Michelle contacted me on the morning of the 24th. A ring had been lost in a kitchen during a dinner party that Monday. Despite extensive searching by the family, and a plumber the ring had not been located. Would I be willing to assist?
Always up for the task, I agreed to meet her at the home later that afternoon. Not knowing what I might be facing I brought all manner of tools; my trusted metal detector, a video endoscope, long reach recovery tools, a selection of hand tools, etc.
I arrived to meet Michelle promptly at our agreed upon time. As it turns out Michelle is a fun, positive thinking individual who serves as a personal assistant for our client (who wishes to remain anonymous). Michelle told me a bit more about the back story and showed me a photo of the ring, a real Bobby Dazzler!
Garbage pick-up would be the next morning and the two of us decided that clearing the trash bins should be the priority task. We emptied the trash onto a tarp and attempted to use the metal detector to search, however the plethora of metallic objects within the trash rendered the detector useless. This would have to be a hands and eyes search.
Michelle and I kept a positive attitude during our less than appealing task and even shared a few laughs while searching. We cleared 1 trash bin, and on to the next. Just when we reached the last of the trash bags to search, I tore open a bag, stuck a nitrile gloved hand into it, and that’s when I saw the flash…we had made the recovery!
This recovery was a good reminder to me that although I have invested in a lot of special technology and tools, these are not always what is needed. Sometimes what is required is just good old fashioned search techniques, persistence, and a positive attitude. It also brings up another factor, seek help and call early. Less than 18 hours later this very valuable ring could have made it’s way to a waste station or landfill and that would have been a real tragedy.
Ending on a positive note, I was very happy that the ring was recovered and to take part in the new legacy and story of this cherished item.
Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP 925-580-2590
2 Replies to “Extremely valuable diamond wedding ring almost ends up in landfill…FOUND!!”
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While we had not lost hope to find the ring we were losing steam and feeling defeated. We found Brandon, extremely courteous and eager to help. He knew time was of the essence and fit us in same day to literally dig through the trash. It was gross, grimy and smelly, but he was on a mission. We were going to find that ring and boy, he sure did!! There were screams, tears, laughs and tons of high fives – to say that the owners were happy is an extreme understatement. There was obvious disbelief, which made the find that much sweeter. Brandon is AMAZING and has tons of experience and great tools to help. He never showed irritation with digging through yucky trash, was extremely positive, very easy going and super fun. Brandon will always be the one I call for trash digging for my owners and anyone else that asks. I highly recommend Brandon – he is AWESOME!!
Thank you for your kind words. This was a recovery I will not soon forget. We made a great team!