Edward Duffey, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 2 of 6

Lost – Men’s White Gold Wedding Band, Corolla, OBX, NC – FOUND!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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On Tuesday, I got a call at about 10:31am…I did not get it.  Around noon, I called the number back…no answer.  Finally, at 12:30, Tyler called me.  He said that he lost his white gold wedding band on the beach.  I asked him if he thought it was in the water; he said no, he didn’t think so.

I arrived on the scene in Corolla a few hours later.  Tyler was not sure when he lost the ring.  He gave me a general area involving tossing a football near a stump in the water.  The search area was about 30 yards long and just past a stump that was rapidly disappearing in the rising tide.  I fired up the Deus ii and started at the water and worked up toward the parking area.

After I was convinced that I had covered the area, I began working the water.  I was not prepared for a water search but went out about thigh-high.  Nothing!  The tide was rising too fast so we decided to come back tomorrow at low tide which would be around 12:30pm.

I arrived this time in swim shorts.  The beach had grown by at least 30 yards toward the water!  I started large sweeps to cover all the territory that I needed to.  I took a minute to pray!

I continued and after just a few passes my hat slipped down.  I stopped to adjust it and set my coil down on an area of sand that I had gone by.  I got a bit signal as I lower the coil.  When I had finished with my hat, I investigated the hit.  Scoop one was nothing.  Scoop two and I saw the ring shining in the sand.

I put the ring in my cupped hand and called Tyler over.  I asked him if he would go over where he lost the ring again.  As he did, I raised my left hand up with the ring, showing it to his wife Caroline and then bringing into his view.  Happiness!

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Lost – Lady’s diamond turquoise and men’s wedding band, Kill Devil Hills, OBX, NC – FOUND!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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Monday it was raining, with lightning and thunder.  My iPhone rang.  The lady was saying that she had lost her engagement ring on the beach.  I asked her if it was in the water…she said no.  I told her that we had a great chance of finding the ring, but we should try to go out after the storm even if it is dark.  I told her that I would call her in 30 minutes.

I called her and the storm had move off to the south and east.  I met Regina and her friend Susan at the beach access.  As they led me to the beach, I fired up the XP detector.  As we got closer, they said they thought we were at the area…but something was wrong; things looked different after the rain, and they were not 100% sure.

As a beautiful rainbow appeared to the south, Regina gave me a starting point and I began doing sweeps.  When I was about halfway through my second sweep, Regina told me there was a second ring, not as important or expensive.  It was her late husband’s wedding band.  I thought, we must find these.  I said, “So if I find one, I should find the other.”

I was in my third or forth sweep finding nothing but bottle caps when I got a solid sounding target.  I thought it could be the ring but I expected a lower number.  There it was!  In the scoop!  Even though it was getting darker, the diamonds sparkled, and the turquois stone glistened.

I held the stone up to show the ladies who had ventured off to the south.  Regina saw it and immediately began crying as I gave it to her.  One more simple sweep and I dug the other ring out with my toe.  Hugs, tears…another person recovered happy beyond belief!

We found two rings at the end of the rainbow!

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Lost – Gold and Silver Men’s Swiss Army dress watch – Kitty Hawk, Outer Banks, NC – FOUND!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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I got a Facebook message at 8:45 pm.  I did not see it until the next day.  The message read:  “Please help friends at Kitty Hawk.  He thinks he misplaced his watch at the beach just above the tide mark. (Soft sand) Swiss Army Men’s Officer’s dress watch.  His wife has a matching one only smaller. (Very sentimental)

I called and talked with Sally.  She told me that they were leaving today at 10am.  I met them at the site after 7:30am.

I started the XP up at the water’s edge (as usual) and worked toward the cottage.  Only a few hits but no watch.  Bill was very meticulous.  Yesterday, when the watch turned up missing, he had recorded directional heading from the cottage to where they had been on the beach.  From that he was able to mark a 30-yard search area near the water.  Yet, no watch!

I continued up over the dune along the walk path.  Bill had mentioned previously mentioned that they had a bag on the beach that was emptied under the house in a sandy area.  I decided to check knowing that if this didn’t work, I would have to come back at low tide and probably go in the water.

Big hit!  The Deus II screamed at me.  I knew it was the watch.  It had worked its way down to about 5 inches in the sand.

I knocked on the cottage door and presented the watch.  Billy and Sally were thrilled!

 

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Lost – Diamond Engagement AND Ruby Diamond Ring, Corolla, OBX, NC – FOUND!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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Normally, a person calls or texted me to notify me of their lost item of value.  Monday, I received a Facebook Message at around 4:55 in the morning.  The person, Annalise, said that her sister had lost and engagement ring and a ruby ring in Corolla.  They had left on Sunday and returned to Connecticut after spending the entire afternoon looking for the rings on the beach.

I get up early so shortly after 6 am I sent Annalise a message back and said that I would be glad to look for it.  I headed up to Corolla thinking that she would answer soon.  She did not so I stopped at the first place that met the description of the beach she described.  I spent two hours looking but I did not find the lost rings.

At around 8:50 Annalise called and told me the access where the rings had been lost, however, she was not sure where.  They had walked from a parking area and had ended up on beach near the walkover.

I decided to start at the beach and made a Facetime call to Annalise.  Asking lots of questions, I determined where they had been and the path they took to the beach.  It was time to go to work.  I know from experience how difficult it is to find items when the party has left.  I prayed.

I fired up the D2 and began sweeping the likely area.  Covering first the canopies that were set up on the spot before they were occupied, I got nothing.  Then I started the areas behind them.  Suddenly I got a good hit and a number signifying gold!  It was the engagement ring. What is the chance that I could find the other?  It was about a foot away.  Beautiful!

I texted Annalise the song Miracles by Colton Dixon and a picture…the same picture below with me holding the rings.

 

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Lost – White Gold Wedding Band, Outer Banks, Rodanthe, NC, FOUND!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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 Cory called me and said that she had left the Outer Banks a few days ago.  She had lost a ring in the sound side of the Village of Rodanthe.  She had been in a local tackle shop and a gentleman told her to call OBX-Ed; he finds rings for people all the time.

Cory received the white gold wedding ring from her wife not long ago and was devastated to lose it during a volleyball game in the water.  They searched for it all day but could not find it and had to leave to go back to their home in near Hopewell, Virginia.

I knew this hunt would be challenging because it is always hard to get the exact spot when the parties have left.  First, I checked with local National Park Service personnel, and they said if it was in the village, I was good to go.  I headed to Rodanthe and had to get permission from the rental company to be there while the property was being rented.

As I started the search, I did a FaceTime call with Cory to get the right spot.  She showed me where it should have been and for the next 90 minutes, I spent time digging lots of trash in the metal-rich area.

I called her back and told her we must think of something else because I had covered the entire area and was running out of ideas.  Just then, she remembered her son saying he saw it fly far to the north of the volleyball area.  I decided to do some sweeps there and not long after had a great sounding target.  It was the ring!  Inscribed inside, “All My Love.”   I took an image of it on my thumb and texted it to her.

The phone rang.  It was Cory.   She was so thrilled!

 

 

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Lost – Women’s White Gold, Diamond Wedding Band, OBX, NC, FOUND!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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On Friday I got a call from Diamond, who said she was very frustrated.  She had lost her wedding ring on the beach and had no peace.

She continued that she had gone to a local hardware store and rented a metal detector.  I explained to her that many metal detectors do not do well on the beach because they do not account for mineralization which cause the detector to beep at everything.  She responded, yes, that’s what it was doing.

I assured her that I was only about 15 minutes away and if the ring is not in the water, there is a very good chance that we could find it. I arrived at the access point and called Diamond.

I went down to their canopy and met Diamond and Darwin, her husband.  He helped me to remove some of the metal items from the search area.  I fired up the Deus 2 and began the search in the area she thought she had lost it.  I got an immediate hit but it was too deep and not the expected number.

Continuing to the center of the canopy, I got a solid 50.  I knew it was the ring.  Digging around in the sand with my hand and my pin pointer, I saw diamonds glitter in the sunshine.

I handed the ring to Diamond.  Peace regained…frustration, gone!   She was exuberant!  Hugs!

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Lost – Platinum Sapphire ring, Southern Shores, OBX – FOUND!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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I got a call from Andreas at about 10:30 on Friday.  He said that his wife had lost her ring in Southern Shores on the beach.  I asked him if he thought it was in the water.  He replied that it should be in dry sand.  I told him that these things normally work out best the sooner we can search and that I could be there in about 10 minutes.  He agreed.

When I arrived I met Crystal and Andreas.  Crystal explained that the ring was in a pocket, and it came up missing yesterday.  I asked her to describe the ring.  She said it is a platinum ring with a single blue sapphire. She said she thought it was lost on the beach, but it could be anywhere from the house to beach, which is where she noticed it was gone.

As we cleared the dune crosswalk, I fired up the XP detector.  I told her that I like to scan as I’m going to the suspected area just in case.  I asked Crystal where the tent was the day before and the path, she took to get to it.  I followed her lead as she took me to where the cabana was.

I started the sweep in the area on the water side as I normally do.  I took my hat off and ask for the Lord’s help.  I put my hat on and immediately got a big signal.  The ring was in the scoop!

I carefully put it in my hand and held it up to show Crystal.  She put it on her finger and fell to the sand.  She was overcome with tears of joy!!

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Lost – Heirloom Silver Watch, Outer Banks, OBX, NC – FOUND!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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I got call from Sean early in the day.  He said someone had lost a watch on the beach.  I asked the usual questions about its proximity to the water, and he said that it was in dry sand.  I told him that I would be there shortly.

When I arrived, Sean took me to a dune walkover.  There was a sitting area that was covered with sand.  He said the watch was lost somewhere between the sitting area and the cabana on the beach.

I fired up the D2 and did a complete sweep on the sitting area and the path to and inside the cabana.  Nothing but a few bottle caps.  Just then he remembered that the covering had been further to the south the previous day.  Again, nothing.  I had spent quite a bit of time.  If it were there, I should have found it.

I got more detailed information about the watch.  It was over 50 years old, silver and had been given to his wife’s mom by her mom who was born in 1918.  When I heard that, I told Sean, “We have to find it.”

I found out that Sean had not actually been with Grandma when she lost the watch so I asked if someone who was there could come down to the beach.  Donna, Sean’s mom came down and the puzzle started to fill in more.  They had walked down to the beach!

I immediately went to the water’s edge as I normally do when there is a chance that the item is in the water.  As I worked my way up, it wasn’t long until I got a strong 99 hit.  It was the watch.

When I gave the watch to Donna, she said, “I had been praying the entire time that you would find it.”  I told her that I pray every time before I search.

The family was thrilled!

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Lost – Gold Emerald Ring, Duck, NC, Outer Banks – FOUND!!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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I got a text at 3:46 but I was busy getting food ready for the grill.  As I was eating my ribs about 4:30, I noticed I had a new text.  It was from Olivia.  She said that she has lost her ring on the beach.

I gave Olivia a call and let her know rings lost close to the water need immediate attention.  The Outer Banks is known for it’s high-energy surf.  Once the ring is underwater, it’s not telling where it will end up.  Luckily the tide was receding but will only be going down until around 5:50PM.  I told her that I could be there in about 10 minutes.

When I arrived, I met Olivia and her friend Bessie.  They showed me where they had been sitting and the path they took to the beach.  The walked south for about 50 yards after that and then noticed the ring, which Olivia put in her pocket, was missing!

I fired up the D2 and followed her path to the beach.  I even went deeper than she had showed me thinking it may have been washed in by the very active waves.  Nothing!  I proceeded south along the path of her walk covering it from the water to the dry sand.  I found nothing but a few bottle caps.

I was heading back to Olivia to ask what we had missed.  I cut between where she had walked on the beach and where she had walked down to the beach.  Ding! A strong hit.  I scooped the top layer of sand carefully…the gold ring shined out brightly.  It was the ring!

I held it up and Olivia ran to get it.  She was over the moon!

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Lost – iPhone – Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks (OBX), NC – FOUND !!!

  • from Ponce Inlet (Florida, United States)
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I missed a call from Gary at about 4:30 pm.  But he left a message that said that his son had lost his iPhone on the beach.  After a bout of phone-tag I finally reached him and headed down to Kill Devil Hills.

When I arrived, I met Brian, the 19-year-old college student who had lost his phone.  Of course I realized how important this was…friends, pictures, class information…it was all on that iPhone!

As we walked down to the beach, Brian pointed out a lifeguard stand that was about 100 yards away.  He said he thought he had lost it between where we were and the lifeguard stand.  Lots of sand!  I asked him when he lost it and he replied about one in the morning.  Someone, including another detector, could have found it!

He thought he had lost it close to the stand, so I didn’t fire up the Deus 2 until I got about 50 yards away.  I got a few hits as I searched south to the stand, but they didn’t pan out and I didn’t even bring my scoop because I didn’t want to damage the phone.

Brian said he had walked from the stand in an arch, so I followed his lead as I started back north on the beach.  I got a hit, loud and identical to my test on my

iPhone.  It was Brian’s iPhone!!!

Friends, images, class information all found on the beach!  Dad and Son happy!!!!!

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