Melonie from St. Paul Minnesota called and said that her husband Chris had lost his wedding ring in a snowbank near an apartment building. They were « house sitting » for friends and while outside by the street; Chris’s gloves got snow in them and as he was shaking them off his ring flew off. This was a tough search because the ring was lost right were a car was parked and we couldn’t find the owner of the car to have them move it. As we all know, cars have just a bit of metal in them and we couldn’t get near it as the detectors go crazy. I decided to pull out my SunRay Probe and scan close to the car and after a 15 minute search, we found it. I really wish we could of taken a video of Chris’s reaction when we found it, he was so happy as this was a very special ring to him. The temp was so cold out that the video camera just wasn’t working out. Well…maybe next time. Hey Chris, happy we could locate it for you. Take Care.
David was snowboarding at Auburn Park in North East Minneapolis when he realized his key FOB was missing. He searched and couldn’t find it on the sledding hill. He posted on Craigslist in the lost and found to see if anyone had found it. While posting an Ad for the Ring Finders on Craigslist we saw Davids Ad. We called him right away and found out more informatin on the location. It didn’t take too long and we got a nice hit and there was the FOB under the snow. We called David and he drove right down to the park and now has his FOB back where it belongs. Please tell everyone you know about the Ring Finders, people lose their valuables everyday and most have no clue where to turn to for help. We are a world wide service and can usually help out in just about any situation. take Care and remember WWW.theringfinders.com
It’s been a cold & very snowy winter this year in Minnesota, and we still have a good 2 to 3 months left. Eric called the ring finders as he was at his parents house with family for Christmas and while out playing around in the backyard; His Gold Wedding band flew off his finger. The snow is very deep and trying to find it would be nearly impossible without the correct equipment. That’s were The Ring Finders Come In!! We arrived at the site and Erics parents showed us the approximate location of where the ring was lost, after 5 minutes we got a strong hit on the detector, a couple scoops of snow later and out popped the ring. It worked out great as Eric works right on my way home from his parents. We met at a gas station and I took the attached photos of his ring and with Eric holding his ring. Glad we could help and I hope everyone out there had a Merry Christmas! Here is the video:
Good things can happen in 10 seconds if you know the right questions to ask. This search was what I would call perfect. It began when I was asked by a friend of mine to keep a look out for a large set of keys he lost the week before.
We had both been working on a « Journey to Bethlehem » live production here in Yakima Washington. We had around 3700 people go through the village over four nights. His part of the production was to plan and build the sets. After the weekend was over, we received seven inches of heavy wet snow which stressed our buildings.
My friend had been using a rake to pull the snow off the roof, and when he went to go home he realized the keys he had in his pocket had fallen out. Due to the new snow he was unable to locate the keys.
I had been searching for a large silver earring that had been lost around the village, and he knew this, so he asked me to keep an eye out.
Well, I had searched the village 5 different times with my metal detector and was able to tell the nice lady who lost it « somewhere » between her home and the event, that it was not lost on the path.
My friend was there as well, working on taking the buildings down, so I decided to search for his keys next.
I asked him more questions about what he had been doing the day he lost the keys and what areas he had been working in. I thought it was logical that he must have lost it when pulling snow off the roofs and did not find it because it had been hidden by the snow.
I decided to start the search behind the buildings snow piles. I went to the first building and had been searching the piles for about three steps, when I noticed the keys laying in the melted snow pile.
It was over almost before it started. That is my fastest search to date and I will take a little luck anytime. It also helped to ask the right questions, and it was good he remembered where and what he had been doing that day.
He was glad to get the keys back, and I was glad to be a part of the search.
I usually ask so many questions before I take on a search the people must think I am crazy, but it really helps narrow the search down, and also gives me an idea if they really know with certainty in what general area they lost it. Doing a grid search takes time, and the more focused it can be, the more likely I will find it.
If you have lost an item of value, give one of The Ring Finders a call, we might just be able to help you out. Of course you will have to put up with a million questions :), but it just might be worth it.
A lady in Durham, Ontario, Canada lost her ring while retrieving firewood from a woodpile beside her home. The ring was purchased for her by her husband while overseas and so it had special sentimental value. She knew it was lost somewhere between the woodpile and her backdoor but exactly where it came off her finger was not clear. She frantically retraced her steps looking for the precious keepsake, but to no avail. The ground was covered in a mixture of maple leaves and bark chips and so it seemed hopeless that she would ever see her ring again.
My wife and I happened to stop by for a visit and soon learned about the loss. I had my Whites XLT Spectrum metal detector in the car (it usually travels with us) and so I asked the distraught woman some questions and then began a grid search retracing her steps between the house and the woodpile. I was barely 30 minutes into my search when the detector gave out what we metal detecting specialists call, “a loud and proud” signal. There, hidden from view beneath a golden maple leaf, the ring appeared where it had fallen.
It was a great feeling to be able to present the ring to its owner again. She was ecstatic! It was especially meaningful to me to find that ring and return it since it belonged to none other than my sister, Linda! In fact she and her husband visited us just the other day. And she was still wearing her “woodpile” ring—tangible evidence of yet another “Happy Return!”
To date most of my hunts have included searches for rings and other lost personal items. But the use of a metal detector goes beyond just rings. I initially purchased my Whites Classic ID metal detector 11 years ago to search my property for underground lines and property markers. Since then I have loaned out that detector to search for wiring in new construction, for a friend to look for a pair of glasses lost on a snowy hike and yes for several property marker searches.
Recently I was asked if my detector could locate the lid from a chewing tobacco can. I responded that it would be able to see the metal part of the can and followed up his question with one of my own. Why?
The response got me ready to hunt. He told me a story about his grandparents who hid money in their yard in these containers and who knows what else. In one can there was a reported three thousand dollars. They lived in an area rich with history and many detectors had been by asking for permission to hunt their property. They had always said yes, but restricted them from searching around the house.
This led the person asking me the question to think there may be much more in the ground and he wanted me to do a property search. Currently the ground is nicely frozen, so this will have to wait until spring, and I will report back on what I find.
Another friend spoke with me about searching his late fathers property as they had already found $37,000 in cash in a drawer when they went through his estate. The father had owned a coin op car wash pre–1965 and had told the kids, when I die you can bet I will have several large drums of silver coins in the yard.
So you see besides searching for rings or keys, there are other good uses for a metal detector.
If you have a property that you think holds buried treasure and would like a hunt done, then let me know. If you are in the Washington State area I can help you out and depending on the treasure, I could be willing to travel. I can also set you up with a Ring Finder in your area who I am sure would be more than happy to help you out.
Now if spring could only hurry up so I can get to that estate search and see what treasure is waiting to be found.
Just wanted to let everyone out there know that the Ring Finders are fully functional during the winter. I know a lot of people lose there valuables shoveling snow, having snow ball fights, cleaning the snow off your car etc. We are always happy to help. We have a great success rate and truely enjoy helping people. Take care and Good Luck!!!! Darrin E-Mail – dwgray@mchsi.com
When you are a Ring Finder, you never know when your next search will be. I had a feeling that I might get a search this week because here in Yakima we had a very cold and snowy spell.This can often mean valuables such as keys and rings can get lost.
When the call came asking if I was willing to help find a lost gold wedding band I was not surprised. After speaking with the wife of the man who lost his ring I was ready to start the hunt.
The ring had fallen off while the husband was cleaning the snow off the car, and then brushed his arms and hands off. He told me that he heard a metal « clank » but did not put it together that it was his ring that made the noise. When he arrived at home, he realized that his ring was gone and was sure that it was his ring that must have come off back in the parking lot. Well he returned to the site, but there was two inches of fresh snow in the lot and he could not find the ring. I was called the next day after they found my listing on The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service on the internet.
I agreed to meet them after work to look for the ring. Now I said earlier that it was cold and snowy, and it was. Although the snow had mostly stopped it was still only around 18 F outside and by the time the search was called off for the night it was well on the way to -5 F.
Unfortunately when we arrived at the search location the parking lot had already been plowed. There was only a 1/4 of packed snow on the parking lot, with two large piles of snow off in the corners. The man was able to put me exactly where the ring came off so I searched that area first. I then expanded the search grid to include the most likely route the scraper would have taken to move the snow into the piles. Still no ring. So after looking at the two piles of snow we decided to search the most likely one, which of course was the larger of the two.
I began to shovel layers of snow off the pile and search the remaining snow. After about two hours I had searched about half of the pile, and called it quits for the night.
The next day was even colder, but the sun was out and I was again eager to continue the hunt. My oldest son was home from school, so I asked if he would like to help me search for the ring, and fortunately he did. So off we went. It took about another hour of digging each layer of snow, and then searching it to come up with the ring. It was sitting just hidden in a clump of snow. About the time I swung the metal detector over the ring, I heard the beep and there was the ring. I could not believe we found it. I thought for sure that I would have to just wait for the pile to melt before the ring would be found.
Now I wanted to surprise the husband with the ring and capture that on video, so I called his wife and told her that I had found the ring but wanted to surprise him. So I asked her if she could get him down to the search area to give me some more details about losing the ring, and she agreed.
When they arrived I asked him if he could tell me about what significance the ring was to him and to go over how he lost it again. Then I asked him to describe the ring and after he was done I pulled out the ring and asked if it looked like this one! He was very surprised and happy to get the ring back.
I was pretty happy to have found it for him with the help of my son. It was a great moment I will not soon forget.
They were very kind in giving me a nice reward, which was much appreciated. I do accept rewards as it helps me cover costs and keep my equipment up to date, but for me the true reward is the great smile and joy that I get to witness and be a part of.
Thanks guys for giving me a call and letting me be a part of your wedding ring story.
Coenraad Zielstra graduated from Vakschool for Goud en Zilversmeden with his gold and silversmithing diplomas in 1963. But Coenraad was much more than a metalsmith, he was an exceptional artist with his own gallery of rings pendants and jewelry items. His creativity and originality were exemplified by his use of antique metalsmithing tools he brought with him when he immigrated from Holland.
Entering his studio in Fairhaven Washington, one stepped into another time with his collection of 18th and 19th century mahogany tables, display cases and cabinets.
A row of rolling mills marked the beginning of his studio workspace.
Anvils, crucibles, molds, hammers, files, a large rolling mill are all antiques that function as well today as they did centuries ago.
His historic collection of metalsmithing tools would be remarkable for a museum, but they weren’t for show, they were used to create beautiful, wearable sculptures for the 45 years Coenraad has worked with them.
My First gig as a member of The Ring Finders started with a call from a man named Gama, who lost his wedding ring in some straw.
He was setting up a stage inside a large tent where a school play was to take place when his ring came off while spreading the straw around. Though he and his co-workers looked for it, it was the proverbial needle (ring) in a haystack.
I arrived at the school before Gama but was able to talk to one of his co-workers who knew the general area in which the ring was lost. After a few minutes and only one junk target I received a solid « gold ring » sound and found it just under the surface.
I headed back to my truck and waited for Gama to arrive, after a few minutes the co-worker saw me sitting in my truck and came over to see why. I showed him that I found the ring and he couldn’t believe I found it so quickly.
Phone calls were made which kinda ruined the surprised but a happy Gama was the result none the less.
