Family Heirloom Gold Ring Lost In The Surf at Fortunes Rocks, Biddeford, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

I received a call from Michelle, at approximately 11:10am, on Thursday August 22, 2024. Within the last half hour, her Grandson, Alex, had lost a passed down Gold Ring, from his deceased Grandfather. Michelle told me that Alex had been in the water at Fortunes Rocks, in Biddeford, Maine and was in the section of beach known as Middle Beach. Michelle asked if I could come right then and search for the ring. I told Michelle that by the time I loaded my equipment up and drove there, the incoming tide would most likely would make the search very difficult, if not impossible. I suggested that I come search for the ring, in the afternoon, when the tide would be receding and I would have plenty of time, searching the exposed sand. Michelle thought the incoming tide wouldn’t be that bad and I could hear the anxiousness in her voice. This ring really meant something to her and her family. I told Michelle that I would get changed,  load up and get there as quickly as I could. Once I got in the car, I texted Michelle and told her I was on my way. My text read

“Hi Michelle, Dennis Boothby, the RingFinders I am on my way. GPS estimated time of arrival is 11:35. Thank you”.

The time was now 11:23am and Fortunes Rocks is approximately 8 miles, from my home in Saco. My concern was the summer traffic, on Route 1 , from Saco, going into Biddeford. The traffic could be backed up by not only the summer traffic, but also the Amtrak Train, which crossed Route 1 and if stopped for passenger drop off and  pick up , could add another 15-20 minutes to my drive, into Biddeford. Time I didn’t have with the tide still coming in.

Thankfully, the traffic wasn’t bad and I arrived at Fortunes Rocks Beach at 11:40am and Michelle was there to greet me and show me the way, to where her family was sitting on the beach. I then met Alex and he showed me the area, of the now deeper water, of where he was when he lost his ring, when he was hit by a large wave. I immediately fired up my Minelab Excalibur ll metal detector and entered the water, with Alex. Alex had gone directly into the water, from where he was sitting on the beach and he said he went no more than 20-25 feet, to the left of where they were sitting. Alex also told me he was no deeper than his knees, when he was hit by the wave and lost his ring. Unfortunately, knee deep an hour ago, was about waist deep now and the waves were big and strong. I was trying to grid the area, with Alex in the water with me and guiding me to where he was. The waves were unrelenting and we kept getting knocked around. I would have to stop, jump up a little, let the wave pass, search a few feet, jump, let another wave pass and keep repeating this process, until the waves just became to much. Alex agreed that the area he was in was now just too deep to search, but only because the waves were too big. I have searched waist deep water and deeper but when the waves are too big, I just can’t risk it, especially with the rip currents that have been very prevalent, this summer. Once back on the beach, Michelle and the rest of her family wholeheartedly agreed that it was just to dangerous to continue and I made plans to return at 5:00pm, when the tide would be receding and I could search the exposed, wet sand, without having to worry about the water and waves.

Cheryl and I left our home at 4:30pm and arrived back at Fortunes Rocks at 4:45pm. We went back down to the beach and the family was still there. I could see Alex’s mother down by the water, walking back and forth, looking for the ring. I immediately went down and showed her how I would grid the area and I also demonstrated, with a test gold ring, how the metal detector works and what Alex’s ring would sound like, when my coil passed over the ring. I usually do this with all my clients and not only do they enjoy the demonstration, it seems to relax or relieve them a little bit.

My plan was to perform a horizontal grid search, to the beach and water from where the family was sitting, on the beach, to about 60-75 feet to the north. This would put the area of where Alex lost the ring, right in the middle of the search area. If the surf and waves had moved the ring a little bit, I would still have enough area to compensate, for the movement. It is my experience that once a Gold Ring enters the water, it really doesn’t move to much from where it entered the water, although there are exceptions to this,  that I won’t get into at this time. As I started my grid search, I was confident, the ring would be within the area I was about to grid. I hoped so because Cheryl and the entire family were watching me from up on the beach and I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. The pressure was on.

I made my first grid pass from south to north, with no targets. Took a 1/2 step and headed south for my second grid pass, still no targets. On my 3rd grid pass, going north again, I received a target and after digging it , it was just a small piece of aluminum or tin, just trash. Fourth grid pass, going south again, nothing. Fifth grid pass heading north once again and BANG, I received a nice solid low tone, that I had been hoping for. The VDI screen, on my Minelab CTX-3030 was showing 12-27. This was a definite gold range reading. I put the scoop into the sand two times and threw removed sand, up onto the surface. I removed my pinpointer as started searching the pile of sand for my target. I finally saw the very small outline of a Gold Ring. I motioned to everyone up on the beach to come on down because I had found the ring. Alex and his brother ran down and I asked them If they could see ring, in the sand, they couldn’t see it and I pointed it out, to them. The rest of the group arrived and I showed them the very small piece of the exposed ring and they were all very amazed, happy, excited and stunned that the ring was found. We all chatted for a few minutes about how great it was to have this passed down family ring, back on Alex’s finger, where it belongs. Family heirloom’s are more than just a piece of jewelry. They are memories, of the family, that never leave the piece of jewelry, no matter who it now belongs to.

I absolutely love it when I am able to return a lost ring, to the owner and see nothing but smiles, all around. Another photo for my “Book of Smiles”. There is no better feeling and I am once again, on cloud nine.