we made the recovery Tag | The Ring Finders

Lost 14K Diamond Wedding Band…Found at Baker Beach!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Luis and I walked down the beach and into the tidal zone.  He stuck a stick in the sand and said, « I was standing right here.  I threw the football in that direction and felt the ring come off.  I saw it in my peripheral vision for a brief moment, then it was gone! » And so the search was on!

Three days earlier the event took place and he had made a number of attempts to find his 14K white gold ring with inset diamonds.  He even posted a Lost and Found ad on Craigslist to seek out help.  It was at this time I got involved by sending him a link to THERINGFINDERS.COM site and offering up assistance. Up until then, the only correspondence had been through an email and a few short text messages.  He later admitted to being a bit skeptical that the ring could be recovered.  I, however, was packed and ready for the hour long trip to the coast knowing that the next day a storm would hit the area decreasing the chances of a positive outcome.  Having a meeting for work and little confidence that the ring could be located, Luis text me to call off the search effort.  I text him back.  « Don’t give up just yet…unless someone else found it, it is still there! »

Those words changed the course of the search and breathed new energy into Luis.  We spoke for a few minutes on the phone and we were back on track to meet up an hour later that evening.

We set up a grid of the area just in front of the placed stick.  I worked East-West from the shore to the water first.  I armed Luis with a pin-pointer and he meticulously scanned the area directly in front of the stick. I had completed the grid and decided to turn and work North-South while also expanding the grid.  I was less than 12 feet to the right of the stick Luis had placed.  This was the area that the ring should have been, but had not been discovered on the East-West grid.  I got a perfect signal about 6 to 8 inches down.  A perfect 10 VDI for the Nox 800 in Beach 1.  Moments later Luis and I were giving each other a high-five…  We had MADE THE RECOVERY!

It was almost sunset, the wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping.  The moments after the recovery were exciting and it was beautiful at the beach.  We talked and celebrated a bit before returning to the car to head home.

Luis had done a number of things that contributed to a successful recovery.  When the ring came off, he didn’t immediately panic.  He and his friend took notice of their surroundings and Luis, after 3 days, was able to put me less than 12 feet from the ring despite an enormous beach. The other thing that was critical was to seek help.  Luis has stated several times that the right equipment in the right hands was the recipe for success.  Thank you Luis for trusting in me and my process.  It was great to meet you and I wish you the very best in the future!

Luis moments after the recovery!

The ring back in it’s correct place.

The custom 14K white gold band with inset diamonds

A beautiful setting for the recovery!

Working the Grid in front of the placed stick!

A happy couple with both their custom matching rings!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

Tags:
Category:

Set of Keys Lost in Oakland Hills…Found

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

Harry had lost an important set of keys on a hillside covered in ivy directly below the stair to his beautiful Montclair Hills home.  He and his wife searched the area and even removed much of the ivy in the location.  The keys were seemingly gone!  The couple found my information from the TRF website and had sent a request for help at 11am on the 9th of March.  We would schedule the search for once Harry returned home from work around 5pm, and I would maneuver to that side of the hills early to successfully perform a search for a lost ring near by.

My boys and I would meet Harry and his wife at their home and get a quick run down of how and where the keys went missing.  An initial hasty search of the small hillside only revealed some conduit pipes and very little else.  We then moved to search the « green waste » bin where much of the stripped away ivy went.  This proved unsuccessful also.  Next, I began to search with my pin-pointer around a metal post that did not allow the metal detector to get close.  It was at that time I discovered the set of keys nestled under debris close to the post…We had made the recovery!!!

Thank you Harry for contacting me, trusting me with the search, and your generosity!  I’m very happy to have been able to return your set of keys in a timely manner.

Harry, the hillside, and the returned keys!

Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Tags:
Category:

Platinum Ring Lost a Second Time in Berkeley, CA…Found Again!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

In August of 2023 I assisted Fred in finding his Platinum Ring.  The ring fits loosely and had fallen off while he performed yard work.  On Saturday, February the 9th I received my second request for help for the day.  It was Fred with a simple text message that read, « Hello, it’s Fred in Berkeley again. I lost my ring again in the yard.  Small Area ».  I had been scheduling a search for another individual who coincidentally lived only minutes down the road from Fred.  I responded to Fred that I could be under way in minutes and I quickly loaded up for a double-header. My two boys asked if they could help and so we loaded their machines in too!

We arrived at Fred’s home armed with the knowledge I had documented from the first trip to search for the ring.  I knew the location, the landscaping, the materials the ring was made up of and the VDI information for my machine.  After a quick overview of how and where the ring was lost, my boys and I got to work.  It wouldn’t be 2 minutes before my middle son got a hit and my oldest boy pinpointed the ring.  I quickly confirmed the find and performed some quick photo documentation.

Fred was not in the least bit surprised we were able to…Make the Recovery!!!!  Thank you again Fred for trusting me to be your Lost Item Specialist!

Fred with his ring

The Platinum Ring

The Ring once the debris was cleared.

Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

Tags:
Category:

Diamond Engagement/Wedding Ring lost in lake…Recovered in Foster City, CA!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Saedah was in an obvious panic when she lost her diamond engagement/wedding ring off the deck and into the lake at a Bay Area restaurant!  She admitted to locating THERINGFINDERS.COM website and proceeding to contact just about every member in the Bay Area for help.  Once word got to me, the idea of performing only my 2nd request for a water recovery this year was appealing.  It was late in the evening and I wouldn’t be available until mid-day the following afternoon, but I agreed to sign on to the task.

The details as to where the ring fell into the lake were really good, however the depth was left a bit ambiguous.  Not knowing this piece of the puzzle, I packed an enormous amount of equipment for the recovery.  When I showed up to the location I used a tape measure to check the depth of the water near the site Saedah noted the ring was lost.  It was just under 5 feet in depth but dropped off steep.  I decided to make an attempt without a ton of gear and took just a scoop and the Equinox 800.  I located a CLOSED for CONSTRUCTION boat dock to access the water from and slid into the water.  Making it half the distance to the location of the missing diamond ring, I turned back to grab a mask and snorkel.

Once in the location underneath where Saedah and friends were sitting prior to the loss of the ring, it took only seconds to recover it.  We had MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

As I emerged from the lake with my gear and the missing ring, patrons of the restaurant clapped and congratulated me.  The manager stated that a lot of phones, rings, eating utensils and other things often end up in the lake along the deck, but this was the first time he had heard of anything being recovered.  I sent Saedah a picture of the ring and then called… she was overjoyed that the ring was found and safe and set out to meet me at the location.  This was an excellent way to start the weekend!

I wanted to thank Saedah for trusting me with the recovery of her meaningful and precious ring.  And also to all of the other Ring Finders who helped point her in my direction!  I consider this a win for all of us, Thank you!

The boat dock from which I entered the water and the deck the missing ring was lost off of.

Freshly recovered from the lake!

The recovered ring!

The Diamond Engagement/Wedding ring!

Saedah with her ring back where it belonged.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Tags:
Category:

Beautiful Gold Ring with Diamonds Lost at Baker Beach…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Mishkin admitted to me at the end of this story that she doubted that we would find and recover her ring lost the previous evening at Baker Beach in California.  I’m excited to share this story for a number of reasons. First, for it’s success as always. Second, because it’s kind of a beautiful tale. Lastly…this marked my 25 ring recovery!  This was a milestone that I had set for myself earlier this year, one that at the time seemed far off and yet feels amazing to achieve.  I’m a year and 6 months into my membership with THERINGFINDERS.COM team and I have really enjoyed my experiences helping people like Mishkin…Let’s get back to her story…

It starts with a sunset marriage proposal on Baker Beach in the shadows of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.  It’s a very high point in the story. However the story takes a tragic turn when a ring Mishkin is wearing on her hand is removed to make way for a new engagement ring. It somehow falls, and in an instant is swallowed up by the sandy beach.  The excitement of the proposal now is stained by the loss of another cherished ring.  The couple attempts to locate the ring but is forced to leave it behind.

The next morning, while sailing the high seas on a pirate ship in an exciting game of make-believe with my boys, Mishkin contacted me to ask for help.  The request was made to meet the couple back at Baker Beach at 5pm.  Our pretend treasure hunt and « Privateering » venture would materialize into something real later that evening.  There was no way I was going out on this call without my crew!

We met Mishkin at 5pm in the parking lot and made our decent down to the beach.  In the midst of leftover rose pedals and flowers from the prior evening, the couple assisted me in setting out some cones to establish some initial boundaries for the search zone.  I began working a grid pattern while the couple, working together, reestablished some of their previously set boundaries. I stopped and asked if they thought that the new area was a more likely location, to which they answered « yes ».  And indeed they were right, on my second line in the new grid…WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

The couple was in disbelief when I walked up to ask if this was what they were looking for with the ring in hand. Disbelief turned to excitement! That is when Miskin admitted that she had doubted the success of the search and had explained that later that night she would be on a plane back to the East Coast. I had no idea how dire the situation must have felt to her until that point.  I, on the other hand, was full of confidence and anticipation knowing that this would mark my 25th ring recovery and I would be accomplishing a goal set earlier in the year almost 3 months early.

As always, thank you Mishkin for allowing me to take part in this beautiful story.  I wish you both a very happy future!

The missing ring.

The happy couple.

Obligatory detector shot.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Tags:
Category:

Platinum Mens Ring Lost in Berkeley, CA….Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

On Sunday August 27th, I had the pleasure to assist Fred with his lost Platinum Ring.  Due to the nature of the call and the information he provided, this would be as quick and simple as you like.  He was removing some plants from his front garden when the ring went amiss.  There were only three small locations the ring could possibly be when I arrived.  Within 5 minutes of being onsite Fred had his Platinum ring back. A VDI of 11-12 and good tone meant « WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!! »

He and I had a pleasant chat about metal detectors, metal detecting, and permits for certain parks in the Bay Area.  He had thought about renting a metal detector prior to finding our THERINGFINDERS.COM site.  Additionally, he called a neighbor who had recently lost a hearing aid in their backyard a few blocks away.  Fred was already shopping my services and spreading the word.

Thank you Fred, I’m happy everything worked out as it did, and it was nice to have met your acquaintance.

Fred’s Platinum Ring back where it belongs.

 

The Platinum Ring

 

The hiding spot!

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

 

Tags:
Category:

Beautiful Sapphire and Diamond engagement ring lost in Pleasanton, CA…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

On August 20th, Samantha sent me a kind message requesting help with a ring that was lost. The project, would be to search some thick bushes in the front yard of a home in Pleasanton, CA.  I informed her that I’d be glad to help, but that the next day I would be celebrating my son and metal detecting buddies 4th birthday.  The search would have to take place on Tuesday mid-afternoon.  This was agreeable with Samantha.

On Monday, I was able to drive by the home to assess the gravity of the project.  What I saw was a seemingly endless sea of juniper mixed with rosemary bushes.  The probability of detection (POD) for this search was not going to be good.

An endless sea of juniper and rosemary bushes to search.

When Tuesday arrived, I readied my gear for the search effort and headed to the site.  It was a beautiful warm day and I was feeling good.  Talking with the neighbors was a bit of a revelation. Although I was requested to specifically search the bushes, I was informed that searches had already taken place of the landscaping and lawn next door…with a metal detector. Another new piece of the puzzle was that there was a sound of the ring hitting concrete the night it went missing.

I spent a good 45 minutes performing a difficult search of the brush, as that was what I was hired to do. As I worked, I kept thinking about the new information I had learned from the neighbors as well as from one of Samantha’s friends who stopped to talk to me about the lost ring.  I decided to have a look for myself over the area that had previously been searched while I pieced together the information I had.  I used a Garrett pin pointer around the base of some of the foliage and that’s when « We made the Recovery!!! »

Can you spot the ring in this photo?

In the end, I spent an hour and a half searching.  I was extremely relieved to not be wading through the brush.  It really would have been a humongous undertaking searching that area and even after searching, I don’t think I would have been confident it was sans engagement ring. As always, I was very much appreciative of everyone who contributed details and information that led to a successful ring recovery for Samantha.  The tears of joy I heard when I let her know the sapphire and diamond engagement ring was secured told me that it meant a whole lot to her.  Thank you Samantha for taking me on this journey with you and allowing me to be firmly embedded in the wild story this ring will tell.  Best wishes for your future!!!

First look at the recovered sapphire and diamond engagement ring.

Photographed at the site.

Photographed at the hand-off.

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Tags:
Category:

Unique ring lost in Concord, CA… RECOVERED!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Gold is a big part of Neelums culture, so when she had the opportunity to purchase a very unique 22k gold ring while in Dubai, she jumped all over it. The ring style is thought to bring good luck to its owner…more on that later.   This particular ring had become one of her favorite possessions, so when it came up missing, she sought help quickly.

Finding theringfinders.com site led her to me and after some text messages, we agreed to meet the following afternoon to search.  We started at her mothers apartment where she last physically had the ring. She had put multiple rings into her purse there before running to pick up her husband from work and returning to their apartment.  After nothing turned up at that location nor inside her vehicle, we decided to move to the final location where Neelum realized the ring was missing.

Interestingly enough, as we walked the pathway to her apartment discussing what areas we could search, there on the path sat the 22k gold ring.  It had sat there in the open with people constantly walking past it for over 24 hours.  We had made the recovery!

Remember earlier when we discussed that luck thing?  Well, that ring truly brought luck to Neelum on that day.  There would have been so many opportunities for someone to spot that beautiful and unique ring and to take it for themselves, however she now has the ring back in her possession and their story together got an exciting new chapter in lieu of a sad ending.

As always, Thank you Neelum for contacting the The Ring Finders and entrusting me to assist with locating this wonderful ring?  Best wishes for you and your family for the future.

22K Gold Ring

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Tags:
Category:

Solitaire Diamond Ring Lost in Fremont, CA… Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

When you receive a call just before 10:30 pm at night, you get the since of urgency that an individual is feeling about their lost item.  I did not answer the phone, not because it was late and I was in bed, rather I was at a movie with my family.  Instead a text message followed… « Hi Sir, I lost my ring and need your help finding it. »

The next morning around 7:00 am I sent a message back to get more details about the lost ring.  The couple was packing the car for a very important event at a friends house. There were two rings both in her right hand and not on her fingers while shuttling things to the vehicle.  At a certain point, she remembers the rings, looks into her hand and only one is there.  The entire event happens over not more than 5 minutes in the afternoon and puts an ominous dark cloud over the day.

When I arrived, I was met by the woman who promptly walked me through the events of the previous day.  Through the story she told, I identified a few valid locations for our search.  We started by doing a grid search of the small yard area in the front of the home.  This was the path of travel from the home to the vehicle.  The yard was void of targets on the surface.  We then visually inspected the driveway including some cracks and gaps that could potentially conceal the ring… nothing!

My next logical thought was the vehicle itself.  We started in the trunk and removed and inspected all the object within…again nothing!  I then moved to the front passenger side of the vehicle and utilized my video endoscope and a flashlight.  I saw something on the screen that I liked…turned out to be a coin, but also another object.  I moved around to the back passenger seat and removed the floor mat to reveal the diamond solitaire ring sitting against the plastic trim of the front seat.  WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!!

I don’t often play tomfoolery with my clients when I’m performing recoveries, but I couldn’t resist.  I asked the woman if she had a photo or image of the ring.  She replied yes and started to search her phone.  I then asked her, « Does it look like this? »  The look on her face was first confusion, than astonishment, then relief, and there it was…the smile!!!

She then explained to me that she was only seconds from telling me not to waste my time on looking through the vehicle, convinced it was in the yard or somewhere else.  She also stated that she did even think about searching the vehicle because she was convinced it was elsewhere.

I spent a good amount of time talking with the pleasant couple.  They had ordered metal detectors to search for themselves before the husband found THE RING FINDERS on a google search.  They revealed that they spent a long time reading my profile and testimonials before deciding I was trustworthy and capable of handling their dilemma.  The husband joked about the hour at which the woman called, excited about finding help and hopeful for the recovery of her cherished ring.  She explained that she had always wanted a solitaire ring and had worked so very hard to purchase the ring for herself, an accomplishment she was very proud of.  And in the end, we were successful in locating it and the ring has a renewed story for the couple to share.

Thank you for allowing me to take a small part in that story!

The diamond solitaire ring recovered.

The couple still in disbelief that we found it!

As seen in the vehicle.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

 

Tags:
Category:

AMAZING…14K wedding band lost for 25 years…RECOVERED!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Almost 25 years ago, a gentleman working in his yard in Oakland, CA lost his 14K yellow gold wedding band.  The family searched, but never recovered the ring.  In 2008 this same gentleman, a beloved father and husband, lost his life to cancer.  May he rest in peace!

Fast forward to July 2023, fellow ring finder and friend Jes Muse from THERINGFINDERS.COM requests that I cover a call out she had received.  Jes is recovering from a recent surgery and I wish her a successful and speedy recovery.  She sent all the pertinent information for me to reach out to Mr. Limon regarding his fathers lost ring.

After a brief conversation, it was decided that 7-18-2023 at 3pm we would meet at his childhood home.  This home is on the market to be sold and this week would likely be the last opportunity to search for the long gone wedding band.  We met on the street and he showed me the area we would be working,  a small terraced hillside that once was covered in ivy at the front of the home.  The hillside had since been reworked and the ivy removed, being replaced with mulch.

I set up my Equinox 800 and anchored in at the corner of the hillside and grid from bottom to top, right to left facing the hill.  The very first signal was perfect… a VDI (visual discrimination indicator of 16 in both directions….heart break as we pulled an odd brass like fitting.  We continued the grid search systematically removing every target we found.  Then, mid-slope almost exactly where Mr. Limon recalled his father telling him it was lost all those years ago…WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!!

The signal was not as perfect as I had hoped, but may have been partially masked by another metal object or maybe laid in an awkward position .  The VDI was 18, 19, 20 at 4″ deep and I dug a large plug as to not damage anything below. There, in the spoils of the plug, was the 14K wedding band that went missing almost 25 years earlier.

After recovering the ring, Mr. Limon was kind enough to share all the details I have included above.  He and his family were also most generous in sending me some very emotion evoking photos later that evening.  Thank you very kindly for entrusting me with the search for this very precious piece of your family history and I’m very happy that it will continue to tell a very exciting new story.

The cleaned 14K gold wedding band that rested nearly 25 years in the ground.

Photographed with her late husbands wedding band after 25 years lost in the yard.

Mr. Limon with the fresh recovery of the ring.

Metal detecting the slope where the ring had been lost nearly 25 years earlier.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590 

Tags:
Category: