Metal Detecting Service Ocean Isle NC Tag | The Ring Finders

Sentimental Sterling Silver Ring with Green Emerald Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Ocean Isle Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Nancy saying she had lost a very special ring with a green emerald stone in the ocean. She said the emerald had belonged to her grandmother and had been passed down to her. She also stated that she had lost it about 30 minutes prior and she was right at the water line. I knew this was a race against the incoming tide; I got a few more details and told her I’d be there in about 45 minutes.

When I got there, I met Nancy on the beach and she showed me the area. It was maybe 10 feet across and as far out as I could take it. Unfortunately the sea breeze had kicked up and the ocean was hitting the 2nd breaker with a lot of force. I started a grid search going north and south perpendicular to the beach. After, maybe 5 lines, I called it. Between the waves and the current I was having a rough time keeping my grid lines straight and just getting knocked around. I told Nancy I’d be back around 5, thinking once the tide made its turn at 2 pm I’d have 3 hours with an outgoing tide.

I got back about the time I said and Nancy was waiting. I started my grid search and after an hour and a half and covering the suspected area, I was coming up empty. So, the next step was to extend the area north and south and start over. After another forty-five minutes to an hour, I was working my way back up the middle of the search area towards the high tide line. I got a solid 21-22 on the VDI, which is what I was looking for on a Sterling Silver item. I dug the target out of the hole, spread the sand with my foot and there Nancy’s ring sat. After I found it, I tried to figure out how I missed it the first time. Looking at my grid lines, none of them were straight and all curved to the right. There is no other explanation, other than I missed it the first go through. I took a picture and sent it and a text to Nancy saying “BOOM.” She called me a short time later, not believing it was found. I dropped it off at her house on my way home. She was extremely happy and thankful that she got both her ring and her grandmother’s emerald back.

Nancy – thank you for allowing me to help find your precious and sentimental treasure.

Jim

   

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Man’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost for 9 days in the Ocean – Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a text message from Sara on Sept 14th, saying “Hello! My husband lost his wedding band Monday of last week in Cherry Grove beach around 50th Ave N. I made a post about it and a couple people told me to reach out to you.” Along with the text, Sara sent a couple of pictures of the ring. I responded asking if they were still in the area or could send a Google map showing the area. I also asked about the time, whether he was in the water, and if so, how deep. Sara sent a Google map with the spot pinned and said, “He was hit by a wave, and it just came off.” I told her I’d go later in the day, a couple of hours before low tide and see what I could do. In the meantime, I contacted a friend, Mike, who hunts that area quite a bit to ask if he had come across it. I was concerned that the ring had been out there for 9 days, and I know that area gets hunted quite a bit. Mike responded that he hadn’t seen the ring and had been at 50 North that morning. He also said he had met up with half a dozen guys detecting in that area over the last week. This was not what I wanted to hear!!!

About 3 p.m. I grabbed my gear and headed to the beach to look for Sara’s husband, Jacob’s, ring. I was optimistic and kept a positive attitude even with the information Mike had passed along. When you think about it, I’m trying to find a quarter size target on a vast area of beach. Most of the people I see metal detecting start at one point and do a snake like pattern down the beach. When I’m looking for someone’s treasure, I do a grid search to ensure I don’t miss an area. In this case, it paid off. After an hour plus of grid searching, I hit a solid 18-20 VDI (visual display indicator) on the Equinox 800. These numbers were exactly the numbers I was looking for for a man’s Tungsten Wedding Band.  After a couple of scoops of sand and spreading the sand out with my foot, I saw the ring sitting in the sand. I texted Sara and sent her a picture, but she didn’t respond until late evening. When she did respond she stated, “That does look like it might be it.” Now I’m second guessing myself, by the end of the night (2 a.m.), I concluded that we had the right ring. She and Jacob live locally so we set up a meeting spot to transfer her treasure. When we met, she did indeed confirm the ring was Jacobs. She told me she and Jacob were High School sweethearts and they picked out their matching wedding bands, which had a very sentimental importance to both of them. After a 9-day absence, the ring is back where it belongs!

Sara – Thank you for calling and trusting me to find your lost treasure. All the best to you and Jacob!!!

Jim

     

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Great Grandfather’s Gold Cross and a new Gold Chain both Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Ocean Isle, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Monday, Aug 1st, I received a text message saying, “Can you help us locate a lost necklace? OIB 5 Jan Street?” I called the number attached to the text and spoke with Drew who stated a gold cross and chain had been lost but they weren’t sure where. I asked him if these could have been lost in the water, he assured me they weren’t. I told him I had another search scheduled for 3 pm and wouldn’t be able to be there until sometime between 6-7 pm. He agreed and I told him I’d call him when I was on my way. After finishing up with an unsuccessful search in the ocean for another gold chain with a pendant, I headed towards Ocean Isle. I called Drew and told him I was on my way and would be there in 35-40 minutes. On the drive I’m thinking about how difficult it is to find a Gold Chain. The last few searches for gold chains haven’t been successful and I was hoping I’d have better luck with this one.

I arrived at 6:30 and saw Drew and a young man coming down the stairs from the rental. Drew told me to park at another rental a few houses down. I had the car unloaded by the time Drew and Will walked up to the car. We introduced ourselves and I found out Will was the one who lost the cross and chain and was the boyfriend of Drew’s daughter. I asked Will to tell me the story of what happened. He said he had taken the chain off with the cross and put them in a bag so he could play in the ocean. When he was finished playing he remembered putting the cross and chain back around his neck and walked back to the house for a few minutes. At some point before returning to the beach he realized the chain and cross were gone. A quick search along his path yielded nothing. I started my search at the beach access and worked out to the beach. Luckily, Drew had the foresight to leave their tent up on the beach. I had Will lead the way from the beach stairs to where the tent was, while I followed swinging the detector. Once we got to the tent, I started a grid search from one side working forward. Within a few steps, I see a small little glimmer of gold sticking out of the sand. I ran the coil over the area and got a VDI (visual display indicator) of 1 on the Equinox 800. I reached down and pulled the chain out of the sand and handed it to Will. He was excited but his Great Grandfather’s cross wasn’t on the chain. I knew the cross couldn’t be far away. I swung the coil within 6 inches of the chain and at the same time I got a VDI of 5 I saw an edge of the cross sticking out of the sand. As I handed Will his Great Grandfather’s cross, that had been handed down to Will’s Grandfather, who handed it down to Will, he was so excited and relieved that his family heirloom had been found and returned. I did a quick test on the outstretched chain in the sand and got no indication at all; I then overlapped the ends of the chain over itself and got a VDI of 1 again. This explains why thin gold chains are so hard to detect.

Drew – thank you so much for contacting and trusting me to help find Will’s treasure.

Will – So happy your heirloom was found. Best wishes to you in your life’s journeys.

Jim

 

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