Hi! My name is Gary Bonin, and I joined The Ring Finders Directory to help people find their lost jewelry at beaches, parks, lakes, and yards. If you’ve lost something special and need it found, call me. I can help you find it. I work on a reward basis if the item is found, 20% of which is donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of RI. I do ask for a call-out fee of $25 just to cover my gas, up to 50 miles. For more information, please contact me.
Chris's platinum wedding band
Sunday night December 4, I am sitting in my bed reading my favorite metal detecting magazine when I hear our phone ring at 10:30 pm. My wife’s mother was expected to call that evening so I assumed that that was who was calling. Within a few seconds I hear my wife walking up the stair talking on the phone. Diane hands me the phone and says it is somebody who has lost a ring. I answer the phone and Chris Tatum is on the other end, he is in the parking lot of a pizzeria where he has just lost his ring. He tells me that he has searched the area around his car but cannot find his ring and was wondering if I could come out that night and look for the ring. There are a couple inches of freshly fallen snow covering the parking lot and the temperature is 11 degrees. I realize that timing is critical because this parking lot will more than likely be plowed first thing in the morning. I let Chris know that I will be at his location in about a half an hour.
I get dressed, start getting my equipment together and then I have to explain to my wife why I am heading out of the house at 10:45 with my metal detectors while snow falling in bitterly cold temperatures. But we both agree that this search has to occur now so out the door I go.
I arrived at the pizzeria and introduce myself and Chris explains how he was wiping snow off his driver’s seat when he heard his platinum wedding band hit the asphalt parking lot. It was quite obvious where he and his wife had searched for the ring without any luck. I prepped my Whites XLT with Bigfoot coil and began my search. I began my search over the areas that they had searched by eyeballing the site. Soon I expanded my search beyond our original search area, still no luck. By this time my hands are numb and I need to get my gloves out. I continue my search beside a concrete wall that is loaded with steel reinforcing where I heard the definite sound of a ring come from my XLT. I carefully dug through the snow and got my hands on Chris’ ring. The ring laying under 3 inches of snow 20 feet away from where I had expected it to be. This search took only 20 minutes but it was a pretty intense 20 minutes due to conditions.
Ring recovered December 4, 2011.
A frigid Chris holding his wedding band
Ben Spiking was doing the typical fall yard work of racking up leaves and dead grass, bagging that debris and placing it for pick up. While cleaning up after his work he noticed that he no longer had his 14 kt white gold wedding band on his figure. He immediately began a search for his ring. He quickly pulled the bags of refuse from the back alley and placed them within his fenced yard. He
Ben's wedding band
started to empty the bags one at a time and carefully go through the yard waste. After three of the bags had been gone through leaf by leaf, Ben realized that going through the 8 remaining bags was going to be a daunting task and may be fruitless as well.
A quick internet search led Ben to Ring Finders and my profile page. Ben called my home phone and left a message which was relayed to me by my wife as I was in the mountains elk hunting at the time. Where I was camping there is no cell phone service but I had made arrangements to check in back at home every couple of days. My wife gave me the critical information and I called Ben’s wife Kim to set up my search.
I arrived at the Spiking’s residence and Kim gives me a quick explanation of what had occurred the day of the rings loss. I began my search with my White’s XLT with a bigfoot coil. I searched the whole front yard and then the path through the back yard to the gate. I search the remaining bags of yard waste and the area where Ben had searched through the first 3 bags of yard waste, no luck. I then made my way back to my truck and switched out coils to my factory 9 ½” coil and searched the front yard again. There was an area in the northwest portion of the yard with several pieces of shredded aluminum can and pieces of aluminum fascia were just under the surface of the ground. I pulled up several pieces of the aluminum but there was enough metal in the ground that pinpointing was difficult at best. Once again I head to my truck and switch to 4”x6” coil and head back the area with all the aluminum. After another 20 minutes search I found the ring. I spent just over two hours searching this yard, and even I was beginning to wonder if I could find the ring. But with the right equipment for all kinds of searching you can tilt the odds in your favor.
Ring recovered November 11, 2011.
Kim happy to be holding Ben's wedding ring.
On Thanksgiving Day, Dan was out tossing the football with his kids. As he threw a pass, his Gold Class Ring went flying off his finger. He actually saw it come off and heard it hit a landscape brick that was surrounding his shrubs. Dan raked the whole area and searched for 5 -6 hours with no luck. He even came back out that night with a flash light ot see if the relection would be visible off the ring. Still no luck. My son and I drove out the next morning and starting searching the area as Dan and his 2 kids watched. After approx. 5 minutes of searching; One of Dan’s kids, Sam (I think) said, hey Dad is that it? He had spotted the ring under some leaves and mulch right next to a shrub. Congrats Dan – No matter how or who finds the ring, This is all about getting that ring back on your finger.
Take Care!! Darrin
Newly married Kyle was playing in 4 feet of water at Wood Lake, Winfield when he saw his white Gold wedding band fly off his finger, Both him and his wife searched the area with scoops, but were unable to find the ring.Four days later I was contacted through Ringfinders to assist him in the search. Luckily for me he had marked the location in the lake with a mound of stones, it didn’t take long and we had the Ring back on his finger.It pays to know the exact location of a loss in the water.
Joe called and asked if we could dive to find his sailboat rudder that had accidently dropped off as he was getting his boat out of the water for the year. This was in 12 feet of water with pure muck and weeds. It was too tough with the thick weeds and muck to use a detector. We used a wooden rod to poke down into the muck and « feel » for it……after 40 minutes or so we found it. Here’s to great sailing next year!!!
We received a call of a lost Wedding Ring at a fall festival area, when we arrived, we learned a few people had reported losing their Wedding Rings. After a couple days of searching ( 3 hours each day) we pulled 15 rings and 5 of them were Wedding Bands that found their way back to the rightful owner. This is a picture of just a few of the finds for one day. As Always – Glad we could help!!!
Received a call about a lost gold wedding band. Apparently, while throwing a football to his young son, his wedding ring flew off. They had searched for a day using a metal detector, but to no avail. I drove out to their house did a search in the backyard for about an hour. I found the ring and united it with the owner. Both the husband and the wife were very happy. I spent about another half hour showing his 3 children how to use my detector and all three found Pennies. It’s a great hobby for kids and I always try to encourage kids to try metal detecting.
While searching the Lost and Found ads I came across a » lost ring » in Holland or Hudsonville so I gave them a call. I talked to Jim Davis and asked him several questions and we decided that the ring might be lost in the lawn while his wife was doing some clipping of the fall plants. She thought she might have lost it at a store in Holland or in Hudsonville but after I heard she was not using gloves to cut the plants I knew it had to be around the yard. Jim showed my brother and I where she was cutting plants both in the back and front yard. After about 30 minutes and going through the flower beds we pretty much gave up and stood by the drive asking questions about where they have looked already. With our detectors still on my brother, Doug, swung the detector over some grass next to the flower bed where we were standing and there it was. Jim’s eyes lite up and gave Doug a big hug then me a hug then a handshake to both of us then another smile. It’s going to take weeks to wipe the smile off his face. I asked him to have someone take a picture of his wife when he showed it to her. I would love to be a fly on the wall. Jim wasn’t sure how he would break the news to her yet.
Jim was apprehensive at first about asking someone he didn’t know to check out his yard but I had him read an article that was in the Grand Rapids Press by Tom Rademacher about my metal detecting service and he felt better when we came out to his house.
Another happy couple reunited with a ring that sealed their marriage 31 years ago. Rosanne, I haven’t met you but I would encourage you to wear gloves when gardening the next time. Congratulations!
Bill was playing with his kids in the Corn Bin, a play area filled with corn about 25 yards long 10 yards wide and 3 feet deep. While pushing his hands into the corn his platinum wedding ring slipped off and the corn being like quicksand , it disappeared. Bill found Theringfinders.com on an internet search and gave me a call. I talked with the owner of the area and he was happy to let us come in and search before they opened the next day. After a 15 minute search, Bill had his Wedding band back on his hand. We also found a Tiffany’s wedding band and 2 Gold rings that had been lost a few weeks earlier. The owner called (from their lost and found) and all the rings, and a bracelet found their way back to the rightful owners! What a great day. Congrats to all who thought their priceless items were lost forever.
