Hailey was out on the beach one evening playing a game. When she was done, she realized the ring given to her by her boyfriend at Christmas was not on her finger anymore. Soft sand and a 30 X 40 foot area and there was no way she was going to find it without help. I got the call the next morning, grabbed my gear, and headed to meet her. On a public beach, you need to get on these things right away so someone else doesn’t find it first and not know who to return it to. On arrival, I noticed that some heavy equipment had gone through the area…..not a good sign. I looked down the beach and could see that equipment at work moving sand around. A skip loader and a rake machine. Okay, that’s better than a sifter, but, still the ring could have been scooped and dumped somewhere else, or, the rake could have drug the ring out of the search area. Not all of the search area had been disturbed, so, we were hopeful. After about 15-20 minutes of gridding, I got the sound I was « looking » for, and one scoop later, I had her ring. It was just a fraction outside the raked section of sand. Whew! I’m glad I could help you Hailey, and thank you for the reward.
Three years ago, Andrew’s grandfather passed down the family gold ring. Fifty years before that, Andrew’s great grandfather, Ben, passed the ring to his grandson. The family heirloom ring began its journey in 1897, and it was up to me to help Andrew retrieve the lost treasure.
During my hour-long drive to Hamden, Connecticut, I tried to imagine the situation. I’ve never had a call like this in all the years I’ve been finding lost rings. There are many times where I get a story about a lost ring, and once I arrive, the investigation leads to an entire set of new circumstances. After all, how does a ring go missing after being hidden under a rock for safekeeping? I knew the lost ring was bordering a pond, so my instinct kept telling me it somehow ended up in the water. My next fear was the ring being inaccessible, and the bowels of earth swallowed it up for good. There was no telling what I might find.
Andrew went for a jog and realized he was still wearing his heirloom wedding band. Exercise is a common way jewelry is lost, so, understandably, Andrew removed the ring. After all, I remove my ring and place it in temporary hiding while landscaping. The rock where he hid the ring was at the top of a bank with a 45° slope to a pond’s edge. The bank was also part of a driveway lined with many other rocks and boulders. The stones varied in size, some as small as a softball, some as large as a car. Andrew took off his ring and placed it under one of the little rocks. He immediately heard the clink, clink, of the ring slipping into an erosion line and disappearing underneath an adjacent boulder. At 175 pounds per cubic foot, boulders are too big to move by hand. In the absence of heavy machinery, the only option was to try to dig. Because of the 45° slope, the ring kept sliding deeper and deeper underneath the boulder as Andrew attempted to hand-dig. Andrew reached as far as his arm would allow, and there was still space in the bottom of the cavern. Losing hope, Andrew had no idea if the ring had already been pulled out with the handfuls of dirt or if the ring was sliding deeper underground.
I arrived and took a quick walk around the area and down to the pond’s edge. I used my metal detector for a quick scan of the site to confirm the ring hand not been removed and was sitting in Andrew’s pile of dirt from a few days earlier. The thought crossed my mind to use heavy equipment, as it would have been faster and much less work, but the risk of damaging the ring would have been high. I was no stranger to manual labor, so I began by chipping away the asphalt driveway a couple of feet from the boulder where Andrew had already dug. In the past, I used a similar technique and pinch point bar to help a gentleman retrieve a time capsule entombed within a granite stone wall, so I knew how to break up the asphalt driveway carefully. Once I got through the asphalt layer into the compacted fill, I started tunneling towards the boulder where the ring was suspected to be lost. Accessing the lost ring from the side would hopefully prevent the ring from being pushed deeper underground. Before mining each fill layer, I used a small handheld metal detector, called a pinpointer, to crawl into the cavern and check for the ring. I then used my large metal detector to survey the excavated materials on the surface. I repeated this process for over an hour when I finally got a signal on my pinpointer. I set up a flashlight at the bottom of the dark cavern and scraped away the fill from the boulder base. The struggle was real. I was heavy breathing, sweating, and crammed in a hole laying on my stomach—all while and trying to hold my cell phone steady to get some decent footage. The relief of a shiny object flipping out of the area I was scrapping couldn’t have come sooner. The flashlight immediately revealed an inscription, “Ben April 7 1897.”
I backed out of the waist-deep hole, covered in dirt and sweat, but grasping the prize. All I could think about was the different generations who have worn this ring. I am sure every past owner has their stories of almost losing it. At the moment between finding the lost ring and notifying the owner, time stands still. All the stories, characters, and physical qualities of the ring finally meld. I was nostalgic about every life experience this ring has endured. The time came, and I handed the ring over to the family. With three generations of family members watching this whole mystery unfold, I knew the event would be discussed for decades to come. The smallest family member, too young to remember this event, will undoubtedly hear of the time the earth swallowed the family ring. When it comes time for the little one to carry the torch, the memories created today will contribute to the protection of this ring for another generation to come.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Mark the area where you believe the ring is lost. Then call a professional metal detectorist to discuss recovery options. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
I received an email from Rob on a Tuesday stating he lost his wedding band while taking down his Christmas decorations. He was devastated as the ring was his grandfathers who had passed away a couple months before Rob was born. Robs mother had given the ring to Rob when he proposed to his wife. The ring was the only item and memory he had of his grandfather. We had to wait until Saturday before I was available to search. I arrived on a very cold and windy Saturday morning and began searching the front yard as well as under the bushes in the flower beds. I searched for two hours without luck.
Rob came over to me as I was still searching and told me to give up as I had searched the entire yard twice. I told him, if it’s in this yard, I’ll find it. Just as I said that, I simultaneously began to move my detector and got a good hit as well as I saw something shiny in the grass. There was the ring sticking out from under a leaf. We could not believe we were standing over the ring and about to give up when I found it. His wife ran over to us and began to cry with excitement. I love being able to reunite lost jewelry to its owners.
Don’t wait or hesitate to call me at 610-207-8677, so I can find your lost treasure with my metal detecting service.
Ring Finder – Ring Recovery Specialist…Lost ring? Lost necklace? Lost keys?… Metal Detector Service – Call ASAP 021 401626
I got a call late last night from Sophie, asking if I was able to find a lost gold earring in the sand.
She had been playing volleyball on the beach at Tauranga Bay near Whangaroa in the Far North of New Zealand, and at some stage in the rough and tumble the earring was lost into the sand. A fellow camper at the Tauranga Bay campsite had heard of or witnessed my successful recovery of a lost engagement ring there just a couple of days ago. It was a simple matter to track down The Ringfinders to save the day (well, night)
It was just about low tide when she phoned, dinner could wait but time and tide waits for no-one, it was 50km away and night searches in the water aren’t fun. I threw the water kit in the car and headed off.
They had left the net up so I could see where they had been playing, but the giveaway was the parallel lines and grubbing about of what looked like a group of people doing a shoulder to shoulder contact search through the sand. It was just on sunset when I started and worked the court area and the principle traffic area back towards the camp. I became aware of an audience in the dark, comfortably seated and watching what must be the most boring spectator event ever! However they were to disappointed as the only two targets found were a hair clip and a 10c piece. Confident I had cleared the site, it was either deep or not in the indicated area.
After confirming clothing etc had been checked to make sure it hadn’t been caught up, I said I would return in the morning with a deeper coil.
Up at 4am to drive back to the beach. Aside from a few torches of bleary-eyed campers stumbling around the campsite it was just me and my detector. I re-ran the original grid, picking up some deeper junk targets before widening the search area. I dropped over the change in contour where the waves had lapped on last nights high tide and off to the outside of one corner of the original grid I picked up a quiet ‘double-thud’ of a circular object – but could be an old can pulltab down deep.
Yes, it was deep, nearly 30cm down, but it wasn’t a pulltab as my fingers closed on the familiar shape of a sand-filled ring in the dark. Verified in the headlamp, and Job Done!
I scratched a message to Sophie in the sand: « FOUND IT! Back at 4pm » and headed off to work.
Later that morning I got a TXT from Sophie who had seen the message and was overjoyed at the retrieval of her lost earring. By 4pm, it was back in her hands (to be put safely away with the other one for the remainder of their holiday)
Have you ever experienced the sinking feeling of realizing you’ve lost something precious? Cynthia’s heart sank when she discovered her husband’s wedding ring had slipped off her thumb amidst the sandy shores of Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu. It’s a common scenario – entrusted with the ring while her husband enjoys the surf, only to lose it innocently while playing with their child. But fear not, for every lost ring has the potential to be found, especially with the assistance of a metal detector expert.
After receiving Cynthia’s distress call, I sprang into action, scheduling a search for the following day. With extreme wind conditions forecasted, I knew time was of the essence. Armed with the knowledge of the area and a grid plan, I embarked on the hunt, determined to reunite Andrew with his cherished ring.
Upon arrival, I meticulously combed the area, clearing away debris and focusing on the spot indicated by Andrew. Despite the gusty winds, my metal detector guided me to a promising signal. With bated breath, we unearthed the buried treasure – Andrew’s wedding ring, gleaming in the sunlight. Joy and relief washed over us as we celebrated the successful recovery, alleviating any lingering guilt or worry.
If you ever find yourself in a similar predicament or simply can’t locate your valuables, don’t hesitate to reach out. With expert metal detecting services tailored to finding lost treasures, I’m here to assist you in rediscovering what’s rightfully yours. Contact me at 805-290-5009, and let’s embark on the journey to recover your cherished possessions.
I’m still laughing about it….Hopefully Taylor and Scott are too!
Taylor found me via the Ring Finders Directory after her husband, Scott, lost his large gold wedding band. They live in a row home in the Manayunk area of Philadelphia, PA. Apparently, Scott was horsing around with their dogs on the front porch when he felt(and heard) his ring slip off his finger and bounce into the front yard. Unfortunately, the sloping front yard is quite unruly with the presence of 2-foot deep ground Ivy vine. They had been searching for hours in the dark the night before and then again the next morning before they finally asked me to come with my detector. I showed up around lunchtime the next day(1/18/21). When I walked up to their front door I noticed the search area was going to be quite a challenge….it was quite overgrown and sweeping my detector was not going to be possible. Not to be deterred I made me way into the deep brush with the intent to poke in and out of the brush with my small search coil. I worked my way up through weeds to the top of the slope closest to porch and noticed that they had been hard at work cutting away and removing the first 2 feet of deep weeds. Scott and Taylor were on the porch looking down on me and talking me through the actions that lead to the loss.
Now keep in mind…I’ve been there 60 seconds and haven’t even turned on my detector…I look down in the middle of the small area that they had cleared that morning…and hey….that looks like a ring???? I bend down and ha!….it is a ring. A large, white gold wedding band. I pick it up and hold it out to Scott…who is clearly shocked? dumbfounded? amazed? embarrassed?
We laughed and laughed. Who knows how they could’ve missed it…I just told them how happy I was to be able to find for them. And then I told them it was their loss that they didn’t get to witness my mad detector skills!
Ring Finder – Ring Recovery Specialist…Lost ring? Lost necklace? Lost keys?… Metal Detector Service – Call ASAP 021 401626
Every ring has a story. This particular story was nearly cut short after it had only just begun!
One day into her engagement, Alexis was enjoying the water at Tauranga Bay near Whangaroa in New Zealand when she got hit by a large wave. Once the excitement had subsided, she realised the sea had pinched her brand new engagement ring!
Fortunately others nearby recommended me and she called immediately, before the wave action could bury it too deep.
On arrival, it wasn’t hard to see where she was in the crowd by the shoal of snorkellers searching in the shallows. After a quick Q&A, I had a good idea of the search area and started the first run.
Quick contact from Alexis and careful noting of her location enabled me to recover and hand back her lost ring within a few minutes – to screams of relief and joy echoing around the beach.
Alexis turned to her fiance, « Are we still getting married? »
Ring Finder – Ring Recovery Specialist…Lost ring? Lost necklace? Lost keys?… Metal Detector Service – Call ASAP 021 401626
Sarah was enjoying the summer with her family at Taupo Bay, a lovely ocean beach in the north of New Zealand.
Taking her gold and diamond wedding ring off to apply sunscreen to her son before a swim, it wasn’t until she got back to where she was staying that she realised the ring was now absent.
Fortunately, I had only recently posted in the local community Facebook page trying to find the owner of a couple of silver rings located during a casual hunt there, Sarah saw this and contacted me.
I met her on site the following day and she went through the what’s and where’s surrounding the loss of her wedding ring, indicating where the group had been spread out. A scoop hole nearby didn’t bode well, but this is a game of inches and there was a good chance a casual detector had missed it.
Kids had since excavated a massive crater in the beach in the two days after Sarahs visit, and I was fully expecting to have to return here and manhandle a few hundred kilos of sand back into the hole to get to the original beach surface under the pile of sand around it…
Luck was with me today though, another dozen paces and I got a nice « dig me » tone.
The scoop went in, I emptied it across the surface, and a line of diamonds wrapped in wet sand twinkled in the early evening sun.
Sarah was overjoyed – and check out the cheesy grin on her son 🙂
John was from out of state, working to restore services to the Lake Charles area after the destruction of hurricane Laura. He was sweeping dried mud out of his truck seat when his white gold wedding band flew off his finger. He heard it hit some hurricane debris and before heading to parts unknown in the road ditch. He and a couple of fellow workers moved some of the trash and hand searched the area, No luck. He called Carrie and I the next day for help. Within 2 hours we were on site hunting. Since John had left his own metal detector back home, I lent him mine. After hunting for a few minutes he needed to head back to work and I started hunting. Within an hour, Carrie got a good signal in a thick clump of grass. Neither of us could see the source , so I had to cut and pull some blades of grass from the clump. We both got a visual at the same time. We messaged a picture of the ring to John and soon saw him drive up. Two people had checked that same clump the day before and had not seen the ring. Lots of smiles followed.
I received a call from Jewel that he lost his wedding ring while throwing snow balls with his son. Jewel and his family are from California and were visiting his brother in Pennsylvania for the holidays. After losing the ring he bought a metal detector and tried to search for the ring himself, but soon realized the cheap detector and lack of experience did not work out well. He began searching the internet for help and found my profile on TheRingFinders.com. I was able to immediately travel to his location to search for the ring and found it after only 15 min of searching. I was so happy to make his New Years special by returning his ring before they travelled home to California.
