The Ring Finders Blog | Page 27 of 981

Before noon, I received a message from Jason on Facebook. He was in a bit of a panic, asking if I could help find a lost ring. I asked him to give me a call so we could talk through the details. During the conversation, Jason explained that his fiancée’s engagement ring had somehow ended up outside the back door of their house, ricocheted off a post, and vanished into the unknown.

On my way over, I said a prayer, asking God to guide me in finding the ring. When I arrived, Jason was busy removing boards from the back porch floor in search of any clues. I pulled out my Minelab Manticore metal detector and got to work. The yard was a beautiful, lush garden, with patches of grass scattered among palms, aloe, and other greenery. In addition to the plants, there were also numerous potted plants, a well, and a gravel driveway—all potential hiding spots for the lost ring.

I began scanning the grassy areas along what seemed like the most likely flight path of the ring. I found a few targets, but nothing resembling a ring. With each fruitless sweep, I became more determined. I prayed continuously, asking for guidance, and hoping to find the ring. After about two hours of searching, I decided to move outside of the original flight path and check possible ricochet routes.

While scanning the grassy area on the north side of the house, I suddenly got a strong hit on the detector. I dropped to my knees and scanned the grass carefully. There, shining through the blades of green, was the ring.

Hiding the ring in my left hand, I walked back to Jason. I shook his hand and said, “I think I’ve done all I can.” He looked at me with understanding. Then, without a word, I placed the ring gently on the top of his hand. Jason’s face lit up with a huge smile, and he immediately called his fiancée, Morgan. Kneeling, he asked, “Will you marry me…again?” Morgan leapt into his arms, and the yard was filled with joy and laughter. It was a moment of pure happiness, made even more special by the ring’s safe return.

I was contacted by Nick, who had lost his tantalum wedding ring while playing with the dog. He was in the backyard and gave the dog toy a toss; when he let go of the toy, his ring flew off and cleared the fence. Although every situation is unique, I had run into this scenario before, so I’m thinking « No problem! I’ll get the ring back in no time! » Nick had said on the phone that there were some briers and I again thought « No problem! » I got to Nick’s house and he pulled up a video from his house camera that showed him losing the ring. With the whole thing on video, I’m again thinking « No problem! » The area that Nick showed me (where he thought the ring had gone) was about 60′ x 60′.

I searched for maybe 30 minutes and gained a whole new appreciation for briers. I promised to return with thicker clothing, a machete, and a friend. Between my two visits, Nick and his wife had cleared a portion of the briers, so when my friend John and I got there, we alternated searching for the ring and hacking/clearing/hauling remaining briers. By the time we finished, probably 40′ x 40′ had been cleared enough for us to use our detectors, but no ring.

In a last-ditch effort, I searched an area that was far to the left of where Nick thought the ring might have gone. After several beer and soda cans, I managed to turn up the ring for him. As I’ve come to understand, it’s not just « A » ring, it’s « THE » ring. In this case THE ring decided to hide in the briers but is now back where it belongs!

The first photo shows the general area where the ring was. The second shows the ring after I pulled it out of the mud in which it was sitting. The third photo is a very happy Nick!