Soldered Rings Lost While Swimming…FOUND in Gilbertsville, Kentucky!

Christina McCree – Ring Finder/Metal Detectorist for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On Wednesday (May 1^st, 2024), I received a text message from Jillian stating she had lost her engagement ring and wedding band (soldered together) on Sunday in about 4 feet of water at Kentucky Dam Beach in Gilbertsville, Kentucky.  She had contacted another Ring Finder that lived closer, but she hadn’t heard back from him yet.  She asked for advice on what to do.  I told Jillian that if she hadn’t heard back from him by Friday, I would come out for a search.  Kentucky is further than I like to travel, but I have a hard time saying no to a ring search, lol.  That evening, I researched if metal detecting is allowed at the beach area.  It’s not, so I called the Kentucky Dam Lodge on Thursday morning to obtain special permission.  They granted me permission to metal detect for Jillian’s rings, but anything else I found would need to be turned in.  I said absolutely and told them that I would be there Friday morning.

I made the 3-hour and 20-minute drive from Huntsville, AL to Gilbertsville, KY early on Friday.  I stopped by the Kentucky Dam Lodge first to check in and make sure I was still good to detect.  Permission was granted, so I made my way to the beach to meet Jillian and her husband, Chris.

I put on my 3mm wet suit, grabbed my Minelab Equinox 900 and long-handled Xtreme Scoops sand scoop, and got in the water.  I had Jillian and Chris line me up with where Jillian had been standing.  She was playing with her daughter and was tossing her in the water.  On the last toss is when she felt her ring catch on to her daughter and slide off.

I started a grid search in that area.  The bottom was sandy when you first walked in, but quickly turned into small sized rocks/pebbles around the 4-foot area.  Over the course of an hour, I had one good sounding target in the ladies gold range, but could not get it in my scoop.  There were harder packed rocks in that area, making it difficult to get a good bite with my scoop.  I thought maybe it was a larger item beneath the surface, so I continued to check the area and expand my grid.  I easily dug a couple of pull tabs, but nothing else.

I kept going back to that one target.  Jillian really felt like it was in the area where she was standing during the loss.  I tried diving to retrieve the item, but I was too buoyant to stay on the bottom.  I had my diving weights in the truck, but Jillian offered to dive for the target.  I lined her up with where it was, and she dove with my pinpointer and flashlight.  I gently pushed her down, so she would not float back up.  Teamwork makes the dream work, lol!  She tried two times, but kept losing the spot.  On the third try I kept my coil over the target until she was there.  She instantly popped up and had the rings in her hand!!  Jillian was so excited and relieved to have her rings back!  I was slightly surprised, because I had so much trouble getting the item in my scoop.  Nonetheless, this elusive target was what we were after, and Jillian got to make the exciting recovery!

We both got out of the water and dried off before taking pictures.  I chatted with Jillian and Chris for a few minutes before I headed over to the Lodge to give them the good news and thank them again for the special permission.  Today (May 5^th, 2024) is Jillian and Chris’s 8-year wedding anniversary!  It makes me so happy that Jillian has her rings back to celebrate their special day.  As always, I give all glory and praise to God for the recovery and safe travels.  Until the next adventure… please take care and God bless!