150th Ring Return on Cape Cod – Found on Chatham Lighthouse Beach
June 2, 2023
Emmie was enjoying her second day vacationing on beautiful Cape Cod. The sun was bright, the wind was light, and the temperature just right for a perfect day on the beach. Wanting to keep her wedding band clean and safe while she applied sunscreen protection she removed the ring and placed it in her pant’s pocket. She removed the pants and placed them into the safety of a beach wagon while she sun bathed. When it came time to put the pants back on…the ring was not in the secure pocket or wagon.
A call to J&E Enterprise to rent a detector was placed. Eleanor of J&E advised Emmie it would be better to have an experienced detectorist do the search and gave Emmie my phone number. Within the hour I was on the beach and in a search mode. I detected the area parallel to the water and then perpendicular with not a signal from the ring. I then searched in a diagonal pattern. Again, no signal. Another diagonal perpendicular to the first was about 50% complete when I heard an iffy signal. A signal, the result caused by a beach chair in close proximity to another signal. I reduced my detector’s sensitivity and interpreted its visual display as a target of interest and decided to take a scoop. From under a piece of seaweed a brilliant glimmer could be seen as a ring of diamonds slipped into the scoop.
That was the end to my searching and the beginning of the ring return. I kept the ring in the scoop as I love to see the emotions of the owner as they remove it and place it back on the finger where it belongs. Emmie had gone to the car and was on her way back. That gave her “friends” and husband time to conjure up a plan for the return. I would be handing out cards to those around, all except one for Emmie. I had a special Thank You card for her. This return was a special moment for both of us. For Emmie as she was to be reunited with her wedding band of two years and for me because it was my 150th return since joining TheRingFinders in 2011. Emmie’s card had a Thank You note on the reverse side and a Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) token made by another metal detectorist, Jim Wirth. A more perfect return I could not have hoped for on my 150th return.
Many photos were taken, thanks were given and received. Of course a few stories of past returns kept everyone’s concepts of metal detecting intriguing. Everyone could now leave the beach in a joyful spirit. The beach goers headed off to a lobster feast and I to a peaceful ride home. I took the time to reminisce over the past 12 years of putting smiles on the face of so many and how fortunate I am to have done so. What a perfect way to live in vacation land and enjoy retirement. Thanks to all those who have trusted in me. Yes, it really has been my pleasure to help when one needed my expertise the most. Again; Thank You all.
Got a late night text from Liliette asking for help in finding her lost engagement ring. I texted her back in the morning and told her to call me when i went on break at work. When she called i told her if she could meet me right away i could drive to Sea Bright and give it an hour and half to try to find her ring. She lives 45 minutes from the beach and said she’d leave ASAP. Mean time I asked for a screen shop of beach and to mark the area she lost the ring. I got to the beach and started to hunt the area but no luck. She arrived with her Fiance and I showed them where I worked and they said I was in the right area. Seem they were there the day before with their dog enjoying the day. The dog at one time desided to run and jerked the leash out of her hand and her ring came off as well and landed in the soft sand and disappeared. They tried to look themselves but had no luck. Then after thinking about it her fiance remember her saying she didnt hope it was going to get washed out with the tide. Where I had already searched was alittle higher up on the beach and I had about a 20 foot wide area from there to the water I didn’t search. I started searching that area and sure enough just at the high tide mark from last nights high tide I found her ring. She couldn’t of been more excited that I found it. Today was their 1 year anniversary of getting engaged. A great Happy Ending. 
Got an early morning text from Jackie this morning asking for help with in finding her wedding and anniversary ring sets she lost at the beach yesterday in Long Branch. Wanting to enjoy the summer weather we’ve been having, she decided to take the family to enjoy the day at the beach. She took off her rings for safety and placed them in the side pocket of her beach bag. During the course of the day with going in and out of the bag the rings fell out and she didn’t realize it till she went to get them while back at the car. They were gone. She went back down to try and look but had no luck. She told the park ranger to report it in case someone finds them. Living up north she couldn’t come right away to show me where she was but sent a few pictures she took of her son playing and gave me a good idea as to where she was sitting. I loaded up my car and headed right down to the beach and started to search. I wasn’t having much luck and remember she told me there was a flat area by the water she was at. I noticed what was left of that area because it got washed out that night with high tide. I started to search there in the wet sand and within a few passes back and forth I found the first ring and then the rest of them. Luckily the rings didn’t get washed out. I texted her the good news and she couldn’t believe I found them. She was so grateful and relieved, the main wedding ring was handed down through the family and couldn’t be replaced. We made arrangements to meet up that afternoon to reunite her with her beloved rings. A happy ending for everyone. 
