30 feet from the tree, in the opposite direction from where we thought the ring would be. When a ring goes flying, it’s hard to guess where it will finally land.
I got a text message from Mark on Thursday, Aug 29th saying that he had lost his Rolex watch, while fishing, in the Lockwoods Folly River and wondered if I could help. At some point, Mark told me that his wife, Joanna, had gotten him the watch as a present and it had a great deal of sentimental value attached. He knew the watch, itself, could be replaced, but not the memories.
I was concerned about the depth of the water and what the bottom of the river was. He said the depth was about 5 feet at low tide, which is pushing my limit, and didn’t know about the bottom. A lot of the marsh bottom in North and South Carolina has what’s called “Pluff Mud.” In earlier century’s it was called “Plough Mud,” because it was used to fertilize cotton fields that were depleted of nutrients. Anyway, it is nasty, it’s made up of dead grasses, fish, crabs, shrimp, and anything else that dies and decays in the water, it stinks, literally! When you step in it, it sucks you down, and what was at your ankles is now at your knees or thighs. So I was real anxious about searching in those kinds of conditions, but agreed to meet him on Saturday. I talked to my son-in-law, Donnie, who is a certified diver, about it and was thinking of him taking this call, but decided I’d give it a shot. Donnie has helped me on a number of searches, and I knew he’d jump at the chance of this search.
On Saturday, Mark and Joanna picked me up at one of the boat docks in Holden Beach, NC and we took a 20-25 minute boat ride to get the search area. Matt told me that the evening he lost his watch that he was having problems with his outboard motor so he was getting his trolling motor ready to use to get him back home. At some point in the process, he hit the trolling motor with his watch making the clasp come apart sending his watch in the water. When we got to the search area, Mark beached his boat and told me the search area was within 15 feet of the stern of the boat. We were bucking a strong current, but managed to search the area for a couple of hours or so. After searching what I could, I knew I was in over my head, and I’d need Donnie and his scuba diving abilities to help. While we were waiting for the tide to come back in, because we were now high and dry, and grounded on the beach; I called Donnie. I let him and Mark work out the details on the date and times both were available.
Fast forward to Monday, Donnie and Mark met at the same boat dock and headed out around 6:30am. I got a text from Donnie about 11:30 saying “No luck” but he was going to get lunch, fill up his air tanks and go back out with Mark and try again. At 6:22pm Donnie texted: “found it!” I got a few details from Donnie about his search, and the picture and video of him and Mark.
Donnie – thanks so much for your help and your “awesome” scuba skills and “fantastic” underwater metal detecting services.
Mark and Joanna – so happy and excited for you that Donnie was able to find and recover your lost treasure!
9-1-19 8:00pm EST:
The pictured couple just finished dinner at their marina and he pops the question.
9-1-19 10:00pm EST:
After a couple hours of celebrating, dancing, the couple moves onto the wooden plank deck casually strolling towards their pleasure craft.
9-2-19 12:00am EST:
The couple visit with the wedding party on the boat, discussing details and proceed back and forth from the marina bar, approx. 100 feet away.
9-2-19 2:00am EST:
Couple standing on the wood deck next to boat chatting. She begins to fiddle with the ring and it comes off. They feel it went thru the opening between the deck planks and into the water.
9-2-19 11:00am EST:
I answered their call regarding the loss.
9-2-19 12:30pm EST:
We all arrive on the scene and they said they hadn’t been engaged even 24 hrs and the ring was gone!
9-2-19 12:45pm EST:
They said that a local scuba diver came by to look with all apparatus to do a night search but to no avail.
9-2-19 1:00pm EST:
I complete my site investigation, safety conditions, determined depth of water was 6 feet deep, and prepare to scuba.
9-2-19 1:30pm EST:
I walk back to vehicle to get more gear, wondering why the other diver didn’t find it, being that the bottom wasn’t mucky but quite firm with good water clarity.
9-2-19 2:00pm EST:
Just got back to the location on the deck and overheard the couple chatting if we were in correct location to search.
9-2-19 2:15 – 2:30pm EST:
We paused and took a wider look at the deck looking for spots that were wide enough for the ring to go thru.
9-2-19 2:30 EST:
Future husband and I spot something wedged into a deck plank not matching the nail patterns.
9-2-19 2:35pm EST:
We bend down for a closer look and we saw THE RING! wedged deep into a crack in the wood plank! In a very dangerous place! We all screamed that there’s no way this was it! but it was! (see in the pic the small shiny item next to my knife blade)
9-2-19 2:40pm EST:
We decided to move our weight off the plank and I proceeded to feel under the plank to see if the crack went all the way thru. It didn’t so I removed the ring with my knife by carefully prying the wood open a bit to release it and lifting the stunning platinum ring to safety!
9-2-19 3:00 pm EST:
It was time to celebrate! We concluded that the ring came off and someone stepped on it pressing it into the plank in the dark when they were looking for it.
9-2-19 3:30 pm EST:
After a few pics of the find and thrilled that the ring was back in it’s safe place we all decided that this was a great sign that their marriage can withstand many trials as they live happily ever after!
9-2-19 7:30 pm EST
I still can’t believe that the ring didn’t go into the water! This has to be my most luckiest find thus far! All within the first 24!
Jon
Allie and her fiancé went for a late night swim off there doc on lake Ossipee but, before jumping in the water they placed the towels on the dock with her ring on top. They swam for about a half an hour got out grabbed the towels not thinking about the ring being on top and off it went into the depths. I answered the call and made plans to meet in the morning, open arriving at the scene there was a 3’x3’x6” pile of sand on the dock an aluminum dock might I add, so going through the pile with my pin pointer wasn’t an option, they suggested pushing the sand back in the water but I didn’t want to risk damaging the ring in anyway so we rinsed the dock hoping it would show it’s beautiful self but we had no luck with it being in the pile. I dawned my snorkel gear and in the drink I went, 10 minutes later jackpot. They couldn’t have been happier.
November 25th, 2018 I got a call from Laura. Her daughter Kelly had lost a small gold hoop earring of great sentimental value. They thought it might have been lost two days earlier while raking leaves in the backyard. I explained how difficult it was to find micro-jewelry, but they still asked me to look.
