Dennis Boothby, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 4 of 16

Wedding and “Engagement” Rings Lost In The Moody Beach, Wells, Maine Surf Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Friday afternoon, August 15th, I received a phone call from Erica, at 3:24pm. Erica told me that she had just lost her wedding ring, in the water, in Moody Beach, Wells, Maine. Her wedding ring was also soldered to another ring, which I took as being her engagement ring. Erica said she had a sore, on her finger and her rings were aggravating the open sore. As she was walking in the shallow water, she was trying to adjust her rings, so as to not aggravate the sore any more than it was and to relieve some of the pain. All of a sudden, the rings fell into the surf and out of sight. She immediately stopped and looked for the rings but the waves were rushing by her and the rings were out of sight. What Erica did next was extraordinary, she didn’t panic and took measures to give someone the best opportunity to recover the rings. She had stopped immediately when the rings fell, she took photographs of where she was standing, in the water. The photos showed she was directly in front of a yellow house, that was boarded up, due to this past winter’s storm damage. Then Erica had the sense to walk to the seawall and count how many steps it was, to the seawall. Amazing!!! Erica counted 70 of her steps, from where the rings were dropped, to the seawall, of the yellow shuttered window. As this was going on, someone walked by and saw Erica searching for something. As they talked, the person told her to contact me, as I have had some success in recovering lost ring. This is when Erica called me, not 20 minutes, after losing her very sentimental rings. Erica knew the tide was now coming in, as high tide was a little over an hour away. I told Erica my best chance was to come down there in the early morning, as the tide would be receding. I planned to get there at 6:30am and follow the tide out and Erica agreed to meet me there, even though she was leaving the next day, to return home, in Vermont. A few minutes later, as I was sitting here, thinking about the next morning’s search, I thought to myself, why don’t you just go down tonight at 6:30pm, as the tide receded. My mind must be slipping because that should have been the plan all along. I immediately called Erica and told her that the plan had changed and I would be there tonight, at 6:30pm. She said she would meet me there.

Cheryl and I actually arrived a little earlier than planned and I called Erica, telling her I would start searching, following the tide out, with the incredible detailed information she had sent me. I then went to the seawall and I counted 50 steps out, from the yellow house. I then stopped because I wanted to make sure I over searched the area, in case the rings had moved in the waves. I would grid search the area, from the stairs in front of the house, just to the south, to the middle of the house, just to the north. After one or two passes, I saw Erica arrive at the scene. She told me that I was exactly where I should be. She then counted out her 70 steps and I was rapidly approaching that area. A couple more passes and nothing found but a piece of a pair of sunglasses. I then continued the grid search and just a moment later I received a good sounding signal. Low tone and VDI reading was a 68, definitely a possibility. Unfortunately , the shape of the target was elongated, just like the sunglasses, a few minutes earlier. But, since the target was non ferrous, I told Erica and Cheryl that I think I just found the rest of the sunglasses and I didn’t think it was the ring because it just looked wrong. As I dumped the scoop of sand out and located the target, I could not believe what I saw. A large gold ring that Erica also saw and I told her to have the honor of retrieving it from the sand. Erica was very excited and emotional, both tearful and laughing with joy. Cheryl and I were just smiling, enjoying the moment and getting a few happy hugs, from Erica. She was definitely in disbelief and just so happy to have her rings back. When I asked her if this were her Engagement and Wedding Rings, she told us the story of the large ring. Erica said that 24, 25 years ago she was dating a guy and they were crazy about each other. They decided that if they went on a Caribbean vacation together and they survived each other, for a week, maybe, just maybe, they had something together. While on vacation, she saw a ring she really liked but it was expensive. Her boyfriend and future husband told Erica that if she could beat him, in a game of pool, he would buy her the ring. Well, she has the ring, so we know who won the game of pool. Erica considers it her engagement ring. Very cool story and I can definitely see why the rings are so sentimental. Erica and her husband have now been happily married for 24+ years. You just can’t replace rings like these and all the memories that have been made, while wearing them. Thankfully the story of these rings will have another chapter added to them and it will be a happy chapter. It’s the best feeling in the world, to be able to help people like Erica and see the happiness that is brought to them, when I am able to locate their rings. ❤️🙏

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Three Extremely Sentimental Gold and Diamond Rings Lost In The Kennebunk Kennebunkport Surf And Sand. Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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After finding an antique engagement ring, in an Acton, Maine pond, on Wednesday, I was certain I wouldn’t be called out again. Boy, was I wrong. At approximately 4:10 pm, I had a phone call, from a foreign country. The number was +44 **** ******, UK. I was in no way, answering a call from the UK because of all the scammers that call, on a daily basis. I let the call, go to voicemail. This is the transcript of that voicemail

“Hi, I’m looking for Dennis Boothby. I’m staying at the The Nonantum Resort, in Kennebunkport Maine. My name is Marguerite A***** and we are in room ***. I talked to the lady, driving the bus and she said you might be able to help. I’ve lost some rings, on the beach, Gooch’s Beach. I wonder if you could call me back, my number is, at the Nonamtum is 207-***-****. The UK number is +44 **** ******. Thanks so much.”

I immediately called Marguerite back and she told me that she had lost
“Not 1 ring, not 2 rings, but 3 rings. They are very special rings and I hope you can help. You have come highly recommended”

Marguerite then told me that she and her husband, Chris were staying at The Nonantum Resort and had taken the Nonamtum ‘s shuttle bus, over to Gooch’s Beach, enjoying the day, at the private beach area of Gooch’s Beach. Marguerite had taken her three rings off, to apply lotion and had placed the rings, in her lap, intending to put them back on. As she was sitting there, at the high tide mark, a very large wave rushed up at everyone, on the beach. She was startled by the wave and immediately jumped up, as the wave rolled past her. Her three very special rings landed in the surf, as the wave rolled past. When the wave retreated, she and Chris started looking for the rings. Even other beach goers were helping to look, for the now lost rings. Someone gave Chris a sifter and he would sift the sand, from the area, but couldn’t find the rings. They were convinced the rings had been pulled down, towards the water, as the wave retreated. I told Marguerite that it is my experience that the rings would be very close, to where she lost them and I would leave immediately and meet her and Chris, at Gooch’s Beach. Marguerite then told me that Chris had placed a log right where they had been sitting, so they would remember, where they had been. Perfect and brilliant. As a side note, the original name of Gooch’s Beach, was Boothby’s Beach, back in the early 1700’s. Could this be a good omen?
Cheryl and I arrived at Gooch’s Beach and the parking was horrendous. We drove around a few times and someone was finally pulling out. I parked in that spot but it was all the way on the opposite end of the beach, up near Lord’s Point. Once parked we walked down to the other end of the beach and Marguerite was there waiting and she recognized me. She told me Chris was walking down to the Private Beach area, to start looking again. As Marguerite, Cheryl and I started walking down the beach, Marguerite told us she had been wearing these extremely sentimental rings for almost 35 years. The rings were an Engagement Ring, Wedding Ring and a large special ring and she was heartbroken that she had lost them. Once we arrived at the log, Chris pointed out the area where they had searched and I could see all the areas, where the sand had been dug through. Both Chris and Marguerite thought the rings had been pulled out towards the water but I told them I didn’t believe that would be the case. I turned my metal detector on and asked Marguerite where she had been sitting. She pointed out the location and as I put the detector, to the sand, I received a loud signal and I could see two different non ferrous targets, on my screen. One registering a 28 and the other a 34. I hadn’t even swung the metal detector and I have received two very promising targets. Could this be real? Did I just find two of Marguerite’s very special rings, without even swinging my detector? WOW! I took my pinpointer out and located one of the targets, a gold ring, with rectangular diamonds, all the way around. Marguerite immediately let out a shriek of happiness. I located the next target and I saw another gold ring, this one with what appeared to be a large emerald with a diamond, on each side. UNBELIEVABLE !!!! Marguerite and Chris were in disbelief and just beaming with optimism, that I would locate the third ring. This would be a large gold ring, with diamonds all around. As I stood up and started to swing the detector, I received another very loud low tone, ringing up as a 68 on the VDI screen. This could not be happening. Did I just find the thing ring with just a partial swing. I could see Marguerite very excited and once I located the target with the pinpointer, I started wiping sand off the top of it. All of a sudden, I saw a perfect circular piece of gold. Marguerite screamed out in happiness. I took a photo, just as it just laid ,in the sand. I then picked it up and put it on its side, took another photo and then passed it to Marguerite who at this point, must have thought she was in a dream. Convinced her rings had been pulled out to sea, only to have someone show up and find them, without fully swinging his metal detector. I mean, I myself was thinking this was a dream. Marguerite and Chris have been married for over 34 years and the thought of losing these exquisite rings was just gut wrenching to them. To see their faces go from anguish to joy, in a matter of seconds is something so special to witness. Cheryl and I were just so happy for Marguerite and Chris, that they wouldn’t have to take their flight, across the pond, to London, without these very, very special rings, that hold so many memories. These rings could never, ever be replaced because of all the memories they hold, for Marguerite and Chris. It’s such a great feeling to be able to help people like Marguerite and Chris, in their time of need. As I often say, every ring has a story and now these three rings have one heck of a story to tell, all the way Bain the UK.

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Very Sentimental Antique Gold Engagement Ring Lost In An Acton, Maine Pond, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Monday evening, August 11th, I received the following text, from John

John – “Can you search in water up to 4.5 feet”

Me – “Yes. If in the ocean, it would depend on the wave action.”

John – “Horn Pond near the boat launch. It’s in Acton, Maine.”

Me – “What is the object that I would be searching for?”

John – “An antique 10k gold ring with gems? It was my girlfriend’s grandmothers?”

Me – “Did she see the ring come off and that is why the ring is thought to be there?”

John – “Yes. She was wearing it on a necklace splashing around and the necklace broke.”

Me – “Ok, how long ago was it lost and I’m sure people have visually searched? Is the bottom of the pond sandy?”

John – “It was lost Sunday. Two people searched for about 30 minutes but we had to leave. It’s sandy with a lot of rocks.”

Me – “Ok, I can certainly search for it. Would someone be able to meet me there and show me the location?”

John replied that he could meet me there, on Wednesday, at 8:00am. I told him that I would be there, with my diving detector, the Minelab Excalibur II.
So, Wednesday morning, Cheryl and I drove the 50 minutes to Horn Pond, in Acton Maine!, from our home, in Saco, Maine. We arrived a few minutes early and John was still on his way. He explained the location to me and I decided to start searching for the antique ring, prior to his arrival. I would grid search parallel with the dam, which runs across the state border line, from Acton, Maine, into Wakefield, New Hampshire. My first multi state search, let’s hope it’s successful. I immediately realized that this area of the pond had never been metal detected. I was finding many coins and even a stainless steel fidget or spinner ring. During the first grid line pass, John and his girlfriend, Brooklyn showed up and sat on the dam, as I searched. I explained that I need to start along the dam, because it was where they entered the pond and when the chain broke, Brooklyn’s ring May have flung, in any direction. I needed to know where I had been and where I hadn’t been. I would work my way, to the area where they had been splashing around, just 15 or 20 feet or so away. Brooklyn told me the ring was yellow gold, with a blue gemstone. I told them that if the ring were here, I would find it.
I continued the first grid line pass, but no ring. I then started back towards the Maine shore and more coins were being found, but no ring. For such a small area, there were a lot of coins. I then headed back to New Hampshire and I told John and Brooklyn that I was hoping the ring didn’t end up in the deeper water, on the New Hampshire side, of the pond. I will usually go as deep as my neck, if I feel safe. If the ring ended up in 6 feet of water, I wouldn’t be able to get it. Nothing but more coins found m heading to New Hampshire. I then turned and headed towards Maine, once again. Approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the Maine shore I received the best sounding tone, in my headphones. Unlike the Minelab Manticore metal detector, that I use, the Excalibur is by sound only. No VDI screen to show me ferrous or non ferrous. No depth gauge and no conductivity VDI numbers. The Excalibur is just by tone and tone alone. I have been using an Excalibur since 2006 and you get to know the sound of different items. Gold has a very low tone that is music to my ears. This target was the sound of gold. I stopped what I was doing and told Brooklyn and John that “this one sounds really good”. I told Cheryl to start the video because I knew if this wasn’t Brooklyn’s ring, it was still going to be gold. Because the bottom of the pond was sand and rocks, I had been fanning the sand, with my hand, because my scoop couldn’t get through all the rocks. By fanning the sand away, I could then see the target. So I knelt and bent over low, slowly fanning the sand away and then I caught a glimpse of a shiny gold ring. It had a blue stone, just like Brooklyn had said. I pick the ring up, raised my hand up out of the water and said, “there you go, I got it.” I then walked it over to the young couple and passed it to John, who then passed it to Brooklyn. She now had her extremely sentimental ring back. A ring that was once her grandmother’s engagement ring, in now back where it belongs. Brooklyn and John were all smiles and still in disbelief that she had the ring back. Just three days earlier, they thought the ring was gone forever and John mentioned to his sister that Brooklyn had lost her ring. John’s sister told him he should call The Ring Finders of Maine and John who had never heard of us looked at his sister and said, “The Ring who?” John and Brooklyn know who we are and told me they will be telling everyone about us and they will be doing it with smiles, on their faces.
I love being able to help people like Brooklyn because a ring like hers is more than just a ring, more than just a monetary value, it is family history. Now Brooklyn will have a chance to continue to add history with her ring. When I see her face and it is no longer sad, but happy, I know I will sleep well tonight. ❤️🙏

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Moody Beach, Wells, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Sunday, August 10th, Cheryl a I were headed to Casco, Maine, to attend our Great Grandsons first birthday celebration. As we were driving on the Maine Turnpike, I received a phone call from, a caller who identified himself as Andy. Andy was staying in Moody Beach in the Wells, Maine area, on vacation with family and friends. The previous evening, he was walking on the beach, with his family and friends, heading to Moody Point, to watch the sunset. As the group were walking down the beach, Andy and his 13 year old son were tossing a football back and forth. At one point the had stopped to see who could throw the football the furthest. They spent some time in the area, just throwing the football. Once they continued to Moody Point, the group hung around the area, to see the sunset. Once the sun set, they walked back down the beach, to where they were staying. After getting inside, Andy realized his wedding ring was missing. Andy and his wife, Jennifer, grabbed a flashlight and walked the beach, in the dark,looking for the wedding ring. Unfortunately, they did not walk a straight path to Moody Point but were zigzagging, as they were tossing the football around. They just didn’t know when they zigged and when they zagged. The wedding ring could literally be anywhere, along a 1/2 stretch of the beach. WOW!!! What are the chances the wedding ring can be recovered, over a 1/2 stretch of beach, while the tide is halfway out? That is a very large area.

I told Andy that I would arrive at 5:00am, as the tide was going out, giving me more time to search the wet sand area. Andy’s wife had taken a photo of Andy, tossing the football with his son and it was in front of a house that he could remember where it was. The photo shows that Andy was still wearing his wedding ring, at that point. He also spent time, in front of the house, in a competitive long distance throwing match, with his son. This would be a great place to start searching as Andy made boundaries for me, within the area of the competition, with his son and we know the ring was still on his finger. As I searched, within the boundaries, I wasn’t finding anything but the usual beach trash and 13 cents. As I grid searched, towards the water, I came to the east boundary line, without finding the wedding ring. Andy and I had arrived at the beach, pre dawn, in the dark. Now a beautiful sunrise was unfolding, before our eyes, as we finished searching this area. Andy and I then headed to Moody Point, where the group could watch the sunset. Unfortunately, Andy didn’t walk there in a straight line and all I could do was search as we walked to the area where he had next stopped.
Once we arrived at Moody Point, Andy looked over the area and said the water wasn’t any higher than where we were standing and I could start searching at this point. I look at the rocks and seawall to the north. I would grid this area, up to the rocks, turn around and head back, to the south, where Andy had set a southern boundary line. On my first grid line, I found a fishing sinker and nothing else. I then reached the rocks, turned around and went to the south. Still no ring. Heading north again and once again, still no ring. Heading south again and approximately 1/2 way back to the southern boundary, I received an incredible signal, showing a 33 on my VDI screen and my depth meter was showing the ring 0 to 2 inches under the sand. I immediately stopped and told Andy to come on over, because “this one is different”. I couldn’t guarantee Andy that this was his wedding ring, but I was very confident it was gold. After 25 years of metal detecting, you know a good sounding gold target and this was that combination of tone and VDI number of 33. I then took my pinpointer and ran it over the sand, as Andy looked on. Once the target was located, I just used my fingers to remove the sand, on top of the target. As I removed the sand, THERE IT WAS, a White Gold Wedding Ring. I was stunned that we found the ring in such a large area. Andy was also very stunned but smiling from ear to ear. He took a photo of the ring and sent it to Jennifer. We then were talking about how lucky we were. Andy told me that he knew it was an extreme long shot but he just had to try and get his wedding ring back. Andy told me that he had recently celebrated his 20 Wedding Anniversary and this ring was 20 years of wonderful memories with his wife and family. I totally understood what he was saying. You at least give it a shot and try to recover it. Andy was still beaming all the way back to the house. As we walked back, I asked Andy how he had heard of me. He told me Jennifer had posted a story on the Facebook Page, Moody Beach Appreciation Association , asking for people to be on the lookout for the wedding ring. She then had people commenting, on her post, to contact me. Once Jennifer and Andy saw my many stories and photos of past recoveries, they called me with nothing to lose. Andy just had to do everything in his power, to try and get his 20 years of wonderful memories back.
So every ring has a story and this ring has 20 years of stories and now a new chapter has been added, to Andy’s very sentimental wedding ring. Here’s to another 20 loving happy years to Jennifer and Andy❤️🙏

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Tiffany “Smile” Bracelet And Pendant Lost In The Limington Maine Grass, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday August 8th, I received the following text message

“Hi Dennis, I am reaching out as I lost my gold bracelet in my lawn yesterday evening while playing with the dog. We searched last night with a flash light with no luck and was wondering if you would be able to come out and help? We live in Limington, so wasn’t sure if you come out this way. It is a thin rose goal bracelet with diamonds. I can send a picture. Our address is: *** Cape Road., Limington, Maine. This was a wedding gift so would love to try to get it back. Thank you!!”

I called and was able to talk with Carly. Carly told me that not only did she and her husband, Taylor, search last night, they also searched again this morning. They just can’t find the bracelet. Carly was worried that when he dog jumped on her, the bracelet may have been eaten, by the dog or became stuck on the dog and ended up in a totally different area. She explained that it was a very thin chain with just a very small pendant, in the shape of a smile and the smile contained small diamonds. Carly also told me the bracelet was a Tiffany & Co. Bracelet. I told Carly that I would be happy to help and explained a few concerns. Very thin gold bracelets and necklaces are extremely difficult to metal detect. There just isn’t a lot of gold on them and is one of the two most difficult gold pieces of jewelry to metal detect. The other one is gold stud earrings. These very low conductive, non ferrous, metals that will barely register on a metal detector. As an example, Sterling Silver will ring up in the 90’s, loud and clear. A Men’s Gold Ring will come in and show up, as a 20 into the 60’s, depending on the size and shape. Gold stud earrings and very thin chains will only register in the 01 to 03 range and just as a whisper. In order to metal detect these items, you must set up your detector properly, to find these items. You must have the proper technique also. You have to cover an area as slowly as you can. I do not walk through the area, swinging the coil. I take one step swing the coil, low and slow, take a half step, swing, low and slow, repeating this for the entire search. If you are walking through the area, swinging, you may not find it. You must also use the proper coil, as small as possible. I have 4 coils that I swap out, depending on the job. For this search, I went with my most sensitive and smallest coil, the 8” elliptical coil. We agreed that I would search, first thing in the morning, at 8:00am
Because I was not certain on how large of an area, would need to be searched, I enlisted the help of Gary Hill. Gary and I arrived promptly at 8:00am and were greeted by both Carly and Taylor. We were shown the area in which the dog had jumped on Carly and where she thought the Tiffany Bracelet would be, if the bracelet hadn’t ended up on the dog and moved to another area. Gary and I decided that we would split the area, in half. Gary would search the lawn area, closest to the road and he would work his way towards the house and I would start near the house, working my way towards the road. As I slowly walked towards the corner of the house, I received a few low conductor targets in the 12 to 15 range. Not low enough to be the Tiffany Bracelet and the depth, of the targets, were anywhere from 2 to 6 inches, in the ground, according to the depth gauge, on my Minelab Manticore. As Gary and I continued to search, I received the best target of the morning. A target reading 01 – 02 and exactly the reading I was looking for. I looked down and didn’t see the bracelet. I ran my fingers through the grass, hoping to snag the bracelet, but nothing was found. I told Taylor, who was very close to me, visually searching, for the target and he came over. As I was reaching for my pinpointer, Taylor started running his fingers through the grass and pushing the grass back. All of a sudden I hear him say, there it is and when I bent down, he showed me the Tiffany Bracelet , all balled up, deep in the grass. No wonder it wasn’t visually found, it was blending in with the grass and hidden by the grass, on top of that. Carly came running over and couldn’t be we had found it, thanking Gary and I. As Carly and Taylor looked at the bracelet, they could see one of the links had broken, when the dog jumped up on her. She and Taylor would be bringing the bracelet to a jeweler, to be repaired and it should be as good as new. Carly and Taylor thanked us again as were preparing to leave, telling up that they were amazed we found it and that they never would have found it, down deep in the grass like that. Gary and I thanked them for having the faith and trust, in us to find their sentimental piece of jewelry. When I asked Carly if the Tiffany Bracelet had been a gift or anything else special to it, she told me that she and Taylor had bought it together, the week they were married, a few years earlier. Thankfully we were able to find the Tiffany Bracelet and put the smiles back on their faces. Funny how finding a Tiffany “Smile” Bracelet put a smile on all of our faces. Who doesn’t love putting smiles on peoples faces ❤️🙏

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Titanium Wedding Ring Lost In The Wells Beach Maine Ocean Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received the following voicemail, on Thursday August 7th, 2025.

Hi, This is Pat *******. I’m in Wells Beach, for the week. The tides going out, um, I was just in the water and I lost my wedding ring. My wife says she’s been following you and you’re really good at finding rings. So I was just wondering if you would be able to help with tips or tricks for us. Again, my name is Pat ******* and my phone number is 860-***-****, This is my wife’s, Michele’s phone. Thank you.

I immediately called Pat back and told him I would get there asap. Low tide was at 4:23pm and it was now 1:35pm. This means that Pat lost his wedding ring at approximately midway, between high and low tide. If I could get to Wells Beach by 2:30pm, I would have two sold hours of searching the wet sand, as I followed the tide out.
Cheryl and I got the equipment loaded and headed to Wells, Maine. We actually made good time, as we missed the heavy summertime traffic. We arrived at 2:15pm and were on the Beach with Pat by 2:25pm. Pat showed me the area he had been in, when he lost his ring. He also told me his wedding ring was made out of Titanium. Less than a week earlier, I had found a Titanium Wedding Ring, for a client, on Drake’s Island , Wells Maine. I made a southern and northern boundary and started grid searching from south to north, then north to south and repeated this pattern as I made my way towards the water. I was finding a few coins and pieces of aluminum but not the Titanium Wedding Ring. At one point, a young woman approached me and Pat. She told me that her husband had just lost his wedding ring, out in the water, earlier in the day. Pat explained his circumstances and she understood I was already searching for Pats ring. I gave her my business card and told her if I find Pat’s ring quickly, I would come over and help her and her husband. Unfortunately there was only a little over an hour left, before the tide shifted and would start coming back in. If I couldn’t search for her today, I told her to call me and I would come back tomorrow. She agreed and thanked me and I resumed the search for the wedding ring.
I had covered quite a large area and it was now only a half hour before low tide. Pat and I wondered if the ring could have made it this far down the slope of the beach. I was quite a bit further out, from where Pat thought he was, when the ring disappeared, in the surf. Perhaps because Titanium is a light metal, the ring got pulled out, with the surf. The Titanium Wedding Ring I found less than a week earlier had done exactly that. I found the ring, 60-80 feet further out towards the water, than where it was lost. Was history repeating itself? So, with just a half hour left before the tide turned, I jumped over about 20’ or so and headed into the shallow surf. This would allow me to stay ahead of the incoming tide, by now working my way towards shore, opposite of what I had been doing. After about 10 minutes, I was out of the water and just the waves would run up and over my feet. As one of the waves swept over my ankles and feet, I received a very loud signal. The best sounding signal of the day. As the water rushed back out to sea, I looked down to where the signal had been detected. The water was now past my feet and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I could actually see the top of the ring. It wasn’t even totally under the sand. I raised my arm and made a celebratory fist, pumping it up and down. UNBELIEVABLE. This is the first time in my 25 years of metal detecting that I could visually see a ring, that was lost hours ago, in the water. I was and still am completely at a loss of words at this sight. Since the waves were coming back over my feet again, I immediately stepped on the ring, so it wouldn’t move. I saw Pat running down the sloping beach towards me, as was Cheryl. When Pat arrived I told him I had found the ring and that I could visually see it. I then lifted my foot, Pat saw the ring and quickly grabbed it. It’s just the craziest thing. Pat’s wife, Michele, had gone up the house, so Pat called her with the good news. Cheryl and Michele had been sitting and watching me for two hours and Michele really wanted to be there when I found the ring, because she follows me and loves reading my stories. Now, unfortunately, she has missed the recovery. But, because of her following me, Pat now has his wedding ring back and that is the important thing. Pat and Michele were extremely happy to have his wedding ring back. Michele told us that she and Pat would be celebrating their third anniversary, in October. Even bigger news, is that the happy couple are expecting their first child, in December and they are very happy and excited about this. Thankfully Pat has his wedding ring back in time for his anniversary and the birth of their child. Smiles were on all our faces and Cheryl and I are just so happy to have been able to help them, in our own way😀❤️🙏

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Sterling Silver Wedding Ring Lost In The Ocean Park, Old Orchard Beach Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Late Wednesday Evening, on August 6th, I received the following message, from Marjorie

“Hi. Just this evening , Wednesday I lost a Silver Ring/ Wedding Band – a simple band (sz 7). Long story short: around 7:30-8pm, my kids found it in the crab bucket (they were putting the crabs back in the ocean), then my daughter wore it, but went into the edge of the water where it slipped off her finger. They were in front of the lifeguard station between Casco Ave. & Tioga Ave, here in Ocean Park, Maine (we’re staying at ** ******* Ave). We just looked around and couldn’t find it and the tide is coming up. Do you think you could help me find my supposed to be interim replacement wedding band? Thanks for any help! My phone # is 802-***-****. I will try looking for it after sunrise. Thanks.”

It was now approximately 9:45pm and I immediately messaged Marjorie back, with the following two messages

“Hi Marjorie, So sorry to hear this. I would need to look at the tide charts, to see when the best time to search is.
In the interim, is this the area you think the ring is in?” I then sent a photo

“Hi Marjorie, Gary Hill and I will arrive at 5:00am. The tide will be lower than it was tonight and should give us a few hours to search, for your Silver Wedding Ring. With two of us, we can cover more ground.”
Marjorie did confirm the area and we would meet her at 5:00am
When Gary and I arrived, Marjorie was already there, with her son Dawson. The sun hadn’t risen yet but the sky was beautiful. Marjorie explained what had happened and where she thinks the ring was lost. The tide still out quite a bit so Gary and I decided to grid search, from out on the wet sand, up towards the shore, until we reached the hide tide mark. Facing the shore, Gary would search to the left of the lifeguard stand and I would search the right side. I figured the entire area could be searched in approximately an hour, with both of us there. We weren’t finding much, other than the usual beach trash. At one point I had a dime and I had Dawson come over to see what a dime would sound like, in the headphones. It definitely put a smile on his face, as he nodded his head. Gary and I had now reached the slope, heading up to the high tide mark and dry sand. I asked Marjorie if we didn’t find it here, where else would the Sterling Silver Wedding Ring be. Since she didn’t actually see the ring get lost, from her daughter’s finger, Marjorie thought that we should pick up the search, just south of the lifeguard stand. We would start the search, at the southern end of Gary’s grid line and hope for the best. As I reached the high tide mark and dry sand, I started across the area, as Gary was almost up to the high tide mark. I was cutting through Gary’s area when right at the high tide mark, I received a very loud high tone, reading 91 on my Minelab Manticore. As soon as I heard the tone and saw the 91, on the VDI screen, I knew immediately it had to be the Solver Wedding Ring. Without digging, I told Gary that I had found thr ring. I also called Marjorie and Dawson over, telling them I was certain this was the Silver Wedding Ring. I asked Dawson if he would do the honors of running the coil, over the sand, where the target was, just to make sure it was there, so Gary could pinpoint it. Once Dawson located the target, Gary used his pinpointer and took a scoop of sand, with his hand and pulled a ring out. Smiles broke out on both Marjorie’s and Dawson’s face. As a beautiful sunrise was unfolding, so weren’t the smiles. We just love being able to help others out, in their time of need. Marjorie sent me a message the next day, thanking us again
“Thanks so much again! I initially lost it when the kids caught crabs by the channel in Ocean Park and I got brave enough to grab the crabs in/ out of the bucket(s) that we took back to the house at ******* Ave. That was before dinner at about 5:30-6pm. We made the kids put the crabs back into the ocean before sunset around 7:30-8. Dawson, my 8 yo, said he saw a ring in one of the buckets and gave it to his sister Gabriella as they played soccer with the volleyball. 🏐 The ring slipped off as she went in and out of the surf. Thank goodness for that lifeguard stand to help us remember the location of where she might have lost the ring 💍! Like I said,I initially lost my original wedding band back home in ********, Vermont and I’m having replacement ones made. I bought this “interim” wedding band just to show I’m married!
Again thank you so much!
Marge”

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Extremely Sentimental Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Ogunquit Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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After finding and returning a lost necklace, with two pendants, in Ogunquit, Maine, Cheryl and I returned home. It wasn’t a half hour after returning home, when I received the following message, that also included three photos,

“I lost a gold knot ring on Ogunquit Beach yesterday. It is inscribed inside with 4/13/1975. Here are pics where we were sitting.”
I immediately replied,

“Hi Kristine, I am so sorry to hear this.
“I literally just returned from Ogunquit, Maine. I found a lost necklace and pendants, for a young lady.
Were you in the water or dry sand? I can’t tell where this is, from the photos. I have only been down near the Norseman Resort. Is this near the Norseman Resort?
Kristine replied,

“Hello. The ramp going down to the beach from parking lot just before the handicap spaces. We were in the left of the ramp a few feet in front of the rocks. It was the dry sand. In the pic with the women in white looking at the sand was where we were located We were far right if the Norseman off the parking lot. Is this enough info? If you plan on going back I can meet you there. I am here another night but will be going back to Mass sometime tomorrow
Kris”

I then sent Kristine a photo and I circled two ramps and asked her to identify which ramp is the one she was at. She replied that it was the one I had circled in red. I asked her if she could meet me there and that I would leave right now. Kristine said she would meet me there. Now when a ring is missing, in a public space, time is of the essence. Especially in the dry sand on beaches. The area Kristine had been in is very heavily metal detected and I was praying no one had found it yesterday, or this morning. Any beach goer could also have found it already, also. I needed to get there, asap. I also asked Kristine if she saw or felt the ring coming off. Her reply

“I think it was when I took it off to put lotion on and then place it in a pouch. The odd thing was I also had 2 other rings that I took off and they made it into the pouch. I did not feel it fall. Yes been praying to St Anthony 🙏?”

As I arrived back, to Ogunquit Maine, I called Kristine and told her I had just arrived, she told me that she was stuck in traffic and was still 10 minutes out. I told Kristine that I would start searching, without her and if I was in the wrong location, she could let me know, when she arrived. Cheryl and I immediately went down the ramp and the area was still packed with people. There was an area no one was in and it looked just like the photo, that Kristine had sent me. As I was getting my detector ready, I explained to the people, in the area, that I was searching for a very sentimental lost ring. Everyone was very understanding and asked if I needed them to move. I told them they didn’t need to move just yet, as I would search the area, no one was in. If I was unable to find the ring, I would have Kristine show me the exact area, once she arrived in approximately 10 minutes. As I started my search, I found a dime, on the first grid line. I took a half step towards the parking lot, I started my grid line search. About 3 steps in, I heard a very loud target, through the headphones. I took my pinpointer out of my pouch and located the target. As I brushed the sand away m I saw a Big Gold Ring, with a knot design on it. I couldn’t believe I just found Kristine’s ring as everyone in the area started clapping and cheering for me. Unbelievable. The only area I could search and I had the ring, before Kristine had even arrived. I asked everyone not to say anything to Kristine when she arrived because I wanted to surprise her. They all agreed.
Kristine arrived a few moments later and I asked her if I was in the right area. When Kristine turned around, to survey the area, I pulled the ring out and held it up. When Kristine turned around she saw the ring and her hand went to her heart and I could see her eyes getting watery. Applause broke out from the surrounding people and smiles were everywhere. Kristine explained that her husband had passed away 7 years earlier and that she had taken her wedding ring, her husband’s wedding ring and had them melted together. The jeweler then designed the Knot Ring, with their wedding date engraved, on the inside of the ring, 4-13-75. This meant that they would be entwined for eternity. Now Cheryl, myself and others around us were getting teary eyed. Kristine’s friend told us that Kristine was just sick to her stomach about losing this ring and had not slept much, the night before. Kristine even talked to her husband, through prayer and told him she was sorry to have lost their wedding rings. Wow, What a story and I am so happy to have been able to find this extremely sentimental ring. As I always say, every ring has a story and now I am part of the story. I could not be happier or more proud, to have been able to be there for Kristine. 😀❤️🙏

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Gold Necklace With 2 Gold Pendants, Lost In The Ogunquit Beach, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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As Cheryl and I were out running errands, this morning, I received the following text

“Hi we are in Ogunquit Beach my son’s girlfriend lost a necklace yesterday evening do you come this far? Tide came in overnight but didn’t hit where we were sitting I looked this morning again”
I replied

“Hi, So sorry to hear this. I do go to Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea.
So was the necklace lost in the dry sand, along the high tide mark?
A concern would be that necklaces don’t immediately sink into the sand, like a ring. They have too much surface area to sink, unless stepped on. If it were laying on the surface, anyone could have seen it.
Another concern would be other metal detectorists at the beach. The area is heavily detected.
Which area of the beach? Near the Norseman Resort?”

Mary Ellen replied,
“It was down the beach near the 1st bridge marker 3
Dry sand was on her towel and she didn’t realize it and picked up her towel after getting out of water. Yes, right near the edge of the the high tide mark and yes we were concerned someone just picked it up. We did go down last evening right after she realized it was missing and looked around. I was looking for someone with a detector this morning. I do see them down there a lot but no luck. It had a pennant and gold chain ”

Mary Ellen and I then made plans to meet me at Ogunquit, Maine. I would park at her sister’s condo and her sister, Julie would walk me down to the area where the necklace and pendants were lost. Cheryl and I arrived and were met by Julie, Julie walked us down over the bridge, past the Norseman Resort, Tidal Suites-On Ogunquit Beach, Maine, lifeguard stand and volleyball court area. Julie saw Mary Ellen’s husband standing at the spot, where the necklace and pendants were lost. Mary Ellen, her son Josh and Josh’s girlfriend, Simi, were not there. So, Without hesitation, I was shown the area the family had been at the previous day. No more than a 10’ X 10’ area. I turned the detector on and demonstrated how the detector works, to Julie and Mary Ellen’s husband. I had brought a gold necklace and pendant, dropped it onto the sand, to demonstrate that it wouldn’t completely disappear. It didn’t disappear and you could still see approximately 1/2 of the necklace. I then ran my coil, over the necklace so that they could see and hear, what I was looking for. Once the calibration and demonstration were over, I told Julie that I would start a grid search from the high tide water line, towards the dunes for about 10’, turn around and grid search, on the way back. I had taken 2 steps forward and received my first signal. It wasn’t a great sounding target, very scratchy sounding and a 21 on the VDI screen. I put my hand into the sand and found nothing. Hand in the sand again and again nothing. I was thinking it was a small piece of aluminum or foil. Since it was a non ferrous target, I then took my pinpointer out and located the target. As I wiped the sand away, I caught a glimpse of something Gold. I then saw a very thin necklace attached to a gold pendant. I literally just found the lost necklace, in 15 seconds of actual search time. I couldn’t believe it and picked the necklace up and both Julie and her brother in law were in disbelief, as he triumphantly raised his hands. He then called Mary Ellen, to tell him the good news. Mary Ellen, Josh and Simi were on their way down the beach and Josh started running to us, when he heard the news of the necklace and pendants being found. When Josh saw the necklace and pendant he was smiling ear to ear, as was Simi and Mary Ellen, when they arrived, a few moments later. The mood was jovial and I was being thanked, over and over. I asked Simi if there were any sentimental ties to the necklace and pendants being found she told me that the Necklace and Cross Pendant, were a Christmas gift, from her parents. The rectangular and heart pendant was a gift, from Josh, at their 18 month anniversary. I would say they were very sentimental. I was just so happy for Simi and Josh, as they were just beaming with happiness, the the necklace was once again on Simi’s neck.
A little while later I received a text from Mary Ellen. She texted

“Thank you!! I am so glad I texted you this morning
Also You’re welcome!
Broke my heart when Simi was crying last night so glad it was found .”

I am also very happy, to have turned Simi’s tears, into a bright smiling face. No better feeling than reuniting others, with a lost item they thought was lost forever. 😀❤️🙏

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Tungsten Wedding Ring Lost In The Old Orchard Beach Maine Ocean Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Sunday evening, July 27th, Cheryl and I were driving home, from a Boston Red Sox, game, at Fenway Park. While just outside the Boston city limits, I received a phone call from Lisa. Lisa told me the story of her husband, Ed, losing his Tungsten wedding ring, the previous afternoon, around 2:00pm. They are from Connecticut but were vacationing in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. They had placed a Facebook post on a few local Facebook Pages, asking for people to be on the lookout for the lost ring. If found, please contact her (more on this later).

Ed had been in the ocean, with his sons, tossing a football around. When Ed got out of the water and back up on the beach, where Lisa was, he noticed he was no longer wearing his wedding ring. What had been an incredible vacation, suddenly became a nightmare. Ed had lost the ring approximately an hour after high tide and now the tide was going out. Lisa, Ed and the sons went out to search for the ring but couldn’t find it. As you all know, by now, it is extremely unlikely you will visually find a ring, that was lost in the surf. Once a ring lands on the ocean floor, the surf and waves will bury it in the sand. Lisa said that Ed was really upset that his wedding ring he had been wearing, for 19 years was gone. Lisa then asked me if there was anything I could do to help. I told her that I could help but by the time I got home, it would be dark out and I would need to consult the tide chart, to see when the tide would be low enough, for me to search. Once I arrived home, I determined that I could get down to the beach, around 5:00am and search. I let Lisa and Ed know I would be going down 1st thing in the morning, to search but had a few concerns.
First concern: the ring has now been lost almost 2 full days and the area the ring was lost in is the most heavily metal detected area, in Old Orchard. Ed had lost his ring directly in front of the Ferris Wheel, at Palace Playland Amusement Park and very close to the OOB Pier. This area is the most densely populated area of the beach, on a hot summer day and Metal Detectorists know that. On any given summer day, you could see 5 to 10 different detectorists searching the area, throughout the day. Today, Sunday was a rainy day so hopefully there wasn’t anyone metal detecting there.
My second concern was that the location of where the ring was lost, was made public, when the Facebook Posts were made. As I have told all my followers previously, never, ever disclose the exact location of a ring or other valuable that has been lost. This is not only my suggestion, it is also the recommendation of the Police Departments. Broadcasting the exact location can increase the Risk of Theft: Publicly announcing the location of a lost valuable item, especially online or on social media, can attract thieves or those who would attempt to steal it before you have a chance to recover it yourself. Unfortunately, there are people that watch lost and found posts, just for this type of situation. They are not unlike looters, looking to take advantage of someone’s misfortune. So please, never, ever disclose the exact location of something lost. You can still make a social media post but be general about the area. For instance, instead of saying a ring was lost next to the pier or Ferris Wheel, just say you lost a ring in OOB but unsure of the area. If someone contacts you to help, you can then meet them at a predetermined location and watch them search. You just don’t want to have a bunch of people searching for your ring, that you don’t know. Again, even the Police recommend not to disclose the exact location. I mentioned this to Lisa and she agreed that it made sense and took the post down, now that I would be searching for Ed’s wedding ring. One good thing to come of her post is that Lisa told me that she had 7 or 8 comments about contacting me, The Ring Finders of Maine. This is how Lisa found me and ultimately contacting me, after researching my history of recovering lost items.
Ok, back to the story. I arrived at the beach, pre dawn , at 5:00am and the beach was extremely fogged in. You could only make out the outline or silhouette of buildings, amusement park rides and the pier. The fog was that thick. I had many photos provided to me by Lisa and they were excellent tools in putting me in the exact area. The tide had been going out for a few hours and where the ring was lost, should now be out from under the water and only under the wet sand. I started my grid search horizontally to the beach and water and up near the beach bank, leading to the dry sand. The area was very eerie in the darkness and fog with no one in sight. Starting approximately 50’ south of the Ferris Wheel, I headed towards the pier, to approximately the middle of the Carousel. This was overshooting the area I needed to search but you just don’t know if the ring had moved or how far the ring had flown off of Ed’s finger, while throwing and catching the football. So even though Ed was in front of the Ferris Wheel, who’s to say the ring didn’t end up 20 feet in front or behind him. After my first few grid lines I finally received my first non ferrous target. I believed it was too high of a conductor to be his tungsten ring and was most probably a quarter, with a VDI reading of 89. Once the target was located, it was a quarter, as I suspected. Resuming the grid search horizontally, I just wasn’t receiving any more non ferrous targets. I started to worry because it seems that someone has recently metal detected the area. There were very few targets, in a very busy area. After 30-40 minutes I received another non ferrous target and the VDI was bouncing between 63 and 75. Hmmm, interesting target. My Minelab Manticore gave it a depth of approximately 1” to 2”. I scoop the sand from where the signal originated and threw it up onto the hard wet sand. I started wiping the sand away, with my pinpointer and located the target. I then saw what look like a dark gray or black edge of a ring. I reached in and pulled out a very large black ring. I had found Ed’s ring. WOW!!! Lost for 2 days, in a heavily detected area shows that no area is truly hunted out. You just need to do your due diligence and sear the area well. Once I washed the ring off, I placed it on top of my sand scoops handle and made a video, to send to Lisa and Ed. Once they received the video, I got a reply

Oh my goodness!!!!!! This is the most amazing news!!! You are an angel!!!! We cannot believe this!!! THANK YOU!!!! ♥️💕♥️💕🥰🥰🥰My husband and I want to hug you!!! you are really an angel!!! I cannot believe how fortunate we are for people like you! I also thanked god for connecting me to you and your ability to find it.”
I replied

“😂🤣So happy for you both. I get lots of hugs and feel absolutely great knowing that the ring will soon be back on his finger. Thank you for your very kind words. I truly appreciate them. ❤️🙏”

Always a truly great feeling to help others get their very loved and sentimental rings back. It also feels fantastic to see and be told all the nice things that Lisa texted to me. This only motivates me to help more people. Who doesn’t like praise heaped upon themselves.
Since Lisa and Ed were already back home in Connecticut, I told them that I would mail the ring back to them. No need to make the drive back up to Maine when they could get in two days, via the mail. Even though I won’t be able to meet Lisa and Ed, they told me they would take a photo, once the ring arrives and send it to me. I love being able to help others out in their time of need and putting a smile on their faces.

So today, a full 10 days, since Ed lost his wedding ring, he received it, via USPS Certified Mail. I mailed it 8 days ago but for some reason, it took the USPS scenic route, with 3 or 4 days visiting Boston, Massachusetts. Then to NYC, for another 2-3 days of sightseeing and finally heading north, up to Connecticut. Once the ring arrived at their home in Connecticut, Ed and Lisa took a photo and sent it to me, sharing their smiles and the cherished wedding ring of 19 years. I truly have the best job in the world 😀❤️🙏

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