I got a call from some friends asking if it was possible locate a PVC drain cover with 3 metal retaining screws, buried under several inches of ice and snow? Snow melt from warmer tempatures and rain had caused flooding in their backyard, however a thick sheet of ice below the snow was obstructing the in ground drainage system from removing the water. The small screws registered to indicate the drain cover location and utilizing some ice melt and a pick the cover was accessed to allow drainage through about 10 to 12 inches of ice.
Meg’s 1 Carat Diamond 14 Karat White Gold Engagement Ring
Just a few days before I met Meg and Kenny, our Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia area had a significant snow storm. As in the case with this engaged couple, another ring goes missing as a result of newly fallen snow.
I received a call on the 17th of January from Meg, a resident of Arlington, Virginia who shared that she and her fiancé were out on their deck, as the snow began to fall so beautifully the night of the huge snow storm. It was very cold outside and when Meg pulled off her glove, her engagement ring went flying over the deck railing and into the snow. She and her fiancé searched for hours upon hours but they could not find the ring anywhere. It was as if it completely disappeared into thin air. When they could not find it that night and into the next day, they rented a metal detector and searched for Meg’s gorgeous 1 carat diamond engagement ring for the next couple of days (the two are getting married this October 11th!). Even though they gave it all of their efforts, their plan led them no closer to where the ring had gone missing.
Fiance’ Meg’s Beautiful Engagement Ring Found in the Snow
They finally gave up on the third day and by the fourth day they looked online to see if they could find a professional metal detectorist who could help them find the bride-to-be’s beloved engagement ring. The one they contacted happened to be in a state far away from them. However, since the gentleman and I are both members of the same national directory of metal detectorists called The Ring Finders, he referred the couple to me as I do searches for people in the Arlington, Virginia area, so it worked out well for me to come out that evening to recover their ring.
Meg’s Beautiful Engagement Ring Back on Display
I will not forget that night because it was freezing cold out. It was somewhere in the low twenties fahrenheit. After finishing up with a client in Washington DC, I traveled in the snow, across the Potomac River and met the couple at their Arlington, Virginia home. All three of us reviewed all possibilities of what may have happened to the ring. The very fact that they could not find it for so many days started to make them wonder what could have possibly become of their ring. I started to question if somebody picked it up along the narrow path behind their deck. They didn’t believe that scenario was possible.
I spent a good amount of time asking the couple many questions as to what they believed may have happened to the ring. They recounted where they stood and how the ring flew forward, most likely over the side of the deck railing.
As I have learned over time, there can be so many different theories that play in the minds of those who lost their possession, and sometimes none of those scenarios line up with what really happened to the lost item. We would surely discover at some point what held true in this case.
Fiance’ Meg So Happy to Have Her Engagement Ring Back!
After getting all of the information I could possibly gain, I headed out into the night, first searching on their deck with my headlamp, my harsh weather attire and metal detecting equipment, in search of the lost engagement ring. Kenny and I moved the furniture from one side to the other and I detected over the ice and snow that had built up on the deck; at least what actual snow was left on the deck. You see, earlier that week, Kenny and Meg took a huge flower planter of hot water and poured the water all over the deck to melt the snow and ice in order to hopefully expose the ring. But it didn’t work. They also collected snow and poured it out into the bathtub and melted it and covered the drain hole so that if the ring was in the snow, it would not go down the drain. I was so hoping that when they melted it in the bathtub that the ring didn’t accidentally go down the pipes but they assured me that they were extremely careful.
Brian and Kenny Celebrating the Return of Meg’s Ring
I must have been outside in the frigid cold for nearly two and a half hours searching from the deck area to down on the ground below and on the path behind the deck area, but there was no ring to be found. There were also a lot of underground cables and wires that the detector was picking up every which place. This was probably very frustrating for Kenny and Meg when they tried to use the rented detector, because there were too many distracting signals. Also, there were so many pull tabs and pieces of aluminum foil scattered about that it had to make their lives miserable trying to discriminate between treasure and trash. This is why most metal detectorists do not recommend people renting a metal detector or buying a metal detector for the purpose of searching out an area, because more times than not, their searches end up empty-handed, as well as their pockets!
After a few hours, I called it a night and promised them that I would work out my schedule to return the next day to attempt a second search. I’m a stubborn man and I will not be beat by any important piece of metal gone missing! Especially precious pieces of gold, silver and platinum!
Fiance’ Kenny and Meg So Excited to Have Back Meg’s Engagement Ring!
So the next day I returned and searched for hours. I must have gone over the same areas a dozen times but nothing turned up. I searched the deck again, I searched the path, under the deck on my hands and knees, searching along the fence line and over on the adjacent neighbor’s property just on the other side of the fence in case the ring flew over the fence and down the hill. I was getting a few good signals but no ring surfaced. I dug in the snow all over the area and nothing was turning up. Kenny would come out to check on me from time to time and I told him that the ring had to be here if he is was confident that it did not fall into the hands of someone walking on the path. He was pretty certain nobody had walked back there since the time of the ring’s disappearance. Therefore, my last idea was to return to the deck for another search, but this time I would try something new. I knew that it was unlikely that the ring ended up in the location that I would check, but it was my last idea for the time being.
I decided to move all of the furniture to one side again and then begin to gather up all of the snow and ice that I had already checked along with snow and ice that had accumulated under the aluminum siding of the house that came down to where the deck joined the back of the house. I used my knife to sweep the « runaway » ice and snow out from those crevices and shoveled it all into the master pile in the center of the deck. It would mean that only a little bit of snow and ice that was not accounted for originally would be detected, so I wasn’t very confident that it would make a difference, but I would try nonetheless.
Fiance’ Kenny Calls Meg to Share the Great News!
Meg was at work and Kenny was inside when I took my detector and did a few swings over the master pile of newly gathered snow and ice and to my surprise a new signal and number that correlates with a white gold type of metal illuminated on the screen of my machine! My heart raced and I hoped so much that these numbers and tones were telling me that I had gathered up into the pile the gorgeous 1 carat diamond engagement ring that I had been looking for for so many hours! I got down on my knees and began to search the place that the detector was leading me to, and yes, there it was! The missing engagement ring was finally found! Apparently, it had ricocheted off of the decks railing and bounced onto the deck floor and landed under the aluminum siding of the house where the deck meets the siding. No metal detector would have been able to differentiate between the siding and the ring because the ring was stuffed underneath the siding on the deck, and the detector would have just picked up the siding before it could reach the signal pertaining to the ring! My knife apparently pushed the lovely piece of jewelry out from underneath its hiding place and into the main pile to be checked and that’s when I found it!
I was so relieved to have found the ring because I really only had one last option before having to start all over again and hope to somehow stumble over the spot that I must have constantly missed, even though I didn’t think I missed anything at any place during all of the hours the night before and that day.
Brian Rudolph Celebrates Ring Return With Meg and Kenny
The best part of the recovery was doing a fake-out with Kenny when I asked him to come to the back door to ask him more questions about the disappearance of the ring. His face was just indescribable when he saw the amazing ring that he once had in his hand on the day that he proposed to Meg in Seattle, Washington. He gave me the best hug and we rejoiced together that I finally discovered the hiding place of that stubborn, but most fantastic looking gem!
Kenny then contacted his wife and you could hear how emotional Meg had gotten on the other end of the phone when she heard the wonderful news!
I love what I do for people because it’s so rewarding to see the smiles and hear the sounds of relief when something so precious and so reflective of certain moments in time is recovered and returned to the finger, wrist, neck or ear of the owner who lost it!
I was just so happy and relieved for this lovely couple. I did not want to get stumped over this missing ring. It just was not going to happen. I packed my things up and agreed to stop by later so I could take a photo with the two of them and we could all watch the video of the moment that I found the ring and see Kenny’s memorable reaction when the ring was revealed in my hand and he went bananas! That was a blast!
I left their property feeling so good about the end result! I pictured their upcoming October 11th, 2019 wedding to be a day when Meg’s beloved engagement ring would be joined up with a lovely wedding band that Kenny will be placing on his bride’s finger during that unforgettable autumn day to come! Congrats to Kenny and Meg for the ring returned to them and their wedding that will soon arrive!
Fiance’ Meg and Kenny Proudly Display Engagement Ring Once Gone Missing!
Thank you for reading my beloved story of this happy engaged couple who were so relieved that their ring was returned to Meg for the BIG DAY!
Check out my video channel at THE RING RETURNER to view the video of this ring recovery! Like and Subscribe if you enjoy it!
THANKS FOR WATCHING!
CALL BRIAN RUDOLPH WITH THE RING FINDERS AT (301) 466-8644 AND HE WILL RETURN TO YOU WHAT HAS BEEN LOST!
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After a long three weeks of brutal – 30 Celsius weather, yesterday the temperature rose to -4 Celsius and people took advantage of it. Stuart called me requesting my service to locate his ring which he lost while on a toboggan hill. Stuart told me he had raked the area where he believed the ring was lost and that he also had the kids looking but had had no luck.
Stuart called me to say he would be late so I went ahead and checked the hill. The hill was covered with footprints but I walked to where Stuart had raked and that’s where I found his ring. Stuart arrived within ten minutes and as usual I asked a lot of question. Stuart began telling me how his hill experience started and said the ring could be anywhere on the hill. I pulled the ring from my pocket and asked him if this was his ring. He was lost for words and could not believe I had found it so quickly – another happy client.
Thank you Stuart for entrusting me to find your ring.
I got a phone call from Amanda’s dad asking if I could help his daughter recover her keys lost in a park in the snow. Amanda is a single mom with a two month old baby. She was out at a park in the snow and lost her only keys to her car and apartment. Amanda contacted me on Thursday and I searched in a snow storm with no luck. I returned today Friday and bingo on the side of the road recovered her keys. You never saw anyone so happy to get them back, I was getting desperate she told me I needed to get out to buy food. I love my job.
Susan called to ask for help in finding her husband’s lost tungsten wedding band. It was slung off his wet finger a month before when opening their camper door. Carrie and I left the next day for the 70 mile trip. On arriving, we found the grassy search area to be small in the RV lot. We began the search of the lot. Next to the grassy area was a fenced area for a water system. Sid hunted the fenced area facing the RV. After 2 hours of searching and re-searching the yard and rock driveway, we had not found the ring. Susan, Carrie and Sid had gathered up near the rear side of the water system to discuss the next step when Carrie saw a sparkle from the rocks around the water system. In plain view laying on the rocks was the ring. Lost items are not always where you expect them to be. After the happy trio took pictures, we were on our way back home. Thank you, Susan, for your generous reward.
A woman named Amy contacted me about her lost keys. They were lost in her alley area after she helped a neighbor get his car unstuck from the snow. She thought they may have fallen out of her coat pocket when they were shoveling snow or pushing the car.
I arranged to meet her on Jan. 25th in the morning. When I arrived she showed me the area where she thought they could be. I started the search on one corner of the area and almost immediately got a decent signal.
After moving five inches of snow there they were! Thanks Amy for posting on your face book page because I was able to help a friend of yours recover his cell phone that same day.
I received a call on 1/21/19 for Holly stating she had lost one of her Platinum stud diamond earrings. Knowing there isn’t a lot of « metal » to work with with studs, I was reluctant to have any hopes of recovering such a small item which is mainly composed of a non metal gem. Holly explained the circumstances in which she lost it and was 100% positive it was in a relatively small sandy area in her horse barn. We made plans to meet at the barn later that day. Once we met, Holly directed me to the barn and gave great detail in where she believed she was when she felt the earring come off. On the technical side of things, it was a challenging item to find being so small. Holly let me use its mate to « dial in » the sensitivity and other settings of my machine. Once I was able to hear the specific tone the item gave me, I got to work. Shortly thereafter…….
Here is the text from an email Holly sent me shortly after I left her with the lost earring in hand….
JUST CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR FINDING MY EARRING! I WAS VERY UPSET LOSING IT AS IT WAS A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY PRESENT FROM MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND. I WILL DEFINITELY RECOMMEND YOU TO ALL OF OUR FRIENDS! IF YOU DON’T MIND, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE THIS ON MY FB PAGE?! AGAIN THANK YOU FOR SUCH A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE FROM START TO FINISH!
WE HOPEFULLY WILL NEVER HAVE THAT HAPPEN AGAIN BUT IF WE DO, WE WILL CALL YOU FOR SURE! THANKS AGAIN!
HOLLY AND TODD
It makes finding a lost item extra special when I get emails like that! Glad I could be of service Holly!
Last week I received a email from Stephanie stating that her husband Thomas lost his wedding band while recently doing some yard work. We then made plans to meet up the next day to try and locate the ring.
Luckily Thomas had a good idea of exactly where he was in the yard when he believed his wedding band came off. When I arrived leaves were everywhere despite only 2 days had past since he lost it. Thomas directed me to three areas of the yard that he felt were strong possibilities of where the ring might be. I then put my metal detector to work and about 10 minutes later while searching the second possible area, I found this under some leaves…..
I immediately called Thomas over asking him, « Is this yours? » knowing quite well I just recovered his missing wedding band!
Success happened for two main reasons. Stephanie and Thomas quickly contacted me and Thomas took good mental notes of where he was and what he was doing when he suspected the ring came off. By doing so he made my job a lot easier. It is great to see the ring is back where it belongs!
Taloria called late Saturday afternoon looking for help in finding her lost engagement ring. It was too late to drive the 1 ½ hrs to Baton Rouge and get any hunting in before dark, so we set up to meet early the next morning. When we arrived at the site, Taloria said she was on her way to a party with friends when she placed her engagement ring on her lap to apply some hand lotion. When they had parked in the grassy field, she exited the car not thinking about the ring. When she realized the ring was gone, she hunted in and around the car but did not find it. She then called us to help. Being she knew where the car was parked, the search area was small. The problems were tall grass and lots of trash (foil, pull tabs, drink containers, etc.). The hunt was very tedious. Sid got tired of the constant up and down to check out hits. He got on his hands and knees and crawled around using the pin pointer. The technique worked. A hit with the pointer and glints of shiny metal proved to be the ring. Taloria (also Carrie and Sid) were very excited. After reuniting Taloria with her beautiful ring, lots of hugs, lots of smiles, and lots of pictures, we all headed home.
I received a phone call from Diane asking for my help in finding her lost rings on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland between 143rd and 144th streets. Diane told me that she and her family had been vacationing in Ocean City, Maryland and that while they were on the beach on 08/10/18 she had lost her two wedding rings. Diane said that she had sat down in a beach chair at edge of the water where the waves were breaking and that she fell asleep. Diane said that when she woke up her left hand was laying on the wet sand and that her two wedding rings were missing from her left hand. On 08/14/18, I went to the beach where Diane had lost her rings and began a search for them. Diane had also mentioned that she had been sitting in an area of dry sand prior to going down to the water and she was really unsure of where she had lost the two rings. I did search an area of dry sand based on Diane’s memory of where she had been on the beach that day and the two rings were no where to be found. I then decided to search an area closer to the waters edge and after several passes I was able to recover the lost wedding band. I then knew that the engagement ring should be somewhere close to where the wedding band had been found. I then adjusted my search to an area about a foot away from where I found the band and a little closer to the water. The search adjustment was a success and I was able to locate the engagement ring. After returning home I sent Diane a text with a photo of her two rings and they were identified as being her lost rings. Diane requested that I keep her rings until 08/22/18 and on that date I turned the recovered rings over to Diane’s daughter who had driven to Bethany Beach, Delaware for a day of fun in the sun.
