how to find a lost ring in Alameda County Tag | The Ring Finders

Two sentimental rings lost in Berkeley park…Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

It’s nice to know that people care.  When Lydia lost two very sentimental rings given to her by her sister, she told me that at least 10 individuals assisted her in trying to locate them.  The rings were loose fitting and came off when she softly tossed a ball in the park, surely they shouldn’t have traveled far.  At last, the search was called off and Lydia was focused on an alternative solution.

She set out to rent or buy a metal detector, but couldn’t find a local source for quick deployment.  That’s when she stumbled upon my information in association with THERINGFINDERS.  The following morning I received a text message asking if I had availability to come to Berkeley to locate a missing ring.  I quickly called to let her know I could be available anytime after 3:30pm and would gladly come recover the ring.  That’s when I learned it was actually 2 missing rings. She let me know that the search area would be small and she knew pretty well where she was when they came off.  She would be right!

I arrived a bit after 4pm ready for a hunt. Lydia was waiting in the park along with her infant son, a young nephew, her mother, and a dog (or two).  She showed me the area and even performed a sample toss of the ball.  As I got underway, the first thing I noticed was that the park was noisy, that is, there was an abundance of metallic objects in the ground.  Then, boom…a perfect gold signal!  The problem was, the beautiful heavy gold earring that was recovered did not belong to Lydia (someone didn’t find THERINGFINDERS). A few minutes later, another really great signal!  This time I knew without a doubt it was the first of two rings and the second would be close at hand. Meer moments later, I was handing both rings back to a very relieved and grateful owner.  We had made the recovery!

Remembering what I said above, it’s nice to know that people care… As I collected my equipment ready to leave, an older gentleman walked up with an very vintage Bounty Hunter Coin Master detector.  Lydia seemed to know him and he may have been in the park helping the day before.  He commented about my Equinox and congratulated us on the recovery of the two rings.  He then set off to explore the area with his machine.  I assisted with a Garrett Pin-pointer and he produced a penny that we provided to Lydia’s nephew as « buried treasure. »  I was glad to have met Lydia and to have played a roll in the story of these two sentimental rings.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

White Gold Wedding Set lost at the beach…Recovered in Alameda!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I was on a short holiday on the island of Kauai when I received a text message from Kimberly.  She had lost her white gold wedding set on the beach and contacted my good friend Jes Muse (also of The Ring Finders and creator of The Bay Area Bleepers YouTube channel).  Jes had provided my contact information to her since I am usually ready and available for all rings in the East Bay.

I sent a text back to Kimberly explaining that I was in Hawaii and would be flying back that day. I informed her that I wouldn’t be available until the following day but would be glad to assist. Additionally, I let her know that I would reach out to schedule a time to meet up for the search.

The following day was frustratingly filled with meetings, emails, and project issues, not the day one should have after a relaxing trip.  I ended up working late to get caught up and I had to let Kimberly know that the search would need to wait an extra day (not something I am accustom to doing).

Excited to get out and search, I took my kit with me to work so that I could travel direct to the beach in Alameda for the search.  I knew that the tides would be at their lowest just after quitting time and that’s when I would have the best search area.

I met Kimberly and her adorable children on the beach and she explained the situation.  I gave her and each child a cone to place where they thought the ring could be (a little fun and healthy competition). At this time, I had little doubts that I would find these two rings quickly.

I was humbled a bit, when after about 45 minutes of grid search in two directions I still had not uncovered the mystery.  With a little adjustment closer towards the water, I was on my fourth or fifth line, when I hit a sweet signal.  A perfect 7 in all directions, I was able to recover the diamond engagement ring without alerting Kimberly or the kids.  I swung over the hole again and a second perfect 7.

I called Kimberly over and informed her « I think there might be a ring underneath the sand here and it might be the match to this one… » as I held out the diamond ring for her inspection.  She was floored and had the absolute best look of disbelief, joy, and relief on her face.  Then with one last scoop…We Made The Recovery!!!

Both rings were safely extracted from the sand and as for the competition…turns out the little boy was closest.

Thank you Kimberly for taking me on this adventure with you and the children.  The look on your face when you realized I had found your engagement ring will forever be burned into my memory.

 

 

 

 

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Beautiful Heirloom Ring Lost in Livermore…Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

On January 16th, I arrived to perform a search in Livermore, CA.  An heirloom white gold ring with sapphires and diamonds was reported lost in the yard by the owner Vickey.  It was not a terribly large area and she had been performing yard work when her beloved ring went missing.  She spent some time trying to locate the item, but the leaves in the yard made the search more than difficult.  Since I didn’t believe the ring would stay missing long I had all three of my young boys in tow.  I talked with Vickey for a few moments and introduced the boys.  She showed me the area and I had her filling out the search contract.  I blew away tons of leaves using a leaf blower and before she could finish the form, we had made the recovery!  Tears of joy streamed down her face and she was very appreciative of our efforts.  We sat at the from of her home and celebrated and discussed other searches I had performed and how I had gotten involved with such an amazing community.  It was the first recovery of the new year and I was proud to have taken part.

Thank you kindly Vickey for reaching out and entrusting me with such an important task.  I hope that ring tells a story of many more years with you and your family.

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Wedding Band Lost in Mill Valley… Found with Metal Detector!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

This story includes a traveling mother, a sweet nanny, three adorable yet maybe mischievous young girls, and a lost wedding band.

Robin texted me one evening explaining that her daughter had taken her beautiful wedding band (rose gold with diamonds) to a playground with her.  She goes on to explain that the ring was then lost in the woodchips and remained at large.  She was looking for an individual with a metal detector to help find it.

I was just the person for the job and responded to plan and schedule a search.   Robin would be traveling and confirmed her nanny Gaby and the children would meet me for the recovery of this ring.

Gaby and I coordinated a date and time and when it came I was up to the task.  I arrived a bit earlier than expected and when Gaby arrived with three cute blonde girls all roughly the same age as my three boys, I got a good chuckle thinking about the old TV sitcom the Brady Bunch.  This search had all the makings for a good episode complete with a wholesome plot and the nanny (although much younger and far more cute than that of the TV series).

We walked out to the play structure where the ring was reportedly lost and one of the girls showed me a tiny area and said the ring was somewhere just there.  I turned on my machine and waved it less than three times and in less than a couple of seconds…We made the Recovery!

Thank you Robin for utilizing me to help recover your beautiful ring!  I’m so happy for the best of outcomes.

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Three Gold Coin Charms lost in Emeryville Park…Found!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I was contacted by Anna to assist with the location and recovery of three gold coin charms from a park in Emeryville, CA.  Each charm was engraved with the initials of one of the handsome men in her life, the larger one for her husband, and the two smaller for each of her young boys.  These charms were cherished Mother’s Day gifts, so when they fell to the ground and disappeared into the long grass, it was heartbreaking.  When these charms were not located after extensive searching, a quick google search brought Anna to me.

I arranged to meet the family at the park the next evening and requested permission to bring along my three boys.  It was a new and interesting park that I thought they might enjoy and the weather would be much cooler than that further inland.  I met the family and they gave me a quick run down of the who, what, when, and how as well as the exact location.  It didn’t take long to locate the first of three charms, a small one.  A few moments later, the second was recovered, the larger one.  Then for a while…nothing! After a few anxious minutes…beep, beep…We made the Recovery!

Afterward, we talked about the significance of the 3 gold coin charms while the children played in the park.  We took a handful of photos to memorialize the event, and after a while a fun soccer game broke out.  It was a great evening for everyone.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Diamond Ring Lost While Swimming…Found!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

On the 18th of June Corrine lost her diamond ring while taking a swim test at a local lake.  She spent plenty of time searching the bottom for the missing ring with no luck.  At some point in the panic of the moment she entered the situation into ChatGPT on her phone.  This resulted in providing a link to THERINGFINDERS.COM and directly to me.

As it happened, I had two constraints to providing immediate support.  First, I was out of town with the family visiting relatives.  The second issue was that my Equinox 800 was still awaiting a new control box after damages accrued while providing support on a dive recovery.  I would also need to reach out to the local parks department for permission to enter the water with a metal detector.

A few days later, these constraints had worked their way out and we scheduled the search.  I would be teaming up with Mark (a member of the MDMDC) and Evan (scuba diver) would be tagging along for support as well.  Members of the parks department would escort our small team to the lake shore to prepare and within minutes of entering the water…We Made The Recovery!!!

The ring was successfully recovered in 3 feet of water in the precise location Corrine said it would be.  It was as easy as they come and all parties were ecstatic for a speedy success.  I can’t thank everyone involved enough for playing their part in getting this diamond ring back to it’s rightful owner.  Thank you very kindly.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Platinum Wedding Band Lost on Open Water Swim…Recovered In Alameda!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Mark was having a rough start to his paternity leave.  First a sick little one at home on day 1, but then the unimaginable happened to him.  While getting some exercise on Day 2 by way of an open water swim in the San Francisco Bay, he had at some point lost his Platinum wedding band.  He sent this message to me at a bit past 10pm on Sunday…

« Hi Brendon, I saw TheRingFinders website.  I think I lost my wedding band swimming this morning in Alameda, CA.  If you are available tomorrow, (I) would be willing to meet you out there. »

Unfortunately, I did not see the message until I had arrived at work the next morning. I was quick to respond to Marks request.  After a short call to discuss the ins and outs of the location, time of day, tides, and the likes we determined that the next mornings low time was our first best shot at a search.  He sent me some really cool GPS tracks of his two swims that morning and if we could get them to jive, it would make for a smaller zone to search. We might only searching the paths of travel rather than run a larger scaled grid search.  Mark also mentioned that if I had extra equipment, he would be glad to join in on the action.

I arrived and met Mark just prior to low tide, around 8am.  He was stunned at how little water there was and I was happy to know I wouldn’t necessarily need to get wet to perform this search.  I pulled out my back-up metal detector with an extra scoop and after a 5 minute tutorial on how it worked, Mark was off.  He and I decided to each take one of the paths of travel and divide our efforts into two searches.  I was completing my search efforts of the first track after about an hour.  It resulted in the removal of a minimal amount of trash but no ring.  As I made my way towards joining Marks efforts, I noticed that he was working a hole.  Moments later he shouted, « I found it!!! ».  I could see that he was fully excited as I ran down to congratulate him.  I pulled out my camera and snapped a few quick shots as he triumphantly held up his platinum wedding band. We had made the recovery!!!

Thanks Mark for allowing me to help out with the search and recovery of this ring.  I can only imagine the gratification of locating and recovering your own lost item once you had the right equipment.  You can join me on another recovery anytime!  Best wishes for you and your families future!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Gold Ring lost in Hayward, CA…Recovered!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Our first ring recovery of 2025 came while I was providing First Aid support for a Cub Scout knife safety/whittling class for our Pack.  I had received a call for assistance in Hayward, CA to locate a yellow gold chain ring lost in tall grass along a trail.  I informed them that I was committed for another two hours but would head their direction shortly thereafter.  I had them text me an address and informed them I would let them know when I was on my way and again when I was 10 minutes out.

My two older boys would accompany me to provide assistance and loaded their detector as we made for the location.  It took just under an hour to reach the site and a short 3 minute walk put us in the target area.  I provided some orange soccer cones for them to define the search area as I prepared our detectors. I was excited when my oldest boy got a promising hit on his Vanquish 540.  Upon further inspection it was found to be spectacle frames for a pair of glasses.  Moments later, I got a great signal on the 800 (12-14) and when pinpointed…we had made the recovery!!!

It was a beautiful day and I had almost wished it took a bit longer to locate while spending time with the boys among the tall Kelly green grass of the East Bay hills.

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

Platinum Wedding Band Lost in Benicia, CA… FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Imagine this if you will… Your anniversary is 11-11-11 and only days away.  You are only hours away from leaving for an amazing out-of-state anniversary trip with the entire family.  In fact, you were supposed to leave earlier this morning. However, flights were canceled and rescheduled due to inclement weather in another state. Plans will have to change.

Now imagine it is a beautiful cool Autumn day.  The sky is blue and the grass is Kelly green.  Crisp and colorful fall leaves are everywhere.  In an attempt to make the best out of your rearranged plans, you pack the truck with bikes, balls, and games and head to the local park.  Upon arrival, the chaos of unloading everything required for a fun time with the family ensues.  Everyone is excited!

In less than an instant, excitement turns to panic when you realize your Platinum wedding band is no longer on your hand and is missing.  Everything stops and a search for the ring becomes the new priority.  Anxiety and stress takes the place of joy and excitement.  Hours into the search and the ring is still at large.  Most of the family have now returned home leaving you to continue the unwavering search.  Eyes glued to the ground you cautiously rake the area inch by inch hoping that the ring turns up. Leaving for your trip seems unfathomable without the object.

At some point, a stranger shows up with a metal detector.  Located on THERINGFINDERS.COM, an international network of elite metal detectors, your wife has requested help.  In less than 30 minutes help has arrived on the site.  You give the dashingly handsome detectorist a quick run down of the events and locations pertinent to his search.  He asks you to complete a search contract while he gets started, and before you can even finish the brief form the platinum wedding band is recovered and the nightmare is over.

To the family…I’m so glad that I was able to assist you and with an overwhelmingly positive outcome.  Happiest of Anniversary wishes and have a safe and amazing trip!

   

                     

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Yellow gold wedding band lost in Lake Del Valle….Found in 4 feet of water!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Ben text me with a request for help searching for his gold wedding band lost in Lake Del Valle over the holiday weekend.  Since I was out of town for work early in the week, we agreed to search towards the end of the week.

 

On Friday, I geared up for the search and we made plans to meet at the lake after my shift.  Since I got to Del Valle a bit earlier than our agreed meet up, I jumped in and started the search.  The lake was remarkably quiet considering the amount of debris along its shore(s) and picnic areas.  I now knew that if I could get the coil over our target we were going to be successful.

Ben arrived shortly after I cleared the area out in front of one of the buoys.  He showed me an area that he believed the ring would be found and it wasn’t long before I got a strong double beeping low-tone.  Due to thick vegetation on the gravel bottom it would take a bit of time and Ben’s assistance, but… We Made The Recovery!!!

After a quick celebration in the water, Ben and I met up on the beach for some photos.  It was a beautiful Friday for the recovery and an excellent way to end the week.

Thank you Ben for contacting me and allowing me to assist you in the search and recovery of your wedding band. It was a pleasure to meet you and best wishes for your future!

 

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590