Steve Thomas, Author at The Ring Finders

Lost Texas A&M “Aggie” Class Ring…Found and Returned Four Years Later!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
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Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s Only Lost Until I Find It!

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

My wife and I recently spent a week in Texas with our daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons. Part of the trip was a three day beach stay in Port Aransas along with other family members on both sides including our son and his wife. Of course, any opportunity I have to do detecting on a beach I try to take advantage of it so I carried along my Minelab Equinox 900 with me.

While detecting on the beach at Port Aransas the first day, my finds had been a handful of coins, a bling ring, a bling earring and an assortment of pull tabs. After a few hours of this, I was about a half mile north of the property where we were staying when I swung my detector over a target in the wet sand about four inches down on mid tide. The number on the display and the tone in my headphones gave me indications that the target was probably a beer cap but when I scooped it out of the wet sand I was pleasantly surprised to find what appeared to be a small gold class ring! After a quick wash of the ring in the salty water, I could see that I had found a Texas A&M class ring from 2021 and the full name of the owner was inscribed inside! For those of you who don’t know how important the achievement of a class ring is to an Aggie grad, you can find out more by searching “Aggie Ring Tradition” and the “Aggie Network”. To say it’s a big deal is a huge understatement.

I returned to where we were staying and began my research. I found two people on Facebook who had the same first and last names as what was inscribed in the ring and who lived in that part of Texas but only one of the two had graduated in 2021. I reached out to her through Facebook messenger (her first name is Amber) but I did not receive a response. The next morning, I decided to post the find on a Facebook page called “Aggie Ring Lost and Found” and it wasn’t long before some of Amber’s family and friends let her know that her ring had been found! Amber then responded to me and of course was shocked that I had found it because she lost it while playing beach volleyball about four years before and had only had it about four months. She had given it up for lost and had purchased a replacement ring. I told her that I was surprised it was still there because of how many people metal detect on beaches now. Amber asked me if I could return the ring to her brother Matthew who was in College Station for his last semester at Texas A&M when my family returned from our stay at Port Aransas and I promised her that I would. The day after our family returned to College Station from Port Aransas, I met Amber’s brother Matthew and returned the ring to him so he could deliver it to Amber who was living and working in San Antonio.

Amber, I was so happy that I could return your precious Aggie ring to you!

 

 

 

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Wedding Rings Lost In The Water, Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin, Fl…Recovered and Returned!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
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Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Recently I noticed a post on a local Facebook page called Honeymoon Island Lost and Found that said someone named Olivia had lost her two wedding rings at Honeymoon Island State Park. I messaged Olivia and offered my metal detecting services to her and she responded to say that she would very much appreciate my help. Olivia told me that she was at the beach with some of her husband Anthony’s family the evening before and while in the water at about 6pm she felt her beautiful platinum diamond wedding ring and engraved titanium wedding band slip off of her finger. Apparently she had some lotion on her hands before she went into the water and the effect is to make your ring a size larger than what fits snugly fits your finger. Olivia and Anthony were married in May so she only had the rings a few months before they were lost and she feared that they were lost forever. I told Olivia that I had previously had some success recovering rings from the water and not to give up hope. Olivia sent me a photo of the rings and details regarding the loss area including the approximate location pinned on a Google map. I told her that I wanted to begin the search the next morning but Olivia said she could not meet me on location until after work that day. I said that I would begin about 11am using her map and other details because I did not want another metal detectorist to possibly search that area before I had a chance.

I arrived at the loss location about 11am and marked the pinned spot on the beach with my equipment bag. Olivia had told me the she was in knee to waist deep water only about 50 to 100 feet from the shore when the rings slid off. I began the water search with my detector by walking out a little deeper than I thought Olivia might have been and gridding parallel to the beach about 50 yards on either side of where I had laid my bag. Over the course of the next hour or so I moved gradually closer to shore, only targeting a couple of pull tabs and pennies. At that point, my detector moved over a promising target and as I was pinpointing the area to dig with my scoop, I detected another promising target a foot or two away. I scooped the first target from the bottom and when I shook the sand out, I saw the diamond ring at the bottom of the scoop! Of course at that point I had a pretty good idea what the second target was going to be and after a couple of scoop attempts I was also able to recover Olivia’s wedding band from the sandy bottom! Olivia certainly had provided great directions and it only took about an hour to recover both rings. I messaged Olivia when I got back to my car and told her that she had received the miracle she had asked for! About thirty minutes later Olivia messaged me and then called me and was obviously elated that she was getting her rings back. We arranged a time and place for a joyful return later that day.

Olivia and Anthony, thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find and return your precious rings. And thank you for the beautiful thank you note that included a generous recovery reward. God bless and Godspeed to you both. I love my calling!

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Lost I Phone Found During Earring Search, Honeymoon Island, Dunedin Fl…Returned!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
Contact:


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Recently I received a message from someone who had lost one of her gold earrings while visiting Honeymoon Island with her children. During my second search of the area where she thought she had lost the earring, I detected and dug up a phone in the soft dry sand. This was the second phone I had recovered recently at Honeymoon Island; the first one was in about knee deep water while I was searching for a lost ring.

I was able to charge the phone and unlike the first phone I found, thankfully the owner had his emergency medical contact information on the emergency call screen. I called one of the contacts listed and he in turn contacted the owner whose name was Harry who had lost the phone two days before while visiting Honeymoon Island with several friends. Harry called me on another phone he was using temporarily and later that day came to my home to pick up his phone.

Harry, it was a pleasure meeting you and being able to return your phone. And even though you shouldn’t have, thank you for the generous reward as well!

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Lost Gold Necklace, Honeymoon Island State Park, Fl….Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
Contact:


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Nico and some friends were at Honeymoon Island State Park at sunset when he realized that his necklace had come off in the rough water. The necklace was a 14k gold chain given to him by his father to wear. Nico and his friend Tyler searched by sight in the water before it got too dark to see and then by feel after dark but were unable to find the necklace.

Nico googled “lost and found Honeymoon Island” and found my Dunedin Ring Finder page. He texted me the next morning to tell me what had happened and asked if I could help him find the necklace. Nico said that he and his friends had to return to Orlando that morning but that he had time to meet me at the loss location if I could. I told Nico how important it was to have him point out the exact location to me on site and also to begin the search as quickly as possible before another metal detectorist might find it. Nico and Tyler met me at the loss location and Nico said that he was swimming in about waist deep water when he felt the necklace come off of his neck. Thankfully the current tide time was about the same as at the time of loss. I placed my detecting bag on the beach as a marker and waded out to begin the search while Nico and Tyler grabbed some food to go from the nearby cafe. I searched for perhaps 30 minutes with just a few rusty coins and a piece of a throw net to show for my efforts. Nico and Tyler returned, I waded out of the water to meet them and then asked Nico to point out to me one more time where he was when he lost the necklace. He moved perhaps 50 feet further north and pointed out to a where a family was in about waist deep water. I moved my marker bag north to that location, wished Nico and Tyler a safe return to Orlando with the promise that if I found the necklace, it would be returned. I searched for about two more hours, working my way closer to shore with very few targets and none near the sand surface where the necklace should have been. At that point, I finally moved my coil over a surface target and although the tone and VDI number were a little lower than I thought the necklace should be, I scooped up Nico’s necklace from the sandy bottom on the second try! As soon as I was able to get back to the dry sand I texted Nico a photo of the recovered necklace and he called me back in a state of disbelief. As it turns out, Nico was only about 30 minutes away on his trip back to Orlando because he had to charge his Tesla so within about 45 minutes the necklace was back on Nico’s neck and he was happily on his way back home. Before he left, Nico asked me to speak to his father on his phone and he thanked me for finding the necklace. I told him that I made Nico promise not to wear it in the water again!

Nico, thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder with the search for your necklace and thank you for the generous reward!

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Lost Wedding Ring, Spring Hill, Fl. …Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
Contact:


Steve Thomas
Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

While I was in Texas with my wife Jan for the birth of our second grandson Anson and visiting with his brother Tillman and parents Joe and Madison (our daughter), I was contacted by Michelle from the Weeki Wachee/Spring Hill Florida area in early May who told me that she lost her wedding ring while doing yard work. Even though the ring had been lost in a location that could not be searched by anyone without Michelle’s permission, I asked Michelle if she would like to wait until I returned to Florida to search for her or if she prefer that I try to contact another trusted detectorist to search as soon as possible. Michelle told me that she could wait until my return and because we would be driving back from Texas in three weeks and passing within five minutes of her home, I could search for her then.

At the end of May, we headed back to Florida, stopping several places along the way. The day before we were to pass by Michelle’s home, I contacted her and set up a time to meet her. As we got close to the loss location the next day, Michelle texted to say that something had come up and that she would not be able to meet me for the search. I told her that we would set up another time after I returned home.

Michelle and I were able to set up another search time several weeks later and that day I made the hour long drive with my detecting buddy Jim Facinelli who was going to assist in this search as well as another search for a ring in the cool spring water at Crystal River.

We arrived at Michelle’s home and shortly after, we received some more details about the loss and we began our search. Michelle and her husband had been working on their irrigation system in the left side front yard which involved a lot of digging when she realized that her ring was missing from her finger. She had thoroughly searched the area which was more dirt than grass but had been unable to find it. Michelle’s daughter Christalynn had earlier searched with her own beginners metal detector but had been unable to find her mother’s ring. Jim and I scanned the area for about 45 minutes and dug several coins along with various pieces of scrap metal. There was very little grass for a ring to hide in but that area had seen some vehicle traffic in addition to the irrigation work so the ring could have been pushed further under the ground surface. The loss area was not large and Michelle was certain that she had lost her ring in this area so we gridded it several times and dug every target. I dug a possible gold target near a utility pole and out popped Michelle’s wedding ring from about a two inch depth! I held up the ring to show Jim and we both celebrated. As Michelle and her daughter had gone inside the house to take a quick break from the heat, Jim suggested that we have Christalynn come outside with her metal detector and “find” the ring. We reburied the ring and had Michelle and Christalynn come outside to the spot and Christalynn got a signal on her detector and began digging. She dug up a penny near the ring before she found the ring and proudly handed it to her mother! Thanks to Jim for that great idea and his assistance with the search.

Michelle, thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find and return your ring almost two months after you lost it!

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Lost Gold and Diamond Wedding Band Honeymoon Island State Park, Fl. …Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
Contact:


Steve Thomas
Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Recently I saw a post on a local social media discussion page where a visitor to Honeymoon Island State Park named Jeff had lost his wedding band in the water in the Oasis Beach section.  I also noticed that several people who had responded to Jeff’s post had recommended my services. I reached out to Jeff on the post and he messaged my page with the loss details.  Jeff and his wife Kim live about two hours away in the Villages but he was able to provide me with some details about the loss location including some photos. Jeff explained that he was in the water about 10 to 15 feet right of a dune line tree and felt his ring slip off in waist deep water.

The next day I arrived at the loss location with my wife Jan as my “direction” assistant, fired up my Minelab Equinox 900, and began yet another water search for the “needle in the haystack”. A water search is especially challenging when you don’t have the person who lost the ring with you on site to provide an even more precise location but Jan and I were convinced we were in the right spot. I searched for about three hours, ever expanding out from where I began, using shore markers to try to not go over the same ground twice but because you can’t grid search in the water like you can on land, this is almost impossible. I dug a few trashy targets while I searched because when I’m searching for a gold ring, I dig every target. At almost the three hour mark and slightly north of where I began my search, I hit a promising target. After several sandy scoops, out popped the same white gold and diamond ring in Jeff’s photo! I messaged Jeff a photo and simply said “Found It!”. Obviously Jeff and Kim were thrilled and amazed that I was able to recover Jeff’s ring but to be honest it never ceases to amaze me either because no matter how much time you spend with good equipment, you still have to pass close enough to detect the item you’re looking for. Many call that “luck”; I choose to believe there is a little “divine guidance” involved. We set up a time about two weeks later when Jeff and Kim would back be in the area for the return.

Jeff and Kim, thank you for the generous reward and for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find your ring. I was so blessed to have found it!

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Lost Gold Wedding Band Honeymoon Island, Florida…Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
Contact:


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

My wife and I recently were in Texas for about six weeks for the birth of our second grandson. I received several messages from individuals who had lost jewelry in the water at Honeymoon Island. Because I knew I would not be returning for several more weeks, I needed to call upon some experienced, trustworthy detectorists to conduct searches for these lost items as soon as possible and before they were found by someone who would not return them.

Jim contacted me to say that he had lost his white and yellow gold wedding band in shallow water at Pet Beach, Honeymoon Island State Park. Jim and his wife BJ were enjoying the day and the water but Jim had slipped on the rocks and shells in calf deep water and had fallen to his hands, losing his ring in the process. Because I was still in Texas, I messaged the Pinellas County Florida Ring Recovery group and over the course of the next few days several detectorists (Scott, Brenda, and Jason) searched for the ring. Jim had met Scott on site and showed him where he thought he lost the ring but the ring could not be found. Because Jim was so certain of where he had lost the ring, we all assumed that the ring had been found by another detectorist.

I returned from Texas a few days later and Jim reached out to me and asked if I could meet him at the beach for one last search. I agreed and arrived at the loss location about twenty minutes before he did. I turned on my Minelab Equinox 900 and began a grid search of the wet sand walking north and after a few minutes hit a target that I thought was in the rusty beer cap range. As I began to dig, some curious beach goers came up to see what I was doing. With my second scoop out popped Jim’s ring! I was shocked that it was still there after several weeks although it was a little further north and a little closer to shore than I thought it would be. The beach goers were very excited after I told them the story and they agreed to sit quietly and watch me surprise Jim when he arrived. Jim walked up to me a few minutes later and after introductions I asked him to point out to me where he thought he had lost his ring. Jim pointed in the general direction of the hole I had just pulled the ring from! I took Jim’s ring out of my pocket and asked him if this is what it looked like. Jim was initially speechless and the beach goers burst into applause.

Thanks to my fellow detectorists from Pinellas County Florida Ring Recovery for assisting with the search. And thanks to Jim for the generous reward and for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find your ring. I was so blessed to have found it!

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Lost Gold Pendant Necklace and Gold Wedding Band, Honeymoon Island, Fl….Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
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Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

My wife and I recently were in Texas for about six weeks for the birth of our second grandson. I received several messages from individuals who had lost jewelry in the water at Honeymoon Island. Because I knew I would not be returning for several more weeks, I needed to call upon some experienced, trustworthy detectorists to conduct searches for these lost items as soon as possible and before they were found by someone who would not return them.

Adriacely contacted me to say that her husband Wil had lost a gold necklace with a large gold pendant given to him by his grandfather. Mitchell messaged that he had felt his white gold wedding ring slip off of his hand while he was paddleboarding. Tampa Ring Finder Jason Connolly and Scott Carlson of Pinellas County Florida Ring Recovery agreed to search for both items. After water searches by both, Scott (who had previously found and returned another necklace I had searched for) recovered and returned Wil’s gold necklace and Jason was able to find Mitchell’s wedding ring!

Adriacely and Wil, so very happy that Scott was able to find your necklace. Mitchell, it’s nice to see that wedding band back on your finger courtesy of Jason’s recovery efforts. Scott and Jason, thank you for your outstanding work done in these difficult water recoveries. And thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to help you find your lost jewelry!

 

 

 

 

 

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Lost Gold Ring in Lake Padgette, Fl., Found by Tampa Ring Finder Jason Connolly!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
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My wife and I recently spent about six weeks in Texas for the birth of our second grandson. While there, I received a several messages from individuals who had lost jewelry in my area of Dunedin, Florida so I began to coordinate recovery efforts with experienced and trustworthy detectorists back home. I also was able to join a Texas A&M lost ring page and tried to do what I could to help reunite grads with their lost rings including three detecting searches in Texas as well as helping a grad find his ring that was for sale in a Houston pawn shop!

Jennifer contacted me from the Land o’ Lakes area and said that her fiancé had lost his gold ring in the edge of a lake while trying to skip a rock across the lake surface. His mother had given him the ring so it had a great deal of sentimental value. Jennifer had tried using her son’s metal detector to find the ring in the water but had no luck. I told Jennifer that I was out of town for a few more weeks but that I would contact Jason Connolly, the Tampa Ring Finder to coordinate a search for her as the lake was in his “territory” anyway. Jason met Jennifer on site and after about a 45 minute search was able to recover the ring in thigh deep water and return the ring to her!

Congratulations to Jennifer and to Jason for a job well done! Thank you to Jennifer for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to help you find your fiancé’s precious ring!

 

 

 

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Versace Watch Lost at Sunset Beach, Tarpon Springs, Fl…Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)
Contact:


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

My wife and I were in Texas for our grandson’s second birthday when I noticed that someone named Heather had posted on social media that her son Jacob had lost his Versace watch at Sunset Beach in Tarpon Springs while playing volleyball with his family. At about the same time, another person had posted that her husband had lost his wedding ring at the same beach but they subsequently found it in the container that held their children’s sand toys.

I reached out to Heather and told her that I would be happy to search for the watch when I returned if it had not already been found. A few days later, I returned to Florida and Heather told me that the watch which was not only expensive but had a great deal of sentimental value had not been found. Jacob had taken off the watch and put it in his pocket while playing volleyball and the family had searched the volleyball court by hand as well as thoroughly searched the house and the car over the next several days. By that time, I was concerned that either the watch had been picked up by someone and not turned into park personnel or discovered by another metal detectorist. I set up a search at Sunset Beach with Heather the following morning. When I arrived, there was already another metal detectorist working another part of the beach and I asked him if he had searched the volleyball court yet and he said that he had not. Even though Heather had not arrived yet I began grid searching the sand court. I finished one side without hitting any targets, ducked under the net and began searching the other side. At a place where it looked like it might be a serving area on the court I received my first target signal on the search so I reached down with my gloved hand to dig away some of the sand and out popped a Versace watch! Heather had not yet told anyone what kind of watch was lost and I didn’t have a picture of it but of course I assumed that I had found what I was looking for! I was very surprised that the beautiful watch was still there because that beach area is heavily detected. I called Heather with the good news and at the same time texted her a few photos. We met later for the return and obviously Heather and Jacob were thrilled to have his watch back on his wrist!

Heather, thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find and return Jacob’s watch and thank you for the very generous reward!

 

 

 

 

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