metal detecting service in the bay area Tag | The Ring Finders

Platinum Wedding Band Lost in Benicia, CA… FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Imagine this if you will… Your anniversary is 11-11-11 and only days away.  You are only hours away from leaving for an amazing out-of-state anniversary trip with the entire family.  In fact, you were supposed to leave earlier this morning. However, flights were canceled and rescheduled due to inclement weather in another state. Plans will have to change.

Now imagine it is a beautiful cool Autumn day.  The sky is blue and the grass is Kelly green.  Crisp and colorful fall leaves are everywhere.  In an attempt to make the best out of your rearranged plans, you pack the truck with bikes, balls, and games and head to the local park.  Upon arrival, the chaos of unloading everything required for a fun time with the family ensues.  Everyone is excited!

In less than an instant, excitement turns to panic when you realize your Platinum wedding band is no longer on your hand and is missing.  Everything stops and a search for the ring becomes the new priority.  Anxiety and stress takes the place of joy and excitement.  Hours into the search and the ring is still at large.  Most of the family have now returned home leaving you to continue the unwavering search.  Eyes glued to the ground you cautiously rake the area inch by inch hoping that the ring turns up. Leaving for your trip seems unfathomable without the object.

At some point, a stranger shows up with a metal detector.  Located on THERINGFINDERS.COM, an international network of elite metal detectors, your wife has requested help.  In less than 30 minutes help has arrived on the site.  You give the dashingly handsome detectorist a quick run down of the events and locations pertinent to his search.  He asks you to complete a search contract while he gets started, and before you can even finish the brief form the platinum wedding band is recovered and the nightmare is over.

To the family…I’m so glad that I was able to assist you and with an overwhelmingly positive outcome.  Happiest of Anniversary wishes and have a safe and amazing trip!

   

                     

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost unique white gold ring with diamond…Found at Baker Beach!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I contacted Debra early on Wednesday after reviewing a Craigslist post about a lost white gold ring with a diamond.  She had been on Baker Beach when the ring went missing and after talking with her I could tell that it was troubling her.

I sent her a link to THERINGFINDERS.COM site and agreed to search for the ring the following Saturday.  She agreed and was very thankful for my offer.  Later that evening my good friend Jes Muse, founder of The Bay Area Bleepers (check it out) sent over the post suggesting that I perform the search as she would be out of town.

I woke up at 4:30 Saturday morning, packed my gear, and made the hour drive to the coast.  When I arrived, there were few people on the beach and at one point I shared the beach with no one but three coyotes.  The fog was thick, so much so that it fell like rain and the sand had a thin wet layer on top.  I opened up a photo that Debra was kind enough to mark up of the area that would become the search zone.  The detecting was difficult with seemingly never ending targets hid beneath my grid pattern.  I cleared handfuls of trash from the beach as I searched.  And then, a ring!  Sadly not the ring I was there for, but a happy consolation.

After about two hours of searching, I decided to call Debra and give her an update and to get a better account of where she might have been.  As it turned out, I was working away from where she had been and after a 20 yard course correction and pockets full of trash, I hit an 8-9 VDI (visual display indicator) that sounded very promising on the equinox. In one scoop I had the item, but it had not revealed itself.  I’m happy to announce, WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

The exciting part was yet to come.  I took a few photographs of the ring and the beach and sent them on to Debra.  The next thing I did was gave her a call and when she answered I simply asked if she had gotten my photos.  She admitted she had not but went straight to them.  That is when I got my payout!!!  She was so extremely excited that I could feel it through the phone.  It’s a feeling like no other.

   

After our celebration over the phone, I agreed to drop off the ring on my way home.  She lived along the route I would travel home and I was excited to get to meet her.  I quickly packed the gear and 45 minutes later the ring was back with Mrs. Debra.

It takes a lot of trust for someone to disclose a bunch of details about their missing valuables, especially when they are so sentimental.  Thank you Debra for putting your trust in me to assist you in the recovery of your unique and beautiful ring and for your generosity!  It was a pleasure to meet you and I wish you the very best in your future!

   

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Beautiful Sapphire and Diamond engagement ring lost in Pleasanton, CA…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

On August 20th, Samantha sent me a kind message requesting help with a ring that was lost. The project, would be to search some thick bushes in the front yard of a home in Pleasanton, CA.  I informed her that I’d be glad to help, but that the next day I would be celebrating my son and metal detecting buddies 4th birthday.  The search would have to take place on Tuesday mid-afternoon.  This was agreeable with Samantha.

On Monday, I was able to drive by the home to assess the gravity of the project.  What I saw was a seemingly endless sea of juniper mixed with rosemary bushes.  The probability of detection (POD) for this search was not going to be good.

An endless sea of juniper and rosemary bushes to search.

When Tuesday arrived, I readied my gear for the search effort and headed to the site.  It was a beautiful warm day and I was feeling good.  Talking with the neighbors was a bit of a revelation. Although I was requested to specifically search the bushes, I was informed that searches had already taken place of the landscaping and lawn next door…with a metal detector. Another new piece of the puzzle was that there was a sound of the ring hitting concrete the night it went missing.

I spent a good 45 minutes performing a difficult search of the brush, as that was what I was hired to do. As I worked, I kept thinking about the new information I had learned from the neighbors as well as from one of Samantha’s friends who stopped to talk to me about the lost ring.  I decided to have a look for myself over the area that had previously been searched while I pieced together the information I had.  I used a Garrett pin pointer around the base of some of the foliage and that’s when « We made the Recovery!!! »

Can you spot the ring in this photo?

In the end, I spent an hour and a half searching.  I was extremely relieved to not be wading through the brush.  It really would have been a humongous undertaking searching that area and even after searching, I don’t think I would have been confident it was sans engagement ring. As always, I was very much appreciative of everyone who contributed details and information that led to a successful ring recovery for Samantha.  The tears of joy I heard when I let her know the sapphire and diamond engagement ring was secured told me that it meant a whole lot to her.  Thank you Samantha for taking me on this journey with you and allowing me to be firmly embedded in the wild story this ring will tell.  Best wishes for your future!!!

First look at the recovered sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

Photographed at the site.

Photographed at the hand-off.

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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Three gold rings thought to be lost in Alamo, CA…Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

A physiological response to real or perceived threats and stressors is that the body increases electrical activity in the brain and produces adrenaline and cortisol.  This is a basic fight or flight response.  Memory loss can also result if that process occurs when fear or anxiety is excessive and (or) persistent.

This seems to have been the case in a number of searches I have been called upon to perform.  Individuals state with absolute certainty that this is where or what they had done with their ring(s) only to later realize that what they perceived to be fact was incorrect. The stress and anxiety of loosing such a valuable and cherished item can cloud the memory of what actually took place.

This was not the case with Caeti!  She contacted me after misplacing 3 of her 4 rings during a trip to the nail salon including her beautiful wedding band with 7 diamonds.  She goes on to explain that she placed all 4 rings into a sunglasses case and then into her purse during the trip.  Once her nails were done, she returned to the car and opened the case to put her sunglasses on for the short return trip home.  Once home, she went to put her sunglasses away in the case and retrieve her rings.  Remember that physiologic response I babbled about above, that is where this kicks in.  Upon opening the sunglasses case, only her engagement ring was found.  The other three rings seemingly vanished and panic set in as she retraced her steps all the way back to the nail salon. A search of the salon and the parking lot produced nothing.  A search of the vehicle produced nothing. The driveway, the house, the purse…all nothing!

The next afternoon I joined the investigation into the missing three rings. I went to the salon and spoke with them, I searched the parking lot, talked to other businesses in the same shopping center, all with no results.  I then made my way to see Caeti.  She was clearly upset about the loss and resolute in the fact that the rings were indeed placed into the sunglasses case.  As I prepared to search her vehicle I recommended a look at the purse and sunglasses case.  She promptly produced both and as I looked down into the sunglasses case I also saw the tiniest of gold peaking out.  All three rings had slipped behind the satiny lining inside the case cloaking themselves from vision.  We had made the recovery!!!

In Caeti’s case the stress and anxiety did not cloud her memory of the events in the least, rather the shock of not initially finding the ring within the glasses case derailed her from what she already knew.  The rings were indeed placed into the case and there they remained.

I’m very much excited that I was able to help locate these (3) rings and get them back into (or onto) the hands to which they belonged.  Caeti, I wish you and your new family a very exciting future and am glad that your tale of woe has transformed into a funny story about that one time…

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

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Lost Wedding Band in Dublin, CA…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

This week represents my first year anniversary of being a member of The Ring Finders Team.  I have been extremely proud of the efforts I have put in and the families that I have helped.  I have networked with some of the very best and most kind metal detectorists out there.  I have learned a ton about my machine(s) and myself.  It has been an absolute pleasure! So…when Shashi called seeking assistance in locating his wedding band, it was the perfect opportunity to cap off a very successful first year.

Shashi and his family had been knocking around a volleyball at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, CA when he felt the ring slip off while striking the ball.  The most frustrating and helpless feeling has to be when you know exactly the when, where, and how you have lost an object, but just can not locate it despite monumental efforts.  This was the case for Shashi and his family who spend a goodly amount of time searching before they happened upon my information.  With the waning light and night looming, I requested he capture the GPS location with his phone and we agreed to meet the following day.

When we met, Shashi was able to put me literally on the exact spot his ring was lost and… we made the recovery!!!  Shashi was in disbelief that we had found it and I was overjoyed to cap off my first year with such a commanding triumph!

   

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Gold wedding band lost on muddy trail…Found!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I was pleased with myself, having disassembled, cleaned, and packed my metal detector for a impending trip.  So when I received the text from Will and his wife looking for assistance locating his missing gold wedding band, it was a scramble to unpack, assemble and get out the door with my rain gear.  I had to get the ring found before leaving for my trip or it might remain lost for an extended period of time.

I met Will in a lite drizzle at the Macedo Ranch Staging Area where only a few days earlier he and his family had been for a hike.  The trail, a muddy quagmire, proved to be detrimental to his gold wedding band (and apparently a pair of shoes) when he sank knee deep into the muck.  After warning others not to proceed he recovered and shook the mud from his hands.  At that moment, he felt the band slip away and disappear in the sticky mud.  The family, aided by a nearby photographer, searched for some time but came up short.

Disappointed at the loss and looking for solutions, Will thought about purchasing a metal detector.  He admitted he may have even had an Equinox machine in his cart on Amazon when he made contact with me.

At this point in the story, I’d like to thank the individual who located my services and past it along to Will and his family.  Without you, this might have had a very different ending and so thank you;.  I’d gladly buy you a drink should we meet-up at some point.

More to the point, it was a 10-15 minute walk through lite rain and sticky mud up the trail to where Will and his family left markers.  These markers coincided with a GPS coordinate they took to be able to get back to the locale.  These two actions put me within 8 feet or less to where we found that booming mid-tone (VDI-20).  The conditions were not great, the same quagmire that Will took his fall was now our search area, but after approximately 30 minutes of search time, we made the recovery!

Will- It was a pleasure talking with you on our little treasure hunt.  All the things your family did to get us in the right location was spot on, great job!  I’m very happy with the result and excited that the ring tells an even more exciting tale beyond just your marriage.  Best luck to you and the family in the future!

   

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost wedding band in Oakley, CA…Found

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

My children and I established a Treasure Tuesday ritual in which every Tuesday we find some sort of treasure hunting/learning activity.  Sometimes it’s panning out pay dirt for gemstones, fossils, and even gold.  Some times we crack open geodes to reveal the crystals within.  In some instances we get out to metal detect a park, a field, a backyard. On one occasion we sought out stones to toss into the rock tumbler.  It’s been a fun and interactive way to spend family time with my boys.

This Treasure Tuesday I was requested to Oakley, CA to search for a missing wedding band lost during an allegedly wild backyard soiree.

Will had text me the prior day seeking out my services and availability. Permission was to be requested for access and the next day we would search.  It was a pleasant afternoon when I arrived and the scope of the area to be searched was much larger than expected.  The ring was known to be lost at the party, but exactly where in this large area was a mystery.  Luckily, as I started a grid search of one of the suspected locations, the home owner, who was wandering around the field along side of Will, was able to locate the missing ring laying on the surface.  We had made the recovery!

I did request to run my Equinox 800 over the ring to aid in my data collecting.  It was a solid 14 VDI in Field 2.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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