Lost Mans Palladium Wedding Band – Found Surfside Beach
I noticed a Craig’s List posting, Sept. 25th, for a lost silver wedding band, « has inscription », on the beach off of 15th Ave. North in Surfside Beach, SC.. I took mental note of this posting. I try to honor the « No Solicitation » tags on Craig’s List postings, but since it gave a location I figured I would look for this ring on my next outing. The first weekend of October, for the residents of South Carolina saw a four day rain event that has been classified a one in one thousand years. To put it bluntly, « We took a soaking ». Friday night was the end of a very stressful two weeks. Come Hell or High Water (literally) I was going metal detecting. My wife thought I was crazy as I put on my foul weather gear and told her I was heading for the beach. I knew the storm would be moving sand around on the beach and I felt it could be a great opportunity for many successful recoveries. I dug many targets that night but not the « silver » ring I was searching for. Saturday I returned in foul weather gear again. I searched this area again with no luck for the ring in question. I moved down the beach about ten blocks to search for a diamond pendant that I new was lost a couple weeks earlier. This was also unsuccessful. Sundays low tide revealed that the ocean had returned much of the eroded sand onto the mid beach area. I couldn’t even find a pull tab as the beach had two feet of sand pushed up on the middle beach.
Fast forward a few weeks to October 24th. I asked my loving bride of 31 years if she would like to join me on the beach, for a couple hours, for some R & R (Reading & Recoveries). She joined me with her book and chair as we returned to the 15th Ave. area. Sand had been stripped from the beach over the last couple weeks and I was feeling good. I asked her to rub her left earlobe and wish me luck. She read, I searched. After a couple hours she was cold and said she was going back to the truck. She told me not to hurry . She was gone for only ten minutes when I got a beautiful low tone on my CTX 30-30. Only three inches in the sand was a beautiful 8mm palladium wedding band. It’s not a silver ring, but I will take it. I did the « Ring Dance » for myself. This palladium ring did have an inscription. « forever ».
After returning home I looked up the CL listing again to confirm it read « Silver ». I couldn’t get the inscription out of my head. I also thought about palladium being « silver » in color, and it does have an inscription? I decided that I would email this CL posting and tell him that I may have his ring and to contact me. Chris emailed me back on Sunday with a phone number. I returned Chris’ phone call Monday morning. Chris gave me all the right answers as to the description of his lost palladium wedding band. Chris was amazed that I found it as he told me that at least two other detectorists had made effort for this lost ring. One of them he even paid for his failed attempt as he charged an hourly rate to do the search. Given that the posting had a location to the loss I’m sure there were many others to attempt to find this ring. You can’t beat the CTX 30-30 in salt sand. Chris was in astonished disbelief as it dawned on him that he would be getting back the wedding band that his wife Sarah placed on his finger on their wedding day just over a year. He told me that he might surprise her and place it into her glass of white wine when it arrives in the mail at his home in North Carolina. Don’t forget to do « the Ring Dance ».
Chris, your ring has a story attached to it. I’m glad that I was able to help you continue that story… Hopefully « forever »!
