Christina McCree Tag | Page 3 of 5 | The Ring Finders

FOUND with Metal Detector…Lost Gold Wedding Band in the Coosa River Lincoln, Alabama!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

This turned out to be my first of two ring searches on May 9th, 2022.  This one was in Lincoln, AL for a 14K yellow gold wedding band and the second one was in Maysville, AL for a 14K white gold mother’s ring.  It’s about a 2 hour and 15-minute drive between the two locations.  I’m very happy to report that both rings were successfully found!  Ring search #1…

I received a call from Austin just before noon on Monday, May 9th, 2022.  Austin stated that he lost his 14K yellow gold wedding band the day prior (Mother’s Day) while walking to his boat in 2-4 feet of water in the Coosa River (part of Logan Martin Lake) in Lincoln, Alabama.  Austin told me that he’d been married less than a year and desperately wanted his ring back.  He also dropped his sunglasses in the water.  Austin spent about 2 hours searching for his sunglasses and wedding band.  He was able to find the sunglasses, but unfortunately, came up empty handed on the ring.  He went online for ways to recover it and came across a service he never knew existed…The Ring Finders!

I had the other ring search scheduled for when I got off work that day.  I thought I could leave immediately for Lincoln, AL and help Austin find his ring, then head to Maysville for the second ring search.  I put in a leave request at work and started gathering up my gear.  I arrived in Lincoln around 3pm and met Austin by the water.  I quickly changed into my wetsuit pants and grabbed my detecting gear.  Austin showed me where he was wading through the water, where his boat was parked, and where he found his sunglasses.  He said that he never saw or felt the ring come off his finger, but he noticed it was missing within 30 minutes after his boat ride.

I started a north/south grid search in the area Austin found his sunglasses at.  I then expanded my grid to where he walked towards the dock and then the other side by where his boat was parked.  Unfortunately, I only found some trash, fishing sinkers, and a nickel.  I then worked an east/west grid making sure I covered the entire area really well.  I asked Austin questions on whether he shook his hands, threw anything, etc.  Austin said no and that I had pretty much covered all the spots he was at.

I decided to continue searching towards the shoreline just in case Austin’s recollection was slightly off.  Within a few minutes I got a screaming signal in the gold range about 20 feet from the original search area.  I took one scoop and had a ring in my basket!  I told Austin that I got it.  He said, “NO WAY!!!”  With a big smile I replied, “there’s a yellow gold ring in my scoop!”  I picked it up and asked him if there was an inscription.  Austin quickly said, “all my love”.  This was it!  Austin couldn’t believe it, because he said he didn’t walk over that far.  I’ve had a couple of searches that turned out this way.  Just another great learning experience to remember– always keep expanding the grid!

I walked over to the dock where Austin was standing and handed him his wedding band.  He said that he thought he’d never see it again and this was the best thing ever!  I’m so happy that he has his ring back and it was honestly found at the last minute where it shouldn’t have been.  Thank you, God, for another successful recovery!  I’m so proud to be a member of Chris Turner’s online directory of metal detecting specialists, The Ring Finders!  Write-up of search #2 to follow…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Lost Tungsten Ring…FOUND by Member of The Ring Finders in McMinnville, Tennessee!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

I received a text message from Rachel on Thursday evening (April 7th, 2022) stating that her boyfriend, Tyler, lost his Tungsten Carbide promise ring in February while they were rock crawling on a trail in McMinnville, Tennessee.  McMinnville is about a 2-hour drive from me (Huntsville, Alabama).  I told Rachel that I would be more than happy to help, but I wouldn’t be able to make it out until Saturday or Sunday when I was off from work.  Sunday actually turned out to be a beautiful day, so we scheduled the search for Sunday morning.

I arrived at their home in McMinnville, TN on Sunday morning (April 10th, 2022) around 10am.  I transferred my gear over to Rachel’s vehicle.  We needed to go through some thick grass and over rocks in order to make it out to the spot that Tyler lost his ring at.  We headed out and arrived at the base of the trail about 15 minutes later.  We parked at the base, because we didn’t want to drive over the ring.  I grabbed my Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector from Rachel’s vehicle and we started making our way up the steep trail.  It was about a 10-minute walk up to the spot where Tyler thought he lost his ring.  The Tungsten ring was actually thrown during an argument.  This happens way more than people think.  People have disagreements and sometimes rings go flying.  It’s always important that I know exactly what happened in order for a successful ring recovery.

Both Rachel and Tyler said that they heard a ping, so we knew that the ring probably hit a rock.  We were just hoping that it didn’t take a weird bounce.  The main part of the trail was easy to search.  The right side was very steep, so I didn’t think that it bounced up that far.  The left side was rocky, and I planned to search that last if I didn’t find the ring in the main trail area.  Tyler showed me where he was standing when he threw the ring.  He threw it down the trail, so I started at the top section.  I marked that spot with a few cones and started my grid search heading down the trail.  I covered the trail a good ways down and only found junk metal and some vehicle parts.  I felt that I searched that area very well and started searching the left side where all the rocks were at.  I eventually made my way up to the top where my cones were, but I didn’t find Tyler’s ring.  I decided to head back down and search along the trail again to be sure.  I made it back down and confirmed that the ring was not there.  I was about 1.5 hours into my search, I told Rachel and Tyler that they may have been further down the trail when the ring was thrown or it just took a crazy bounce.  I could tell that their hope was fading, but Rachel said that she thought they were further down the trail when the ring was thrown.  That made sense, because different sections of the trail looked very similar.

I began searching that next area where Rachel thought they were.  About 30 minutes in, I received a good shallow signal on my Equinox.  I moved my coil to the side and saw the shape of a ring just barely covered!  I could see the gleam of the sun reflecting off of it.  Rachel was looking in my direction, I smiled and pointed down to the ground.  She asked, “you found it?”  I said “yes!”  Both Rachel and Tyler came over, and Tyler picked up the ring.  They were so excited!  Tyler almost couldn’t believe it, because it wasn’t where he thought it should’ve been.  We can only find what’s there to be found and being in the right spot is the only way for that to happen.

We celebrated for a few minutes, took some pictures, and were on our way to their house.  I’m so happy that they have their ring back.  I pray that this helps strengthen their relationship.  Thank you, Lord, for another successful ring recovery!  I’m always happy to help, proud to be a member of The Ring Finders, and looking forward to my next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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College Ring Lost While Fishing in Wheeler Lake…RECOVERED by Diver Decatur, Alabama!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

Just after 12:30pm on Monday (April 4th, 2022), I received a text message from Jonathan stating that he had lost his college ring two days prior while fishing from his boat in Wheeler Lake (part of the Tennessee River) near Decatur, Alabama.  Jonathan said that it was lost in 10-12 feet of water, and he had marked his waypoint on his boat’s sonar graph.  Jonathan asked if I thought his ring was recoverable.  I told him that there was a good chance since he marked his waypoint.  But if the visibility was bad, then it would make it harder, but not impossible and we could definitely give it a shot or two.

I quickly checked the weather and realized that the remainder of the week called for rain or cooler weather and the weekend was much worse (lows in the 30s, highs in the 50s).  That day was the only decent day for the rest of the week.  It was sunny and in the mid-70s.  It was pretty much go now or wait at least a week or two.  We decided to take advantage of our only good day.  We both took off from work for the remainder of the day.  Jonathan went to get his boat ready, and I started gathering up my dive gear.  It took me about 1.5 hours to get everything ready–topping off batteries and making sure I had all essential dive equipment, including my colder weather 7mm Henderson Greenprene wetsuit, hood, gloves, and boots.  I don’t own tanks just yet, so I opted to take my new Blu3 Nomad Diving System (floating surface supplied air system), because a trip to my dive shop would’ve added at least an additional hour.  I’ve already used my Blu3 Nemo on numerous occasions, so I felt comfortable using the bigger Nomad.

It was about 3:45pm by the time I met Jonathan at the boat launch ramp at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur, Alabama.  We chatted for a few minutes about the loss.  Jonathan explained that he was very dehydrated the day he lost his ring.  He was standing on the starboard side of his boat when the college ring he bought back in 2015 to commemorate him earning his master’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) slid right off his finger and into the water.  Jonathan felt helpless as he watched his ring sink to the bottom of the lake.  He immediately marked the waypoint on his boat’s sonar graph.  This would later turn out to be our saving grace.  Jonathan initially thought that he would be okay with the loss of his ring, but it really hit him hard on the drive home.  He knew he needed it back!  Trying to figure out how to recover it led him to a Google search and, ultimately, discovery of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service website.

Jonathan helped me load up my dive gear onto his speed boat and we were on our way!  It only took about 5 minutes to arrive on location of Jonathan’s waypoint he titled “MY RING OFF STARBOARD” (picture below).  Jonathan dropped his anchor and I started setting up my dive gear.  Shortly after, I was in the water using my Blu3 Nomad Dive System and Minelab Excalibur metal detector.  The water temperature was about 55 degrees, but I felt very comfortable in my 7mm wetsuit, dive hood, and dive gloves.  I decided to use a circular grid system due to the open area location of loss.  I made my descent and attached my grid line.  Visibility was better than I thought, but not the greatest.  I could see about a foot in front of my face and would lose some visibility once the bottom started stirring up.  I started my circular grid rotation.  I checked 2 targets, but could not recover the items.  I assumed that they were too deep and could not be Jonathan’s ring.  The third target had a good ring to it (pun intended lol).  I started feeling with my gloved hand and felt like I had the target in my grasp.  I thought it might be a clam shell, because I had already found a few of those on the first two signals.  But I soon realized that it wasn’t a clam shell.  I started feeling the shape of a ring!  I brought it closer to my face mask and saw that beautiful glimmer of gold and gleam of the emerald stone!  Wow, what an incredible moment!!!  I was almost in shock!  I shook the muck off the ring and studied it for a minute.  I immediately thanked the Lord for what seemed like the miraculous recovery in the middle of a massive lake!

I put the ring over my gloved ring finger.  It felt snug, so I felt comfortable keeping it there until I was topside.  I turned off my detector and made my ascent.  Jonathan took my metal detector and I swam over to the ladder.  I said, “hey Jonathan, BAM!!!” and held out my clenched fist with his ring.  He went nuts with excitement!  My favorite part of every ring recovery!  I took Jonathan’s sentimental UIW college ring off my finger and handed it over to him.  He said that he couldn’t believe it!  He helped me onboard, and we celebrated!  We took a moment to reflect on how this ring was recovered.  Something so small, in such a large lake, found 2 days later by a waypoint grid (which I’ve been told that waypoints can be off by about 20 feet or so).  But this one was spot on!  I was only about 5-7 feet from my downline.  I was also only underwater for 17 minutes according to my Shearwater Peregrine Dive Computer.  I believe in my heart that this ring was found by divine intervention.  God is so good, and He deserves all the glory!  It was such a beautiful day, and the dive recovery went as smoothly as I hoped and prayed for.

I packed up my dive gear while Jonathan got a few casts in.  His ring was lost while practicing for an upcoming bass fishing tournament being held on Saturday (April 9th, 2022).  I wish him all the best in the fishing tournament!

We set out on the water that day to the “X” on Jonathan’s map and we found gold, baby!!!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Men’s Family Heirloom Wedding Band…FOUND with Metal Detector in Mount Olive, Alabama!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

Just before lunchtime on Saturday (March 19th, 2022), I received a call from Daniel stating that he had lost his white gold wedding band two days prior while laying hay and seed in his front and back yard.  He normally wears a silicone wedding band, but he let his daughter play with it and it came up missing.  The ring that was lost while doing the yardwork was actually passed down from his great grandfather and had been in the family for more than 80 years!  Daniel was disappointed about losing the wedding band and really wanted it back, so that it could continue on in his family.  Daniel had tried looking with an older Garrett metal detector, but realized that it couldn’t detect white gold when he scanned his wife’s wedding ring.

When I received Daniel’s call, I was about to have a quick bite to eat and go metal detecting with a friend.  I’m always happy to help someone look for a lost item and prefer that over a hobby hunt any day!  I made a quick change of plans.  I ate, grabbed some extra gear I might need for the search, and was on my way to Mount Olive, Alabama!

I met Daniel and he showed me the area in the front yard where he was laying the hay and seed.  I started searching the hay area with my Minelab Equinox 800.  The first two targets I checked ended up being trash or too deep.  The next signal I had was lower on the ID scale, but came in shallow and had a solid target tone.  I bent down to check it, scraped away some of the hay, and spotted a ring!  Daniel hadn’t noticed, because he was nervously pacing.  I said, “hey Daniel, I think we got it!”  He came over and said, “that’s it!”  Pure happiness, relief, and the moment every Ring Finder loves!

Daniel called his mom, Paula, to tell her the good news.  She arrived shortly after and gave me a big hug and thank you!  Paula told me that she knew about The Ring Finders, because she had actually witnessed Ring Finder, Allen Zenker, recover a ring from the ocean in Sanibel Island, Florida.  So, when Daniel called her and said that he had lost his ring, she knew exactly where to turn!

I praise God for another successful ring recovery!  I’m so happy that this heirloom wedding band gets to remain in the family and continue on its story.  Proud to be a member of The Ring Finders, and looking forward to the next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Women’s Lost Gold Ring…FOUND by Ring Finder in Muscle Shoals, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On Tuesday (February, 22nd, 2022), I received a text message from Amy stating that she had lost a very important family ring on her farm in Muscle Shoals, AL.  Amy had been filling a tractor with diesel fuel.  She got some of the fuel on her hand and it caused her ring to slide around.  She took her ring off and put it in her pocket.  Amy then used the tractor to move some dirt and debris around from point A to point B and C.  After she finished the yard work, her ring was no longer in her pocket.

Amy mentioned that she had actually lost her ring around the beginning of December.  She thoroughly searched the area she was working and even bought a metal detector, but was unable to find her ring.  After a couple of months had passed, Amy thought that she might never see her ring again, but she then she came across The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service!  Amy was reading a book that told a story of how a ring was lost during a wedding ceremony.  Someone mentioned that they should call a “Ring Finder”.  This prompted Amy to go on Google and was soon led to The Ring Finders website and discovered that I was listed nearby.  We scheduled a search for Sunday, February 27th, when we were both off from our regular day jobs.

I met Amy at her farm in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, early on Sunday morning.  Amy proceeded to show me where she was working and exactly what she was doing at each location.  I told Amy that she could go inside and warm up while I conducted my grid search of the area.  It had been raining almost nonstop for the past week.  Thankfully, the rain held up long enough for me to conduct a search.

I started my grid search with my Minelab Equinox 800 in front of the shed where Amy had been refueling her tractor.  Just a few minutes in and I received a solid tone in the women’s gold range.  As I moved my coil to the side, my eyes locked onto the gleam of a ring just barely sticking out from the grass.  What a beautiful sight!  I didn’t move the ring, because I wanted to show Amy just how easily rings hide.  Our eyes play tricks on us and it’s almost impossible to find a ring with just eyesight alone.  I snapped a few pictures and went to knock on the door and tell Amy the good news.

Amy couldn’t believe how fast I found the ring!  I took her to the spot and gave her the honor of picking up her gorgeous 10k gold ring from where it’s been hiding these past few months.  Amy was so happy and thankful that she had her ring back!  She gave me a big hug and I could feel the stress melt away.  These returns are really one of the best feelings in the world and one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done!  I thank God for another successful ring recovery!

After the search, Amy and I were chatting for a while.  She told me that she enjoyed reading my blog posts about my prior recoveries.  Amy then said that she really hoped that her story would turn out the same way…a happy ending.  Well, it sure did!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Men’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost in the Driveway…FOUND Bessemer, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
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On Tuesday afternoon (January 18th, 2022), I was driving on I-65 north traveling home to Huntsville, Alabama.  I had just finished a nice long weekend getaway at Panama City Beach, Florida.  I was visiting my parents at a condo they were renting and went metal detecting with my dad.

I was towards the end of my 6-hour trip back and had just passed the Birmingham area when I received a text message from Daniel.  I had my car read the message and discovered that Daniel had lost his Tungsten wedding band somewhere in his gravel driveway in Bessemer, AL.  Perfect timing!  I was literally 40 minutes from his location and had all of my metal detecting gear in my car.  Had I been in Huntsville, it would’ve added an extra hour to my travel time.  I immediately called Daniel, told him where I was, and asked if I could reroute to his location.  He said absolutely!  I got off at the next exit, back on I-65 (but now in the southbound lane), and was on my way to Bessemer!

I met Daniel at the end of his driveway.  I didn’t want to pull in too far depending on where he lost his wedding band.  Daniel had been working outside all morning.  He explained that his driveway floods a lot and he was adding gravel to stop some of the flow until a permanent fix could be put in.  He also cut up a tree.  He wore gloves the entire time and knew he had his ring on, because he felt it vibrating on his finger when he was running the chainsaw.  After finishing up that work, he took off his gloves while sitting in his truck.  He got out and soon after noticed that his wedding band was missing.  Daniel also mentioned that he recently lost a lot of weight, and the ring was fitting very loose.  Plus, it was cold outside and his hands were wet, so perfect scenario for a ring to slid off.

I started searching where Daniel was laying the gravel in his driveway.  I found a penny and some junk metal.  There were a couple of iffy signals in about 6-12 inches of water.  If necessary, I was going to come back at the very end of the search and check those targets with my sand scoop.  I moved to the next location where Daniel was cutting up the tree.  No ring.  I then asked to search Daniel’s gloves and truck, because taking off the gloves would’ve been the most likely time that his ring would’ve come off.  Still no ring.

I asked Daniel where he was parked when he took his gloves off and got out of his truck.  I thought his wedding band might have landed in his lap and then rolled onto the ground when he got out.  I started searching that area.  I checked one signal with my pinpointer, but the target was beneath the surface.  As I was standing up, I caught a glimpse of his silver Tungsten ring just a few inches away!  I think I uncovered it when I swung my coil and knocked away some wet grass and leaves.  I told Daniel that I had just spotted it.  He caught a glimpse as well and was overcome with joy and relief!  He was also very thankful for my assistance and quick response time.  I have to say that these recoveries never get old, and they are the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done!

Daniel showed me a video of how bad his driveway floods.  Based on that video, his ring could’ve easily washed away if it wasn’t found that day, making for an extremely difficult recovery.  But I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  God is so good!  I thank and praise Him for another successful ring recovery and safe trip home!  I’m always happy to help and very blessed to be a member of The Ring Finders!  Looking forward to the next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Men’s Gold Pinky Ring Lost in the Front Yard…FOUND Harvest, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for North Alabama and surrounding areas…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On Sunday afternoon (December 5th, 2021), I received a call from a distraught Kathy regarding her son, Cain’s, lost gold ring.  The 14K yellow gold pinky ring was a cherished, early Christmas gift for Cain.  He was only wearing it for about 3-4 hours before it was lost.  Cain had stepped outside into the front yard and saw the ring on his finger.  It was loose fitting, so he thought that he should take it off until it could be resized.  Cain forgot about it and tossed 2 items in the yard, went inside the house, came back outside, and noticed that the ring was gone!  The family went out and bought a metal detector, but was unable to find the ring.  They came across The Ring Finders website while searching online for a detector.  They decided that contacting a Ring Finder would be their best option to find Cain’s missing gold ring.

This was actually my closest ring search.  They literally live less than 10 minutes from me.  I was onsite within 30 minutes from my call with Kathy.  I met with Cain, and he showed me the area he was standing and the motion he used to throw the 2 items.  The first toss was underhand, towards the street.  The second toss was sideways at Cain’s right side.  He was wearing the ring on his right pinky finger.  Cain didn’t see or feel the ring come off, but he thought it would’ve fallen off on the first toss towards the street.

I started my grid search in the direction of Cain’s first toss.  I then searched the direction of Cain’s second toss.  Next, I expanded my search across the street in the neighbor’s yard.  Then I searched the left side of the yard.  I was coming up empty handed and was very perplexed.  I had expanded my grid search 360 degrees and didn’t find Cain’s ring.  I even searched the yard a second time using a cross-grid just to be sure.  I was discussing all the possibilities with Cain and asking more questions to see if he had any other ideas of where his ring could have ended up.  Cain mentioned a signal he had on the metal detector he bought, but was never able to find out what it was.  It was over near a cane palm tree.  We went over and checked it out, but it turned out to be a false signal.

I then remembered the way Cain reenacted the second toss.  It was to his right side, but there was a slight chance that his ring went behind him and to the corner.  I did check the grass by the house in that direction, but I didn’t check the flower bed/shrub area.  It seemed very unlikely that his ring went that far and in that direction, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know that rings sometimes end up where they shouldn’t be.  I went over and started searching the flower bed.  Sure enough, I get a shallow gold tone.  I bend down to check the signal and there’s Cain’s gold ring!  It was lying next to a hose, just slightly covered up.  Cain was behind me and didn’t realize that I found his ring.  I called him over in a normal voice and asked, “hey, what’s this?”  Cain looks down to investigate and quickly realized that it was his ring!  Such a joyful moment and the exact reason why I do this!

I give so much praise and glory to God for this ring recovery!  This search had the potential to be a no find.  I’m so thankful that we searched that last possibility, even though his ring shouldn’t have been there.  It must’ve taken the perfect path or bounce through the shrub to land at that spot.  Another great reminder to check every spot possible no matter the odds.

I’m so happy that Cain has his treasured gold pinky ring back!  I’m very blessed to be a member of The Ring Finders!  I await my next mission…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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FOUND…Men’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost While Throwing Acorns Houston, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for North Alabama and surrounding areas…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On Sunday afternoon (November 21st, 2021), I received a call from Drew regarding his lost Tungsten wedding band.  Drew had just gotten married 8 days prior and was on his honeymoon at a lake house in Houston, Alabama.  Not used to wearing a ring, Drew was fidgeting with the wedding band and moved it over to his pinky finger.  He was throwing some acorns when the ring flew off his finger into the leaves next to the walkway leading down to the lake.  Drew spent a good amount of time looking through the leaves, but was unable to locate his ring.  Realizing that he would need a metal detector to find it, he went online to rent or buy one.  That’s when Drew came across The Ring Finders, a metal detecting service that he didn’t know existed.

When I received Drew’s call, I was actually in the process of wrapping up a metal detecting hunt I was on with some friends.  I had a quick bite to eat and was on my way for the 1.5-hour trip out to Smith Lake in Houston, AL.  I met with Drew and his wife, Sidney, at the lake house.  They took me down to the area where Drew was tossing the acorns.  The walkway was fairly steep, so we were hoping that the ring didn’t land further down the hill or in the water.

I began my search with my Minelab Equinox 800 at the spot they thought his ring had landed.  Within a matter of minutes, I had located Drew’s missing Tungsten wedding band!  It was a quick search to find his ring; however, it was nearly impossible to locate it without the help of a metal detector.  I was wearing black detecting gloves and we couldn’t see the black colored ring in my hand when I first picked it up with some leaves.

Drew and Sidney were actually leaving the lake house the following day heading home to Columbus, Mississippi.  If Drew’s wedding band wasn’t found that Sunday when he called me, then he’d have to make a trip back out to find it.  Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary.  I give thanks to the Lord for another safe trip and successful ring recovery!  I look forward to the next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Lost Men’s Wedding Band…Found near Mud Pit at Willowbrook Baptist Church Huntsville, AL

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for North Alabama and surrounding areas…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

I received a text message on Wednesday morning (September 15, 2021) from Justin stating that he had lost his wedding band and wanted to know more about the metal detecting service we provide.  I asked if Justin could please give me a call to discuss.  I talked on the phone with Justin and his wife, Mandy, telling them how the process works.  Justin is a youth Minister at the Willowbrook Baptist Church here in Huntsville, Alabama.  The church holds a youth event a few times a year called the “Legends of the Pit.”  There’s a grassy water retention area outside the back of the church.  They hose that spot with a lot of water, then they have some muddy and messy games in the pit.  It’s a really nice way for them to let loose, have some fun, and share the gospel with the community.  Willowbrook and a few other churches have been holding this event for about 20 years now.  I told Justin and Mandy that I’d be more than happy to help look for Justin’s ring.

I left for Willowbrook right after I got off from work that same day.  I met with Justin, and he showed me exactly where he was standing in the pit area.  There was one main spot where he was tossing props into the pit throughout one of the Legends of the Pit events this past Sunday.  Justin was wet and muddy, so we thought that was the most likely spot his wedding band would be at.  Justin also told me that his ring fits him a little loose and it’s fallen off before, but he’s always been able to find it.  He normally takes the ring off for this event, but the day was hectic, and he forgot this time.

I started a north/south grid search by where Justin was standing at during the event.  I worked my way over to the main pit area and then to the side where Mandy was sitting at watching the event.  Justin told me that his ring is white gold, so I was only checking signals in the men’s gold range.  I ended up finding 2 other rings, both marked 925 (sterling silver).  I also found a sharp ended tent stake, which I was happy to remove from the pit to prevent any potential injuries.

I cleared the spot Justin was standing at and the main mud pit area.  After about an hour into my search, I was working my grid by where Justin went to see Mandy at in the corner.  I received a nice and shallow 10 on my Minelab Equinox 800.  I bent down to check it with my Garrett Pro-Pointer AT.  I could just barely see it with my eyes, but I could make out the shiny rim of a ring covered up by the grass (photo included below).  It was a men’s 14K white gold wedding ring and based on the size and inscription on the inside (ECC 4:12), I knew this had to be Justin’s wedding band!  I took some close-up photos of the ring and gave Justin a call.  He didn’t answer, but a church member saw me coming up to the door and greeted me.  She told me that Justin was inside with his youth group.  Mostly everyone knew that Justin had lost his ring, so she asked if I had found it.  I said yes and showed her.  She was so excited!  I told her that I was going to surprise Justin by doing a fake out with one of the 925 rings I had found during the search.  This 925 marked ring was a simple silver band and was a very small size, so it definitely couldn’t be his ring.

The lady took me inside the church.  Justin came out of the auditorium and met me in the hallway.  I told him a found a ring and he got excited.  I opened my hand with the 925 ring sitting there and asked if this was his wedding band.  Justin still had a smile on his face, but he said no, unfortunately, it wasn’t his ring.  I then pulled out his real wedding band and said, “hey, I also found this ring.”  Wow!!!  Such joy, happiness, and relief on his face and in his voice.  He gave me a big thank you and hug.  It was a great surprise reveal!  His wife, Mandy had just walked out of the auditorium and Justin told her the good news.  Mandy came over and gave me a big hug and thank you as well.  I then learned that when Justin went to see Mandy during the Legends of the Pit event, he had reached in his pocket and pulled something out.  Having a loose-fitting ring and wet hands definitely would’ve caused the wedding band to easily slip off.

Justin then took me in the auditorium and on stage in front of his youth group.  He introduced me as Christina McCree, a member of The Ring Finders.  Justin then held up his wedding band (symbolizing his marriage of 19 years and counting) and said that Christina found it!  Loud applause and cheering erupted from the youth group.  I said thank you all so much, but I give all glory to God.  The cheering got louder.  It was really such an amazing experience, and all in the house of the Lord.  I’m truly blessed!  Huge thank you to Willowbrook Baptist Church for allowing me to come out and conduct a search.

I really enjoyed meeting Justin, Mandy, and the Willowbrook Baptist Church family.  I’m so happy that I could help and thank God for another successful recovery!  Proud to be a member of The Ring Finders!

The first photo below is a picture I took of the mud pit area after my search.  I circled the area where Justin was standing at and put an X where I found his ring.

 If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Missing…Men’s White and Yellow Gold Wedding Band…Found in Lake Tuscaloosa, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for North Alabama and surrounding areas…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

I received a phone call from Devin on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 stating that he lost his white and yellow gold wedding band the day prior.  He had taken the ring off and put it in the pocket of his swim trunks while applying sunscreen.  Devin forgot about it and went swimming in Lake Tuscaloosa with his kids.  He didn’t remember that the ring was in his pocket until after he was back in the lake house.  Unfortunately, the wedding band was no longer in the pocket.  Devin searched in the house and his path from the lake, but no ring.  My next day off from work was on Saturday, so we arranged for a search that day.  Lake Tuscaloosa is about a 2.5 hour drive one-way from me, but I definitely don’t mind traveling to help someone find their lost item.

On a very warm and beautiful September Saturday morning, my husband (Lindell), our nephew (Sean), and I headed on our way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the ring search.  We arrived just before noon and met up with Devin and his wife, Sarah.  I had Devin and Sarah show us exactly where Devin was in the lake and how far out he went.  Devin thought that the area he was in ranged from about 3-6 feet deep and was a fairly large area.  The water actually stayed shallow for a long way out.  Devin said that there was a sandbar feature where he went upside down under the water playing around trying to scare his kids.  We thought that this was the most likely spot that the wedding band fell out of his pocket.  I began my grid search there.

I had my Blu3 Nemo dive system and Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector with the 15 inch coil.  I made it out to the sandbar feature and began grid searching, slowly working my way in towards the shoreline.  It was only about 3-4 feet deep there.  Thankfully, there weren’t a lot of signals out there.  On about my fourth gridline, I received a shallow and loud 14 on the Nox.  I knew that this was more than likely Devin’s ring.  Diving down with the Nemo, I fanned away some sand and caught a glimpse of a ring.  There it was—Devin’s missing white and yellow gold wedding band!!!  What an amazing sight!

I surfaced and immediately yelled out the good news.  As I was making my way back to the shoreline, everyone began coming down from the lake house for the big reveal.  I presented Devin’s missing wedding band to Devin and Sarah.  Such joy, happiness, and relief!  It’s really such a blessing being able to help others.

A couple of important notes.  Devin and his family are actually from Louisiana.  They were staying at this lake house for safety while Hurricane Ida was making landfall near their home in Louisiana.  Devin and Sarah will be celebrating their 8-year wedding anniversary next month.  Their wedding rings were custom made with yellow gold from Sarah’s parent’s rings.  Their rings have an intertwined design on the outside of the band to symbolize how Devin and Sarah met.  Sentimental and irreplaceable!  I’m so happy that this wedding band will be going back with Devin and Sarah to Louisiana instead of being lost forever.  Its story now gets to continue on…

I give all glory to God and thank Him for another successful ring recovery.  I pray that I can continue helping others for many years to come.  Proud to be a member of The Ring Finders!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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