This beauty was sitting in the ground for over 20 years after Laura lost it while attending a party at Lake Nokomis. Laura was very happy to finally be reunited with her long lost ring!
Jay contacted me about her lost Diamond Wedding Band. She was at the fall festival and lost it in the corn pit. We have recovered many rings from the corn pit, though some rings get pushed down so far we can’t detect them. I drove out to the site as soon as I could, so the chances would be in our favor, and hopefully no one pushed the ring down out of range. It didn’t take long and I got that strong Gold hit and there it was, only about 6 inches down into the corn. This is a beautiful ring Jay – Glad we could help you out!! Take Care.
Darrin
Aaron sent me an email after finding my name through the ring finders website. He was out with friends at one of the most beautiful lakes in the Upper Lower peninsula of Michigan. Aaron and his bride just got married a week before and wanted to spend some time with friends they hadn’t seen in a while. They had just dropped anchor at the beach where boats park and party. While enjoying the hot sun and clear cool blue water Aaron was playing catch with a football and when he caught the ball he felt his black tungsten wedding band fall off his finger. After searching frantically for it in about 3 to 4 feet of water he gave up and when he got home his wife got on the computer to search for a metal detector and theingfinders web site came up.
I talked to Aaron through email then on the phone and agreed to make the 3 hour trip up to Thumb Lake in the Boyne/Gaylord area. The area I was given was just to the right of the swimming area only to find out there was an area of about 2 football fields. I started from the swimming area and headed north and covered at least 1/3rd of the area to no avail I did find a ring but not his. I gave Aaron a call and told him I will be going back up in a couple weeks and would try again. I covered another 3rd of the area and still struck out.
Today I drove up in the morning with my detecting friend Dave B. we started on the last 3rd of the area and in about 20 minutes into the search the ring was found. It was supposed to be one of the last days of warm weather in the North country but it was cloudy and windy. The water was warmer than the air so little time was spent on additional detecting so we headed back South for our last 3 hour trip to find this ring.
I will be presenting the ring to Aaron tomorrow when he gets out of work and post a smiling and happy face.
And now the rest of the story: I talked to Aaron today and got his picture. He didn’t tell his wife that the ring was found and decided to tell her over spaghetti diner and a bottle of wine. « I asked her to help me pick out a bottle of wine. She noticed the ring while we were opening the bottle together. It brought tears to her eyes as she jump up and down crying happy tears » I told him may they both have years together and a lot more happy tears.
As I was finishing up the story of my last ring recovery, I received a call from Scott who was attending a wedding at the Hotel Del Coronado. You my remember this hotel if you’ve seen the movie, Some Like it Hot, with Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis. Anyway, he was seated with his family at some tables outside on the sand when he decided to let his young daughter handle his wedding ring. Even though he impressed upon her the importance of a wedding ring, she had no problem burying it in the sand! After an attempt to sift through the sand with fingers without success, he searched online for help and contacted me through the Ring Finders site. As luck would have it, I was able to come right over and do a search before dinner figuring it should be a fairly easy recovery since they hadn’t left the search area and it was a very small area to search. If course, I’ve thought that in the past at times, and had long, difficult ones instead.
This time we were in luck and it took maybe two swings of the loop before I had a nice gold sound in my sites. About 3 inches under the sand I pulled out Scott’s nice wedding band. It had taken me 100 time longer to find a parking spot at the beach that day than the ring! All turned out well and no major delays in the after-wedding festivities. As Scott found out, save your money buying or renting a metal detector to use yourself, and get not only a detector, but, someone who has some experience using one too. It can save a lot of time and frustration. It was a pleasure to meet you Scott, and thanks for the reward to help keep this service going.
A little team work was needed for this one! Faiviola called me with her tail of woe. She and her husband rented Kayaks at La Jolla Shores beach and on their return voyage, their kayak overturned in the surf. Her camera, sunglasses, and engagement ring were all dumped into waist deep water. They managed to recover the camera but the sun glasses and ring eluded their frantic search. They live a good 3 hours north of here and had to go back home minus a treasured token of their love for each other. Faviola decides that she’s not willing to give up quite yet and finds the Ring Fingers site and gives me a call.
After sending me a Google map and some directions to the loss site, I head down there at the next low tide which was coming up very soon. It was an afternoon low tide and not a very low one but I wanted to get on it right away as that beach is hunted a lot. Three hours later, no luck. I call Faviola back and tell her I’ll return later that night at a minus tide and try again. I arrive at about 1:00 am or so and in the darkness, I can make out a figure walking out on the beach in the area I want to search. I could tell by the movements that, hey, that’s another detectorist out there! I head over to see if he may have found Faviola’s ring. He says no, we chat a little bit and we go our separate ways. I search farther out in the surf and expand the area a bit but still no luck. Earlier, during my day search, I ran across a guy who said he lost a pair of Ray Ban’s in the surf and wanted to know if I’d found any. I hadn’t but told him I would keep an eye out and got his number. At about 4 in the morning my sleep deprived brain remembers these sunglasses and so I head back over to Colin, who is still close by detecting. I ask him if he found any Ray Bands, and he says he found some sunglasses but doesn’t know if they’re Ray Ban’s or not as he didn’t have a light. I flick my light on and see that they’re not Ray Ban’s but then I get to thinking that maybe they might be Faviola’s. I ask where he found them and he pointed to an area that was out of my described search zone so I figure they must not be hers. We talk a while exchange phone numbers and I asked him to contact me if he finds the ring or knows someone who has.
I head home tired and sleepy and faced with calling Faviola and giving her the bad news. I said that I would keep it on file and talk to club members, and others I know who detect that beach, to be on the look out for this ring. The next day, I get a call from Colin that he thinks he found it! He went back to the area where he found the sunglasses and concentrated a search there and got that sweet sound! I check out his posted photo of the ring he found and it matched the photo I got from Faviola. Outstanding! My next call with Faviola was much more fun than the previous one!
We all arranged to meet the up coming Saturday (today) to reunite Faviola with her ring. It was a pleasure to meet her and her husband and to keep the ring story going. Thank you very much for the reward (which I shared with Colin) to keep this service going. I also want to give a big thank you to Colin for his important role in this recovery. It was his honesty, integrity, and determination that made this reunion possible. Who says you can’t make friends on the beach in the middle of the night?!
That’s Colin on the left, Faviola, and yours truly.
As a mother of 3 young boys, I decided to take a last minute day trip for the end of summer. We piled up the minivan with my husband, my mother, our AuPair and my three boys! Before leaving the house…my inner voice told me to leave my wedding ring at home since I had lost some weight…it was loose but, I didn’t listen. We packed the car full. We had the cooler, beach chairs, boogie boards and toys for the sand. We brought everything but Sunblock…. Yes, we all ended up burnt. We drove around for about 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot when we came upon Cove Beach in Cape May, NJ. I’ve been going to Cape May beaches for over 20 years and have never been to that particular beach before. So, we parked the car, and set up our stuff.
We played in the water! Taking on the waves. My two oldest boys were brazen…going out really far….enough to concern the lifeguards to whistle us in closer (it was a yellow flag day)….so then we built sand castles. We then came back to the beach blanket and ate some snacks. Back to the water again, riding the waves and then the youngest wanted to come back in the sand castle area. I had some trouble getting up out of the water and put my hands in the sand and there went the wedding band. But, I didn’t notice it then…I went back into the water with my husband while the kids searched for the perfect shells! When I came back…I sat down in the sand where the waves crashed in on our legs digging my hands into the sand looking for shells for the boys…we posed for a few family shots and then I realized it! The ring was gone. OMG!
I turned to my husband and lifted my hand to show no wedding band! He said « You’re joking, right? » « I wouldn’t joke about this » I said. He immediately jumped up and helped me frantically searched the sand. The tide was coming in harder and harder…we could hardly see. The kids looked, the babysitter looked, even some strangers on the beach…I was crying so hard, I needed to clean my glasses….I then realized from the family pictures…I might be able to see when I last had it on… and I saw it!!! When I was swimming with my youngest son. So, I knew where it was probably gone at but the tide had come in so far I knew I’d never get it back. I cried and cried. My husband hugged me and said he’d buy me another one. It wouldn’t be the same. I didn’t want a new wedding band…I wanted the one he gave me when we promised each other the rest of our lives together 10 years ago. I thought it was ironic that my husband asked me to marry him and gave me an engagement ring on another beach in Cape May, NJ years ago and now I lost my wedding band in Cape May, NJ.
A short time later, I was so upset and defeated…we packed the car back up and headed home. After the beach, we were supposed to go to the Wildwood boardwalk and ride some rides but….I just couldn’t build myself up to enjoy it. On the ride home I knew I’d never get my ring back. My mom reminded me that other than my ring loss, I still had my family and my kids were safe and happy. Even though my family was safe and that was really the most important thing to me…I still couldn’t stop being upset about losing my ring and my stupidity for not leaving it at home. My mom offered to come back the next morning and comb the beach with me… When I got home and everyone was getting ready for bed…I Googled to see what my chances would be if I could even had any chance. I looked at the possibilities of renting a metal detector and then came upon TheRingFinders.com. I read of success stories of rings found and my hope was restored. I found Dave Milsted and called him to see what could be done. I told him it was a gold wedding band with 11 inset diamonds. He told me to map the area I thought it was lost. I immediately mapped where we were sitting, where I thought it was lost and where we swam. Then my 3 boys brought me beautifully made « homemade rings » made from paper to replace my wedding band. I smiled for their thoughtfulness and creativity.
I then sent the email to Dave. I didn’t hear anything back. I anxiously checked email in the morning and saw I mis-typed his email address. OMG!!! Quickly I resent it to the correct email and added some more details.
Dave responded immediately and suggested he could go out on Tuesday. Slightly disappointed I put my faith in the fact that he has been doing this for years and if he felt there was an urgency…or not…then he’d be right. So, I stopped worrying until Tuesday. Since 8am Tuesday morning, I checked my email and phone every 30 mins or less. As the day pressed on, so my pressure skyrocketed. I even shed a few tears while telling the story to co workers. I figured, the longer it took to hear from Dave, the less likely it would be that he’d found it….
Then, I received an email from Dave saying he had a few questions asking me to call him! I jumped right on the phone and called. Dave asked me a few more questions about the location I thought it was lost. I explained where I thought I was and then he told me that the beach was packed and that there were already folks with metal detectors, the sand was loose and….my heart sank.
Then, he then told me he found my ring! I think I asked him if he was serious….and after he said « YES »…I was speechless. I couldn’t speak…I was crying hysterically and couldn’t stop! The sentimental value for me was so much more than the jewelry price value. I tried to get out the words to say Thank you and that I would call him back when I left my job to discuss picking it up. I immediately called my husband and my mom crying. They could hardly understand me but they finally realized what I had said and were both shocked and excited!
Dave, there are no words for what you do for people/families like ours. There is no replacing a memory or the value that was placed on something because of its emotional association with it when something is lost. You replaced it for me and renewed my strength in humanity that there are honest people who care about others and want to help people… »Thank you. » That is the smallest thing I can say and the biggest thing I can mean at the same time. I am glad my wedding band will be in safe hands until we officially meet and I promise to NEVER wear it in the Ocean again (at least until I get it re-sized)!!!
I received a call this morning from Warren. Yesterday, he had lost his month old wedding ring in a farmer’s wheat field while working on a combine. When he was finished he removed his glove and noticed that his ring was gone. He and his coworkers looked around for it without success. When he returned to his hotel room he decided to do a Google search for a metal detector to rent and he came across The Ring Finders and found me. I agreed to meet Warren in Westlock and we drove to the location that he had lost his ring. After one and a half hours of searching we found the ring in amongst the wheat stubble, as you can see in the picture Warren was one happy guy to have his ring back on his finger. Thanks Warren for intrusting me to find your lost ring.
Wow, talk about the old saying “Like trying to find a needle in a hay stack”. That’s the task I had today!
I was out looking for old coins today in a park when I received an email from a gentleman who lost his wedding ring while looking for his golf ball at a local golf course. He looked for it right after losing it but couldn’t find it. We met as soon as he was able to get off work and after about five minutes of searching, we found it half buried in tall grass. Credit goes to him for thinking through his moves and narrowing down the search area. It was great to get that unique ring back to the owner.
Emily from Southampton owned a very special silver ring. It was only silver but one she valued greatly. It had been especially engraved and given to her as a gift from her grandmother. After enjoying a day on the beach she brushed off some sand from her fingers… off slipped the ring! She saw the spot where it sank but her and her friends efforts to try to retreive it only made it sink further. I sympathise with all those who have lost something dear I cant imagine how it must feel to lose something that dear to you.
The location of the lost ring was relatively small – about half the size of a tennis court. The beach was very trashy but nevertheless after one hour I found it. Emily was so pleased to have her ring back and raise money too for the Air Ambulance she held her own Cake Sale at work. Thanks Emily for going out of your way to help.
Received a call from a Mr Kenny Rodman from Southbourne, Dorset. After spending a few hours on the beach Kenny decided to cool off in the sea. He had been enjoying a family day out on the beach with wife Amanda and son Cameron. Whilst only a few feet out he hsad the sensation his wedding band felt loose so clenched his fingers tight. However, leaving the beach almost on all fours he felt the ring come off and slip beneath the waves. Understandibly he returned on several occasions scouring the sand hoping by some miricle it would reveal itself. Alas it didnt. It was his wife Amanda who sort the help of The Ring Finders and I met Kenny the following morning. No sooner than my coil entered the water it gave an almost indistinguishable tone of gold so I decided to scoop it. Luckily I was right as the ring had buried itself some 8″ under due to the breaking waves. Kenny and his wife were extremely pleased at the rings return, Kenny is no longer in the dog house and a generous donation to the Air Ambulance was made by them
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