Wedding Band Lost During Yard Work in Ellicott City, Maryland…Found by Ring Finder Brian Rudolph
BRIAN RUDOLPH, LOST ITEM RECOVERY SPECIALIST (LAND, WATER, SAND, SNOW, LEAVES, HOUSES & VEHICLES) WILL FIND YOUR LOST KEEPSAKE! CALL ASAP (301) 466-8644!
I received an email from a woman named Rida who was contacting me on behalf of her husband who lost his wedding band in the backyard of their house in Ellicott City, Maryland. Robert was diligently throwing branches and sticks over his split rail fence which was shielded with metal netting to keep the larger animals out of the yard and keep his own canine safe within it’s parameters.
While in motion of throwing a branch, Robert was pretty certain that he lost his extremely large yellow and white gold celtic wedding band. He remembered wearing the oh-so-very important keepsake on his finger when he went outside that day to do yard work. He swore at the time that he knew exactly when the band flew off across the fence during one particular throw that he had made during his after-storm clean-up.
Many hours of searching for the band turned into days of frustration, and actual tears began to flow from his eyes when nothing turned up. His brother-in-law who lived next door, came over to help, as well, but even his assistance didn’t pay off. Robert figured that he could recover the « sentimental story » if he just kept looking for it, but all of his efforts led to no avail. According to his words and his wife’s account, he was completely devastated as this ring meant everything to him.
Finally, Rida and Robert did some research online and they happened to come across THE RING FINDERS website. They learned of this international metal detectorist directory that provides specialized help in solving these type of ring mysteries. Once they looked up a metal detectorist near them, they found me, Brian Rudolph, who provides metal detecting services in Ellicott City, Maryland. In just a short time, we were on the phone covering all of the details regarding the missing ring.
Two days later, I arrived at Robert and Rida’s lovely estate. They took me to their backyard and showed me the area where Robert had been throwing tree limbs over the fence when the ring flew off. On the other side of the split rail, there was nothing but thick bramble, weeds, high grass and trees. Robert demonstrated how he tossed the pieces of wood over the fence and where he thought the ring traveled into the overgrowth. He was almost 100% sure that he saw the ring go over the fence. Once we were finished the initial investigational reporting, I returned to my car to gather up all of my metal detecting gear and then returned to the search site to begin metal detecting.
The two biggest obstacles that I was dealing with happened to be: 1, All of the metal mesh that covered the fence. 2, All of the high growth on the other side of the split rail sections of the fence.
Before detecting the outside area of the fence parameter, I metal detected along the fence line inside the yard. I knew that this was not a guarantee that I didn’t miss the ring because the metal mesh that was connected to the split rail fence could mask the ring, causing my detector to pick up the metal that was on the fence and not the target that I was looking for. The fence metal was the predominant metallic source so I would be competing against it as I was looking for Robert’s beloved keepsake. If I didn’t find the ring anywhere else on the property, I would have to return to the fence line and rake everything away from the metal mesh and split rail pieces to see if the ring was hiding somewhere in that vicinity. As it turned out, I finished the inside parameter along that fenced-in-area and I did not find the ring in that location.
Next, it was time for me to detect over on the other side of the fence in the midst of the bramble and overgrowth since that was the area that Robert believed the ring had ended up.
During my couple of hours of searching behind the fence line, I recovered a bunch of bottles that had caps on them, along with aluminum cans and other pieces of garbage. I found farm equipment that dated back to probably the 1950s along with old vintage yard decorations, as well. I had to be very careful where I positioned myself because there were quite a bit of thorns to contend with amongst the thick bramble surrounding all of the places that I wanted to search.
After it got dark outside, I continued my detecting by using my high lumens headlamp to light up the night. Robert kept me company for part of the time and he was a great source of information as I continued to ask him more questions about what ensued on the day that his most valued material possession went missing.
When I had no luck finding the ring on the other side of the fence, I laid out grid lines on the backyard lawn and metal detected that whole area. I wanted to cover that area just in case Robert lost the ring prior to him throwing the tree limbs over the fence. And the alternative theory was that when he launched one of the pieces of wood, the ring could have rocketed behind him instead of going forward towards the fence. Sometimes we think something actually took place with our jewelry when we lose the precious items, but in reality, something quite different happens to our greatest surprise. It’s weird how the brain can play tricks on us.
Well, after spending several hours at the property, I was able to cover a significant amount of territory. However, the huge Celtic style wedding band was still at large. Though I did not find the ring that particular evening, my greatest discovery happened to be a cute box turtle that was hiding in the high grass right by the corner of the fence. I was so excited when I discovered it!
I talked with Robert and because it was getting late out there, we called it a night, knowing that my next plan of action would require a bit more time to implement my planned out strategy.
Two days later, I returned to the search site with the determination to find Robert’s lost ring. As soon as I arrived, I shared with the couple what my strategy would look like. Before heading to the outside area of the fence to begin trimming back much of the thorn bushes and high grass (I brought my Ryobi hedge trimmer), I planned to first rake along the fence line inside the parameter of the yard. My goal was to see if the ring never made it over the fence and that perhaps it was masked over by the metal mesh when I had detected along the fence line two days previous. If I didn’t discover the band that went MIA, I would head back over to the « wild side » of the property and start trimming back all of the bramble and overgrowth.
As soon as I wheeled my cooler and cart full of equipment over to the backyard’s section of fence where I would be concentrating the search, Robert and Rida returned to their house hoping for eventual good news. What they weren’t prepared for was how fast I would uncover the missing ring! Yes, within a minute or two of raking back some of the high grass and miscellaneous brush along the inside parameter of the fence, I found the ring! It took no more than a couple of minutes to find!
Apparently, because the band was located within 6 inches of the fence, the metal mesh on the fence had masked the metal of the ring when I first detected near the fence line two days earlier. That explained why I missed it. On this second search day, I pulled whatever growth I could as far away from the fence as possible so that there would in fact be the separation necessary to detect a missing piece of jewelry should it have landed so close to the fence. And it did! Once I cleared only a small section of fence from some of the grass and brush that was present, I used my eyes, pinpointer (a handheld detector), and my metal detector with a 6-inch coil to do the rest! And there it was, hidden below the grass that was still present! For a moment, I couldn’t even believe how quick I found the missing item! This type of search could a potentially gone on for days!
So, here’s what happened on the day Robert lost the ring. As he was tossing miscellaneous tree limbs over the fence, his wedding band slipped off and flew from his left hand and traveled across his body and fell approximately 25 feet to the right of where Robert was working. The ring settled on the same side of the fence where the perplexed and disheartened man had originally lost it. Though he thought it flew over the fence, in reality, it never made it over to the other side! In addition to that, the band radically flew on an extreme angle to the right of Robert, just inches from the fence!
It never ceases to amaze me where these little guys end up! In the case of Robert’s wedding band, this was no little guy! When I found his ring I thought I had found the band of a king! The yellow and white gold Celtic style keepsake was humongous and extremely heavy! One of the largest rings I had ever found! It was exquisite! The design of the ring was top quality in every way!
Once I recovered the lost ring, I gave Robert and Rida the sweetest surprise! They were both blown away to find out where the wedding band had ended up! I could not have been happier for them! Robert was so emotional he began to cry and gave a big hug to his lovely bride! The nightmare was over and Robert was able to get his ring back on his figure where it would never be lost again… hopefully!
Just before I left, Rida « literally » gave me the sweetest surprise that I was not expecting! As I was packing up, she presented me an entire tin container of her homemade chocolate chip cookies! They were absolutely amazing! I constantly thanked the two of them for such kindness and thoughtfulness that they had bestowed upon me the entire time that I was working with them! It was such a special experience with such incredible human beings that Robert and Rida are!
As I drove away I waved back to that very happy couple until I could see them no more. It meant everything to me to get a glimpse of the two of them arm in arm without a care in the world now that Robert’s ring was back where it belonged!
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