#how to find a platinum ring in the water Tag | The Ring Finders

Man’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This adventure started about 12:30 p.m. on July 23, 2026, when I received a voice mail saying, “Michelle, I lost my ring in the ocean.” I immediately called her back and learned her husband; Jonathan had his wedding band slip off in the ocean when he was hit by a wave about 30 minutes prior. I asked Michelle how deep they were when his ring came off and she said calf deep. I found out where they were and told her I’d be there in about 15 minutes. I did a quick check of the tide tables and saw I’d be facing an incoming tide.  Plus, this time of the day would mean an increased sea breeze and building waves. Hoping for the best, I grabbed my Equinox 800 and headed out.

When I arrived at the travel park, I met Michelle at their RV, and we walked down to the beach. When she led me to where the family was sitting in the dry sand, I met Jonathon. I asked them what type of metal the ring was, but they weren’t completely sure if it was silver, white gold, or possibly Platinum. They told me that the ring had belonged to Michelle’s great uncle. They also told me that they had been married for a month and that today was their one-year anniversary of Jonathan and Michelle’s engagement. So, there was a lot riding on me finding this ring. I got a few more details on how and about where the ring was lost and then I followed Jonathan out into the ocean. I was getting concerned when we kept walking after getting to waist high water. I was also feeling the sea breeze pick up and the waves coming in higher and stronger. This was not going to be easy. I attempted to start a grid search back towards the beach, but I was getting picked up and moved by each wave. The little bit I was able to search; I did hit a solid 10 on the VDI (visual display indicator). I know a man’s white gold or platinum wedding band is going to ring up between a 9 and 12 depending on size. A man’s silver ring is going to ring up about 25. I was able to do a few swings of the coil and hit a target that showed a 10 on the VDI. So, as soon as I got the 10, I glanced up at the beach and got a landmark and took a quick scoop, hoping I had it. The scoop was full of nothing but small shells. Trying to find it again, the waves had moved me about 5 feet off the target, and I couldn’t find it again. We were within an hour of high tide, so I told Jonathan we’d both pace off the number of steps back to where they were sitting. Naturally we came up with different numbers; his were probably more accurate than mine, because I’m trying to keep the scoop from slamming into my legs and keeping the current and waves from pushing my coil into the sand and breaking it. When we got back up on the beach, I told him we had missed the tide, and I’d have to come back that night at low tide. We talked a bit and I left.

That night I got back about an hour and a half before low tide and tried doing a grid search. It was dark and I had a hard time trying to do any sort of a grid search. There was also a couple of fishermen out pretty close to where I was trying to search. They were wearing, what appeared to be car headlights as their head lamps. They kept looking in my direction and destroyed any night vision I may have had. I did what I could and after almost 2 hours, I called it a night. The whole time I was there, Jonathan and 2 others were sitting on the beach watching me. I told him I’d be back in the morning before low tide and start all over. Unfortunately, Jonathan and Michelle were leaving the next morning, but Michelle’s sisters would still be there.

Friday morning, I was there about 45 minutes before low tide and set up my east/west grid search. Conditions were perfect, so I was confident I’d find his ring. I started to the north of my landmark and worked south, keeping very tight grid lines out to about thigh deep. I finally got in line with the lone palm tree that was my landmark, walked about 10 yards out and got a solid 9-10 on the VDI. I know I had a big smile on my face. I dug a scoop of sand and shells and checked the hole, and I had the target in the scoop. I washed the scoop out in the water and started taking out small handfuls of shells. Finally, I saw Jonathan’s ring, which turned out to be Platinum, in the bottom of the scoop. I took a picture and sent it to Michelle with a text saying, “Yours?!?!?!” I gave her a couple of minutes and called her. When she answered, all I said was, “check your text.” I could hear them over the phone confirming it was Jonathan’s and their excitement. She said she’d call her sisters, Regina and Caroline and have them meet me on the beach. Both sisters showed up and were excited as well. They took the ring to give to Jonathan when they see him on Sunday or Monday. This was a tough one but well worth every second.

Jonathan and Michelle – Thank you for trusting and allowing me to help find your very special and important heirloom.

Jim

   

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Platinum Wedding Ring Lost In Auburn, Maine Backyard, Found With Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday afternoon, August 15th, I received a call from Scott. He had lost his Platinum Wedding Ring, the previous Saturday, in his backyard, in Auburn, Maine. His six year old son wanted to go camping, so Scott set up a tent, in the backyard. The next morning Scott noticed he no longer had his Wedding Ring on, it was gone. Scott and his wife checked out some photos, taken the previous evening. Sure enough, there is a photo of Scott, his six year old son and his 3 year old daughter, showing he was still had his Wedding Ring on, at 8:00pm. The backyard was throughly searched by Scott and his wife, but to no avail. Scott and his young son also had walked up the street, just a little bit and also about 50 feet, into the woods behind his house. These areas were also checked, over and over again, for the past 6 days. No ring found. Scott asked if I could help search for the ring, with my metal detector. As this was Friday afternoon, I told Scott that I was already booked this afternoon, in Moody Beach and that I was going to Boston, tomorrow morning. Where the ring was lost on his property, there was no worries about someone finding it, in his backyard. Scott and I agreed to meeting, on Sunday morning, to search for his wedding ring.

I arrived promptly at Scott’s house, at 8:00am and Scott came right out, to meet me. Scott walked me around the property, showing me everywhere he had been, after 8:00pm, when the photo was taken, showing he still had his ring on. I then started searching the backyard, where they had been camping. The entire backyard should only take me an hour to an hour and a half. If I didn’t find the ring in the backyard, I would then search the small area of the woods they had been in. If not in the woods, then along the street, up to the next house. As I was searching the backyard, I was getting lots of targets but they were showing to be 4-8 inches, in the ground and they definitely weren’t in the low conductor platinum range that I was looking for. Anything even close, I would check the target with my pinpointer and all the targets were indeed, in the ground, except a penny and a quarter, which I found, up along the rock wall and they were, on top of the ground. After an hour and a half, I completed the entire backyard area and no wedding ring. I then went into the woods and found the usual trash targets and a nickel, but no ring. I then went to the front of the house and searched along the street, up to the next driveway and again, no wedding ring. where could the ring be. There is a photo showing him with it on at 8:00pm and the next day, it’s not on his finger. I met up with Scott and told him that the ring is definitely not in the areas searched. I asked him if he had checked the tent, sleeping bags, clothing, etc.. Scott said he and his wife had searched those items multiple times. Scott said he was sure I would find it, in the backyard and said “I’m at a loss” and that they would recheck everything again. I then told Scott that I have had clients contact me days, weeks and in one instance, years after losing a ring, telling me they have found the ring, in a totally different place, than where they thought it would be. I mentioned a client had once found his wife’s missing Engagement Ring after 3 months, in the wiper cowel, of her vehicle. Crazy but true. As I was talking to Scott, I had him go over the events of 8 days ago, one more time. He gave the same story of the next morning, the ring was missing. I then asked him if he noticed the ring missing, as soon as he got up. He said no, that he noticed it missing when he was swatting hornets away, after the attacked him, between the pool and the house. WAIT, WHAT? HORNETS AGAIN? I then told Scott that approximately 3 weeks earlier, a client in Windham, Maine was attacked by hornets and his wedding ring flew off, into the woods. I ended up finding the wedding ring, in the thick overgrown brush, in the woods. Scott then says, “My hands were wet when they attacked”. I asked Scott to show me where this had happened. He took me inside the fenced in pool and to the area against the house, where the hornets attacked him. I turned my metal detector on and checked the plant that was being watered and pruned, when the hornets attacked. The wedding ring wasn’t in the plant. I then searched the rock landscape, along the house and plant. No ring, in the rocks, along the walkway and plant. I then walked behind the plant, searching the rocks, between the plant and house. All of a sudden, I received a very loud low tone, looked down, into the rock landscape and what did I see? It was a Platinum Wedding Ring, belonging to Scott. I looked over at Scott and said, “Scott, I found your ring.” Scott yelled out in delight and ran right over. He told me he couldn’t believe it. He was literally just there pruning the plant again and didn’t see it. Scott’s wife was also over joyed and everyone was smiling and just so surprised the ring had just been sitting there for the last eight days. As I told them, the wedding ring was “Hiding in plain sight”. As I tell my clients, Gary Hill and I ask lots of questions, for reasons like this. The questions may sound repetitive but the questions may just jog your memory and result in a ring being found.
As I left, Scott and his wife were still beaming with smiles, ear to ear and thanked me again. I could see the anguish in Scott’s face the entire morning and now the entire morning has turned bright and sunny. I am so happy he has his ring back and I’m sure he will be sleeping well tonight and with a smile 😃 ❤️🙏

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Platinum 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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Cheryl and I arrived home, from a successful recovery and return, in Eliot, Maineat approximately 11:00am. At just prior to 1:00pm, I received a call from Megan. Megan told me that earlier that morning, at around 9:30am, her husband Craig had been throwing a football around, with their son. They were in the water, on Drakes Island, Maine, in Wells, Maine, when on one of Craig’s throws, he saw his Platinum Wedding Ring come flying off and land in the surf. After searching for the ring, in the water, they gave up. Megan told me that they were on vacation at Drake’s Island and live in Connecticut. She had placed a Facebook post about the lost ring and asked that anyone who found it, to please contact her. Once the post went live, Megan said that many of the comments said to contact The Ring Finders of Maine. Megan and Craig had never heard of me, so they investigated my Facebook Page and saw all the successful recoveries. That is when they decided to call me and give it a shot.

I told Megan that I could go down, asap but was a little concerned about the correct area to search. I texted her a photo, of Drake’s Island Beach and broke the beach up into 4 sections. I asked her which section the ring was lost in. She replied section 3. I told her I was on my way and if someone could meet me there to pinpoint the location. She told me they weren’t there at the moment, but Craig would meet me there, as soon as as he could get there. Perfect!!! Once I arrived at 1:40pm, I took a few photos and texted them the location I was at. At this point, Craig called me and told me It looked good and that he was just to the left, of the Lifeguard stand and his son was to the right of the stand, while throwing the football. He thinks the ring would be to the right of the stand and may be in the rocks, but more likely just outside the rocks, going towards the water. Craig also told me that he was on his way to Drakes Island but was coming from Freeport, Maine, where he was visiting family. There was also an accident on the Maine Turnpike, slowing traffic down and he didn’t expect to arrive at Drake’s Island, for at least a half hour. No problem. I would start the grid search a little further out from where he thinks the ring would be. I would grid horizontally,to the water and shore, work towards the shore. The length of the search was approximately 75’ long as I worked the grid line, I was only finding mostly trash targets. After approximately a half hour of searching, I turned to start a new grid line, towards the north. After a few steps, I received the low tone that I was looking for and the VDI screen was reading, 17-18. Definitely in the Platinum range, as my own Platinum Ring will come in at a 19-20. I took one scoop of sand and threw it up on the hard packed. I then used my pinpointer to locate the target, by scraping the sand away, until I saw a silver colored ring. I cleaned the ring off and saw “Plat” on the inside of the band. Definitely Platinum, but I saw an inscription on the inside of the band also. No one had mentioned an inscription. I then sent a photo to Craig, of the ring on top of my sand scoop
“Think I have it. What is the inscription?”
Craig replied, “Looks right. The inscription is 05-10-08”
I replied, “Congratulations. That is it. Plat 5-10-08”
Craig replied with a thumbs up 👍 and told me he was still 10 minutes out and he would meet me at the house. I walked back up to his vacation rental and waited a few minutes for Craig to arrive. Once I showed him the ring, he was amazed I had found it and so fast. He was also very happy, smiling and thankful as he shook my hand. Thankfully I was able to locate the ring, as not all rings, lost in the ocean are recovered. A few things in his favor were that he lost it closer to high tide, than low tide. When you lose a ring, in the water at low tide, those are difficult recoveries. You now have less time to search, because the water will be coming back in, covering the area, in deeper water. Craig also gave perfect directions as to where he thought his ring would be and he nailed it on the head. I have had multiple searches, where I was given the wrong location to search. Those don’t usually end well. But, this did end well and I was so happy, to have been able to help Craig recover his lost wedding ring. There is no better feeling, than to return a lost item, unless you return two lost items, in the same day, which I just did. Two smiles 😁😁, on the same day is an incredible day and I won’t forget it, any time soon. ❤️🙏

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