Metal Detecting Service North Myrtle Beach SC Tag | Page 2 of 8 | The Ring Finders

Family Heirloom Yellow Gold Horseshoe Ring Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Cherry Grove NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call from Bill inquiring about finding a lost ring. I explained how I operate and asked when and where the ring was lost. He stated that his granddaughter had almost worn it in the ocean. She remembered not to and walked back up and put the ring in a chair. At some point the ring went from the chair into the dry sand. It amazes me sometimes; how very good intentions go south so easily. I got the condo address and told him I’d be there in about 15 minutes.

When I arrived, Bill was waiting in front of the condo, and we walked out to the beach. I met Kinsley and her mother January. I could see where the family had tried to find the ring to no avail. I asked Kinsley a few questions, one being what kind of ring it was. She stated a yellow gold horseshoe shape with diamonds, or something to that affect. I looked at her and said, “how about we get the ring back on your finger in less than 2 minutes.” She looked at me like I was nuts. January told me that the ring belonged to Kinsley’s grandmother and the ring had been passed down to Kinsley. Now there’s a new twist to this ring find, a family heirloom that has got to be found. I turned my Equinox 800 on and started a very tight grid line. The first target was a pull tab which rang up as a 13 on the machine. A small gold ring could also ring up at 13. I took a few more steps and hit a solid 10. I knew I had her ring then. I reached down in the sand and instantly felt it. I pulled it up out of the sand and showed Kinsley who put her hands over her face. She was very surprised and happy to get her ring back.

Bill – Thank you for calling and trusting me to help find Kinsley’s ring. Hope you and your family enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Jim

 

IPhone Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned Cherry Grove, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

On Sunday, Jun 25th, I was just about to start a search for a lost engagement ring when Chris walked up and asked if my detector could find a cell phone. I told him it could and he said his wife had lost her cell phone somewhere up in the dry sand. I told him as soon as I’m finished with the ring search, I’d be glad to help him.

When I completed the successful ring search, I found Chris and asked for the details on the phone. He told me that his wife had lost it somewhere between the pier and the beach access. That area was approximately 50 yards or so, so I asked him where they had been sitting and we’d start from there. He led me to an area underneath the pier and I swung the detector about 3 times and hit a good target. I dug a scoop of sand and he said there’s my wife’s phone as he reached in the hole and pulled it out. I love a quick recovery.

Chris – Thank you for letting me help find your wife’s phone!!

Jim

   

White Gold Engagement Ring Lost in the Outgoing Tide, Found and Returned Cherry Grove, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

On Sunday, June 25th, I was sitting at home waiting to return on a search where the beach was packed with tourist when I received a text from Haley. Her text said “Hi my best friend lost her ring about 5 minutes ago at the north side of Cherry grove pier right by the water line. If anybody turns it in or finds it, could you please let me know!! It’s her engagement ring.” I immediately responded asking “You want me to come look for it?” She responded with a picture of the ring and said “Yes please!” I asked her to call me and gave her my number. Almost instantly she called and I got a few more details, told her I’d be there in 10 minutes, grabbed my Equinox 800 and hit the road. This is Sunday, so parking is almost non-existent for the beach. I’ve got a few hidden spots but even those were taken. I did find a spot that I’m not sure I parked legally, but I didn’t have a ticket when I returned to the car.

As I’m walking out on the beach I called Haley saying I was there. As I’m walking towards the pier, Claire came running up to me and told me she was the one who lost the ring. I asked what happened and she told me she was looking for shells. She continued saying that when she reached for a shell, her ring slipped off her finger and disappeared. She also said her ring was a little loose on her finger. I asked what her ring was and she responded that it was White Gold. We continued walking to the water line and she showed me, almost exactly where she had lost it. I noticed the waves were pretty rough breaking on the shoreline, so I wanted to see what I was up against. I walked straight out in the water, across a bed of broken shells, barefooted no less. After about 10 feet I dropped from ankle deep to about chest deep which explained the breaking waves. After I fought the current and made my way back up to a workable surface; I started a grid line back to where Claire, Haley and another young lady, whose name I didn’t get, were standing. I made my turn and walked back to about ankle deep and hit a great signal, showing an 8 VDI (visual display indicator) which was in the ball park for a white gold ring. I dug a big scoop of sand and shells, checked the hole, which was quickly filled back in, and knew I had the target in the scoop. I walked up to where the young ladies were standing and dumped the scoop. I checked the pile of sand with the detector and found the target. I think I told Claire that we might have it. I spread the sand out with my foot and we all were checking out the sand. Suddenly one of the ladies saw it barely sticking out of the sand and said something like “there it is.” Claire saw it and scooped it up. Bingo! She was now holding her precious treasure and holding back some tears. She was very excited.

Ladies – this was truly a team effort!

Claire, so happy you got your lost treasure back where it belongs.

Jim

   

Platinum Engagement Ring Lost in LuLu’s Restaurant’s Big Sand Box, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a frantic call from Amanda saying that I had been referred by Joe Denton of Denton’s Detectors in Little River, SC to help find a lost Platinum Engagement Ring. She said she had placed both her wedding band and Engagement ring on top of her phone that was on the arm of her beach chair. Later she told me that her husband had picked up the rings for safe keeping and had dropped them in the soft sand. They had found the wedding ring but the elusive engagement ring was still buried in the sand. I told her I’d be there in 20 minutes and to please excuse my appearance when I showed up because I was a mess from doing yard work. She replied that if I find it I’d get the biggest hug no matter how sweaty I was. So, I grabbed my Equinox and headed out.

When I arrived and met Amanda, she showed me a 5 foot by 5 foot area where the ring should be. I turned on the Equinox and started swinging. There was a lot of interference but when I hit a solid 11 on the VDI (visual display indicator) I knew I had her ring. When I shook the sand out of the scoop and saw the ring, I looked at her with a surprised look on my face and she knew. When I handed her the ring, she couldn’t hold back the tears, and yes, I did get my big hug! She then told me that she had sent her husband to Walmart to get a metal detector and had just text him her ring was found. I’m sure he was happy. She also told me they had a flight to catch in an hour, hope they made it!

Amanda – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

       

Yellow Gold Diamond Engagement Ring Lost in the weeds, Found and Returned Holden Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

On Friday, June 16th, I received a call from Jacob saying he had lost an engagement ring off the back deck into some bushes and asked if I could help. He also said that a friend had gone to rent a metal detector. I told him I’d wait to see if they could find it themselves and I’d check back with him. About an hour later, I called him to find out how they were making out. He told me they had been looking for about 3 hours and hadn’t had any luck and asked that I come on up and help. I told him absolutely and I’d be there in about 45 minutes. Got his address, grabbed my gear and hit the road.

When I got there, Jacob and his bride to be, Peyton, were sitting on the outside stairs. We introduced ourselves and they walked me around the back of the house. I was expecting to see a second story balcony, but fortunately the porch was on the main level. Jacob explained that he was standing at the rail looking at the engagement ring and it slipped right out of his hand. He told me he saw it hit the deck and roll off into the weeds and bushes. He had pulled some of the weeds in his effort to look for the ring. I turned on my Equinox and went to work. At one point I used my Gold Bug, but found it to be useless with all the nails, a few bottle caps and pull tabs, that over the course of time had been thrown off the porch. I thought this would be easier than it was or easier than what I was making it. Finally, after almost an hour and researching the weeds that Jacob had cleared out, I moved left towards the end of the porch. I finally got a double signal. I was looking for a VDI (visual Display indicator) of 8-10. I was getting a signal of around 15 and one at 9 within inches of each other. I turned on the pinpointer and started sorting out the targets from the dirt. Bingo! I pushed her buried ring out of dirt. I think we saw it about the same time and I snatched it up. Jacob said something like “here it is.” Peyton, who had been sitting on the ground very patiently, jumped up. She asked me if she could give me a hug and I jokingly told her it was mandatory before she got the ring back. Seeing the joy and excitement on their faces, made this entire search worth every second.

Jacob and Peyton – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. I wish you both all the best in your lives together. Have a safe drive back home.

Jim

   

A Little Tiff Sends Her White Gold Engagement Ring Over the Fence, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call from Jed on Dec 20th asking if I could help find a lost engagement ring in a field. I asked him for details on how the ring was lost, when it was lost, and if the field had bushes and trees on it. He explained that him and his girlfriend, Benjetta had gotten in a little spat about 3 ½ weeks ago and the ring was tossed. Jed said the field had heavy undergrowth and that he had been in the field cutting down a lot of the growth. He also stated that he had looked for the ring himself with a Garrett 250 Metal Detector with no luck. Since this was in Myrtle Beach, I needed to call Matt Fye, TRF for Myrtle Beach. When I called Matt, he said he was extremely busy and to go ahead and take the call. I was up for an adventure since I hadn’t had a ring call for a while. I called Jed back and we agreed on meeting at 10 am the next morning.

We met the next morning and had to drive around the block to get to the field. Jed had done a good job clearing the undergrowth out in about a 10 x 10-foot square directly behind the projected ring flight. I asked Jed what metal the ring was, white gold, silver or something else. He wasn’t sure but ended up saying silver. I turned on my Equinox 800 and started searching. Not sure what metal I was really looking for, I cleared all the targets that I found. There was a lot of trash, pull tabs, bottle caps, cans, etc. I also had to contend with a metal fence that was about 10 inches behind their wooden fence. I tried to squeeze both the Equinox and my Gold Bug with a 5-inch coil between the fences, but the metal fence played havoc on both machines. There was a chance the ring could have ended up between the fences and settled in all the leaves that had accumulated in that space. While I was searching the area, I got to meet Benjetta when she stuck her head above the fence.  She filled in a few more details about the ring toss. During the spat Benjetta couldn’t toss the ring herself, so she asked a girlfriend to do it. Her girlfriend accepted the challenge, stepped out the back door and hurled it over their wooden fence. That added a little more to the story. I assured both Benjetta and Jed this kind of loss happens more than you’d think. They weren’t the first nor would they be the last to get angry and throw a ring or two. After a little over 2 hours of searching with no luck, I called it a day. I had intentions of returning but didn’t commit myself with Jed, as he was going on vacation the next evening.

That evening, I was trying to think of something to help me clear the area between the fences. I came up with the idea of using my shop-vac and sucking up the leaves and hopefully the ring, if it was there. I text Jed and told him my plan and that I’d be back out there at about 1 pm the next day. He said he wasn’t going to be able to be there and I told him it’d be fine, and I’d keep him posted.

I showed up and stopped by Benjetta’s house to plug in an extension cord and throw the other end over the fence. Pulled into park in the field and went to work. The shop-vac was working as planned, took a little longer because the leaves were soaked after a heavy rain. Cleared out and checked the piles of leaves for the ring and nothing! The day before, I had ventured out in both directions, from the suspected area with no results. So, today I planned on getting in the thick of things, literally. It took about 15 minutes, and I was under some heavy low hanging branches and got an iffy signal. I ended up moving a 4-inch diameter 8-foot tree branch lying on the ground. Swung my detector over the area and got a solid white gold signal of 8 on the VDI (visual display indicator). I carefully cleared the wet leaves and there was the size 6 ½ engagement ring staring up at me.  I took a couple of pictures and sent it to Jed. He had told me earlier not to tell Benjetta if I found it so he could surprise her. He was really surprised the ring was found. I packed up and drove back to Benjetta’s house to get the extension cord. She saw me and came out to see if I had found it. I felt horrible standing there lying to her and telling her I’d be back to look again. Jed had text me his address and I dropped the ring off to him on my way home.  He had a big smile on his face when I handed him the ring.

Jed – Thanks for giving me a call and I’m thrilled I could help find your lost treasure.

Benjetta – I’m so happy you’re getting your ring back and I’m so sorry I lied to you, but I didn’t want to steal Jed’s moment (again)!

Jim

   

Woman’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost on her 12th Wedding Anniversary, Found and Returned Sunset Beach, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a phone call just before 4 pm today from Elizabeth, who was very upset about losing a wedding band on the beach. After getting a few details, including the fact the ring was lost in the dry sand, I told her I’d be there in 30-35 minutes. She seemed a little surprised in the fact that I’d be there so fast. We hung up and I grabbed my Deus II and Equinox 800 detectors.

As I’m pulling in the parking space next to the beach access she gave me, my phone rang, and it was Elizabeth. I thought she had found it and was calling to let me know. When I answered she said she was just checking to make sure I was still on my way. I told her I was just pulling in a parking spot and asked her if everything was ok. She said she was just worried.  I said, you told me you knew the area, and it’s in the soft sand. I then made a bold statement and told her I’d have it back on her finger within 2 minutes of getting in the area. That seemed to ease her concerns a little. As I’m walking over the boardwalk to the beach, I saw Elizabeth waving to me. I made my way to where she and another lady were sitting. That’s when I found out the other lady; Kelly was the one who lost her wedding band. Kelly was very upset as I asked what happened. Kelly said that today was her 12th wedding anniversary and she and Elizabeth were reminiscing about the events 12 years ago. When she took her wedding band off to relive the moment, it slipped from her fingers and disappeared in the soft sand. Elizabeth pointed out the area where they had been sitting and I went to work with my Deus II. After a couple of grid lines and not hitting the target, I had self-doubts about me and the Deus II. So I swapped detectors and used the Equinox 800 and took 2 steps outside my original grid line and hit a booming 8 VDI (visual display indicator). That number was exactly what I was expecting for a lady’s platinum wedding band. I glanced at Kelly with a big grin, which I’m not sure she saw. I took a scoop of sand, re-checked the hole and gently shook the sand out of the scoop. I glanced in the scoop and saw Kelly’s beautiful ring. I walked over to her and held the scoop out for her to retrieve her ring. Her tears started flowing and I could see the weight of the world get lifted off her shoulders. She couldn’t believe it and either could Elizabeth. Elizabeth reminded me I told her I’d have it back on her finger in less than 2 minutes, and that was less than 1 minute. This never gets old when you can return a special treasure back to someone who thought it was lost forever.

Elizabeth – Thank you for calling me.

Kelly – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. I wish you all the best!!

Jim

   

Hurricane Ian Causes Total Destruction of House, Garden City SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call on the morning of Oct 1st from Harriet saying her brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Martha’s, house had burned down and was wondering if I could look for some family jewelry. Included in the jewelry were pieces that belonged to Martha’s mother and Joe’s father’s class ring. Totally destroyed house fires are so difficult to search. Not only is there the personal shock of someone losing everything, but the shear difficulty of trying to find anything in all the rubble. I told Harriet to have Joe call me so I could get further details.  Joe texted me later that afternoon saying, “hey Jim, this is Joe. My sister called you this am about helping me find some jewelry in the remains of my destroyed house. I have a good idea of where to look if you would like to call me when you arrive. I will send you some pics of the area. Thanks so much for your help!” We exchanged some more texts about what I was looking for. I also informed him that due to the heat factor, most, if not all, the jewelry would probably be melted. He fully understood and further advised me that there’d be a pass at the gate for me since this was a gated community. I contacted Matt Fry, TRF Myrtle Beach and asked him if he wanted to help, knowing that this was going to be a chore.

Sunday, I met Matt at his shop, and we headed out. Matt had heard the road we needed to take was closed so we’d have to make a few detours. Once we got in the area, detours were an understatement, it was a mess. The hurricane had pushed water and sand two blocks back from the beach. The road crews were working hard to get all the sand off the roads.  I think it took them 4 days to get it done.

When we pulled up to where the house was, it was as I expected. It was a 1 story house that was on 12–15-foot stilts that had collapsed to the ground. The area we needed to search was the rear left side of the house, not a big area, but still overwhelming. The first task at hand was to clear as much metal as we could.  Nails, mending plates, nail plates, bed springs, etc. I couldn’t find my big magnet before we left, but Matt had a makeshift magnet that helped clear most nails, but nowhere near all of them. Matt had his Minelab 30-30 detector, and I had my Equinox 800. Both of us were swinging the detectors and anything that rang up as a jewelry signal, we were putting in a big bucket. Problem was that we weren’t finding anything that wasn’t melted together with something else. After about 3.5 hours we were hot, dirty and pretty much exhausted so we called it a day. I had planned to go back the next day and finish up. Meanwhile, I had talked to Joe who told me that Martha had kept her jewelry in a couple of bags, which consisted of rings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants and a watch. Joe also mentioned that his father’s class ring, which he was given, should be in a particular area.

Monday, I showed up and started clearing the area again.  I had found my big magnet and it was a Godsend. I ran the magnet through the area where Joe’s father’s ring was supposed to be and cleared more nails and plates. I did get a great signal in the area but other than what it rang up on the detector, there was no way I could definitively see or tell what the object was. Unfortunately, everything Matt and I found was melted beyond recognition.

Wednesday, I went back one more time to check the parameter (the soft sand) around the back side of the house. There was always a possibility the firemen might have blown something into the sand with the fire hoses. I did find a few more pieces, but think it was more junk, like aluminum, than anything else.

Saturday, I went through every piece, one by one, that we had found and started sorting it out by the various metals my detector was indicating it could be. I can’t say with absolute certainty everything we got was a piece of jewelry, nor can I say for sure that we got anything that was jewelry. I can say that we gave it our best effort and pray to God that we got some, if not all of their important treasures back. Luckily Joe has a best friend who is a jeweler that makes jewelry and maybe he’ll be able to melt this stuff back down and give a different look to their treasures.

Wednesday, Oct 12th, I was able to meet Joe in a parking lot to give him all the objects we had found. The picture of him shows him holding 5 separate bags. The bags were labeled with items containing possible yellow and white gold, silver, and a variety of other metals.

Matt – Thank you buddy, I know I can always count on you to lend a hand.

Joe and Martha – Thank you for trusting me to try and help find some of your lost treasures. I wish you only the best!

Jim

   

Pet Labradoodle Has Expensive Taste, The Proof was in the X-ray!!! Longs SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

This adventure started Monday evening when I received a text from Suzanne saying, “I was just made aware of ring finders. I have a lost ring in my yard. It’s a big yard as we have a farm. My dog actually ate the ring then pooped it out, but we somehow missed finding it. We have grid searched as best we could with a borrowed metal detector but admit we didn’t know what we were doing. Interested? Suzanne.” I was intrigued so I called her to get more details. She informed me that their “big yard” was about 3 acres, and the incident took place about a year ago. I was a little perplexed and asked if the poop had been thrown out with the trash. She said they throw the waste in and around the bushes. I’m thinking, OK, the ring’s out there someplace and I love a good challenge, so I agreed to help. I told her I could be there at 10 am this morning, Sept 27th, and she agreed.

I think I was awake most of the night thinking of all the various scenarios I might run into. So, this morning, I packed up a small ladder and my Endoscope in case I had to check the tops and insides of bushes, and 3 metal detectors (Gold Bug II, Deus II, and my Equinox 800). Overkill I know, but I was prepared. When I got there and drove down the long driveway to the beautiful house with a manicured lawn, detached 2 car garage, a big barn with fenced in pastures, I was definitely intimidated! I met Suzanne in the driveway, and she showed me all the areas encompassed by an electric fence where the ring could be. She described the ring and said it was yellow gold with rubies and diamonds. She also explained the details of that faithful day. She said she was going out of town and was getting ready. She set her cell phone and beautiful Ruby and Diamond Ring, which her husband Terry had given her on their 16th Wedding Anniversary, on the Kitchen counter. When she came back to the kitchen the ring was gone and the cell phone had the unmistakable mark of a big wet tongue lick across the face of the phone. They took their loving pet to the vet for X-rays and guess what showed up just as clear as day. There was Suzanne’s beautiful ring nestled in the dog’s stomach. So, Terry was now assigned poop patrol while Suzanne was away. When she got back, Terry assured her that he checked every pile but there was still no sign of the ring.

Ok, I knew I was looking for a very sentimental ring that should alert in the low teen target numbers on the Equinox 800. I grabbed the 800 and started gridding the more likely areas first. I was almost 2 hours into the search, finding numerous targets in the 9-16 range but no ring. I took a quick break and Suzanne came out to see how things were going. She remembered that after she got home from her trip that she had picked up a few of the dog piles and had scattered it around 4 trees, which was not in the search area. I finished up my break and hit the newest area. After 10-15 minutes I got a booming 13 on the 800’s VDI (visual display indicator) about 2 inches deep. I carefully dug around the target and saw the bottom portion of a gold ring. I removed it from the hole, and I had Suzanne’s ring in my hand, I remember saying out loud, “Holy Sh__!” (No pun intended). I devised a plan on how I’d surprise Suzanne. I went around to the front of the house and knocked on the door. Evidently, she had been sitting on the back porch and came around the house. I told her, “I’m going to go grab some lunch, but I wanted to give you this before I go” as I held her ring up for her to see. She was overwhelmed to the point where she was shaking. She couldn’t believe she was seeing her ring again after 9 months and a wild end to end ride through her dog. Suzanne texted me, after I had left, that all this happened in the beginning of December 2021. She was so excited and said that she never thought she’d see her ring again. A very happy ending to a very wild story, which proves everything, always comes out good in the end!!

Suzanne – Thank you so much for trusting me to help find your very special treasure.

Jim

 

Yellow Gold Bracelet with Charms Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I received an early morning text message from Mary saying “I need help finding lost jewelry.” I tried calling her but didn’t receive an answer. So, I texted her saying “How can I help? Call me, it’s faster than texting. 843-655-5889. Jim” Mary called a short time later and said she had lost a gold bracelet with charms. She sent me a picture of the bracelet and where on the beach she lost it. Unfortunately, the resort her and her husband, Omar, were staying was in Myrtle Beach. She also stated they were getting ready to leave to go back home. I told her Myrtle Beach was TRF Matt Fry’s area and I’d give him a call and coordinate with him and that one of us would call her back. I called Matt on his cell, his work number and his wife’s phone and got no response. I called Mary back and told her I was on my way. Meanwhile I sent her a Google earth map with the resort and a line down the middle of the beach dividing north and south and asked her A or B side. She responded A, so I was on my way.

When I got there, I surprisingly found a parking spot and hit the beach. I started a perpendicular grid search on the north side of area A and worked south. Almost 2 hours into the search and shin deep in the ocean, I got a solid 6 on the Equinox 800. I wasn’t real sure what numbers I was looking for on the 800. I knew the thin gold bracelet wouldn’t show up, so I was hoping the small charms would ring up. I was as careful as possible trying to dig the target out of the sand. My second scoop I saw the bracelet hanging out of the packed sand in the scoop. I took a picture and sent it to Mary saying “BA BOOM,” then I called her. She was just pulling my text up and seemed very happy, and that’s when she shared that her mother had given her the bracelet. They were heading out of town but weren’t far enough that we couldn’t meet half way. When we met, Mary was extremely happy when I handed her bracelet back to her. Mary didn’t want her picture taken so I had Omar take a picture of me holding the bracelet.

Mary – thank you for trusting me to find your sentimental treasure.

Jim