#maine life Tag | The Ring Finders

Diamond Engagement Ring Lost In Freeport, Maine Grass, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Late Tuesday, May 26th, I received the following voicemail.

“Hi there, my name is Hillary S***. I found you from Facebook. I lost my diamond wedding ring. Uh this morning. And um, I’ve been searching for it and I’m having no luck. I live in Freeport, Maine and I’m wondering if you are around and could maybe help me find it. I’m hoping for a miracle. Um, I basically put it in my pocket. I was heading out the door and, um, put it in my pocket on my way to drop my kids off at school. So there’s a couple of locations here in FreeportME where I’ve already asked permission if I could bring somebody over to do a metal detector kind of thing. So one place would be just the Freeport Montessori School , which is right in front of the Town of Freeport Library here. Um, and also through the trees, which these 2 places are like within 30 seconds of my house and then my own driveway. So it’s about a 2 minute drive to each of these locations from each other. Um, and in fact, through the trees, they have a metal detector. So this like teenage boy has been over there. trying to help locate it, um, But so far no success. I’ve searched through my car, thinking it fell out of my pocket while I was driving. But anyways, if somebody could give me a call back, uh, my phone number is area code 607-***-***. That’s 607-***-*** and again, my name is Hillary. Um, and I’ll be around all week. So if somebody’s able to come, it would be great to talk about what you charge and how it works and figure it’s better than nothing. All right, thanks so much. Bye- bye.”

I called Hilary as soon as I saw the voicemail. Hilary was very upset and told me that she has been wearing this engagement for 16 years and wanted to do everything possible to locate it. Hilary is also 8 months pregnant and this morning her wedding and engagement rings were not going on her finger because they were so swollen. She had taken them off, the previous evening because the were so tight, on her finger. Hilary has two children that she needed to get them to school and was a little behind. Since she couldn’t get the rings on her finger, she put them in her pocket, intending to put them on in a few minutes, when she returned home or whenever the swelling went down. Hilary also told me that she had put her keys, in the same pocket as her rings, along with her phone. Hilary and the children went out the door and each child was dropped off at their different schools, respectively. The entire trip to both schools, with getting out of the vehicle was only 15 minutes or less. Once Hilary arrived home, she reached into her pocket to try putting her rings on again and only her wedding ring was there. The engagement ring was missing. Panic set in and Hilary immediately went out side and searched her vehicle and gravel driveway. The engagement rig wasn’t found. She then went to the Montessori School school in Freeport , Maine and to the Through the Trees school where one of her children attend. This is a non profit outdoor school starting for preschoolers. The engagemet ring was not found at either location. Hilary told me that the owner of the outdoor school has a metal detector and that both the owner and his 13 year old son had been searching for her ring but have not been able to find it. At both schools, she had gotten out of her vehicle and the area at both were very small, as to where the ring could be. Hilary’s husbund had also been searching their property and vehicle, along with the two schools. I could tell Hilary was just beside herself and wanted to find this so badly. This ring represented 16 years of her and her husband’s life together, with two children and a third on the way. I told Hilary that I was already booked early the next morning but it was for a water shutoff valve, that wasn’t going anywhere and I would search for her ring first, then the valve. We agreed to meet at her house at 7:00am, bright and early. I would also see if GH would be able to help, now that I had two jobs lined up and had no idea how long each would take.
Gary and I arrived propmtly at 7:00am and Hilary showed us the area of her gravel drivway that she had parked in. Even though Hilary and her husband had visually searched the driveway, rings have a way of hiding, in the loose gravel and possibly even hidden underneath the loose gravel. The area was very small and we didn’t find the ring but did come up with a dollar or so, in coins, just under the gravel, with no digging required. As Gary and I were driving up to Freeport, we both agreed that the ring most likely came out of her pocket, when taking her keys or phone out of her pocket. Unfortunately, it didn’t fall out, in her driveway. With the possibility of the ring coming out, of her pocket, in her vehicle, I brought my Borescope, so we could check every crevice around her seat. The small camera at the end of the Borescope can get into places that the human eyes can’t get to. After a search of the vehicle, still no ring. Off to the first school, Through the Trees. The school was literally just 2-3 minutes, from her house. She had dropped her first child off here and had backed into the gravel parking lot, got out, walked across the drivway and a grassy area, to a picnic table, where she left her child, with the other students. Hilary then returned to her car and drove to the Montosorri School, just another few minutes down the road. As the three of us stood in the driveway, Gary and I went over the search areas. The gravel parking lot and the path across the grass, to the picnic table. I didn’t have high hopes of finding the ring here as the owner and his son had already searched. I asked Gary which side he wanted to search and he took the grassy path and picnic tabe as he was closer to those locations. Ok, I will take the gravel parking lot. Within 90 seconds of searching I hear Gary say, “I got it”. Both Hilary and I swung around and looked at Gary and I said to Hilary, “He found your ring”.. Hilary looked shoked and said something along the line of, “Are you sure? I don’t want to look and be disappointed”. We walked over to Gary and he asked Hilary if that was her ring. Gary hadn’t touched the ring and it still was in the grass. Hilary couldn’t see it until gary told her that it was right in front of his detector. When the ring came into focus, beneath the grass, Hilary says “Oh my God, THATS CRAZY, OH MY GOD, THATS AWESOME.” She then is just beaming ear to ear and puts her hand to her face and says “Oh you guys are the best” and let out an relieved laugh. When I asked her how she felt, she said she didn’t know what to say. I did post a very short video of Hilary seeing her ring, after Gary found it. Please check it out. She was still amazed and in disbelief. Hilary then showed the owner of the school, that her ring had been found and another mother that had just showed up and everyone was very excited, laughing and smiling. As Gary and I drove off, we could see Hilary still beaming, showing her ring and admiring it, back on her finger. So how did Hilary’s engagement ring end up there? The most likely explanation is that after dropping her child off at the picnic table, Hilary walked back towards her vehicle and removed the keys out of her pocket, causing the ring to fall out.
Another ring back on the finger, another smiling client and I’ll say it again, “We have the best job in the world. I love my job. If it matters to you, it matters to us.”😃💍❤️🙏

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Four Long Lost Property Markers Found In South Portland, Maine, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a call from Robert, concerning finding 3 of his property markers, on his South Portland, Maine property. Robert knew where one of his property markers were, in the back Northeast corner of his property. That marker was just 7-8 years old and was put in when a new road and development had been put in, on the backside of his property. That marker would be a great starting point, to measure off of. Robert is looking to put a fence up along the backside of his property, where the newer road and development had been put in. He also wants to put a fence from the Northeast corner, to the Southeast corner. Ok, simple enough, especially since Robert had the dimensions of the lot and a newer known marker. We made an appointment to search on Saturday May 23rd, for 8:00am.

I told Robert that I would need him to sign a waiver, acknowledging that I am not a Licensed Surveyor. I can certainly find metal in the ground but I can not “verify” that the markers I find are in the correct location. The property markers could have been removed or moved all together, at some point and then put back in the ground. And they may not have been put back, in the correct location. Robert understood that I am not a Licensed Surveyor and agreed to sign the waiver. People have been sued because property markers were not in the correct location and I am not going to be sued, for trying to help others. FULL DISCLOSURE: I AM NOT A LICENSED SURVEYOR. I am just metal detectorist that can help you find metal, in the ground. What you decide to do with the found markers is up to you. I cannot tell you what you may or may not be able to do, with the property markers. Putting a fence up, cutting down trees, etc.. Only a Licensed Surveyor can do that. Procede at your own risk.

I was promptly met Saturday morning, by Robert. He showed me the know marker and we decided that the best way to procede would be to measure 63’ to the missing marker, in the Northwest corner. I grabbed my 300’ tape measure and started measuring towards the missing marker. Once 63’ was attained, I looked down and couldn’t see anything. I didn’t have my metal detector, since it was down near the known marker. I grabbed my pinpointer, searched the area and received a target. I took my trowel out of my pouch, dug a hole and there was a broken property marker, just a half ince under the saoil, right at 63’. PERFECT, and easy enough. We then decided to search for the Southwest corner’s marker. This would be a little more challenging because there was a row trees running most of the distance between the two markers. We couldn’t measure through the trees. Robert thought the marker would be very close and in line with the trees, in an area right next to or under a bush, near his driveway. As I started searching around the bush, I wasn’t getting the signal I was looking for. We dug a few ferrous items but no property marker. As we were searching the area Robert’s neighbor came out to see what we were up to. Robert explained we were looking for the markers and his neighbor told me that it would be nice to know where they were but had never seen his markers at all and he has lived in his house since 1995. His neighbor did tell us the he was told the markeron the other side of his driveway lined up with the telephone, supposedly. Since the distance from that marker to the marker we were looking for was 80’ apart, we could locate Roberts neighbors marker an then just measure the 80”. Lets go. Once we arrived down across from the telephone, I started searching and almost immediately received a nice ferrous target. I was given permission to dig, by the neighbor and what do you know, another property marker had been found. Sweet!!! Now we could measure 80’ down to the property marker , near the bush and hopefully locate it. Once we measured the 80’ it was another success. The marker was found fairly quickly. We now measured 81’, down towards the Southeast corner of the property and hopefully find the marker. The area we came upon was once again across from a telephone pole and a broken telephone pole. The area also had a large steel cable and anchor, holding the poles, in place. As I searched the area, my detector kept going off because of all the metal, of the cable and anchor. Only one thing to do. I would grab my Root Slayer and just start digging around all the metal. After 5 minutes or so, SUCCESS!!! The final property marker had been found. Robert was very pleased, as was his neighbor, who now knows where two of his markers are. Robert had bought some heavy duty metal rods and pounded them in so the marker locations could be easily seen. This was a fairly easy search, compared to others I have done where the markers in in thick, thorny vegetation and others where the markers are not found. Robert now plans to put his fence up and I wish him well. I arrived looking for 3 property markers and left after finding four markers. I have the best job in the world, I love my job ❤️🙏

PSA: Many people will remove the markers, in their front yards because they find them unsightly and a pain to mow around. You really shouldn’t do that. When I purchased my home in 1993, I was told by my neighbor that one of the previous owners had pulled the two front markers out, just for those reasons. I have never been able to locate those markers. Don’t forget, your property marker is also your neighbors property marker and shows the boundary, of BOTH properties. DO NOT MOVE THESE MARKERS. In the State of Maine, it is against the law to do so. You are not legally allowed to drive or push a property pin further into the ground yourself, even if your only intention is to make your lawn look more aesthetic.
Under Maine law, altering a property marker carries strict legal consequences. ONLY A LICENSED SURVEYOR ARE ALLOWED TO ALTER PROPERTY MARKERS. You should always contact a Licensed Surveyor, should you need to do anything, with a property marker. Again, I am not a Licensed Surveyor and don’t pretend to be. I’m just a guy with a metal detector. So, if you would like your property markers found, I’m your guy, once the waiver is signed.

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Gold and Diamond Wedding Ring Lost In The Grass For Two Years, Found With A Metal Detector, In Wells Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Cheryl and I had only been home 20 minutes, from a trip to Davenport, Iowa and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, when I received the following text message.

“ Hello Dennis, I’m in need of a Ring Finder—my wife lost her gold wedding ring in the grass in our front yard, hoping you can help us locate it. I live in Wells. Thanks, Mark D*****”.

I immediately called Mark. Mark explained that 2 years earlier his wife lost her gold wedding ring, while mowing a small section of their front lawn, in the Town of Wells, Maine. His wife, Tracy, had mowed the small section of lawn and went into the house, where she noticed her wedding ring was missing. Tracy immediately went back outside and searched for the ring but cound not find it. Subsequent searches, with Mark, also proved futile. Like most people, they thought the ring was gone forever.
Fast forward to 2 years later and Mark is online, researching metal detectors to rent, when he sees information about The Ring Finders of Maine. Knowing absolutely nothing about metl detectors, Mark decided that we would be a better option, than renting a metal detector. I have to say, I agree 100%. I can’t tell you how often I get called to find a ring, after the client has already rented a metal detector but can’t find the ring. My clients tell me that the detector keeps beeping and making all kinds of noise but there is nothing there and they just don’t understand why. Frustration sets in and they end up calling us.
I tell Mark that I can certainly drive down to Wells and search but had a few concerns I wanted to convey to him. First, twos years is a long time but thankfully the ring was on private property. Secondly, I told Mark that because of two years of yardwork, the ring could have been moved, a great distance. Two years of mowing the lawn could have thrown the ring, after the blades had hit it. Raking or mulching the leaves for two years could have moved the ring. Mark understood and told me that the leaves only get blown, not raked or mulched. The leaves were blown into the same area. Ok, thats a positive because I can certainly search the pile of leaves. Mark and I agreed that I would arrive at 8:00am, the next morning and begin the search.
Once I arrived at Mark’s home. I saw Mark mowing the lawn. I would normally cringe when I see someone mowing the lawn, after losing a ring but after 2 years, the ring was already moved or slightly in the ground or thached grass. Mark came over to me and showd me the area he had just mowed and told me that was the same section where his wife had mowed and they were hoping the ring was still there. I then threw a gold test ring onto the lawn and it disappeard into the grass. I then showed Mark how the metal detector would sound when I ran the coil over the ring. I like showing the client how this works and they appreciate the demonstration. While doing the demonstration, I also get to setup the metal detector and calibrate it, to my liking, for the search. Everyone now knows the detector is working. I told Mark I would do a grid search, going East to West and if I wasn’t able to find the ring, I would then search the piles of leaves, from the last few years. If the ring wasn’t found there I would then search the lawn once again, this time North to South. I Started along the driveway, near the street and almost immediately, I received a loud, strong target, reading 26-27 on my Minelab Manticore. Definitly a target in the gold range but also the classic nickle TID (Target ID). My detector was also showing a depth of 0-2 inches. Another good sign. My pinpointer was picking up the target but we couldnt see anything, on top of the grass and soild. I then dug the target and it was a nickle, about 1 ince in the ground. Resuming the search I was hearing a few targets but some were ferrous and some were 5-7 inches deep and absolutely not in the gold range. My next diggable target had a TID of 22 and was a low tone, both great signs. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a shot .22 bullet. I have now been grid searching for 15-20 minutes and had half of the lawn coverd, when I received another TID of 26-27 ans a low tone, exactly like the nickle, just 15 minutes or so earlier. This one however, just sounded better than a nickle. A slightly lower tone and the tone repeatibility got me excited. I told Mark that I really liked this target, but couldn’t guarntee it was the ring but I really liked it. Once again, the pinpointer picked up the target but I colddn’t see anything. I dug a small plug, carefully, so as not to damage the target. As I pulled the plug back, I saw a very small piece a a shiny gold ring. I could believe it but I couldn’t believe it. It never gets old seeing gold come out of the ground, especially when the owner is right there to witness it. I yelled over to Mark that I had found the ring and he rushed right over, dropping to his knees to see the ring. Mark was looking in the hole and could’t see the ring. Once he realized it was in the plug , I told him he could have the honor of removing the ring from the soil and thatched grass. As he removed the ring and was cleaning it, still on his kness,, I asked “Is that it?”. Mark very excitedly says “Thats it, HOLY COW.”. What a great moment to see. Mark thanked me over and over and was smiling ear to ear. Unforunately, his wife, Tracy, wasn’t home as she had already left for work. It would have been great to meet her and see her, I’m sure, very happy emotions. I then shook Mark’s hand as I was getting ready to leave. Mark was headed into his home to put the ring, in a safe place and to call Tracy.

Another ring back on the finger, after two years of being lost. We have the best job in the world and I love my job. Remember, “If it matters to you, it matters to us.”

A few recommendations! Not all rings survive being lost while mowing. As soon as you notice your ring missing, stop mowing and call us, to search the yard. If you continue to mow, rake, mulch, blow leaves, bag up leaves, etc., you could potentially throw the ring out of the area, damage the ring beyond repair or throw the ring away, in the grass clippings or leaves. Do not do anything to the lawn, until we can search it.
This is also a lesson on never giving up on locating a ost ring. Two years lost is a long time but in the past few years we have recovered rings that had been lost in 1982 and 1997. Thats right, lost in the ground for 27 and 42 years respectivly. If you have lost a ring, years ago, on your property, give us a clall. We can’t find your ring, if we aren’t searching for it. If your ring is there, it is possible it could still be recoverable, as long as it hasn’t been moved, out of the area.

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Engagement Ring Thrown, Lost And Damaged In Windham, Maine, Found While Searching With A Metal Deto

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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The Ring Finders of Maine, With Recovery and Return #211

I received a phone call from Madison, on Sunday May 10th. Madison explaind that she had gotten into a heated “discussion” with her husband Jake, two days earlier, on Friday. As they were standing near the end of their driveway, in the Town of Windham, Maine, Madison took her engagement ring off and threw it across the very busy road, they live on. She immediately regretted that decision and told me it was not like her to do that. Madison and Jake then went acoss the road, to where they thought the ring had landed, in the leaves, grass and lots of roadside trash. Like any situation with witnesses they each saw something different. Madison thought the ring went to the left of her and further back in the leaves, near a rock wall and the woods. Jake thought the ring went to the right and would be closer to the road, in the leaves. After a long search, without success, the couple knew they needed help. Madison called her father for advice and he recommended his friend, who had a metal detector. Her fathers friend arrived, Friday evening and it was now dark outside. He was shown the area and after a search of the area, he could not find the ring. Now what? Keep searching is what they did. The next day, Saturday, both Madison and Jake spent hours searching for the ring in the leaves, grass and trash. The couple told me it was an was an exhaustive search and they had given up hope of finding the ring visually and would no longer keep searching that way. Madison told me that she couldn’t give up hope and gave it one last shot of searching visually, on Sunday morning. The result was the same and even though the area had already been searched with a metal detector, they personally did not know him or if he had any experience finding rings. That is when they decided to call The Ring Finders of Maine. It was now approximately 1:30pm and I told Madison that I would be there by 3:00pm. I just needed to get my gear together and drive the 45+ minutes to Windham.

I arrived at their property at 2:45pm and was promptly met by Madision and Jake. Madison told me she was standing next to the driveway parking spot, that I had just pulled into and threw the ring “as hard and far as I could”, across the two lane road. I looked at the distance to the other side and my first thought was, “could she have thrown the ring that far?” Madison had been standing 15-20 feet back from the breakdown lane, then there were the two lanes, another breakdown lane before the leaves and grass, where they thought the ring was. I then said “Are you sure you threw it that far? I don’t think I could throw it that far. Did you check the road on Friday, after you threw it?” Madison and Jake told me that they indeed checked the road, two days prior and had not found the engagement ring. They both believed the ring made it into the leaves but couldn’t agree if it went to the left or to the right. Ok then, lets start searching. I would estimate a 100 foot long stretch of the road to approximately 25 foot depth to the rock wall needed to be searched. I brought my 9” coil for this roadside search because I know that roadside searches with have decades and decades of metal trash , foil, pull tabs, etc. , above and below the surface. I needed the small coil so I wouldn’t get overloaded with lots metal trash targets, all at the same time. This could cause me to miss the very low tone of a gold engagement ring, if all I am hearing is 30 year old beer and soda cans, under the surface. The road runs Northeast – Southwest and I started by heading southwest, right on the edge of the roads curbing, checking the leaves and the gravel, on the road. I still wasn’t convinced the ring made it to the leaves. As I finished my first grid pass, along the road, nothing but cans and foil were found. Heading Southeast now and it started to rain lightly but still no ring. The rain really started coming down now and then we heard the rumble of thunder and a flash of lightening. Because of the circumstances, I called the search off and told them I would be back very early, in the morning, to finish the search.

When I arrived home, I called Gary Hill to see if he was interested in joining me. He agreed to come and help and I told him the situation. We arrived back at Madison and Jake’s home, at 6:30am. I showed Gary the search area and told him that I really had my doubts that the ring made it that far across the road. Gary was also skeptical and he searched the grassy area, just in front of where she had been standing, before the greakdown lane. No ring. We both agreed that if the ring had been in the road that it most likely had been hit and could be anywhere up or down the road. Anyways, Gary and I started searching the area between the breakdown lane and rock wall. After a half hour or so, still no ring. Madison then came out and started searching with us. I then asked Madison to do a test for us. I didn’t have a test ring with me but I did have a penny. I asked her to go to where she had been standing , when she threw the ring. I asked her to throw the penny as hard and as far as she could. I was more interested in the direction the penny went in than the distance. The penny and ring are completely differtent in size and shape so the distance could be different but the throwing motion would give me the direction. After throwing 3-4 pennies, we knew that the direction was the ring went to the northeast BUT not surprisingly every single penny hit the road and dd not make it to the leaves, in the air. A few pennies did roll into the leaves but a ring would not roll, like a coin. At this point Madison needed to get her children ready for the school bus and went back across the street. Gary and I continued to search but this time Gary would walk further down the road, in the northeast direction, scanning the road as he searched, for the ring. If the ring had landed in the northeast lane, there was a good chance the ring was hit and moved further down the road. I continued searching the leaves, going as far back as the rock wall. I kept thinking that the ring may also have landed in the Southwest lane, meaning the ring could be down the road, in that direction. This is why when a ring isn’t found, we have to expand our search area. Gary and I still had not found the ring when Madison came back to the search. She started walking the road on the Southwest lane. After a few minutes, Gary and I heard Madison yell out something about not believing she found it and as we looked down the road she was smiling ear to ear, having found the ring in the complete oppisite direction of where she had thrown it and on the oppisite side of the road we had been searching. As Gary and I rushed over, we could see the ring was damaged, from being hit by a passing vehicle or two or three. Thankfully all the diamonds were still intact and the band itself could be repaired. Madison thanked us and told us that if we hadn’t come back to search and listen to us on the different scenarios of the ring being hit, she never, ever would have found it down the road. She told us that she was done searching until we had come back. Hey, I always say, once we are on scene, it is all hands on deck. “Teamwork is Dreamwork.” Madison was very appreciative of our efforts, in the rain and then returning, to help her. We received smiles and hugs and all will be good, once the ring is repaired.
We will never know exactly where the ring landed but I feel that it was probably near the yellow center lines and was hit multiple times. With the ring 40-50 feet down the road, to her right and the southwest direction, I have a hard time believing the ring moved that far after being hit, just once.

Madison asked that I not use their real names or photos and I agreed. We all make mistakes and I don’t judge people for what they have done in a momentary lapse of judgement. As you all know, from reading my stories, people throwing rings is not an isolated incident. Over the last three years, we have now recovered, I believe 6-7 rings that have been thrown by both men and women. So, please don’t judge and just be happy that Madison has her engagement ring back.
So quite a search to say the least but another ring is back on the finger (as soon as it’s repaired). We love our job. We have the best job in the world and remember, “If it matters to you, it matters to us”💍🙏

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