This story starts 47 years ago when a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Nursing program loses her graduation ring in the ocean in Stone Harbor. She has never forgotten that day.
5 months ago her best friend gave her a gold necklace to melt down to make a new ring. The ring was made and worn every day since.
This week the ring was loose on her finger so she put it in her coat pocket. When she got home she shook dog hair from her coat and heard the ring hit the cement. Her yard is yellow with zoysia grass. The yellow gold ring was lost. Her husband spent 2 days on his hands and knees looking through the thick grass with no luck.
He searched the internet and found me. My wife and I went to their house the next day. They told me their story and I went to work. I searched the area that they pointed me to. No luck. I moved to the other side of the sidewalk and bingo.
10 minutes of search time. The ring is back on her finger. She will be going back to the jeweler to have it resized. My wife made a new friend. She did not want her picture taken.
Bridget’s 2 Carat Diamond Platinum Engagement Ring
On the morning of the 30th of January, I received a phone call from a woman who was extremely stressed out about her beautiful 2 carat diamond platinum engagement ring that went missing the day before somewhere between home and work.
Diamond and Setting Separated in Snowstorm but Ring Finder Brian Rudolph Miraculously Found the « Ice » in the « Ice »!
Bridget and her husband reside in Centreville, Virginia which is located 30 minutes from Washington D.C.. The night before, they frantically searched for the missing ring at their home and when they couldn’t find it anywhere inside and outside of the house, they resolved to go to Bridget’s work to search throughout her office, in the waste paper baskets, in and around the company kitchen area, and outside in the parking lot where her car was parked that afternoon. They tried everything, but they couldn’t find the ring anywhere. That’s when they finally resolved to look online for a professional metal detectorist and they found me in a directory of metal detectorists known as The Ring Finders. We can find what most people just cannot recover.
I was so happy to talk with Bridget and to try to help her find her abs
Ring Finally Brought Above the Snow!
olutely gorgeous diamond ring that meant the world to her. The first thing I did was to spend a whole lot of time on the phone talking with her about all of the different possibilities of where the ring may have ended up.
Brian and Bridget Celebrate the Gorgeous Engagement Ring Found!
She was extremely detailed about each scenario and it really helped me to paint an accurate picture as to all of the main areas that we needed to search first. The ring could have been lost outside of her home from the car area over to the house or it could have been lost inside of her work or outside in the parking lot. But she really believed that she was wearing it while driving home the day before because she felt that she would have recognized the ring missing on her hand as she was holding on to the steering wheel. A very important clue!
Bridget’s Lost 2 Carat Diamond Engagement Ring Back In Her Hands!
I arrived in Centreville, Virginia in the early afternoon and met Bridget outside of her home. She was trying to stay positive in the midst of many doubts within her that she might never see her engagement ring ever again. It’s because she and her husband Jim checked everywhere and nothing turned up. I reassured her that there was no compromise here and that it was not a matter of « if » we would find the ring, but « when »we would find it. She felt reassured about it and I told her that I would try my very best to find the ring and return it to her.
I got my gear on and started the hunt. I purposely started away from the house where people might get curious as to what I was searching for. Most people were still at work and so searching in the open areas first would allow me to get the exposed areas eliminated before people got back to the neighborhood. I didn’t want to alert any of the neighbors that something important was lost, just in case they might want to search themselves. There was a high probability that the ring was lost near the steps of the house, perhaps buried in the bushes. You see, she remembers reaching for her phone from within her jacket pocket when she was outside shoveling the steps leading to her house door. It was possible that the ring had fallen off at that point and then maybe she shoveled the ring along with the snow, off into the bushes.
I did check the bushes but to no avail. I also checked Bridget’s car with her approval because there are times when the item is lost somewhere in a vehicle even after the owner looks over and over again. It was definitely not in the Audi. I checked the parking lot and the surrounding sidewalk areas and lawn areas near the walkways but nothing turned up. The next order of business was to check the grassy areas on either side of the sidewalk leading up to Bridget’s house. This took a considerable amount of time because there was still a sizable amount of snow on the ground from a previous snow fall.
Bridget’s Amazing 2 Carat Engagement Ring Found in Two Parts in Snow!
When I could not find the ring, even though I checked plenty of possible signals, I took a break from detecting and spent a little bit of time researching my database of previous finds and the signal numbers that were seen with similar rings that were lost before.
I was then back at it, looking intently with my metal detector to locate Bridget’s beloved diamond ring. It wasn’t too long after I returned to detecting the front and side lawn areas of their house that I got the signal I was looking for! The numbers on the machine lined up perfectly with what I was studying earlier on my database. The target was at a shallow depth and I was confident more than ever that I had what I was looking for! I quickly searched the area where I detected and there it was, just below the surface in the snow! I found the ring! I was beyond elated! Because the ring could have been anywhere according to Bridget, we scored a huge home run! I went to the car and got my camera and returned at once to take some pictures before telling Bridget the great news. This is when things got a little dicey. My search was not over!
I was so excited when I found the ring that I didn’t think to dust it off to review the condition of the jewel. You see, it was just lying under the snow and nobody had walked over it since yesterday afternoon. So I didn’t think that there was any need to do a thorough review of it before returning to the car to retrieve my camera. But when I dusted it off to get some better pictures of the diamond ring, there was one big problem! There was no diamond in the setting! I was blown away by this discovery because there was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground and it would have been nearly impossible to find a 2 carat « piece of precious ice » in the midst of all of that cold, white ice outside! My heart was so discouraged. The ring setting was mangled on one side and it was most likely accidentally damaged when the owner was shoveling the front steps.
Bridget Smiles Again After 2 Carat Engagement Ring is Found
The only thing I could do at that point was to carefully sift through the snow where the ring was, with the hope that the diamond was resting close by to the setting. This assumption meant that the diamond would have just come out of the setting when it landed in that place. And to my very happy surprise, that is exactly what happened! I found the diamond! I found it just inches away from the setting! I couldn’t believe it! I traced an imaginary circle with a 6 inch diameter around where I found the setting and sure enough this huge, gorgeous, priceless rock appeared in the midst of all of the snow and ice on the ground! It gave off the most amazing display of fireworks and sparkles! I found it! I really found it! The setting and the diamond were now both recovered and were both ready to be returned back to the worried owner who was inside the house doing work, hoping that she would get a knock at the door with a solid report.
I couldn’t wait to share the great news with Bridget! I knocked on the door and as soon as she opened it I told her that I found the ring! She was so beyond happy! I did tell her that there was good news and also some bad news and to grab a sandwich baggie from the kitchen. She met me outside and I showed her where the ring had rested near a tree in the front of the property and I explained what happened to the setting. She couldn’t believe that I found the diamond in the snow! It could have landed anywhere if the diamond came apart from the setting at any other place in time other than when it landed beside the tree where I found it!
Bridget was so relieved and grateful for what I was able to do to return the ring to her. I went inside and we took some pictures and video conferenced her husband Jim who was very happy at the conclusion of my search! Then, we said our goodbyes and I headed off to my next appointment.
Bridget’s Diamond & Setting Reunited on Her Finger Again!
Bridget and Jim’s smile and their feelings of elation, knowing that the ring was back in their hands just made my day! My job is just the most fun one could ever have! Bringing smiles to people’s faces can’t get any better than this!
Bridget had a birthday just a couple of weeks later. While she and her husband were celebrating at a five star resort, they sent me a photo of Bridget’s incredibly huge diamond that was now resting back in its proper ring setting, together once more on Bridget’s finger!
I can’t fully express just how special it felt to be a part of that reunion!
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The Eastern coast had an entertaining snowstorm the week of Sunday January 13th. Our area got around 11 to 13 inches of snowfall. For our area of Maryland, D.C. and Virginia that’s pretty significant! I got a call the day after the storm from a nice young man named Rohit, living in the Laurel, Maryland area. He sent me a text and left a voicemail message around 11am sounding quite distressed about what had happened to his ring. He said in the text, « Hi Brian, my name is Rohit and I lost my university ring in the snow, yesterday night in Laurel. I found you through The Ring Finders service on Google. Do you think you can help me find it today? »
I immediately called Rohit and scheduled to meet him near the location of where he lost the ring. It turned out that he was taking a walk in the snow with a friend around a community lake late at night during the snowstorm. Rohit recalled to me that he remembered making his way up a snowy hill when he slipped and he believed his Texas A&M University ring slipped off his finger at that point. He searched for a good long while with his friend in desperation of recovering his very special gold ring that he obtained upon graduating with a doctorate degree at Texas A&M University. Unfortunately, to no avail, and Rohit was empty handed that night. He said he barely could sleep as he thought about the possibility of not retrieving his priceless reward for all his hard work over the past many years.
As I shared, the snow fell heavily the night before and we had quite a bit on the ground and on the roads. But I managed to get over to his Laurel, Maryland housing development and met him over on the other side of the lake where he lost the ring. Rohit walked me between some houses overlooking the lake and over to the hill where he believed that the ring was lost. After asking him a long list of questions, I agreed
Rohit so happy to have his ring back! Thumbs up!
that it was best to start the search in the vicinity of where he was most certain that he lost the ring. I started at the top of the hill and then worked my way down. I was so hoping that there wasn’t too much traffic of people walking the same path after the snowfall. There were quite a few boot tracks left in the snow from the night before and in the morning.
Within no time, as I neared the bottom of the hill, my detector picked up a signal that matched what a heavy University gold ring would match up to. I didn’t even need to dig in the snow because just as I bent down to have a look at what my detector was picking up, I saw a glimpse of gold coming through the ice! It was Rohit’s beloved ring! I was so happy that I found it for him! It probably took less than 10 minutes of searching! As he was holding some of my photography equipment, I requested that he come down the hill and take a look at what I discovered. I know Rohit was getting excited as he took each step towards where I was standing. And just as he reached the place where I was standing, a huge smile came on his face
because he was looking directly at what I had discovered
Thumbs up for Rohit as he wears his A & M ring, Laurel, MD
moments earlier! It was just the best scene to see him reunited with his university ring!
I was so happy for him and I was overjoyed at being able to return such a priceless possession back to the hand that had worn it so proudly
before this incident occurred.
Rohit kept thanking me and I told him it was my pleasure to assist him in recovering the ring.
I am confident that if Rohit had waited much longer to call me and if I was not able to get out when I did to try to find the ring, someone else would have discovered his ring because as the photos reveal, it was a large shiny gold ring for any eye to easily behold! Enough boots had walked over it so that some of the gold was already peeking through the snow and ice.
Once we got back to my car I invited him to take a seat on the passenger side so I could drive him back to his place. I had no idea that he was going to walk around the entire lake to meet me earlier! Now, he was returning back home with his ring which was returned to his finger! He gave me a big bear hug
Rohit Stands at the Place Where Ring Finder – Brian Rudolph Recovered His Ring
of thanks as we said our goodbyes and then I was off to Virginia to another appointment.
Another smiley face made for one happy Texas A & M University graduate! Rohit said, « I’m going to sleep a lot better tonight! »
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After a long three weeks of brutal – 30 Celsius weather, yesterday the temperature rose to -4 Celsius and people took advantage of it. Stuart called me requesting my service to locate his ring which he lost while on a toboggan hill. Stuart told me he had raked the area where he believed the ring was lost and that he also had the kids looking but had had no luck.
Stuart called me to say he would be late so I went ahead and checked the hill. The hill was covered with footprints but I walked to where Stuart had raked and that’s where I found his ring. Stuart arrived within ten minutes and as usual I asked a lot of question. Stuart began telling me how his hill experience started and said the ring could be anywhere on the hill. I pulled the ring from my pocket and asked him if this was his ring. He was lost for words and could not believe I had found it so quickly – another happy client.
Thank you Stuart for entrusting me to find your ring.
Victim #4 (Lost Ring) due to the latest snow storm… Very shortly after my third successful recovery as I walked into my place to sit down and start the video process for my recent recovery, no sooner do I sit down, I get another phone call for a lost ring not far from where I live. I got a tell you, I love each and every call, the excitement of going out to help someone…The young lady who lost the ring her name was Alana, but I was on the phone with her mother who told me her daughter bought a metal detector to search for a diamond ring her grandmother gave her just the day before… I could tell by the tone of her voice that she believed the ring was gone. After talking for about 10 minutes I was confident that the ring would be found.
I asked her where she had lost the ring, she said one of 3 places…House, car, snow. Snow makes the most sense to me, so I arrange to come and meet them and search around the car we’re she was scraping snow off the windshield. When I first got there I met Alana and we discuss the possibilities and where we should start the search. She takes me over to the car we’re she was scraping snow off the windshield. Alana and her mother watch on as I begin to metal detect that area.
The first target signal turned out to be a target in the grass, not her ring. A few steps after that another signal and Bang! found it! This was a very quick search, most of our time spent was discussing where the ring could be, and it was where I thought it would be.
Picking up the ring without them knowing and then surprising them is always fun for me. I feel as good as the person I found it for!!!
I love my job! If you lost your ring call me ASAP 778-838-3463
I woke up to a voicemail. A gentleman (let’s call him Stan) left a message about a lost ring. We played a little phone tag, after a few calls we were able to speak. He said he was tossing a football with his son yesterday and he saw his ring fly off of his hand. He was unable to locate it. The reason he called was to rent a metal detector. I told him that I don’t rent my machines. I told him that I provide a service and would look for his ring. He stated that this was too good to be true. I told him to visit my website so he can see that it wasn’t a scam.
I arrived at a freshly raked yard. Stan was outside waiting with several children. I asked him to walk me through what happened. He tossed a football and watched his ring fly. It was a yellow gold ring with kangaroos on it.
I started in the pile of leaves. 30 seconds in a get a good signal. move the leaves to find a piece of junk metal. The ring was not at the curb.
I moved to the grass. Stan has a sprinkler system installed. It shouldn’t be a problem. The first target is a dime signal. The second signal is a zink penny signal. The third signal is the sound and number that I was looking for. I separate the blades of grass and see a gold ring pushed down into the dirt. It looks like it was stepped on. I pulled out the ring and showed it to Stan.
He said OMG, I thought that I would never see that ring again! I got a Bro Hug! He was so happy. The ring was bought many years ago in Australia. The kids were amazed and so happy that the ring was found and returned. Smiles all around!
I found the ring in less than 10 minutes. It took me longer to drive to Stan’s then it did to make the recovery. Stan told his son that he has to take the ring off when they play catch.
I received an email from Joe last night. His 81-year-old father lost his 1959 Philadelphia Textiles Class Ring while attending an outside event last night. A few texts back & forth and we decided we would meet today around lunchtime.
The loss was in Adelphia NJ, I never heard of it, it is near Freehold. I met Joe at the location and he showed me what they did yesterday.
They had eaten dinner in one area and then walked back to the car where it was parked about 200-300 feet away in the grass. The entire event was in the thick grass. All of the tables and other landmarks were gone. We were going by where the grass and been beaten down.
I grabbed my gear and started where they sat in the grass for dinner. I did a very tight grid pattern. Found coins, small paint brushes, lots of bottle caps and other assorted junk. A little over 2 hours in, we were getting near where the tempory parking area was. When I hear « Oh my God », from Joe. He was about 5 feet away from me and now on his knees. He saw a glimmer of gold in the grass & mud. With his hands, he dug out his dad’s ring. It had been pushed into the soft ground by being walked on or driven over.
He had walked over that spot probably 20 times between last night with a flashlight and today, just trying to find the ring. He was elated. He couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. He is the recovery story from Joe:
My 81 year old father and I attended a family picnic for a group we support that took place on the grounds of the Adelphia, NJ firehouse yesterday. We knew he had the ring as of about 4:30 pm, but when we got home at 6 pm it was not on his finger. He has lost some weight recently and knew it was loose, but still wanted to wear the college ring he has worn now for almost 60 years. We went back immediately and searched the area with flashlights since it was now after dark, to no avail. I came home and found Dave on TheRingFinders.com, went to his website and inquired. We texted back and forth and met up at the firehouse this afternoon. I went this morning myself and walked the area again in daylight for over an hour – nothing. Dave then arrived and meticulously searched everywhere my dad could have possibly dropped it, in a grid pattern over a grassy area of what I’d say was more than 1/4 of an acre – maybe 1/2 – no small feat. I walked a few feet in front of him still looking myself, and after about 2 hours, out of pure dumb luck, I saw it there, buried in the dirt where a tire or foot had apparently pushed it into the ground. Another 5 minutes and Dave would have been right over the spot himself. I could have so easily missed it – there was just a sliver showing. Had it not been for Dave’s meticulous searching, I would have given up hours earlier. He did a fantastic job and I really appreciate him coming out immediately to help me and my dad – who is ecstatic to have his sentimental ring back (which I will get resized before he wears it out again).
I received an email early yesterday morning, from K asking about my fees to look for a lost wedding ring at the shore. I replied saying that I don’t have a fee. We sent emails back & forth getting all of the details. The only issue was I would be able to make it down till Friday, and today is Tuesday.
K’s husband R was playing in the ocean with their son in waist-deep water at high tide. As R was throwing his son into a wave, his wedding ring of 11 years went flying into the surf. K posted the incident on Facebook. One of her friends recommended me as I had found his lost ring before.
The best time to search for this ring would be at low tide, which is 11pm tonight. After some adjusting of my schedule, I traveled to Ocean City for the search on 9th st.
At 7:45 the beach was still pretty crowded. I called R and told him that I was there. He said he would come up and show me where the loss occurred. I searched for a while finding just a few coins. After a while, R approached me. I was on the wrong beach. They had entered at 9th street and went right. They were swimming at the 10th Street Life Guard stand.
R gave me the details and the general area. I did a grid pattern and came up with just a few coins. I expanded the search area, and on my 1st pass of the extended area, I had R’s ring in my scoop.
The happiness on R’s face was awesome. I got a firm handshake followed by a « bro » hug. He said he thought that this search was not going to find his ring. He had thought that it was gone forever. I said that you should probably call your wife. He said he would wait to see her reaction in person.
As we were leaving the beach K called asking about our progress. R told a white lie and said that we were still looking. When we got back to my truck, R paid for my parking, Thank You!! He asked for several business cards to spread the word. I found out that R is a 1st responder in PA, he is a police officer. I love helping other 1st responders!!
Update: The Philadelphia ABC Affiliate 6ABC did a story on this recovery. There was supposed to be an interview but the news crew got diverted to a helicopter crash: See the news story here
I will let Jeanette explain the circumstances of our meeting…
Life Lesson 63: Never wear jewelry to the beach.
Life Lesson 64: If you do, never take it off to apply lotion.
And so it happened …
A beautiful, relaxing summer afternoon at the beach turned into the loss of my Cartier trinity ring. I had ignored those two life lessons, gotten distracted and now I was in a frantic search for my precious wedding band that had disappeared in the sand. We retraced my steps, sifted through piles of sand, all to no avail.
Early the next morning, while combing the beach again, I met a fisherman who told me about Dave, “the metal detecting man.” He said he had great results. I contacted him and explained my tale of woe. Dave, who lives at least an hour from Long Beach Island, promised he would do his best, but it would take some time.
On a rainy Saturday morning, about 10 days after my misfortune, I got a call from Dave. He had recovered my ring. My precious ring is back on my finger again.
We need more Daves in this world. He took the time to help a stranger in need – a life lesson in itself. Dave exemplified how to live. And I’m not the only lucky one who has been helped. Dave has been doing this for many years and has a treasure chest full of heartwarming stories to share. In a time when headlines are dominated by self-interest, here is a story of selflessness. People like Dave should be highlighted and celebrated. Thank you, Dave, the metal detecting man.
Jeanette Johnson
Crestwood, N.Y., and Long Beach Township
The above appeared in the SandPaper, a local newspaper on Long Beach Island. Read it here!
Sunday I get an email from Carrie asking for assistance in finding her rings. She thinks that they were lost in Westampton Burlington County during a softball tournament. She coaches a girls team and took her rings off and put them in her pocket that she also put her phone in. Well several innings later along with calls and texts she notices that her rings are missing.
They looked all over and couldn’t find them. They drove back in the dark to look again. She thought that they were gone forever. She explained that they drag the field after every game. I am thinking to myself that this will not have a good outcome. Someone found the rings at one of the games later that day and took them to a pawn shop. They had to be on the surface. Infields are hard surfaces.
I couldn’t head up on Sunday due to a half marathon I was running in and it was pouring in the afternoon. I said that I would search on Monday after work. Carrie would have to get permission for me to search the field. Permission was secured.
My wife & I drove to the fields on Monday. We came prepared with boots that we could get muddy, and it was a good thing we did. The field was muddy and had a lot of deep puddles.
Carrie had explained where she was during her time at the field. I decided to search the grassy area 1st as I thought that would be the spot that would provide cover for the rings. Nothing, very few signals at all. They do a good job of keeping this field clean.
Next, I went to the area between the dugout and home plate. After a few iron tones, I got a good tone, Boom! The engagement ring was in the mud about 1/2 an inch down. Wow, only 15 minutes into the search and I have 1 of 2 rings. The other one has to be close by, right?
Well, 20 minutes later I’m starting to think that the dragging machine moved it very far away. I sent a message to Carrie to call me. I wanted to know if there was any other place that she could have lost the 2nd ring. I continued to search.
Another 10 minutes into the search on the 3rd base side of the field, the 1st ring was on the 1st base side. I get a good tone. Boom!! I now have the 2nd ring. It was also about a half inch down. We did the best cleaning we could do in one of the many mud puddles. We took several pictures.
We left a message on the way home, asking for a return call, not letting on that I had found the rings, As I was unloading the truck Carrie called back, Edwina was there with me. I asked Carrie if there was any other location that she could think of that the rings could be. When she ran out of ideas I told her that I had found them. She started to cry, Edwina started to cry because Carrie was crying.
We met after dinner so Carrie could get her rings back. Carrie and her husband were very happy. Another happing ending!!!
If you lose something, call a professional. Don’t waste your time renting or buying a metal detector. It takes years to learn how to properly use one.
rsity ring in the snow, yesterday night in Laurel. I found you through 
because he was looking directly at what I had discovered
