#how do I find a lost gold ring in grass Tag | Page 2 of 3 | The Ring Finders

Titanium Wedding Ring Lost In The Drakes Island, Wells Beach Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a text message on Tuesday morning, August 5th. This is the message

“Good morning,
I lost my wedding band last night at Drake’s Island Beach in Wells, Maine around 6pm. The tide was coming in and I was in the water when it came off. The area probably won’t be searchable until after lunchtime. Please let me know if you think you can help.
Thank you,
Colby *******”
I immediately replied
“Hi Colby, So sorry to hear this. Would you be able to show me the area you lost it in?”
Colby replied
“Yes what time could we meet? Low tide is around 3pm.”
I replied
“Looking at the tide chart, 6:00pm, last night was approximately 2 hours before high tide. Today’s low tide is at 2:49pm. If I get there at 12:00noon, that would be 3 hours after this morning’s high tide and the tide will still be going out for another 3 hours. Depending how far out in the water you were, the ring may be recovered, just under the wet sand.”
Colby then told me he was approximately 75-100 feet, from the jetty. He was in the water throwing a football around with his son, when he felt the ring come off his finger and plop right into the water, just in front of him. Colby said the waves were of a good size and stirring up the sand, making it impossible to visually search for his wedding ring, of 19 years. Colby said he was just heartbroken that the ring was gone.
After a restless night, he was talking with his wife when he remembered about me, finding rings, for people. He told me he has been following my adventures for the last few years but his wife hadn’t heard of me and was a little skeptical, so to speak. This is when Colby reached out to me. We made plans to meet, in the parking lot, on Drakes Island, Maine at 12:00pm. I then looked at the webcam, from the beach across the river, from Drakes Island Jetty, in Wells Beach. I didn’t like what I saw because the waves still looking big and rough. The ring may have been moved by the large waves, at the time it was lost and before it came to rest, under the sand. Thinking about this I decided that I should bring Gary Hill, in on the search. The area just expanded and this would require help, getting as much area searched as possible, before low tide. I called Gary and he didn’t answer. Approximately 15 minutes later, Gary called me back and he was just leaving the Dentist office and would love to help me search.
So at 11:15am, Cheryl, myself and Gary headed to Drake’s Island, in Wells Beach, Maine. We arrived just before 12:00pm and pulled into the parking lot. As luck would have it, we parked right next to Colby’s truck. We then all walked down to the beach and Colby showed us the area he and his son had been throwing the football. We decided the area to be searched would be from the lifeguard stand, to the jetty. We then determined the halfway point between the two, dug a hole at the halfway point and decided that Gary would search from the halfway point to the Jetty and I would grid search from the halfway point to the lifeguard stand. We also started higher up on the beach, than Colby had been, because we just didn’t know if the heavy surf had pushed the wedding ring up towards the shore. As Gary and I searched, we were finding very few targets and the targets we were getting, were just small bits of aluminum and pull tabs. As we made our way down the sloped beach, towards the water, I couldn’t help but think that the wedding ring couldn’t be this far down the beach, near the water. Colby had lost the ring just 2 hours before high tide and it was now 1:30pm and we were just about an hour away from low tide. From where Colby thought he was, to where we now were was 100’ down the beach, closer to the water. Could the waves, with the help of the beach being sloped down towards the water, move the ring that much? Or had Colby misidentified how far down on the beach he had been. I called Gary and Colby over and we decided that I was searching to far to the north and that we would now have Gary start searching closer to the jetty and I would stay along the water, by shifting my search to the south, by about 50-60 feet. We only had an hour left before low tide and I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that the ring hadn’t been found by now. Continuing the search, with the new parameters, nothing was being found other than the trash, we had been finding. Gary was making his way up the beach, along the jetty and I had now caught the water line. Waves were now rushing up and over my feet and coil. There was no way the ring was down this far and I decided to just do another grid line, or two, along the water and then start searching closer to the jetty also. It was now 2:10pm, with only another 40 minutes, before low tide. As I was making my way south, towards the jetty, I received a solid mid sounding tone, registering a 38 on the VDI screen. My depth reading was from 0 to 2 inches deep. I sized up the spot and dug a hole, throwing the scoop of sand, onto the hard packed wet sand. I then ran my coil over the hole and the target was no longer there. I ran the coil over the pile of sand and the target was in the pile of sand. When I looked down at the pile of sand, I could see the roundness, of a ring. I had found Colby’s wedding ring. Colby had gone back up to the parking lot, for a moment, so I called him and told him I think I had found his ring, unless someone else had lost a similar ring, in the same area. I was going to leave the ring untouched, until Colby got here, so he could have the honor of removing the ring, from the pile of sand. Colby arrived just a few minutes later and I told him to get the ring and see if it was his. Colby reached down, removed the ring and said “That’s it”. I then congratulated Colby and he thanked us. Colby then put his wedding ring on and said, “Back where it belongs”. Colby then gave us all hugs and thanked us each, individually, for helping to find his ring. He then took a photo of the ring on his finger and sent it to his wife. We were all smiling at this point and just so happy to have been able to find Colby’s wedding ring. As Colby told us, he just didn’t feel right, without his wedding ring of 19 years. It wasn’t the monetary value of the ring, it was what the ring meant to him. His marriage of 19 years, to his wife, his children, everything about his ring, related back to his family. That is the story for most people who’ve lost a wedding ring. It’s a memory of all the good things, in your family life. Now Mike’s ring has a new chapter, to his rings story. Gary, Cheryl and myself got another hug from Colby as we were preparing to leave and Colby gave us another heartfelt thank you to us once again. He was smiling ear to ear as we all drove off. What a great feeling for us to be able to help people like Colby. 😀❤️🙏

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost In Thick Vegetation After Being Stung By Wasps, In Windham Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Monday evening, July 21st, I received the following voicemail

“Hi, My name is Brooke T******* and I live in the Town of Windham, Maine. My husband and I, um, he was mowing the lawn, the other day and was stung by a couple of hornets and he was swatting around and his wedding ring flew off, in our yard or maybe the woods nearby. We’ve been searching and haven’t been able to find it, um, I came out to try and help him and I also got stung by four and one was in the eye. It’s been quite a few interesting days. We did get a friend’s metal detector but we still haven’t been able to find it. We’ve heard good things about you guys and thought we’d just call and see if you might be able to help, as well. If you get this message and wouldn’t mind calling, at some point. My number is 508-***-****. Thank you so much, bye, bye.”
I called her back as soon as I heard the voicemail. Brooke explained that 4 days earlier, on Thursday July 17th, her husband, Mike, had been mowing the lawn, when he unknowingly ran over an underground hornets nest. The hornets came flying out, of the underground hole and started attacking him. As Mike was running, trying to get away, he was swatting the bees off and flinging his arms around, trying to keep the hornets away. Mike was stung multiple times and when Brooke went out to help him, she was also attacked and stung multiple times, including a sting, right next to her eye. The eye area immediately started swelling and she needed immediate medical attention, at a local quick care facility. Mike woke up the next morning and his arm was extremely swollen and also needed medical attention. Both Brooke and Mike were put on medication, to help alleviate the symptoms of the hornets stings.
At some point, the previous day, after being stung, Mike realized his white gold wedding ring had gone missing. Most likely when he was flailing his arms, after being attacked by the hornets. So, once the hornets nest was taken care of and filled in. Mike and Brooke borrowed a friend’s metal detector and searched their lawn, with no luck. They told me the detector kept making noises but there was never anything there, when they looked. I told Brooke that the noises she was hearing, were most likely targets, in the ground. I also told her that if they had never used a metal detector before, it would be very difficult to understand what was going on. The metal detector will beep on anything metal, above and below the ground. It will beep on ferrous and non ferrous metals. If you don’t understand what the machine is telling you, you will get frustrated very quickly. That is why I always tell clients not to go buy or rent a metal detector. In most instances you will be wasting your money. You are better off by calling us, The Ring Finders of Maine. Not only are we less money, than renting a metal detector but Gary Hill and I have 40 years of experience, between us. I will also bring an extra detector, if a client would like to help, at no cost, other than our Transportation Costs, that’s it.
I told Brooke that Gary and I were currently searching for 2 lost Gold rings in the Ferry Beach State Park area, of Saco, Maine. We could only search for those gold rings at low tide and once those were found, I would call her back and set up a date and time to search for Mike’s wedding ring. I explained that Mike’s ring was on private property and wouldn’t be going anywhere but the two gold rings, in the ocean, were an emergency, because of the tides, waves and possibly other metal detectorists. Brooke totally understood! Unfortunately, it took Gary, myself and my clients son, Ben, the next 4 days, before Ben finally recovered the two rings, on Friday, July 25th. That same day, we received 2 more emergency call outs, with Gary going to Ocean Park Beach, to search for a pair of prescription glasses and I went to Ogunquit Beach, to search for 3 lost gold and diamond rings. Gary recovered the glasses but I didn’t find the rings, on Friday, but was heading back to Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea, pre dawn, in the morning. Meanwhile, Brooke contacted me on Saturday morning and asked if I would be able to come and search this weekend. I explained that I had just returned from Ogunquit, Maine and had found the 3 gold and diamond rings and was now at Bayview Beach, in Saco, searching for a lifeguard’s lost gold pendant. I wasn’t wasn’t sure how long I would be. Gary had already left, this morning and was driving his grandson back to South Carolina and wouldn’t be available. Sunday, Cheryl and I were going to Boston, to a Boston Red Sox game. I told Brooke that I could do any morning, next week starting on Tuesday July 29. Brooke and I ended up agreeing to a search on Friday, August 1st.

Today, August 1st, Cheryl and I arrived promptly at 8:00am and Brooke and Mike came right out, to meet us. Mike had to leave and get his two sons to rec camp but first took me to the area where the underground hornets nest had been. The underground nest was now defunct and filled in, thankfully. Mike showed me the route he ran , as he was fleeing the hornets. The grass hadn’t been mowed, which is a good thing, and because of the lack of rain, the grass wasn’t tall at all. If the ring were on the lawn, I would think it would have been visible to find. Mike and Brooke had already metal detected the lawn, along with visually searching, many times, without finding the ring. Mike had also started cutting back the overgrown wild raspberries vines, and other thick vegetation. I told Mike that I would grid the lawn, just to eliminate that area. The lawn wasn’t very large and I could do it in approximately 15 minutes. I would then try and get in the thick vegetation and vines, as best I could. Mike then left with his sons and Brooke had to get to work.
I did grid search the lawn in approximately 15 minutes and the ring was not found. I decided to enter the thick vegetation just behind where the underground hornets nest had been. I really couldn’t swing my detector very well, because of all the vines. I would stand on the vines, best I could without getting pricked and swing over the area as best as I could. Some areas I couldn’t swing at all and I took off my 11” coil, used on the lawn and put my 8” elliptical coil on. The small elliptical coil worked much better, in the thick vegetation because if I couldn’t swing it properly, I could push it between the vines much better. I still wasn’t able to search every square foot, but I was able to cover much more ground, with the smaller coil. After approximately 15 minutes in the overgrown brush, I finally received a good sounding target. A nice loud low tone, repeating on the VDI screen at 29-30. Definitely a good sounding and looking target. As I looked down, into the extremely thick vegetation, I still couldn’t see the target. I got my pinpointer out and located the target. Even with the pinpointer, I still couldn’t see the target. Whatever it was, it was deep in the vegetation. As I started removing the vegetation, I caught a glimpse of a round, silver colored ring. A white gold ring? After taking a few photos, I picked the ring up and it was very heavy. It was Mike’s wedding ring, which has now been lost for 15 days. I called Brooke and told her I had found the ring and because she and Mike both work from home, she came right out but Mike was on a call, but would be out shortly. I showed Brooke the area I found the wedding ring but because of the prickly vines and heavy vegetation, she couldn’t get all the way out to where I was. She was elated and said, “ You are amazing “. Mike then came out and I showed him the spot where I found it and he agreed that the ring would never have be found , visually. It truly is amazing how a ring can just disappear, from sight. The ring was found approximately 10” to 12” from the edge of the lawn and without a metal detector, it wouldn’t have been found. I gave Mike his ring back and he immediately put it back on. Brooke had told us that Mike “Felt Naked Without His Ring On”. Mike gave me a nice big firm handshake and a nice big smile. He was so happy to finally have his almost 10 year wedding ring back on his finger, where it belongs. I love being able to do this for others but also for myself. There is no better feeling than to hand back a lost item to the rightful owner and see the happiness, on their face. 😀❤️🙏

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Prescription Glasses Lost In The Ocean Park, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a call, on late Friday morning, from Kim. Kim had just lost her prescription glasses, in the water, in Ocean Park, Maine. She and here daughter were playing in the water, when her daughter jumped on Kim, knocking her glasses, in the surf. Unfortunately the glasses remained lost, after they tried searching, the sandy bottom of the water. Kim asked if I could find glasses and I told her that we could, if they weren’t all plastic. I also told her that my experience is that glasses were no longer any good, once they were in the waves and sand. The glasses generally get scratched easily and the frames get bent. Kim told me that she had insurance on her prescription glasses, but needed them to file a claim. As long as she produced the damaged glasses, the insurance would replace them. She just needed me to find them. I asked Kim to let me check the tide charts because I knew high tide was not to far off and we would need to search, once the water had receded. I also told Kim that I wouldn’t be able to personally search for them. I had a Dentist appointment at 1:00pm and I was already booked to search Ogunquit Beach, at 3:30pm. I told her I would see if Gary Hill was available and he could search, once the tide receded.

I contacted Gary and he was available, to help Kim. I gave Gary her phone number and when he called her, they made plans to meet in Ocean Park Beach, at 3:00pm. Once Gary arrived at 3:00pm, the tide was receding and was on its way to low tide. A perfect time to search. Kim showed Gary the location she thought the glasses would be in. Gary immediately got to work, grid searching the area. He wasn’t finding much when after 10 minutes of searching, he was approaching the water. At this point, Gary received a low tone of 08, on his VDI screen. Gary then dug a hole with his long handle sand scoop and after placing the dug up sand, off to the side, a wave came in and washed the sand pile behind. The wave also moved a pair of glasses, from the sand pile, to behind Gary. Gary never saw the glasses, when Kim yelled out, “There they are”, and immediately jumped behind Gary and grabbed the glasses, before the next wave took them away, again. Kim looked the glasses over and thought they were fine but would probably be taking them to the optometrist’s office and get them checked out. So Kim’s glasses may not be as exciting as finding gold and diamond rings, but because Gary was able to find them, it may save Kim hundreds of out of pocket dollars, because of her insurance. Now who doesn’t like to save hundreds of dollars. Gary and I certainly do. We also love helping people like Kim, when we are need. A smile is a smile and we take them any way we can get them. 😁❤️🙏

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Custom Made Gold Diamond Ring Lost In The Eliot, Maine Grass, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Saturday evening at just after 5:00pm, I received the following text message.

“Hello I lost a gold ring at my family party today. We’ve been looking in her yard for hours and can’t find it. We are in Eliot, Maine. Do you know if you can come this far south to help me find it.”

I immediately called back and was told that his name is Dustin. Dustin was at a family gathering of his parents, Aunts, Uncle’s, Cousins, etc.. Dustin had recently had Achilles Tendon Surgery and wasn’t able to do much, as far as walking far distances or running. There was a tent set up in the back yard and Dustin was sitting at the table, under the tent. Lobster was being served and Dustin removed gold ring, with a single diamond in it. He didn’t want to get the lobster, butter and juices, all over his new ring, of one month. Dustin took the ring off and put it in the pocket of his khaki shorts, along with his keys. Dustin had some gold necklaces melted down and had the gold ring with the diamond, custom made, for himself. He said he had it made with Jyotish Astrology, in mind, something that Dustin has an interest in.

Once the meal was over, Dustin and his cousins played some football. Since Dustin couldn’t run or move around much, he was the so called “Designated Quarterback”. He could just throw the ball to his cousins, while just standing there. Once the game was over, Dustin started walking to his car and reached into his pocket for his ring and car keys. He pulled his keys out, but his new ring was missing. The entire family started searching for the ring. The area was small, since Dustin had only been at the table, under the tent set, when he took the ring off, and the to the area where he stood to throw the football. An area of approximately 25’ X 60’ and the path he took as he walked towards the driveway, where he was parked. That’s the entire area and yet, the ring wasn’t found. That is when Dustin called me. I told Dustin that I was also at a dinner and that by the time I got my equipment and drove to Eliot, it wouldn’t give me much time to search, before it got dark. I asked if I could come and search, first thing in the morning, at 8.00am. Since the ring was on private property, no one else would be finding the ring. Dustin agreed and was happy to know that I would be able to help.

Cheryl and I left our home, in Saco, Maine at 7:00am and arrived at the search area at 8:00am. Dustin was there to greet us and show us the area, where he thinks the ring was hiding in the grass. I must admit, the grass was nice and thick, almost like a carpet. This grass could absolutely hide a ring. Dustin really thought the ring would be in the area, he took the ring off, and where he was sitting, under the tent. If not there, it would be in the area where he was throwing the football, just 25’ to 30’ away. I told Dustin that I would grid search the entire area, he had been in, yesterday. I would start in the area of the tent and the table. I would then work my way towards the area he had stood, throwing the football. I should be able to search the entire 25’ to 60’, in less than an hour. As I worked my way across the lawn, I wasn’t getting many non ferrous targets but when I did, I checked the thick grass with my pinpointer. Unfortunately the ring wasn’t found after approximately 45 minutes of searching. I then asked Dustin what path he took towards his vehicle and where was he when he took the keys out of his pocket. Dustin couldn’t remember the exact area but it was either along the wall of where the ten was or just another 5’ or 10’ to the right of that. I searched that area and came up empty again. Since I only had another 10 feet or so, to a large bush, I decided to grid search, over to the bush. As I kept going, I wasn’t getting many almost to the bush when Dusting said he never went that far over, towards the bush. I told Dustin that I just wanted to finish the area, so I would remember what has and hasn’t been searched. Just another minute or so and only one more grid line, from the bush, I received a very loud signal, showing 67 to 69 on my VDI screen. The VDI was also showing the target was on or very near the top of the soil. As I looked down, in the thick grass, I didn’t see the target. I reached into the thick grass and started pushing the grass away. I then saw a gold ring. I had finally found it. I then asked Cheryl to come over and bring the paper towel, so I could wipe away the sweat, from my face. It was just a ploy, to tell her I had found the ring. I asked her to start filming a video, when I asked Dustin to come over to me and answer some questions. When Dustin arrived to where I was , I asked him a question and as he answered, I reached down into the grass, picked the ring up and said, “I got it”, holding the ring up so Dustin could see it. I saw his smile break out and he said “Oh dude, thank you so much , man oh man” as he pumped his fists, high 5’d me and gave me a hug. Dustin was very happy to have his ring back. He couldn’t believe I found it so close to the bush. He said he was never that close to the bush. I told him that we always find rings where people don’t think we would find them. Possibly Dustin did go that far over and just doesn’t remember. We will never know. I do know that this ring was really hidden in the thick grass. It never would have been found, visually. Thankfully, my metal detector is my eyes 👀 and it may have taken an hour, but it was finally located. If I don’t find the lost item, in an area, I will just keep expanding the area. Everyone knew it was there, it was just a matter of getting my coil over it.
Once again, a successful recovery and a smiling client. I love helping others out, like Dustin, in their time of need. It’s just the best feeling in the world to see those smiles, when I hand over their very precious, sentimental item back to them. It the best job in the world ❤️🙏

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Gold Wedding Band Lost In The Old Orchard Beach Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I had just returned home from a successful Recovery and Return, in the Town of Ogunquit and Cheryl and I had a slew of errands to do, including grocery shopping. Once I showered, we were out the door, headed to Kennebunkport Maine. While we were out and about and almost done with our errands, I had a text message come in at 10:40am.. It was now 12:09 and I don’t know how I missed this message, from 1 1/2 hours earlier . Anyways, this was what the message said,

“Hi Dennis! My name is Duke and my wife thinks she lost her wedding ring at Old Orchard Beach near the end of Pearl Ave. Is there anything you can do to help us?”

I immediately called Duke back. He told me that the previous evening, he, his wife (Francesca) and others had gone down to the beach, at Pearl Ave, in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. They had gone down there to watch the weekly fireworks , put on by Palace Playland Amusement Park. The fireworks were scheduled for 9:45pm and Duke and Francesca had arrived early. While waiting for the fireworks to start, Francesca and Duke started horsing around, chasing each other, on the beach. While playfully running around, Francesca noticed her wedding ring was missing. The area they had been running around, wasn’t very large, maybe 20’ X 75’. Not knowing exactly where the ring came off, they and others started searching the sand but the ring was not located. The next morning, Friday July 11th, they returned to Pearl Ave and started searching again, looking and sifting through the sand. The ring was still not located. A beach goer had noticed what was going on and they were told about the missing ring. The beach goer knew about The Ring Finders of Maine’s Emergency Metal Detecting Services and told them they should contact me. That is when Duke, reached out to me.
After hearing the story, my first reaction was to ask Duke if the Beach Cleaning Machine had cleaned that section of beach, this morning. Duke replied that he hadn’t seen the beach cleaner and the sand was still full of footprints, from the previous evening. Hearing that was a huge relief. If the beach cleaner had gone through the area, the ring would have been scooped up with all the other trash and be long gone by now. I told Duke that I could certainly help search for the ring but I was in Kennebunkport and I would be back in the Old Orchard Beach Maine area around 2:00pm. Duke told me they would be there until I arrived and continue searching for the ring.
Once I arrived, just prior to 2:00pm, parking was at a premium. I couldn’t find parking, on Pearl St., so I went one street south of Pearl, on Union St. and found a spot to park, as someone was leaving. We entered the beach, on Union Avenue and headed north towards Pearl. As Cheryl and I were walking on the beach, I saw a couple, by themselves, with a metal detector, in the area of Pearl Ave.. As I approached, the person saw me and introduced himself. It was Duke and Francesca and Duke had gone to Walmart and purchased a metal detector. He had done this prior to contacting me. The young married couple had only found a few screws. They showed me the area they thought the ring would be in and where they had run around, the night before. Like I mentioned, it really wasn’t a large section and I estimated the entire area would only take me about 20 minutes. I explained to Francesca a Duke that I would perform a grid search, starting near the dune grass and working my way towards the water. I then had Duke throw his Gold Wedding Ring, into the sand. I would show Francesca and Duke how the metal detector works and the sound that the gold ring would make. I scanned my coil over the now disappeared ring and a nice loud low tone, emitted from the metal detector. This made the couple feel much better, knowing my detector would find the ring, once the coil went over it. I started my first grid line, up 75’ and turned around and headed back towards my starting point. Nothing on the first line, other tan 2 dimes and 2 pennies, along with a few pieces of foil. My second pass was not successful and neither was my 3 pass. On my 4th pass on the grid line, I received a loud low tone and I just knew this had to be the ring. Ringing up as an 18 on my VDI Screen was definitely in thee gold range but the tone, to me was unmistakable as gold. I removed my pinpointer and located the target, in the sand. I saw a beautiful shiny gold ring. I picked the ring up, turned towards everyone watching me and asked Francesca “Did you say the wedding ring is 14K Gold?’ She replied “Yes, it’s Gold”. I then held the ring up for everyone to see and said, “I found your ring”. Francesca hurriedly made her way towards me with a BIG smile. Cheers and clapping broke out from everyone in the area. A fantastic feeling of euphoria came over me. It had only taken me, maybe 5 to 7 minutes to find the ring. People shouted out congratulations and came over to shake my hand, along with a big hug from Francesca. Just a great feeling to be able to help others , in their time of need. The best feeling in the world and now I have recovered and returned two rings today.. I had found and returned a wedding ring in Ogunquit Beach, early this morning. Now I am heading to Kinney Shores, Maine, in Saco, Maine. That’s right. While still in Kennebunkport, Maine , Duke wasn’t the only person who contacted me. I would now be driving the 1 mile or so, to Kinney Shores to find a wedding ring, with diamonds, that had been lost on July 4th, a full week earlier. Will I make it 3 for 3 in ring searches for the day? Stay tuned, for more❤️🙏

 

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Ogunquit, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Wednesday night at approximately 5:40pm, I received a phone call from Cindy. She was at Ogunquit Beach and her son, Kevin, had just lost his Gold Wedding Ring, in the ocean. Mary told me that Kevin was on his hands and knees, in the water, trying to find his ring. Mary asked if I could come to Ogunquit and try to find his wedding ring. I told Cindy that I would need to check the tide charts because I thought low tide had just passed and the tide should now be coming in. I told Cindy I would call her right back, after I checked the tide charts. As I checked the tide charts, my suspicion was correct. Low tide was at 5:00pm and it was now 5:45pm. I called Cindy back and told her that by the time I got my equipment loaded up in the vehicle and drive to Ogunquit Maine, the tide would be too high, to search for his ring. My best bet would be to see how low the 5:00pm tide was and compare it to the next morning’s low tide. I saw that the morning’s low tide, at 5:47am, would be 0.4, compared to the current low tide of 1.7. This means that the morning low tide would be out further, than the current low tide. I would be able to search just the wet sand and not worry about getting in the water. Perfect. I sent Cindy the information and told her I would be in Ogunquit, Maine, very early, to search for her son’s wedding ring. Cindy sent me a “pinned” location and a photo Kevin had taken, showing the shoreline, from the location he was searching for the ring. Great tools for the search and very smart of Kevin to keep his wits about him, to take the photo.

The next morning, Thursday, I awoke at 3:00am and was out the door at 3:30am. Low tide was at 5:47am and I wanted to arrive in Ogunquit by 4:15am and search the wet sand, as the tide receded. Once on the pre dawn beach, I up immediately started a north and south grid search. At the end of each grid search, I would dig a hole, in the sand, marking the end of the grid line. I was using a lifeguard stand, to the north and a an area 1/2 way between a ramp and a building, to the south, as my boundary markers. The photo and pinned location Kevin sent, showed the ring would be within these boundary markers.
After searching for an hour and a half, I still hadn’t found the ring and the sun was now up. Kevin arrived just before 6:00am and he thought the ring was out further, from where I was searching. I was in the correct area, just not out far enough. The photo was slightly blown up so figuring out the “depth” of how far out on the beach was difficult. Not only that, in my mind were at the morning low tide and the previous evening’s low tide, would have been closer to the shore. So, I went out further on the beach, in line with a large orange buoy and started searching again. I soon arrived to where I had started the search, earlier in the morning. After almost 4 1/2 hours of searching, still no wedding ring. I had searched from the large orange buoy, to almost the shore. Kevin and I made plans to return, the next morning at an even lower tide and continue searching. I would now start searching at the orange buoy and follow the tide out. Kevin would also go to the beach for tonight’s low tide and take some photos of the buoy, to see just how far out past the buoy, the tide actually was.
So this morning, Friday, I again arose at 3:00am. I arrived in Ogunquit at just after 4:00am. The beach was pitch black again. I resumed the search as best I could, in the darkness. Once it started getting light out, I could see my grid marks, much better and the search picked up steam. Both yesterday and this morning, very, very few non ferrous items were being found. After an hour of searching, still no wedding ring but I then received a nice loud low tone, on my Minelab Manticore. It definitely caught my attention and as I ran the coil back over it, I could see the VDI Screen showing a non ferrous, fairly low conductive number of 38. Definitely in the gold range and I was praying this was the ring. I took two big scoops of sand, throwing the first scoop, just to my right and the second scoop, just to the left of the first scoop. I ran my coil over both scoops and the nice loud signal was in the first scoop of sand. I pushed the first pile of sand, with my foot and broke it apart. Some of the sand went flying and just a couple feet away, I saw a metallic object, in the sand. I was nervous because it was round but from where I stood, it kind of looked like a round flip top, from an old beer can. As I leaned over to look at it, I broke out into a big smile and pumped my fist. It wasn’t a flip top, it was a ring. I looked at the inside, of the ring and saw 14K. I had found Kevin’s wedding ring. I then looked at the shoreline and I had found the ring, within the area we thought it would be in and very, very close to the pinned location.
I then took a few photos and sent two of the photos to Kevin, via a text message. Along with the photos I just simply stated “Congratulations”. Kevin’s response, “What?!?!, Im sorry I’m not there- will drive over now!” Kevin arrived just a few minutes later and was amazed he had his wedding ring back on his finger. Kevin told me that he and extended family members, including his parents, sister, cousins and all of their children p, were in Ogunquit for the week. Kevin felt he had put a “damper” on everyone’s vacation, because of his lost ring.
Kevin explained that he was in the shin high water, on Wednesday night, with his 2 year old son. They were just playing around gently splashing water on each other. Then in a split second, Kevin saw his wedding ring go flying off his hand. He tried catching it but it disappeared into the surf and sand. He immediately was on his hands and knees searching for the ring but it had been swallowed up by the ocean. As he was searching, his mother found me online and called me, unbeknownst to Kevin.
So alls well that end well and Kevin texted me later in the day, saying the following
“Headed back to the beach with the family- leaving my ring at home! “
Lesson learned I replied. Cindy, Kevin’s mother also messaged me the following
“Dennis, I can’t thank you enough for helping Kevin to find his ring!!! We are sitting down at the beach looking at the ocean and cannot believe you were able to find the ring! Whenever we think of Vacation 2025 we will remember your kindness!”
I feel so blessed to be able to help people like Kevin. There is no better feeling than to see all the smiles, when we return these very sentimental items. I love making smiles. Every ring has a story and know Kevin’s ring has a new chapter.❤️🙏

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Sentimental Gold Wedding Ring Lost In A Portland, Maine Park. Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a text, from ZAK that said

“Hey I lost a ring wondering if you could help”
I was still in Ogunquit, Maine, for my birthday dinner with Cheryl and it was 5:04pm. I immediately called Zak back and he explained to me that the previous night, Friday, July 4th, he and approximately 100 family members and friends had gathered at Friends of Payson Park, Portland ME, in Portland, Maine. They were there to celebrate the holiday and to celebrate Zac being in town to visit. He was leaving Sunday morning and had to be at the airport at 11:30am. Zak told me that he had lived in Portland, for many years and now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The large gathering was a great end to a great vacation, with family and friends.
While at the large gathering, Zak took his necklace off, from around his neck and put it in his front pocket. The necklace contained his wedding ring, that he wears around his neck, ever since his wife had passed away, a few years earlier. When Zac left the get together he arrived at his car and pulled the necklace out, to put back on. This is when he noticed that the necklace was unclasped and the extremely sentimental wedding ring was missing. Zak immediately went back to the gathering and informed everyone what had happened. Everyone immediately started searching for the ring but unfortunately, it was now dark and the grass was fairly tall. Not very good conditions, to visually search, for a lost ring.

The next morning, Zac went back to the site, in Payson Park and searched in daylight this time. Still, the ring was not found. As the day wore on, Zak was feeling very lost and down in the dumps, about his missing ring. He went to Cabela’s and was about to buy a metal detector, to go search, before his flight, the next day. Zac told me that he literally had a metal detector and was heading to the cashier, when a friend told him about The Ring Finders of Maine. So, while still at Cabela’s, Zac called me. He figured if I wasn’t able to help him he would buy the detector and try himself. This was when he called me. I told him that I could certainly help him and we made plans to meet up at 7:00am, the next morning, at Payson Park and search for the wedding ring. Zak thanked me for saving him the cost of a new metal detector that he didn’t know anything about. Zak also told me that the area where he had taken his necklace off in was not very large and he was certain the ring would be there, hidden in the tall grass. The area would on be an area of approximately 20’ X 30’ or so. That is not large at all and I could easily cover that area, in less than a half hour.

I met Zak right at 7:00am, on Sunday morning, July 6th and he took me to the area he thought his ring would be in. Unfortunately, everything looked differently, now that there was daylight and almost 2 days had passed. He walked the area a few times and was pretty sure an area he marked off, would be the correct area. I fired up my Minelab Manticore and then threw a gold test ring into the tall grass. I did this to show Zak, what sound the ring would make and what I would be looking for, on the vDI screen. Zak seemed confident, after seeing and hearing the test ring found, his ring would be found. I decided to start my grid search, in the area the necklace was taken off and go back and forth, working my way, towards the street. There is always the possibility that the ring could have been moved by someone accidentally kicking it or even one of the vehicles moving it, out of the area. It’s also very possible the ring was lost somewhere else in the park.
I searched for approximately 75’ to 100’ down the first grid line. There were lots of targets but they ended up being in the ground, when checked with my pinpointer. At the end of my first grid line, I took a 1/2 step to my left and headed back to the area, where I had started. Still nothing but trash and coins, in the ground. Zak was certain I would have found it in this area. He then said maybe I should go another 20’ to 25’ further down, from where I had started. So I went and searched 25’ up and back to where I had started. Still no ring had been found. I then told him that I would continue the grid search, as planned, add the extra 25’ to it and just keep going, working my way towards the street. I then started out again and just a few minutes later, I heard the best sounding tone of the search. It was loud and a very nice low tone. Zak and I looked into the tall grass but couldn’t see anything. I pushed the grass back and there it was, a GOLD RING. We had found Zack’s extremely sentimental wedding ring. I looked at Zac and he didn’t say a word. I saw his entire body, release all the tension and his eyes were watery. Zak was very emotional and wasn’t talking at all. Finally he said, “thank you so much. I can’t believe you found my ring, can I give you a hug?” Of course, I love hugs. We talked for another minute or so but Zac had to leave. He had a flight to catch, to Minneapolis. We said our goodbyes and as he walked away, I also walked towards my vehicle, with one big smile, on my face.
I then sent Zac a text, with a few questions

“Hi Zak, Did I spell your name right?
I just want to thank you for placing your trust in me, The Ring Finders of Maine. I was a pleasure helping you out, in your time of need. Just so happy you have your ring back.

Could you answer a few questions for my story.
1) Could you relate the story of how you got the ring and what made it so special to you.
2) What emotions went through you when you saw me find the ring?

I saw your whole body just release the tension and anxiety that you had. It was a beautiful moment to see.

Safe travels my friend ❤️🙏”

Zak’s reply

“Im not one that has an interest in jewlery and rings. For the wedding my wife picked this ring and i really liked it though. I rarely wore it. I got really attached to it and after she had passed I would wear it on the necklace. Unfortunately on saturday the habit backfired and taking the necklace off caused me to lose it.

I’m one to believe that what’s m3ant to be will be and losing it i resorted to accepting that i might never see it again. A friend recommended ring finders of maine and with my travels i didnt think someone would be able to come out in time and help find it. I had more reasons to give up and accept the loss but i had to try. As you were sweeping I had a rollercoaster of high hopes and low moments of despair. When you located it i let out a huge breath i felt i was holding in since the day before. There was wave of emotions that came over primarily relief and happiness i wanted to cry laugh all at once. And reliefed that i had not given up on the search. I kept saying its a material object and thats not where my sentimental value should lie but having it in hand you remember why it means so much to you. Her memory is alive within me and family but something tangible helps ground the memories and offers a sense of nostalgia that is hard to describe.

Once again thank you for your help and most importantly the reassurance that if it was lost in this area we will find it help to keep faith and not give up. Hope those who lose a valued item would know that there good people like yourself that selflessly help to return those item to their rightful ownerals.”

What a great story and I am so proud to have been able to help Zak, in his time of need. Thankful that I was able to find it, before his flight, so that he wouldn’t be thinking of his lost ring any longer. Every ring has a story and now Zac’s wedding ring has a new chapter ❤️🙏

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Newlyweds Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The York Beach, Maine Surf, Found Underwater With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday July 4th,, just before 4:00pm,, I received the following Voicemail, from Colin

“Hi Dennis, My name is Colin and I got your name off of the Ring Finders of Maine website. Um, today, this afternoon, I lost my wedding ring at, ah, York Harbor Beach, Maine. That was about three hours ago and I’m asking for your services. Feel free to call me back as soon as you can at 508-***-**** and if I don’t answer, please text me, if you can. Um, any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Dennis”

I immediately called Colin back and Colin explained that between 12:00pm and 1:00pm he and his wife were in the ocean water tossing a football around and they were waist deep, in the water. Colin felt and saw his ring go flying off his finger, on one of the throws, to his wife. He and his wife immediately began to search the sandy ocean floor but it was too late. The wedding ring had already disappeared, under the surf and sand. I told Colin that since it was lost, at that time, it would have been lost at low tide and now, 3 or so hours later, there was no way I would be able to get out that far, to search for his ring, because of the incoming tide. My best chance would be to search the next low tide and get out in the water, at that time. I told Colin that I needed to research the tides for today and tomorrow and try to figure out where the tide was when they were in the water and what time tomorrow, would be best to search. I then highlighted a tide chart and texted it to Colin. I also sent Colin an overhead view of York Harbor Beach. I sectioned it in 8 sections and asked him which section he thinks he lost the ring in. He was sure it would be close to the border of sections 1 & 2. When Colin lost his wedding ring, low tide was at 1:03pm and was a 1.6 low tide. The next low tide was at 1:55am and was a 1.4 low tide. I told Colin that I would not search the 1:55am low tide because I do not perform water searches, at night, in the dark. It’s just to dangerous. If I were to be knocked over by a wave, which has happened to me, I could become entangled in all my gear and pulled under the water. It just isn’t worth the risk to search at night, by myself and no beach goers around, So, the daytime low tide on Saturn July 5th would be at 1:55pm and would be a 1.8, a slightly “higher” low tide than when Colin lost his ring. This means the water depth would be slightly deeper on this low tide and would be deeper that waist deep, that Colin had been in. I told Colin that I would arrive at York Harbor Beach at 11:30am and search, as the tide receded. I would search until 2:00pm, when the tide would not be going out any longer and would then be coming in, for the next high tide, later that evening. Now I wasn’t familiar with York Harbor Beach and I asked Colin about the parking situation. He told me he was staying at the York Harbor Inn, Maine and I should be able to park there, since he and his wife were guests. Perfect.

So today my wife Cheryl and I arrived at York Harbor Inn and I checked in with the front desk of the York Harbor Inn, to be sure I could park, on their property. They actually knew of me, The Ring Finders of Maine and were happy to let me park there, while searching for their guests wedding ring. As I was leaving the reception area, Colin and his wife arrived. They immediately took Cheryl and I down to the beach, where they were the previous day. As we walked to the beach Colin mentioned the wedding ring was just a little loose on his finger. I asked how long they had been married and they told me that today was their 1 week Anniversary, WAIT, WHAT? Newlyweds? That explains a lot. I have found many, many rings for people who have been married for less than a year. Their rings just aren’t quite sized properly. OK then, let’s get down to work. I really want to find this newlyweds wedding ring.

As I was getting my gear on I saw a fellow metal detectorist friend , I have know for years, approaching me. Ed, who runs a YouTube channel called Maine Beach Metal Detecting. I actually subscribed to his channel and love watching his video’s, good stuff. You should check his channel and subscribe also. Anyways, back to the story. Ed had seen a Facebook Post about the lost ring and contacted Colin. Colin told him that he already had me coming down, to search at low tide. Ed decided to come down and meet me to see if he could assist. I asked Ed if he wouldn’t mind searching the wet sand, performing a north and south grid search, following the tide out. I would go into the water and perform a north and south grid search, using landmarks, along the shore to keep me in a straight line. As I entered the water, I immediately felt the water’s freezing temperature. This was much colder that the water recovery I had performed, in Ocean Park Beach Maine, just two days earlier. To compound the matter, the sky was cloudy and I wasn’t getting any of the warmth, that the sun provided, just two days prior. As I was freezing to death, on this search, I was finding very, very few non ferrous targets. There was much more iron targets being detected but I just went over those. I was chest deep in the ocean and working my way further out. I figured I had been in the water, going back and forth for approximately 45 minutes to an hour and I also knew that the tide wouldn’t be going out much further. I was already up to my chest/arm pit area, deep in the water. I really couldn’t go out any further and feel safe about it. The waves were just rolling in and thankfully, weren’t breaking/crashing on me. I motioned to Cheryl to come to the waters edge. I wanted to know what time it was and try to figure out how much time I had left, before the tide started to come in. Cheryl said it was 12:30pm, leaving me with just under an hour and a half, before the tide, turned against me. Because of the waves, I knew I could probably do only one more grid line, to the north, before I had to stop the water search. As Cheryl headed back to the comforts of her chair, I took a half step to my right, into the slightly deeper and cold water. After approximately 5-7 minutes of the last grid line, to the north, I received a very loud low tone, on my Minelab Excalibur. This was absolutely the best sounding target of the day. Now the hard part. I needed to watch for the rolling waves, while feeling the undercurrent, rushing past my legs. I placed my right foot on the target to mark the location, I had to dig. I took my long handle sand scoop and plunged it into the sand. I brought up a scoop full of sand, shook the scoop, in the water, to remove the sand. Once the sand was gone, I looked into the scoop and absolutely nothing but some rocks and a sand dollar. I dumped those back into the ocean and ran my detector, back over the hole to relocate the target. I located the target and it was still in the dug hole. I took another scoop of sand, from the hole and shook the sand out. I looked into the scoop and there were more rocks and a big shiny GOLD RING, staring back at me. I was very excited to have found Colin’s ring and I immediately yelled to everyone that I had found the ring. I then lifted the ring up in the air in a celebratory manner, so everyone could see the wedding ring. I then saw Colin, his wife, Cheryl and Ed, making their way to the waters edge, as I made my way to shore. I could see the excitement and smiles on everyone’s faces as I exited the water. Colin and his wife were just so relieved and happy to have had the ring located and back on Colin’s finger, where it belongs. I was also smiling ear to ear. I can’t explain the joy I get of seeing the faces of my clients, when they get their item back.
I thanked Ed for helping me and we all headed back to our vehicles. As we were walking back to the vehicles, Colin’s wife mentioned that they will certainly have a story to tell everyone, when they get home. I’ve always said that every ring has a story and now the story has been added to, for Colin’s wedding ring. I also told Colin he should either get the ring resized, which can be very expensive or he could buy a silicone ring sizer, for less than $10.00 on Amazon or at Walmart. The silicone ring sizer id just clear silicone that you can wrap around a small section of the ring, so it fits you much better. I also told Colin that although the ring was in the area he thought it would be, I was out much further and deeper than I expected. I really was at the limit of going out any further and still be safe. If I hadn’t found his wedding ring today, I would be looking at the tide charts, for the next week, to see when the low tide would be further out. I would then come back and try again. Thankfully that didn’t happen and now all I wanted was to stop shivering and put the heat on in the vehicle. I needed to get warm.
So I would like to wish Colin and his wife a long and happy marriage. Congratulations to you both. I love my job of making smiles😀❤️🙏

 

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Diamond Ring Lost for 7 Months Near Cottonwood Heights, Utah- Found

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I received a call from Sara about her lost diamond wedding ring. Apparently her daughter was playing dress up in the front yard and asked to borrow it. Shortly after coming into the house she told Sara that she had lost it outside. For 6-7 months they search the yard for it and in desperation to find it, she called me. I went over to her house with my son and after getting the rough area to search, went to work. My first signal was a high tone from a brass sprinkler head. At the end of my first pass, I got a nice 8-11 on my detector that was pretty close to the surface. After pulling back the grass a little bit, I could make out the edge of something. Sure enough it was her ring that had been lost for nearly 7 months. The whole experience was under 5 minutes and she was sure excited to see her ring again! Check out the full experience on YouTube- https://youtu.be/Y8Ftz28yJAQ?si=ZC–7qoYyPmLOjT_

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« Do Not Duplicate Key » Lost In Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Found With A metal Detector and Returned To Owner

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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While out on a search, for some lost missing rings, I found a freshly dropped Key. Once home that night, I was looking at the key and noticed it was a “Do Not Duplicate” key and the locksmiths name and phone number was on the key, to call if found. The locksmiths name is Fortier’s Lock, and a Maine phone number is also on the key. After an internet search, I found Fortier’s Security Center, formerly Fortier’s Locksmith and is located in Lewiston, Maine,  approximately 50 minutes north of me. Now, Fortier’s Security Center is the oldest locksmith in Maine. It is family owned and has been in business since 1921. WOW, over 100 years old and still family owned.
So I called the number the next morning, Saturday, but they were closed until Monday. Monday rolled around and I called again. This time I was able to reach them and explained to her, what I had found. She told me they could locate the owner by the serial numbers, on the key. I gave her the serial numbers and she would call the owner. Perfect, I will be able to return the key, once the owner called me, after being contacted by Fortier’s Security Center. Wednesday came and I still hadn’t heard anything. I called Fortier’s Security Center and the employee told me they had left a message for the owner of the key because no one had answered their phone call. They would call the owner again and try to make contact. I received no call on Wednesday or Thursday.
So on Friday I decided to drive toLewiston, Maine and drop the key off myself, to Fortier’s Security Center. Cheryl and I were heading to Athens, Maine, for a funeral, on Friday and we would be driving right by Lewiston, on our way to Athens. We would just get off the Maine Turnpike and drop the key off to Fortier’s Center, on Lisbon Street. As luck would have it, Fortier’s Security Center is just off the turnpike exit and I would be able to get right back on the road. Once I arrived at the location, I went inside and was immediately approached by the owner. I showed him the key and explained the situation. He assured me that the owner would get the key back and they would call them again today. Thankfully the records show who the owner is and the owner will soon have their key back.  So, now I have returned the key and although it may not be as flashy as a diamond engagement ring being returned, it is a return of a key that may  unlock a safe deposit box that holds jewelry and gold coins. Well I can dream, can’t I.
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