#Portland Maine Metal Detector Rental and Service Tag | Page 4 of 6 | The Ring Finders

Titanium Wedding Ring Lost In The Drakes Island, Wells Beach Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a text message on Tuesday morning, August 5th. This is the message

“Good morning,
I lost my wedding band last night at Drake’s Island Beach in Wells, Maine around 6pm. The tide was coming in and I was in the water when it came off. The area probably won’t be searchable until after lunchtime. Please let me know if you think you can help.
Thank you,
Colby *******”
I immediately replied
“Hi Colby, So sorry to hear this. Would you be able to show me the area you lost it in?”
Colby replied
“Yes what time could we meet? Low tide is around 3pm.”
I replied
“Looking at the tide chart, 6:00pm, last night was approximately 2 hours before high tide. Today’s low tide is at 2:49pm. If I get there at 12:00noon, that would be 3 hours after this morning’s high tide and the tide will still be going out for another 3 hours. Depending how far out in the water you were, the ring may be recovered, just under the wet sand.”
Colby then told me he was approximately 75-100 feet, from the jetty. He was in the water throwing a football around with his son, when he felt the ring come off his finger and plop right into the water, just in front of him. Colby said the waves were of a good size and stirring up the sand, making it impossible to visually search for his wedding ring, of 19 years. Colby said he was just heartbroken that the ring was gone.
After a restless night, he was talking with his wife when he remembered about me, finding rings, for people. He told me he has been following my adventures for the last few years but his wife hadn’t heard of me and was a little skeptical, so to speak. This is when Colby reached out to me. We made plans to meet, in the parking lot, on Drakes Island, Maine at 12:00pm. I then looked at the webcam, from the beach across the river, from Drakes Island Jetty, in Wells Beach. I didn’t like what I saw because the waves still looking big and rough. The ring may have been moved by the large waves, at the time it was lost and before it came to rest, under the sand. Thinking about this I decided that I should bring Gary Hill, in on the search. The area just expanded and this would require help, getting as much area searched as possible, before low tide. I called Gary and he didn’t answer. Approximately 15 minutes later, Gary called me back and he was just leaving the Dentist office and would love to help me search.
So at 11:15am, Cheryl, myself and Gary headed to Drake’s Island, in Wells Beach, Maine. We arrived just before 12:00pm and pulled into the parking lot. As luck would have it, we parked right next to Colby’s truck. We then all walked down to the beach and Colby showed us the area he and his son had been throwing the football. We decided the area to be searched would be from the lifeguard stand, to the jetty. We then determined the halfway point between the two, dug a hole at the halfway point and decided that Gary would search from the halfway point to the Jetty and I would grid search from the halfway point to the lifeguard stand. We also started higher up on the beach, than Colby had been, because we just didn’t know if the heavy surf had pushed the wedding ring up towards the shore. As Gary and I searched, we were finding very few targets and the targets we were getting, were just small bits of aluminum and pull tabs. As we made our way down the sloped beach, towards the water, I couldn’t help but think that the wedding ring couldn’t be this far down the beach, near the water. Colby had lost the ring just 2 hours before high tide and it was now 1:30pm and we were just about an hour away from low tide. From where Colby thought he was, to where we now were was 100’ down the beach, closer to the water. Could the waves, with the help of the beach being sloped down towards the water, move the ring that much? Or had Colby misidentified how far down on the beach he had been. I called Gary and Colby over and we decided that I was searching to far to the north and that we would now have Gary start searching closer to the jetty and I would stay along the water, by shifting my search to the south, by about 50-60 feet. We only had an hour left before low tide and I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that the ring hadn’t been found by now. Continuing the search, with the new parameters, nothing was being found other than the trash, we had been finding. Gary was making his way up the beach, along the jetty and I had now caught the water line. Waves were now rushing up and over my feet and coil. There was no way the ring was down this far and I decided to just do another grid line, or two, along the water and then start searching closer to the jetty also. It was now 2:10pm, with only another 40 minutes, before low tide. As I was making my way south, towards the jetty, I received a solid mid sounding tone, registering a 38 on the VDI screen. My depth reading was from 0 to 2 inches deep. I sized up the spot and dug a hole, throwing the scoop of sand, onto the hard packed wet sand. I then ran my coil over the hole and the target was no longer there. I ran the coil over the pile of sand and the target was in the pile of sand. When I looked down at the pile of sand, I could see the roundness, of a ring. I had found Colby’s wedding ring. Colby had gone back up to the parking lot, for a moment, so I called him and told him I think I had found his ring, unless someone else had lost a similar ring, in the same area. I was going to leave the ring untouched, until Colby got here, so he could have the honor of removing the ring, from the pile of sand. Colby arrived just a few minutes later and I told him to get the ring and see if it was his. Colby reached down, removed the ring and said “That’s it”. I then congratulated Colby and he thanked us. Colby then put his wedding ring on and said, “Back where it belongs”. Colby then gave us all hugs and thanked us each, individually, for helping to find his ring. He then took a photo of the ring on his finger and sent it to his wife. We were all smiling at this point and just so happy to have been able to find Colby’s wedding ring. As Colby told us, he just didn’t feel right, without his wedding ring of 19 years. It wasn’t the monetary value of the ring, it was what the ring meant to him. His marriage of 19 years, to his wife, his children, everything about his ring, related back to his family. That is the story for most people who’ve lost a wedding ring. It’s a memory of all the good things, in your family life. Now Mike’s ring has a new chapter, to his rings story. Gary, Cheryl and myself got another hug from Colby as we were preparing to leave and Colby gave us another heartfelt thank you to us once again. He was smiling ear to ear as we all drove off. What a great feeling for us to be able to help people like Colby. 😀❤️🙏

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Sentimental Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Sand, In Saco, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Just before 6:00pm, on Saturday August 2nd, I received a call from Mike. Mike, his wife and their son had spent the day at Ferry Beach State Park, in Saco, Maine. They were having a great time, until Mike noticed that he no longer had his wedding ring on. As most people do, they all began running their fingers through the sand around their chairs. It was all for naught as no ring was found. Fortunately Mike had not gone swimming but had spent the day around the beach chairs, other than leaving the chair area, just twice. Once, when he went down along the waterline, as his son was boogie boarding and once walking the length of the park’s beach, to use the restroom. Other than that, he was just enjoying the sun and scenery, with his family. It was while he was in the restroom that he noticed his wedding ring was missing. He didn’t see it in the restroom and walked back to the chairs, visually searching as he walked. Once at the chair, he searched the beach bags and chairs and sand, in the area. The ring was not found. Mike’s wife then walked up to the restroom area and she was not able to find it anywhere along the route. Mike then reported the ring missing, to the Park Manager. Once home, in Gorham (Maine), Mike learned about my services. This is when he called me. I told Mike I could certainly help him and we agreed to meet at 6:30pm, at the gate, to the Ferry Beach State Park.

Cheryl and I drove down to the State Park and met Mike at the gate. He was talking to the Park Manager, as she was locking the gates, for the evening. She wished us well and told us we welcome to walk the road, down to the beach. It was a long walk so I told Mike that he could leave his car where it was and Cheryl would drive us to Pond Avenue, adjacent to the beach and 1/2 of a mile less walking. Once Cheryl dropped us off, we walked a 100’ or so and were on the State Park’s beach. Mike took me to the area he thought they were in and I told himself that even if he was a little off, I would over grid search the area, so as not to miss any areas. I started at the southern end of the beach m working my way north, parallel with the high tide waterline. I was maybe 6’ to 8’ feet, from the high tide mark and Mike said their chairs weren’t that far down, towards the water. After searching for 100’ or so to the north Mike said that I should turn around and head back south. As I headed south, I was finding only a few non ferrous targets, a pull tab and a very small fishing sinker and some small bits of foil. I then headed north again and when I reached the northern end of the search line, still no ring. Mike then said that maybe he was a little closer to the lifeguard stand and I headed another 50’ to 75’ further north, turned and searched south, turned and headed back north again. Still the list wedding ring remained elusive. As Mike and I talked I suggested I search the 6’ to 8’ of dry sand, along the high tide waterline line. Again Mike said he didn’t think they were that close to the high tide line. I suggested that I just search it, so that we know the entire area, from the high tide line to about 30’ inland, on the beach, would be completely searched and once I finished this area, we could figure out our next move. Mike agreed with me and I started heading south, along the high tide line. As I was about 3/4 of the way done, I received a nice low tone, reading 27-28 on my VDI screen. I told Mike, that this sounded good but couldn’t guarantee it was the ring. It could be another pull tab. I took my pinpointer and ran it through the sand until I caught a glimpse of the side of the ring. Mike couldn’t see it, from where he was standing and I grabbed the ring, so he couldn’t see it and popped up, extending my hand with the ring, towards Mike , saying, “Mike, I got it, congratulations “. Mike’s jaw literally dropped and said “Oh my God, I can’t believe it. I think I might cry. I have to let my wife know.” Mike put the ring, on his finger and took a photo, sending it to his wife. Mike was very emotional and happy to have his ring back, telling me multiple times that “You’re the best, you’re doing Gods work “. I could see Mike’s eyes glistening a little and knew just how much this ring meant to him. This ring represents so much to Mike and it isn’t the monetary value, it’s his life with his wife and son, it’s the memories. After Cheryl came down and picked us up, he told Cheryl the same thing and conveyed how fortunate he was to have his beloved wedding ring back. Mike told us of his buying the ring in Manchester New Hampshire, all those years ago and was just so relieved he had it back. Cheryl also told Mike that we love doing this for others and that she was very, very happy for him. As we dropped Mike off, back at his vehicle, he thanked us again and was going to let everyone he knows about us doing great work for others. He thanked us one last time and told us “You guys really are doing Gods work, thank you.” Cheryl and I drove away smiling and telling each other how we love being able to see the happy tears and smiles on our clients, once they get their ring back. No better feeling in the world than to see people like Mike get their extremely sentimental ring back. I can tell you that we are all going to sleep tonight m with smiles on our faces. 😀❤️🙏

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost In Thick Vegetation After Being Stung By Wasps, In Windham Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Monday evening, July 21st, I received the following voicemail

“Hi, My name is Brooke T******* and I live in the Town of Windham, Maine. My husband and I, um, he was mowing the lawn, the other day and was stung by a couple of hornets and he was swatting around and his wedding ring flew off, in our yard or maybe the woods nearby. We’ve been searching and haven’t been able to find it, um, I came out to try and help him and I also got stung by four and one was in the eye. It’s been quite a few interesting days. We did get a friend’s metal detector but we still haven’t been able to find it. We’ve heard good things about you guys and thought we’d just call and see if you might be able to help, as well. If you get this message and wouldn’t mind calling, at some point. My number is 508-***-****. Thank you so much, bye, bye.”
I called her back as soon as I heard the voicemail. Brooke explained that 4 days earlier, on Thursday July 17th, her husband, Mike, had been mowing the lawn, when he unknowingly ran over an underground hornets nest. The hornets came flying out, of the underground hole and started attacking him. As Mike was running, trying to get away, he was swatting the bees off and flinging his arms around, trying to keep the hornets away. Mike was stung multiple times and when Brooke went out to help him, she was also attacked and stung multiple times, including a sting, right next to her eye. The eye area immediately started swelling and she needed immediate medical attention, at a local quick care facility. Mike woke up the next morning and his arm was extremely swollen and also needed medical attention. Both Brooke and Mike were put on medication, to help alleviate the symptoms of the hornets stings.
At some point, the previous day, after being stung, Mike realized his white gold wedding ring had gone missing. Most likely when he was flailing his arms, after being attacked by the hornets. So, once the hornets nest was taken care of and filled in. Mike and Brooke borrowed a friend’s metal detector and searched their lawn, with no luck. They told me the detector kept making noises but there was never anything there, when they looked. I told Brooke that the noises she was hearing, were most likely targets, in the ground. I also told her that if they had never used a metal detector before, it would be very difficult to understand what was going on. The metal detector will beep on anything metal, above and below the ground. It will beep on ferrous and non ferrous metals. If you don’t understand what the machine is telling you, you will get frustrated very quickly. That is why I always tell clients not to go buy or rent a metal detector. In most instances you will be wasting your money. You are better off by calling us, The Ring Finders of Maine. Not only are we less money, than renting a metal detector but Gary Hill and I have 40 years of experience, between us. I will also bring an extra detector, if a client would like to help, at no cost, other than our Transportation Costs, that’s it.
I told Brooke that Gary and I were currently searching for 2 lost Gold rings in the Ferry Beach State Park area, of Saco, Maine. We could only search for those gold rings at low tide and once those were found, I would call her back and set up a date and time to search for Mike’s wedding ring. I explained that Mike’s ring was on private property and wouldn’t be going anywhere but the two gold rings, in the ocean, were an emergency, because of the tides, waves and possibly other metal detectorists. Brooke totally understood! Unfortunately, it took Gary, myself and my clients son, Ben, the next 4 days, before Ben finally recovered the two rings, on Friday, July 25th. That same day, we received 2 more emergency call outs, with Gary going to Ocean Park Beach, to search for a pair of prescription glasses and I went to Ogunquit Beach, to search for 3 lost gold and diamond rings. Gary recovered the glasses but I didn’t find the rings, on Friday, but was heading back to Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea, pre dawn, in the morning. Meanwhile, Brooke contacted me on Saturday morning and asked if I would be able to come and search this weekend. I explained that I had just returned from Ogunquit, Maine and had found the 3 gold and diamond rings and was now at Bayview Beach, in Saco, searching for a lifeguard’s lost gold pendant. I wasn’t wasn’t sure how long I would be. Gary had already left, this morning and was driving his grandson back to South Carolina and wouldn’t be available. Sunday, Cheryl and I were going to Boston, to a Boston Red Sox game. I told Brooke that I could do any morning, next week starting on Tuesday July 29. Brooke and I ended up agreeing to a search on Friday, August 1st.

Today, August 1st, Cheryl and I arrived promptly at 8:00am and Brooke and Mike came right out, to meet us. Mike had to leave and get his two sons to rec camp but first took me to the area where the underground hornets nest had been. The underground nest was now defunct and filled in, thankfully. Mike showed me the route he ran , as he was fleeing the hornets. The grass hadn’t been mowed, which is a good thing, and because of the lack of rain, the grass wasn’t tall at all. If the ring were on the lawn, I would think it would have been visible to find. Mike and Brooke had already metal detected the lawn, along with visually searching, many times, without finding the ring. Mike had also started cutting back the overgrown wild raspberries vines, and other thick vegetation. I told Mike that I would grid the lawn, just to eliminate that area. The lawn wasn’t very large and I could do it in approximately 15 minutes. I would then try and get in the thick vegetation and vines, as best I could. Mike then left with his sons and Brooke had to get to work.
I did grid search the lawn in approximately 15 minutes and the ring was not found. I decided to enter the thick vegetation just behind where the underground hornets nest had been. I really couldn’t swing my detector very well, because of all the vines. I would stand on the vines, best I could without getting pricked and swing over the area as best as I could. Some areas I couldn’t swing at all and I took off my 11” coil, used on the lawn and put my 8” elliptical coil on. The small elliptical coil worked much better, in the thick vegetation because if I couldn’t swing it properly, I could push it between the vines much better. I still wasn’t able to search every square foot, but I was able to cover much more ground, with the smaller coil. After approximately 15 minutes in the overgrown brush, I finally received a good sounding target. A nice loud low tone, repeating on the VDI screen at 29-30. Definitely a good sounding and looking target. As I looked down, into the extremely thick vegetation, I still couldn’t see the target. I got my pinpointer out and located the target. Even with the pinpointer, I still couldn’t see the target. Whatever it was, it was deep in the vegetation. As I started removing the vegetation, I caught a glimpse of a round, silver colored ring. A white gold ring? After taking a few photos, I picked the ring up and it was very heavy. It was Mike’s wedding ring, which has now been lost for 15 days. I called Brooke and told her I had found the ring and because she and Mike both work from home, she came right out but Mike was on a call, but would be out shortly. I showed Brooke the area I found the wedding ring but because of the prickly vines and heavy vegetation, she couldn’t get all the way out to where I was. She was elated and said, “ You are amazing “. Mike then came out and I showed him the spot where I found it and he agreed that the ring would never have be found , visually. It truly is amazing how a ring can just disappear, from sight. The ring was found approximately 10” to 12” from the edge of the lawn and without a metal detector, it wouldn’t have been found. I gave Mike his ring back and he immediately put it back on. Brooke had told us that Mike “Felt Naked Without His Ring On”. Mike gave me a nice big firm handshake and a nice big smile. He was so happy to finally have his almost 10 year wedding ring back on his finger, where it belongs. I love being able to do this for others but also for myself. There is no better feeling than to hand back a lost item to the rightful owner and see the happiness, on their face. 😀❤️🙏

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Three White Gold and Diamond Rings Lost In The Ogunquit Beach Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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After having returned from a successful recovery, of two Gold Rings, in the Ferry Beach State Park area, of Saco, Maine, I had some errands to run. While running my errands, I had a phone call come in and it went to voicemail,

“Hi there, my name is Lisa ******, and I’m calling, um Ring Finders of Maine, because I “Think” that I lost a ring, yesterday, on the beach, in Ogunquit Beach. So I thought I could start with you guys and see what service you offer? Thank you so much my name is Lisa ******, 617-***-**** thank you, bye, bye.”

I immediately called Lisa back and asked her what had happened, the previous day. Lisa told me that she and a very good friend, Michelle, had gone to Ogunquit Beach in the afternoon and into the evening, from 3:15pm to 8:00pm. They even had dinner, out on the beach while enjoying a beautiful day, on a beautiful beach. When Lisa first arrived, she had taken her 3 white gold rings off, to apply lotion and had placed the rings, in her shirt pocket. Lisa and Michelle at one point, moved from their original location, to a new location, out on the sandbar, as the tide was going out. Once they left and returned home, Lisa realized her 3 gold rings were missing. Unfortunately, the tide had been coming in for a few hours now and it was also dark outside. Lisa went back, to the beach, first thing, in the morning and searched for her rings, at low tide. But, as we all know, once the waves get to the rings, they will no longer be visible, as the rings would have made their way, under the sand and out of sight. Lisa and Michelle then gave me the two different areas, where the rings could be. I would need to grid search, both of those areas.
I told Lisa that I would go down to Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea, later this afternoon, when the tide would be in our favor and search. I could sense the pain Lisa was feeling and her voice actually cracked a few times and I figured that she was in tears also. But, I still had to tell her that the area she thinks the rings were lost in get heavily metal detected, by locals and vacationers. I also told her that if the rings were lost, out on the wet sand or sandbar, the rings would have been visible, to anyone walking by. Rings simply do not sink into the hard packed wet sand, at low tide, they just don’t, until the incoming tide reaches them. Lisa and Michelle told me the rings would be out in front of the Norseman Resort, in one of the two locations, they had been and understood it would be a long shot, to find them. I totally understand and agree that the effort has to be made to find the rings.
So, later in the afternoon Cheryl and I went down to Ogunquit, Maine and found the beach to still have lots of people, enjoying their day, at just after 3:00pm. Since one of the areas had less people in it, I decided to search there first. This was the first location they had been in and was just beyond the Norseman Resort and on the other side of the buoys, near the Lifeguard Stand. I decided to grid search, north to south, horizontally to the water and shore. Starting at the buoy to just past the lifeguard stand would more than cover the area they were first in. I always over shoot an area, while searching, just in case, the rings moved a little or the client was off a little bit on their directions. As I grid searched the area and working my way towards shore, I figured It would take about an hour or so to complete. I wasn’t finding anything at all, other than small bits of metal trash. Once I completed the area, just over an hour later, I was going to search the second location but there were just too many people in the area, to grid search the area properly. I messaged Lisa and Michelle and told them that I would search the second area, very early the next morning, at 5:00am. This would allow me plenty of time to search the area properly, without being sidetracked by having to go around anyone and possibly missing the area, the rings would be in.
Saturday morning, I got up at 3:45am and got all my equipment loaded, into the vehicle. I arrived at Ogunquit Beach at just before 5:00am and the beach was basically deserted, other than a few fishermen and a few people waiting for the sunrise to happen. Sunrise is my favorite part of the day. Quiet, serene and just something magical, seeing the sun rise from the water. I always stop and take a few photos and enjoy the view.
I started this morning’s search at the buoy again, but this time, I was on the Norseman Resort side, of the buoys, not the lifeguard stand side. As I looked out over the area, I couldn’t help but think it would be a miracle if I found these 3 gold rings. It was now on the 2nd day of the being lost and I kept thinking of how the rings would not have been under the sand, when they were first lost, but would have just sat there, for anyone walking by, to pick up. I also kept thinking of the other Metal Detectorists that frequent the area. Even thinking this was an extreme long shot, I still have to do my due diligence, for my client and for myself. Lisa really has a lot of sentimental emotions tied up in these rings and I am not leaving until I know there is nothing else I can do.
Today I searched east to west, from the shore to the water line, as the water was going out. Shore to water, to shore, to water to shore and kept repeating this sequence. I was actually finding multiple coins, junk earrings and even a junk ring, but not the 3 gold rings I wanted to recover. After 30 or 40 minutes of searching I was approaching the end of the sandbar, where it drops down to the wet sand. I was right on the corner, of the northern end of the Norseman Resort, Tidal Suites-On Ogunquit Beach, Maine. I then received a signal that was giving me a few different numbers on my VDI screen. I was getting numbers ranging from 08 to 20 and the tone was definitely a low tone. My first thought was, no way. Multiple targets all in the gold range and also the tone, was the tone I love to hear, when searching for gold. I admit my heart beat a little faster and I was praying these were Lisa’s rings. I took my long handle sand scoop pushed it into the sand. I then dumped the first scoop of sand right next to the hole I just dug. I ran my coil over the sand and got two targets. I then took my pinpointer and gently wiped the sand away revealing a gold ring. I kept removing sand and saw a second gold ring. WOW, I found them, now I needed to find the third one. I placed the first two rings, on the hard sand of the sandbar (remember, they won’t sink into the hard sand) out of the way and ran my coil over the dug hole. I didn’t receive a signal, from the hole but I did receive an 08 reading on the VDI screen, just a few inches away. I just smiled as I knew this was the 3rd ring. Just had to be. I dug the hole and ran the pinpointer over the sand, located the target and after pushing the sand away, there was the third gold ring. I am amazed they were still there but so happy for Lisa. I just knew how much these rings meant to her and I couldn’t wait to tell her but it still wasn’t even 6:00am. I took a video to send her but would wait awhile, so as not to wake anyone up.
Once I sent the video, via text, to both Lisa and Michelle, at 7:45am, I immediately heard back from Michelle, “Unbelievable! This is absolutely amazing!” And then Lisa one minute later, “OMG.. most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen!! So amazing!!! You are the best..”
Lisa then called me from her home in Massachusetts and I could feel the happy tears through the phone. She was so appreciative and kept thanking me. She told me that I saved her and I was her “Mer-Man”. Lisa was just over the moon to get her very dear, sentimental and loved rings back. Lisa then asked if Michelle, who lives in Ogunquit Maine, could come and pick the rings up, as Lisa was in Massachusetts. I heard from Michelle about 10 minutes later and we made plans, to meet in front of The Norseman Resorts office. Perfect. Once Michelle arrived, I took a picture of Michelle, with the 3 rings and texted it to Lisa, telling her that Michelle now has the rings.

Lisa replied, “How about a picture of the two of you together?” Michelle and I took a selfie and sent it to Lisa, who replied, “ The Best.. wonderful and happy ending 💕thank you both!!!”
Michelle then took a selfie of us and sent to Lisa, on the group text and said,
“Yay!! Lisa, Here is your “mer-man”! Best day ever!
Lisa replied “Definitely a Miracle! “
I have been metal detecting for 25 years and I really thought this was going to be a long shot. I mean the rings were missing for two days, in a very heavily populated area of metal detectorist and I still can’t fathom how no one saw the rings laying on top of the hard sand, of the sandbar. I agree with Lisa, this was a miracle and I am so happy to have been a part of it. Taking Lisa’s sad tears and making them into happy tears is the best feeling ever and I love doing this for people like Lisa. As you know, every ring or three has a story. Now these beautiful rings have a new chapter, in their story. I love my job of putting smiles back on people’s faces ❤️🙏

 

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Gold Religious Pendant Lost In The Saco Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday July 25th, as I was driving home, from Ogunquit Beach, I received a call from Eliza. Eliza told me that she is a lifeguard, at Bayview Beach, in Saco, Maine. Another lifeguard had recommended me to her. The other lifeguard had seen me make a recovery a few weeks earlier, just up the beach, at Kinney Shores, Maine. Eliza told me that on the previous day, as her shift ended, at 5:00pm, she noticed that she was missing her Gold Religious Pendant. The necklace was still around her neck but had become unclasped. She had it on, when starting her shift, at 9:00am but now it was nowhere to be found. Eliza told me that it had been very hot day and she had gone down to the water to cool off, while swimming. She had done this multiple times, throughout the day and just didn’t know when the pendant, fell off the necklace. It could be in the ocean, around the lifeguard stand or in the sand, along the route she used, to walk to the water, for her swim multiple swims. I told Eliza that I would be right there, as fast as I could but was about 45 minutes away. Eliza said no rush, she would be there all day.

Once I arrived at Bayview Beach, I went to the lifeguard stand and immediately saw Eliza, up on the stand, with her lifeguard partner. Eliza came down and showed me the areas she had walked, the previous day and the entire area, around the lifeguard stand are the areas she was hoping the pendant, would be in. If the pendant were in the water, I would need to return because the tide was currently high and I wouldn’t be able to search until the tide was receding. I told Eliza that I would grid search, down to the water, turn around, back to the lifeguard stand, back to the water, until I was outside the areas she had been. If I was not able to locate the pendant at that point, I would search around the lifeguard stand itself. If I still hadn’t recovered it, I would come back tonight and search the wet sand, as the tide was going out.
As I performed the east/west grid search, I was finding the usual beach trash, pull tabs, bottle caps, and foil. No coins, jewelry or pendant. I stood at the base of the lifeguard stand talking to Eliza and her partner, telling them the pendant wasn’t on the route, to the beach. I would now search the areas under and around the lifeguard stand itself I stepped back and starting on the left side of the stand, as you faced it, I took my first swing and received a nice loud low tone and showing up on my VDI screen as a 28. Definitely in the gold range by the tone and VDI reading. I removed my pinpointer from my pouch and ran it across the top of the soft sand. I located the target right off the bat and as I gently brushed the sand away, I caught a glimpse of the gold pendant. It was literally just to the left of the stand and next to the stairs. I picked the pendant up and looked at Eliza, saying “did you say a go,d pendant?” As soon as she saw her pendant a big smile broke out and she said “oh my god, that’s it. Thank you so much.” I then handed the pendant over to Eliza and she thanked me again. I told her that I was waiving the travel fee because I offer this service to First Responders, at no cost to them. All First Responders are so important to our communities. I just wouldn’t feel right charging a transportation fee to them, when they would help me whenever I would need them. Eliza thanked me again and I couldn’t be happier for her to get her very special Religious Pendant back. I love my job and putting smiles on peoples faces. 😀❤️🙏

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Prescription Glasses Lost In The Ocean Park, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a call, on late Friday morning, from Kim. Kim had just lost her prescription glasses, in the water, in Ocean Park, Maine. She and here daughter were playing in the water, when her daughter jumped on Kim, knocking her glasses, in the surf. Unfortunately the glasses remained lost, after they tried searching, the sandy bottom of the water. Kim asked if I could find glasses and I told her that we could, if they weren’t all plastic. I also told her that my experience is that glasses were no longer any good, once they were in the waves and sand. The glasses generally get scratched easily and the frames get bent. Kim told me that she had insurance on her prescription glasses, but needed them to file a claim. As long as she produced the damaged glasses, the insurance would replace them. She just needed me to find them. I asked Kim to let me check the tide charts because I knew high tide was not to far off and we would need to search, once the water had receded. I also told Kim that I wouldn’t be able to personally search for them. I had a Dentist appointment at 1:00pm and I was already booked to search Ogunquit Beach, at 3:30pm. I told her I would see if Gary Hill was available and he could search, once the tide receded.

I contacted Gary and he was available, to help Kim. I gave Gary her phone number and when he called her, they made plans to meet in Ocean Park Beach, at 3:00pm. Once Gary arrived at 3:00pm, the tide was receding and was on its way to low tide. A perfect time to search. Kim showed Gary the location she thought the glasses would be in. Gary immediately got to work, grid searching the area. He wasn’t finding much when after 10 minutes of searching, he was approaching the water. At this point, Gary received a low tone of 08, on his VDI screen. Gary then dug a hole with his long handle sand scoop and after placing the dug up sand, off to the side, a wave came in and washed the sand pile behind. The wave also moved a pair of glasses, from the sand pile, to behind Gary. Gary never saw the glasses, when Kim yelled out, “There they are”, and immediately jumped behind Gary and grabbed the glasses, before the next wave took them away, again. Kim looked the glasses over and thought they were fine but would probably be taking them to the optometrist’s office and get them checked out. So Kim’s glasses may not be as exciting as finding gold and diamond rings, but because Gary was able to find them, it may save Kim hundreds of out of pocket dollars, because of her insurance. Now who doesn’t like to save hundreds of dollars. Gary and I certainly do. We also love helping people like Kim, when we are need. A smile is a smile and we take them any way we can get them. 😁❤️🙏

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Two Gold and Diamond Rings Lost In The Saco, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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What’s worse than losing a ring? How about two rings?

On Monday July 21st, I received a phone call, from Nicolas. Nicolas told me that his mother had just lost two gold rings, in the water, in the Ferry Beach State Park area, of Saco, Maine. I asked Nicolas when she lost the rings and how deep was the water, when she lost the rings. Nicolas replied , “fifteen minutes ago and about two feet of water.” I knew it was just about low tide and with the tide now coming in, I wanted to try and find them, before the water was too deep. I immediately grabbed my Minelab Excalibur and headed to the Ferry Beach State Park area. I arrived at 3:00pm and met Nicolas, Carole (Owner of the lost rings) and Ben, another of Carole’s sons. The tide had now been coming in for an hour and there was no time to waste. I started searching the water with the help of Carole, Nicolas and Ben. Carole went to the spot, she thought she was, when she lost the two gold rings. Nicolas stood to the south, of Carole and this was to be the furthest south, the rings should be. Ben stood to the north, for the boundary, in that direction. Carole explained to me that she was standing, in the water, with her back to the open sea. As she was standing, in the water, facing the shore, a wave hit her hard and as the wave knocked her forward, it also hit her outstretched hand, taking both rings off. Carole saw the rings come off and tried grabbing them but they disappeared, into the surf. She immediately yelled to her family members, up on the beach and they immediately started searching for the rings, with Carole. Unfortunately, trying to find rings in the water and waves, is an impossible task.

Since the tide was coming in, I wanted to start as far out, as I could. With the depth of the water and the waves, I felt I had a good chance of finding them. I just didn’t know if I would be able to get out fat enough to. I performed a north to south grid search, working my way towards the shore. After an hour of searching, I called it quits for the day. The water was now too deep to perform a proper search. I told Carole and her family, I would be back, the next afternoon and search once again. The vacationing family, from Québec, Canada told me that they were taking the children, to Funtown Splashtown USA, for the day and would not be there.I told them I was comfortable with the area that needed to be searched and to enjoy their day at Funtown Splashtown.
The next day, Tuesday, I returned to resume my search at 12:45pm, for a 3:30pm, 0.07 low tide. Approximately the same low tide as the previous day. I immediately got into the water, following the tide out, until 3:30pm, when the tide started coming in again. I found a few fishing sinkers and some can slaw. I also got hit by a wave, knocking me off my feet and into the water. After 2 1/2 more hours of searching, the rings were not found, once again. I messaged Nicholas and told him the not so good news. I also reminded him that Wednesday, I would not be able to come down and search, as I had a previous commitment. The low tide, the next day, Wednesday, was going to be the same as the low tide I had just searched in. I now had my sights on Thursday morning and a negative low tide of – 0.07. This negative low tide will be way out there, possibly out far enough, that the rings would no longer be underwater and the search would be much easier. Unfortunately, once low tide arrives, it immediately starts coming back in. I wouldn’t have long to search the low tide area. For this reason, I called Gary Hill, to see if he was available, to help me, on Thursday morning. Gary signed up for the search.
Gary and I arrived at the beach at 4:30am, for the 5:22am low tide. It was still dark out and was a little difficult to see, without headlamps. It wasn’t long before the sky started turning beautiful, without headlamps the sun rising. It also meant, the tide wos about to turn. Ben came down at 5:00am and he had a beginner’s metal detector, his children had brought, on vacation. So now, there were three of us searching but again, no rings were found. To understand just how large an area we were searching, try and picture a football field and another half field. It’s a large area and we didn’t have much time to, to cover it all of the changing tide. Losing a ring, in the water, at low tide, is the worst time to lose it. Just not much time to effectively search. I told Ben that Gary and I would be back again, the following morning, same time, to search another -0.07 low tide. I also asked Ben if he would like me to leave my Minelab CTX-3030 metal detector and long handle sand scoop , for him to use, tonight. He wouldn’t be able to go out to deep but he could certainly search close to shore. He would also be able to use it tomorrow morning, when Gary and I returned. For an area so large, we needed all hands on deck, so to speak. Ben readily agreed to help, by using my backup detector.
This morning, Gary and I arrived pre dawn once again and immediately started searching again. Ben came down around 5:00am and after a quick lesson, with the CTX-3030, Ben started searching. I was searching close to shore, along the rocks, Gary was mid beach section and Ben was also searching, in the rocky area. We were all searching north to south. Low tide was going to be at 6:14am and it was decided to go out as close to the water as possible and start grid searching, water towards the shore. I went out the furthest, Ben was next and then Gary. As we all worked our way towards the shore and 5 minutes, past low tide, Ben received and dug a target. He called Gary over to search the dug sand pile, with the pinpointer. I wasn’t paying attention as I was trying to stay ahead of the incoming tide. All of a sudden, I hear Gary say, “He got one of the rings”. That got my attention and immediately rushed over to them. They were standing looking at the first found ring. I ran my coil over the pile of sand and I received a nice loud low tone. I told Ben and Gary, “I bet you anything, this is the other ring.” I was that confident. Gary took out his pinpointer and searched the sand pile. As he was moving the sand around, his pinpointer went off and I saw the others ring. I picked it up, washed it off and handed it to Ben. Ben not only found the rings, he dug both of them from the same hole. Unbelievable! On the 4th day of the search, both rings were now going back on Carole’s finger. Not all searches are completed on day one. This search was 4 days and if the rings weren’t found today, Gary and I were coming back, pre dawn, once again the next morning. Persistence pays off and thankfully, we don’t like losing or giving up easily.
Ben texted Carole and she came right down to us. She was all smiles, giving us all hugs and smiling ear to ear. Carole had told me the previous day that she was going crazy about the lost rings. I told her she would sleep well tonight and not go crazy, anymore. She readily agreed. It’s such a great feeling, for Gary and I to help Carole and her family, when they need us. The will be returning to Canada tomorrow morning but Gary and I have new friends now and they are all smiling. There is no better feeling than to see someone get their lost item back and see them smile, once again 😁❤️🙏

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Custom Made Gold Diamond Ring Lost In The Eliot, Maine Grass, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Saturday evening at just after 5:00pm, I received the following text message.

“Hello I lost a gold ring at my family party today. We’ve been looking in her yard for hours and can’t find it. We are in Eliot, Maine. Do you know if you can come this far south to help me find it.”

I immediately called back and was told that his name is Dustin. Dustin was at a family gathering of his parents, Aunts, Uncle’s, Cousins, etc.. Dustin had recently had Achilles Tendon Surgery and wasn’t able to do much, as far as walking far distances or running. There was a tent set up in the back yard and Dustin was sitting at the table, under the tent. Lobster was being served and Dustin removed gold ring, with a single diamond in it. He didn’t want to get the lobster, butter and juices, all over his new ring, of one month. Dustin took the ring off and put it in the pocket of his khaki shorts, along with his keys. Dustin had some gold necklaces melted down and had the gold ring with the diamond, custom made, for himself. He said he had it made with Jyotish Astrology, in mind, something that Dustin has an interest in.

Once the meal was over, Dustin and his cousins played some football. Since Dustin couldn’t run or move around much, he was the so called “Designated Quarterback”. He could just throw the ball to his cousins, while just standing there. Once the game was over, Dustin started walking to his car and reached into his pocket for his ring and car keys. He pulled his keys out, but his new ring was missing. The entire family started searching for the ring. The area was small, since Dustin had only been at the table, under the tent set, when he took the ring off, and the to the area where he stood to throw the football. An area of approximately 25’ X 60’ and the path he took as he walked towards the driveway, where he was parked. That’s the entire area and yet, the ring wasn’t found. That is when Dustin called me. I told Dustin that I was also at a dinner and that by the time I got my equipment and drove to Eliot, it wouldn’t give me much time to search, before it got dark. I asked if I could come and search, first thing in the morning, at 8.00am. Since the ring was on private property, no one else would be finding the ring. Dustin agreed and was happy to know that I would be able to help.

Cheryl and I left our home, in Saco, Maine at 7:00am and arrived at the search area at 8:00am. Dustin was there to greet us and show us the area, where he thinks the ring was hiding in the grass. I must admit, the grass was nice and thick, almost like a carpet. This grass could absolutely hide a ring. Dustin really thought the ring would be in the area, he took the ring off, and where he was sitting, under the tent. If not there, it would be in the area where he was throwing the football, just 25’ to 30’ away. I told Dustin that I would grid search the entire area, he had been in, yesterday. I would start in the area of the tent and the table. I would then work my way towards the area he had stood, throwing the football. I should be able to search the entire 25’ to 60’, in less than an hour. As I worked my way across the lawn, I wasn’t getting many non ferrous targets but when I did, I checked the thick grass with my pinpointer. Unfortunately the ring wasn’t found after approximately 45 minutes of searching. I then asked Dustin what path he took towards his vehicle and where was he when he took the keys out of his pocket. Dustin couldn’t remember the exact area but it was either along the wall of where the ten was or just another 5’ or 10’ to the right of that. I searched that area and came up empty again. Since I only had another 10 feet or so, to a large bush, I decided to grid search, over to the bush. As I kept going, I wasn’t getting many almost to the bush when Dusting said he never went that far over, towards the bush. I told Dustin that I just wanted to finish the area, so I would remember what has and hasn’t been searched. Just another minute or so and only one more grid line, from the bush, I received a very loud signal, showing 67 to 69 on my VDI screen. The VDI was also showing the target was on or very near the top of the soil. As I looked down, in the thick grass, I didn’t see the target. I reached into the thick grass and started pushing the grass away. I then saw a gold ring. I had finally found it. I then asked Cheryl to come over and bring the paper towel, so I could wipe away the sweat, from my face. It was just a ploy, to tell her I had found the ring. I asked her to start filming a video, when I asked Dustin to come over to me and answer some questions. When Dustin arrived to where I was , I asked him a question and as he answered, I reached down into the grass, picked the ring up and said, “I got it”, holding the ring up so Dustin could see it. I saw his smile break out and he said “Oh dude, thank you so much , man oh man” as he pumped his fists, high 5’d me and gave me a hug. Dustin was very happy to have his ring back. He couldn’t believe I found it so close to the bush. He said he was never that close to the bush. I told him that we always find rings where people don’t think we would find them. Possibly Dustin did go that far over and just doesn’t remember. We will never know. I do know that this ring was really hidden in the thick grass. It never would have been found, visually. Thankfully, my metal detector is my eyes 👀 and it may have taken an hour, but it was finally located. If I don’t find the lost item, in an area, I will just keep expanding the area. Everyone knew it was there, it was just a matter of getting my coil over it.
Once again, a successful recovery and a smiling client. I love helping others out, like Dustin, in their time of need. It’s just the best feeling in the world to see those smiles, when I hand over their very precious, sentimental item back to them. It the best job in the world ❤️🙏

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Very Small Gold Earring Lost In Grass South Portland, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday, July 18th, Gary Hill and I were returning from Short Sands Beach York Maine, in York Beach, Maine. We had a successful recovery, after Gary had recovered a lost pendant. As we were approaching the Town of Wells, Maine, my phone rang. The caller identified herself as Sarah. Sarah told me that she was at Scratch Baking Co., in South Portland, Maine and she had just lost a very small gold earring. As she and her daughter, Eliza were eating lunch, outside on a bench, she had felt and seen the gold earring, become entangled in Eliza’s hair. As Sarah went to grab the earring, from Eliza’s hair, Eliza spun away and the earring fell into the grass and acorn shells. They had been searching for the earring, for a half hour and just couldn’t find it. She asked if I could help her. I told her Gary and I could be there in approximately 45 minutes, as we were still on Rt 1, in Wells, Maine. Sarah and Eliza would continue to search for the earring, as Gary and I made our way north, to South Portland Maine and Scratch Baking Co…

Once Gary and I arrived we saw Sarah and Eliza sitting on the beach, under the tree. They told us they still hadn’t found the earring. Gary had brought his 8” sniper coil, as this would work best for extremely small gold items. We decided that Gary would start grid searching, with the Minelab Manticore and 8” sniper coil. I would visually search and run my pinpointer through the grass, hoping to get lucky. After approximately 20-30 minutes, the earring still wasn’t found. Just amazing how these things disappear from sight. Gary and I decided to switch roles. I would grid search vertically, where Gary had searched horizontally, to the street. Gary would now visually search and man the pinpointer. After about 5 minutes, I received a repeatable target of 06 – 07, on the VDI screen and the sweet sounding low tone of gold. I still couldn’t see the target but could definitely hear the target. I reached down and moved the grass and still couldn’t see the target. I then moved a few pieces of broken acorn shells and staring back at me was an extremely small gold earring. I looked over at Sarah and Eliza and said “I found it”. Sarah jumped right up and came towards me, saying “Did you really? Thank you so much”. This earring would not have been found by just visually searching. How did the earring end up under the broken acorn shells? We may never know for sure but most likely the shells ended up on top of the earring during the initial search, by Sarah and Eliza. As they were walking, in the area and running their fingers through the grass, they may have inadvertently moved the shells, onto the earring. Either way, Sarah now had her gold earring back and was very happy with that. Sarah and Eliza are from Massachusetts and had been in the area, when they stopped at Scratch Baking, for lunch. The lunch turned out much longer than they had planned and they were very excited to be getting back on the road, to drive home. That is one reason, why there are so few photos. We didn’t want to hold them up any longer than necessary. Gary and I were also happy to be heading home as we had now been on the road, searching for lost items, for 6 1/2 hours. After two successful recoveries today , it was time to go home, get something to eat and reflect on our day. We absolutely love doing this for others and have the best job in the world.

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Engagement Ring Lost In The Old Orchard Beach, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received the following text, from Amanda, at 4:16pm, on Monday, July 14, 2025

“Hi Dennis, Unfortunately I lost my engagement ring on Old Orchard Beach Maine just outside of On The Beach Motel. I was wondering if you would be able to help? Thanks, Amanda”

I didn’t bother to text Amanda back, I immediately called her to get more details and information of what had happened. As it turns out, Amanda lost her Engagement Ring, the way a lot of people lose their rings, at the beach. Amanda had taken her Engagement Ring off, to apply sunscreen to herself and her children. Amanda had placed the engagement ring, on top of her beach bag and forgot about it. Amanda and her family were enjoying a beautiful beach day and when it was time to leave, her husband picked the bag up and they returned to their room, at the oceanfront motel they were staying at, called “On The Beach Motel”, located at 61 W Grand Ave., Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Once back in the room, at “On The Beach Motel”, Amanda remembered the engagement ring. Stephen searched through her beach bag and the room. She retraced her steps, back to their location, on the beach. She scoured the soft sand, where they had been set up for the day. No engagement ring was found. She went to “On The Beach Motel’s” office, to see if anyone had turned the ring in. No one had turned it in. The ring has now been lost for 2 hours and this is when Amanda contacted me. Once I had all the details, I told Amanda that I would leave instantly and be there in approximately 20 minutes. I just needed to change into my beach detecting attire and get my equipment, off the charger and into the vehicle. Amanda told me that when I arrive m she would meet me, on the beach, approximately 100’ to the right, of the “On The Beach Motel’s” beach access path.
When I arrived at the beach, I could see a woman standing out on the beach, looking down at the sand, in the area that Amanda said she would meet me. As I reached her she introduced herself and showed me the area she thought the ring would be in. I took a White Gold test ring and threw it into the sand. The ring quickly disappeared out of sight, into the very fine soft sand. Once I located the gold ring, I told Amanda that that would be the sound/tone that I would be listening for. I then showed her I would pinpoint the location, with my pinpointer. This always seems to reassure my clients that if the ring is there, they will also hear what I hear. They also seem comforted, knowing my detector and I know what we are doing.
I told Amanda that I would start my grid search, at the top of the banking, leading down the the water. This is also called “The Towel Line” to us metal detectorists because it is the first area people place their towels, when they arrive at the beach. It is the most sought after location, on the beach and this is where Amanda and her family had set up for the day. So, I started at the towel line and headed south, parallel to the water. I received a few very nice low tone signals and they both turned out to be just foil peel offs, from juice containers. Once I reached approximately 30’ or so, I stopped and turned around, heading back towards where I started, but not until I took a 1/2 step to my left. As I was heading north, on my new grid line, I received another very low tone and it was a VDI reading of 09 to 10. Definitely in the small gold ring range but also the dreadful foil targets. I felt confident on this one though. Just sounds a little better than foil. I took my pinpointer and located the target. I started carefully removing the sand m from atop the target. As I had removed 2 or 3 inches of sand, a White Gold Ring with Diamonds appeared, before me. I picked it up and showed Amanda and she very loudly stated, “That’s it, that’s my ring”. After a congratulatory fist bump, I handed Amanda the ring and also got a nice hug and a very big smile, from her. She was smiling ear to ear. From the time of her text to me, to me driving down to Old Orchard and me finding the ring, a total of just 34 minutes had past. Not to bad.
It is such a beautiful thing to see all the people go from down, despondent,anxious, etc., to smiling, hugging, laughing and just feeling great. I also feel great that I get to see and experience this quite often. There is no better feeling or job in the world.
As a side note I would like to address the importance of getting The Ring Finders of Maine to your location, asap. The area where the ring was lost in, “The Towel Line” is an area that many, many metal detectorist’s first go to, in the evening, after the beach goers, leave for the day. If Amanda hadn’t called me asap, the engagement may have been found by someone else and who knows if she would have ever gotten it back.
“The Towel Line” is also in the path of the “Beach Cleaning Machine”. If the ring was still there, in the morning, the “Beach Cleaning Machine” would definitely have gotten the ring and the ring would be gone forever. Time is of the essence, when you lose something, in a public space, like the beach or a park. Get us there asap by calling us as soon as you realize your item is missing. Don’t chance it by waiting to call because it may be to late to recover your item ❤️🙏

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