#portlandmainemetaldetectorrental Tag | The Ring Finders

Sterling Silver Engagement Ring AND Key Fob Lost In Range Pond State Park, Found With A Metal Detector In Poland, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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🚨 THE IMPOSSIBLE DOUBLE RECOVERY AT Range Pond State Park! 🚨

Cheryl, Gary, and I love our jobs—we truly have the best job in the world. 🌊

It all started on July 8th when I received a phone call from Vanessa, a Ranger at Range Pond State Park in Poland, Maine … 📞

🔑 A Tourist Stranded & A Rental Car Stuck

The day before, a tourist from Texas had been enjoying the beautiful, serene lake while floating around on an inner-tube style flotation device. 🏖️

Suddenly, disaster struck. His rental car key fob and keys slipped out of his swim trunk pocket and vanished into the water! 😭

To make matters worse:

The Search Area: Vanessa warned me the area he had been swimming in was massive.

🗺️The Stakes: The rental car was still stranded at the park because that was the only set of keys the agency had given him! 🚗🔒

I told Vanessa I would be there as soon as I could pack my gear and drive the one hour to the park. I immediately called Gary Hill for backup, and his response was instant: “On my way, I’ll meet you there!” 🏎️💨

💍 The Plot Thickens: A Second Missing Treasure

When I arrived, the booth attendant was expecting me. She told me Gary had just arrived, but then she dropped a bombshell question:
“Were you told that a few weeks ago, someone lost their silver engagement ring in the lake?” 😮

I had no idea! She told me the park staff still had the owner’s contact info. If we found it, they could return it.I smiled and thought, “Alright then, let’s go find a key fob and an engagement ring. A two-for-one type of deal!” 🎯✨

🗺️ The Grid: Searching a « Football Field » in deep water

When we met up with Vanessa down by the shore, we realized the true scale of the challenge. The search area was larger than a football field! 🏈

Covering an area that size on dry land is tough enough, but doing it in water feels impossible. We knew we would need a miracle to find either item, let alone both. Fortunately, the water was extremely clear with a beautiful sandy bottom, and the lake was nice and warm. ☀️🏊‍♂️

Because a large group of local city summer camp kids was playing near the tourist’s entry point, we had to adjust our boundaries. We used a large tree and a water fountain up on the shore as our east and west markers:

I started out deep near the buoys. 🦺

Gary started mid-water, working eastward slightly to my right.

We began making our grid passes. No keys or engagement ring on the first pass, but the lake was already giving up secrets!

I found a small sterling silver ring with CZ stones, while Gary dug up coins and typical beach trash like pull tabs and foil.🗑️

After a few more passes, I found another ring—this one stainless steel—along with an earring and more coins.

Gary was finding plenty of coins, but no jewelry yet. 🪙

💥 The Miracle Double-Strike!

We had been in the water for about 45 minutes and were almost finished with our first section. As I swung my detector, something about 7 to 8 feet ahead caught my eye. 👀

Amidst the stark white sand, there was a strange black object resting on the bottom. A tree branch? Bark? Trash? 🪵

I kept swinging my coil and advanced toward it. The moment the coil passed over the object, my machine screamed! 🔊

I leaned over in the stomach-deep water to get a closer look. I squinted through the ripples, and my heart stopped—IT WAS THE KEY FOB AND KEYS! Are you kidding me?! 😭🙌

I scooped them up, held them high in the air, and yelled over to Cheryl and Gary. Gary rushed over, grinning from ear to ear as I handed them to him. 🔑🎉

We stood there celebrating for a moment. As we were about to turn and leave the spot, I gave my detector one last casual swing over the exact same area.

BEEP! 🚨
Another target—less than a foot away! I plunged my scoop into the sand, lifted it, and let the white sand sift through the holes, in the scoop. Staring up at me from the bottom of the scoop was a beautiful engagement ring! 💍✨

Seriously!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I hadn’t even taken a single step forward, and I pulled the lost engagement ring from the depths of the lake! I checked inside the band, saw the « 925 » stamp, and knew instantly it was the sterling silver ring lost weeks prior.

Talk about being lucky! The two missing items had ended up less than a foot apart in a massive lake. What are the absolute odds of that? As the saying goes, « Better lucky than good! » 🍀🍀

💌 Grateful Rangers & Happy Owners

Once out of the water, we met up with Vanessa and another ranger named Walter. I actually met Walter the previous year when I recovered a gold ring at the same park!

Walter is a massive fan of The Ring Finders of Maine Facebook page and keeps my business card right in his wallet. He promised us that whenever anyone reports a lost item to the park staff, we will be the very first phone call. Thank you, Walter! 🪪🤝

Vanessa took the recovered treasures straight to the front office to notify the incredibly relieved owners. Later that day, she sent me this wonderful message:

“Thank you so much for coming so promptly. They picked up their keys this afternoon and were very happy and incredibly thankful for your service. It is a great service you provide. So… Thank you and Gary for all you do.” 🥹❤️

Remember: If it matters to you, it matters to us. 🤝⚓

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Gold Diamond Hoop Earring Lost In The Sand, Found With A Metal Detector In Old Orchard Beach, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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🚨 LOST GOLD & DIAMOND EARRING IN THE SAND! 🚨

I received a frantic text on Tuesday evening at 5:50 PM.

“Hello. I’m staying at the ‘On The Beach Motel’ in Old Orchard. I lost a gold hoop diamond earring… My husband gave them to me. He passed away two years ago, so this is more upsetting than it may have been otherwise. Is this something you can try to help with?” 💔

I immediately replied:

“Hi, this is Dennis from The Ring Finders of Maine. I’m on the road but will be back in the area around 6:30 PM.

Do you still have the matching earring for a photo? Small gold earrings are very difficult to find.

Do you have a specific area on the beach to search, or do you think it’s in the water?”

She texted back:

“I did step into the water. We are out getting dinner right now, but we had a beach setup and I know exactly where it was.”

⏱️ The Race Against Time

I texted back right away:
“Ok, I want to search tonight as soon as you get back. My main concern is that another detectorist might find it, or the beach-cleaning machine will scoop it up at 5:00 AM. If it gets scooped by the machine, it will be gone forever.

”Claire later told me that the incredible office staff at the motel were the ones who told her to call me. 🙏

😢 An Emotional Plea

Through tears, Claire explained to Cheryl and me that this earring was a precious gift from her husband, who passed away two years ago.

She told us these earrings weren’t just jewelry; in a sense, they were her husband. She was physically sick not knowing where it was. 💔

Her family had already torn the hotel room and the car apart. They even searched the dry sand by hand. Nothing. It had to be on the beach.

My primary mission tonight was the dry sand. We had to clear the area before the 5:00 AM beach cleaner arrived.

Alright, let’s go find this earring! 🔎🏖️🎯

The Search Begins
Claire took us down to the exact spot where her family had set up for the day. She knew the area perfectly.

Once the boundaries were set, I started grid searching parallel to the water, moving from south to north.

Claire continued searching the dry sand by eye, constantly staring out at the ocean waves, praying it wasn’t out in the deep water.

At the end of my first pass, I only found a crusty old dime.

🪙✨ A Shocking Low Tone

I turned around and headed south, keeping an eye on Claire as she watched the waves.

Suddenly, a loud, low tone blasted through my headphones! 🎧J

Just what I was hoping to hear.

The Target Identification (TID) read a solid 07. That is exactly in the small gold range.I carefully brushed the sand away, and there it was: the glittering gold earring! ✨

🎬 The Setup & Surprise

Claire hadn’t noticed me finding the earring because she was still looking out toward the ocean.

I glanced over at Cheryl and mouthed, « I’ve got it, get video! » 🤫

With Cheryl’s video rolling, I pretended to continue searching as I walked closer to Claire. »

Can you point to exactly where you were standing in the water? »
I asked her.

As she turned toward the ocean and pointed, I held the earring up right in front of me, waiting for her to turn back around.

😭 The Floodgates Open

It worked perfectly!

When Claire turned back to face me, she saw her beloved earring dangling right in front of her. The floodgates completely opened.😭❤️

She walked slowly toward me, crying tears of pure happiness and relief.

As I placed the earring back into her hand, she gasped, « I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe you found it. »

She wrapped me in a massive hug, the happy tears still rolling down her face.

What an emotional return! She finally had both of her precious earrings back together. 👩‍❤️‍👨

Just then, her son Mickey walked onto the beach.

Claire proudly yelled to him, « He found it! Can you believe it?!

« Mickey broke into a huge smile and said, « You’ve got to be kidding me! »

😄Claire then admitted to me, « I almost didn’t call you. I thought it was gone forever. » Thankfully, she did!

🏆 The Best Job in the World

As Cheryl and I walked off the beach, Claire was proudly telling everyone around her that she got her earring back. She had the biggest smile on her face.

I truly have the best job in the world. I love my job!

Remember: “If it matters to you, it matters to us!” 🤝✨

📞 LOST SOMETHING VALUABLE IN MAINE? Don’t wait! Time is of the essence before the tides or beach cleaners get to it.

👉 Call or Text Dennis: (207) 423-3027

🔒 A Note on Client Privacy:Claire requested not to use photos or videos of herself on social media, and I always completely honor my clients’ wishes. Her comfort and trust mean everything to me. However, her son Mickey happily agreed to pose with the found earring for this post! (See photo below 👇)

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DeMolay Ring Lost in Cumberland Maine, Found With A Metal Detector, In Tall Grass

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a voicemail from Derrick. I actually know Derrick as we had worked together years ago but I haven’t seen him in 5-6 years. Derrick’s voicemail stated

“Hi Dennis this is Derrick. I left you a message also I sent you a personal message and I am in need of your ring finding service, sir. I live in Cumberland just past Skilling’s Greenhouse . My son was outside and his DeMolay ring which is kind of like a Masonic ring fell off his hand. We have a metal detector but it’s a low end one so I’m trying to find it with that but I’m not having any good luck. The ring is a Black polished stainless steel. I was kind of hoping that you could help us with it. We definitely Would be greatly appreciative. Derrick Jr is very distraught and he very dearly for everything that he’s going through with the DeMolay. If you could get back to me my phone number is 207-***_****. Hopefully we can set up a time over the next few days and hope you are able to help us. I very much appreciate it Dennis thank you…”
I immediately called Derrick back, after seeing that my schedule was full the next two days. I told Derrick that my wife, Cheryl, and I would would drive up to his place immediately. It is about 25 miles and I told him I would be there by 3:10pm.
Once I arrived, we made small talk and caught up with what is going on in our lives. Then, I asked Derrick Jr what happened when the ring went missing. He told us he was trying to clean his hands of dirt, after digging a hole. He was brushing his hands off, by slapping them up against the sides of his pant legs, when the ring went flying off towards the tall grass and or woods.
I went down the small slope and started searching the beginning of the woods and found absolutely nothing. I then started up the slope and asked my wife to get my backup detector and I would let Derrick Sr use it. Derrick Jr was using his detector, I was using my CTX-3030 and after a quick lesson , Derrick Jr was my Minelab E-trac. With Derrick Jr in the woods , Derrick Sr on the left side of the slope of me heading down the right side of the slope.
I don’t think I took 5 steps when I heard my wife say, WE FOUND IT. Derrick Sr had received a signal. My wife Cheryl took out the pinpointer and stuck it into the tall grass , at the top of the slope. She moved some grass to the side and saw the Black DeMolay Ring. A true team effort and the entire search only took about 20 minutes
Derrick Jr was very very happy to get his ring back and his father says he will get a clear silicone ring sizer so this doesn’t happen again. Best of luck to Derrick Jr in his DeMolay endeavors.

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