Brooke called me to ask for my help finding her Diamond wedding ring. She put the ring in her cup holder on her chair. She got home and realized the ring was gone. She went back to the beach and the lifeguard’s set cones around the area where the loss occurred. When I arrived there was a neighbor of hers with a cheaper metal detector trying to help. I made about 4 or 5 passes and located her ring.
– Surf City Ring Finder –
I was contacted by a husband, (Ben), saying his wife lost her wedding ring in the front yard and that they had tried finding it with a metal detector, but had not located it. They had a very large front yard, but had marked off an area they thought it would be, because he had to run the mower. The area he thought it would be had not been cut. The temperatures those days were at the 95 degree range and I was in the full sun with no relief from any shade. The first day I spent around 4-5 hours finding nothing but surface items that sounded like a ring, small pieces of foil. I had completely covered the entire area he thought it would be. I was spent from the heat, so I came back the next day and expanded the search area. After around 4 hours I was well outside of the original search area by around 60 feet or so and I got a consistent 17 on my Manticore and it seemed to be on the surface because of the double beep. I had found it, but there was a problem. It was in the area that had been mowed and had been damaged from being run over with the mower tire. The band had been bent, had a small stone missing, and the main setting stone was loose. So as soon as I could I put it in a small zip lock bag so if anything else came loose it would not get lost.
What a great Saturday!
I needed this. It started with a call from Bryan. His friend Colton had lost his ring while they all played football in the sand. I knew when I got there and it was meticulously staked out with water bottles, sticks and even Crocs that they had a good idea where it might have flown. Sure enough, 10 minutes later and we had the ring back where it belongs.
As I was getting in my car, I got my second call of the day. Branden had a bit tougher situation with the ring being out in the Gulf but he was just down the road so I headed over to help out. A few hours later after a pretty big search, I heard an awesome signal that made the day complete. Branden had his ring back as well while his family watched on.
Truly great people I got to meet today. Thanks for making my Saturday fantastic.
Pat sent me a text inquiring about recovering his lost wedding ring. He was on the beach the day before, and when they arrived home, he realized his wedding ring was missing. After going over the details, we decided I would head out right after work that day. He had some great photos that would zero me in on the spot they had set up their chairs that day. Pat was a few hours away, so we decided that the pictures and his friend’s information would be all I needed to put me on the right spot. Once I got to the beach, I headed to the area he said they were in, checked the pictures, and looked for some fixed objects his friend said he remembered seeing. Everything lined up so I began my search. After a few times back and forth, I noticed some signs of another detector being there, and my heart sank. Thats never a good thing to see while doing a recovery. Well, lucky for Pat, the other person was not to thorough, and within 10 minutes the ring was safely in my sand scoop. I took some pics and headed back to my truck. I transferred them to a text message, then called Pat. I told him I searched the entire area, and there were signs of another person in the area. You could tell by the tone in his voice, he was not happy to hear that, and then I sent pics and asked him to confirm they matched up to the location. The excitement in his voice when he saw his ring in those pics was priceless, I just wish I could have experienced that in person. We then made arrangements for him to swing by in a few days to pick up his ring.
Kathleen posted on a local Facebook page, explaining that her son had lost his necklace and pendant during a visit to the beach. Many people responded, recommending she contact me, NJ Ring Finder, ASAP. When we spoke, she explained that the necklace had been lost two days earlier and asked if it was even worth searching for at this point. She shared that the necklace had been a gift from her mother to her son, and he was heartbroken about losing it.
I asked Kathleen to send me the exact location, and I headed out shortly after to begin the search. Within 25 minutes, I had the necklace safely in my sand scoop. It was a lucky find, considering the area was heavily searched and the necklace had been missing for 48 hours.
I took a photo of the necklace and texted it to Kathleen. She was in complete shock that I had found it, especially after so much time had passed. Kathleen had already returned home, and asked if I would meet a family member for the return, which I sincerely agreed. Once the necklace was in her possession she took a few pics and sent them to me to add to her story.
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Tom’s story is a perfect example of how a nearly devastating loss can turn into a moment of relief and joy. After enjoying time in the ocean with his daughter, losing his wedding ring to the surf seemed like a final blow—especially with the relentless waves making it disappear instantly. Tom’s quick thinking to post on Facebook led him to me, NJ Ring Finder. Tom called later that day and we spoke in depth to ensure I had the most precise details for a successful recovery.
Originally, I had planned to head out the same night, but with low tide not until late, we decided on a search for the following morning, almost 48 hours after the ring was lost. I arrived early, set up my search grid, and began working in the rough surf. The process was slow, and it was tough to get signals, but I kept at it. Tom sat nearby, watching quietly, probably doubting that the ring would ever be found after so long.
During the search, a young metal detector enthusiast approached with his mom, curious about my work. I shared that I was searching for Tom’s wedding ring and encouraged them to stick with the hobby. As I took a moment to review Tom’s photos again to make sure we were in the right area, I felt hopeful that we hadn’t missed anything. After making some adjustments, I returned to the water and, at last, got the signal I was waiting for.
In situations like these, it’s critical to dig carefully, as losing the ring deeper into the sand could make it impossible to find again. On my first scoop, I checked the hole—no signal remained. I could only hope the ring was in my scoop. When I saw that flash of yellow gold, I knew I’d found it. Tom’s wedding ring had survived nearly 48 hours in the ocean, and seeing the relief on his face when I handed it back was truly rewarding.
Arlene’s day at Island Beach State Park with her family took a frustrating turn when they realized her car keys were missing. As they had spent part of the day digging a massive « moon crater » in the sand, searching for the keys in the fading light became impossible. With no luck finding them, the situation escalated into a stressful evening. They called for an Uber, only to be denied entry at the guard shawl. Leading them to reach out to the park police. Fortunately, the police were helpful, giving them a ride to the guard shack where they could catch a ride home to retrieve spare keys and eventually return to pick up their car.
Arlene called me the next day, hoping I could help her locate the missing keys. I assured her that car keys usually don’t bury themselves too deeply in the sand, so we had a good chance of success. I arrived early at the beach and began searching near a hole I found. When Arlene arrived, she explained that I was in the wrong spot—it was actually further down the beach. She pointed to a few possible locations, but with the beach looking completely different after a day, it was hard for her to pinpoint the exact spot.
We noticed another large area farther from the dune walkover, which seemed like a better candidate for where the moon crater had been. While Arlene reviewed some pictures, I continued my search. Soon, I got a strong signal, and sure enough, her keys were buried over a foot deep in the sand. When I handed them to her, she suddenly remembered that they had been in her pocket, not on the cooler as she originally thought. They must have fallen out when they were filling in the crater, but luckily, they weren’t buried at the bottom of the three-foot-deep hole. If that had been the case, my detector wouldn’t have been able to pick them up, and Arlene would have been stuck with the costly task of replacing the key fob.
In the end, I was thrilled to find the keys for her, especially after the ordeal she had gone through the night before. What started as a stressful situation turned into relief, and it all worked out.
Dylan was playing volleyball at Ocean Beach and lost an important family heirloom pendant in the process. He jumped up against the net and the pendant or necklace snagged on the netting and the necklace broke, sending the pendant somewhere in the soft sand. The game stopped, everyone try to find it, but, all efforts were futile. Dylan called me for help and we arranged to meet later that afternoon. When the time came, I grabbed my gear, stopped to pick up my detecting buddy Dave and headed to the site. The beach and volleyball courts were mobbed, but, we managed to find a parking spot and eventually, Dylan. He had sent me a photo of what it looked like, described it’s size/composition, and explained it’s importance to him. After just a few minutes, my buddy Dave came up with it. A very happy Dylan could now enjoy the rest of his day knowing that the pendant was not lost forever, and was back where it belonged. A pleasure to meet you and thanks for the reward.
I was DEVASTATED. My husband found Jeff through a quick google search and within 15 minutes of making contact, he was at our beach site and within 1 minute he said “don’t worry, I got it,” and found my ring!! It was incredible!!
Samantha called about her lost ring, which had slipped off and disappeared into the sand. I met her on the beach, and she pointed out the area where she thought it had fallen. I got right to work, and within 10 minutes, the ring was safely in my sand scoop, though Samantha didn’t know it yet.
As I continued scanning the area, a man came over, asking if I could help him find his lost phone. I told him I’d keep an eye out for it while I was working. During our conversation, I mentioned I was currently looking for a ring and described Samantha’s. I looked at him with a smile and said, “I bet it looks just like this,” before reaching into my scoop and pulling out the ring.
Samantha was completely caught off guard—she had no idea I had already found her ring. Her eyes widened in shock, and she almost fell over in disbelief. It was a great moment, and we all shared a good laugh afterward.
Pat sent me a text inquiring about recovering his lost wedding ring. He was on the beach the day before, and when they arrived home, he realized his wedding ring was missing. After going over the details, we decided I would head out right after work that day. He had some great photos that would zero me in on the spot they had set up their chairs that day. Pat was a few hours away, so we decided that the pictures and his friend’s information would be all I needed to put me on the right spot. Once I got to the beach, I headed to the area he said they were in, checked the pictures, and looked for some fixed objects his friend said he remembered seeing. Everything lined up so I began my search. After a few times back and forth, I noticed some signs of another detector being there, and my heart sank. Thats never a good thing to see while doing a recovery. Well, lucky for Pat, the other person was not to thorough, and within 10 minutes the ring was safely in my sand scoop. I took some pics and headed back to my truck. I transferred them to a text message, then called Pat. I told him I searched the entire area, and there were signs of another person in the area. You could tell by the tone in his voice, he was not happy to hear that, and then I sent pics and asked him to confirm they matched up to the location. The excitement in his voice when he saw his ring in those pics was priceless, I just wish I could have experienced that in person. We then made arrangements for him to swing by in a few days to pick up his ring.