Eileen Sutton, Author at The Ring Finders

Lost White Gold Engagement Ring Found in Snow in Akron, Ohio!

  • from Wooster (Ohio, United States)

This (Tuesday) morning I saw I’d missed a text overnight from Celeste in Akron, Ohio. The text said her fiancée, Khaliya, had lost her white gold engagement ring in their snow filled parking lot on Monday. Unable to find it, they had asked around to see if anyone had a metal detector. They were able to get a hold of one and gave it a try, but without any experience with a detector, they had no luck, just a lot of noise. Then someone told them about Ring Finders and Celeste decided to “give it shot” and reached out. 

I have to admit, I didn’t have very high hopes at first, especially being a parking lot! First of all, Ohio was slammed with snow over the weekend, and a lot of places were still “digging” out! Secondly, some parking lots can be tough, with rebar and other structural supports running beneath them causing interference. Plus, with traffic and pedestrians, a ring can be kicked, moved, run over, dragged or even picked up! You name it, it could happen! Third, plowing! If the parking lot had been plowed, or if the snow had been removed…it wouldn’t bode well. I expressed these concerns to Celeste when I messaged her back and the response was just what we (as detectorists) love to hear in a situation like this; gravel parking lot, had not been plowed. Great!!

I arrived in front of their house around 1 pm and they met me at my truck. They explained that they were helping their roommate get their vehicle out of the snow and had been pushing the car up the driveway. We followed the path they took and then I sent them inside (it was single digits with a negative windchill!) and told them I’d text when I found it. Less than five minutes later, BAM! Clear tone, one to two inches down in the snow, there it was! I text Celeste with a simple, “Got it!” and received, “OMG! Coming!” 

I took a couple of pictures of the ring as I waited and when they arrived, they were both so excited and couldn’t believe how quickly I had found it! I handed Khaliya her ring and I showed them exactly where it was found. They thanked me, we snapped some pictures and I sent them back in to get warm! I loaded up the truck, blasted the heat and headed home, smiling! It never gets old! 

Khaliya and her ring with Celeste!

Khaliya and her ring with Celeste!

The ring, close up!

The ring!

Lost Sterling Silver Thumbprint Ring Found in Wooster, Ohio!

  • from Wooster (Ohio, United States)

Saturday morning I woke up to a missed call and text from Chris. The text said he had lost a ring in Wooster, Ohio and asked if I’d be interested in helping him recover it. I messaged him immediately and he called me right back. His wife had been cleaning snow off her car the night before and the ring flung off. He explained that the ring had tremendous sentimental value, as they had lost their son a few years back and this was a memory ring they’d had made through the funeral home with their son’s thumbprint on it. They had searched the car and the immediate area, but no luck. He called around to several friends to inquire if anyone had a metal detector and then he did a little searching online and found The Ring Finders. Within the hour we arrived at Chris’s house. He showed us where she’d been parked the night before and we got to work. There was a lot of interference, with the driveway, porch steps and a drainage pipe all within the tight search area. After the first couple of swings, I switched my Deus to a modified “fast” program and within two minutes I located the ring about two feet from the driveway and two inches from the drainage pipe! Chris rushed in to get his wife, who did not know we had found it yet. She came out to the garage and, as he was introducing us, I handed her the ring. The look on her face was priceless as she grasped the ring and held it to her chest, thanking us. This is why we do what we do! That look, that moment…there is nothing like it! The whole thing (from initial contact to handing her the ring) took less than an hour, but that moment will last forever!

The ring as found!The ring!The ring and its owner!

Lost Ring Found in Gambier, Ohio!

  • from Wooster (Ohio, United States)

Shortly before the holiday break, I received a call from Dottie (from Massachusetts) who found me on the Ring Finders website. She explained that her daughter had just called her from college (in Ohio) and was pretty upset. Her daughter was on her way to class when she slipped in the snow and lost her Signet ring! It was a very special ring and Dottie hoped I could help. We made arrangements to meet her daughter Stephanie on campus an hour later. When we arrived, Stephanie and her friends described what had happened and showed us where she lost the ring. We turned on our detectors to get to work and BEEP, BEEP!! First swing of the coil and there it was! Stephanie and her friends couldn’t believe we found it so fast! We took a few pics and messaged Dottie. Everyone was happy! The whole thing took less than a minute, but that feeling lasts forever!

Lost Platinum Engagement Ring Found in Corn Pit in Wooster, Ohio!

  • from Wooster (Ohio, United States)

Halloween high jinks were in full swing this past weekend in Wooster, Ohio! Kim was enjoying an unseasonably warm fall day with her family at Ramseyer Farms. The day was full of fun and treats, but Kim ended up being on the receiving end of a trick! The culprit? Corn! That’s right, not a person, it was corn…and lots of it! Kim was playing with her 2-year-old daughter in the Corn Barn (a giant corn pit, in a barn) when it happened. (For those who don’t know, a corn pit is like a sand box, except it’s filled with corn kernels!) Anyway, she was crawling through the corn towards her daughter when she felt that unmistakable feeling of a ring slipping off her finger! She immediately started foraging through the corn, but couldn’t find her platinum engagement ring! She continued searching for a while and her dad even went and purchased a metal detector to aid in the search! After a while she decided to search the internet where she found The Ringfinder’s website, which led her to me. I received the call at 5:13 pm yesterday evening. Kim explained what had happened and asked if I would be able to come out and assist. She said the staff at Ramseyer Farms was aware of the situation and that they would keep the lights on and the barn open after hours to allow us to search. The farm was closing at 7pm, so Tammy (my metal detecting partner) and I arrived at the farm around 6:50 pm and met Kim at the main entrance. We made our way back to the corn barn as she filled us in on a few more details about the event. When we got to the barn, we took off our shoes and followed Kim into the corn. She told us about where she was and what direction she was heading when she lost her ring and we got to work! We started out using our pinpointers in the general area she had been and then I decided to do a little bit bigger sweep with my detector just in case it was no longer in the same spot, as the corn barn is a huge attraction at Ramseyer Farms and, as such, it is always packed with kids scooping, digging, rummaging, running and rolling through the corn! While I swept the area, Tammy kept following Kim’s path through the corn with her pinpointer. About forty-five minutes into the search, Tammy had a hit about 6-8 inches deep in the corn, right along Kim’s path. She slowly started sweeping corn away as she worked her way down, keeping her pinpointer on the signal. And then I heard Kim gasp! She had been watching Tammy and noticed the glint right away as Tammy plucked the ring from the corn! Tammy handed the ring to a super excited Kim, we took a few photos and then we all made our way out of the corn. The staff at Ramseyer Farms was wonderful! They were super friendly and accommodating as we searched and celebrated the find, right along with us! What an adventure! Kim got her ring back, Kim’s dad found a new hobby and we got to play in the corn! All in all, a great evening! We’re so glad we were able to turn Kim’s trick into a treat! Just remember, if you visit a corn pit – don’t forget to take off your jewelry! But, if you do forget and lose something, give us a call! 

     

Lost Wedding Ring Recovered From Chippewa Lake, Ohio!

  • from Wooster (Ohio, United States)

Late Tuesday night, the 23rd of July, I received a voicemail and text from Ilona who had recently lost her gold and platinum wedding ring in Chippewa Lake while working on her boat lift. I didn’t receive the messages until the next morning, and I promptly texted her back. I told her I wasn’t sure I’d be able to assist, as my water search equipment had been damaged during another water hunt earlier this year. I referred her to The Ring Finder’s website but said if she couldn’t find anyone else to let me know and I’d see what I could do. She called me a few minutes later and said she had tried another Ring Finder, but they no longer do water searches and she was desperate to find her ring, as she was leaving the next day for a short camping trip (with limited cell service) followed by a month-long vacation and really wanted her ring back before she left! So, I told her we’d make a few protective modifications to our equipment and give it a go. 

As she was leaving that evening, we made arrangements to meet her brother at the lake on Thursday around 3:30pm. When we arrived at the lake, Peter took us out on the pier and pointed out where Ilona’s boat lift was and where she was working when she lost the ring.

We headed out to the boat lift around 3:45. The water was between hip and waist deep by the time we got to the spot. There were lots of speed boats on the lake, which took the water levels even higher at times. Because of the depth we couldn’t use our detectors, so we relied on our pinpointers. We started around the area she had been working and fanned out from there. After about forty-five minutes to an hour, I found a ring! I had not seen a picture of Ilona’s ring, so I didn’t know if it was her ring or not. I waded back to shore and showed the ring to Peter. He also wasn’t sure if it was her ring, so while he texted her, we placed the ring in our find’s bucket and returned to the water to keep searching. About an hour or so later Peter hollered out from the shore and asked to see the ring. I came back to shore and we compared the ring to the picture she had just sent and, sure enough, that was her ring! How exciting! We dried off and took some pictures while Peter called Ilona. I could hear the excitement in Ilona’s voice and that’s what it’s all about! As Peter would be joining her on her trip the following day, she made sure he was going to bring the ring to her. After chatting a bit more with Ilona and Peter, we hopped in the car and headed home. Two days later I received a text with a picture of Ilona, happily wearing her ring! It never gets old making people smile! Ilona and her ring!Ilona's ring!

Lost Wedding Ring Found in West Salem, Ohio!

  • from Wooster (Ohio, United States)

Yesterday evening just before 5pm, I received a text from Karissa who had lost her custom-made wedding ring in her front yard two weeks earlier. She found me on The Ringfinders and was hoping I could help locate her ring. After confirming some details, we headed out and arrived at her place around 6:15pm. After brief introductions, Karissa lead us to the general area she believed the ring should be. While discussing the events that had lead to the loss of the ring, we discovered she’d also lost her Apple watch! So, we got to work! After thoroughly searching the target area, we decided to expand our search radius. Around 7:30pm, Karissa and her husband had to leave to take their little one for ice cream and she told us we didn’t have to keep looking, but we could if we wanted. I told her as long as there’s light we’d love to keep at it! She defined the property lines and thanked us. I told her we’d text if we found it, or when we were leaving, whichever came first and off they went! We continued to gradually and methodically expand our search area and at 7:55pm we had a solid tone in the leaves between some trees. We had found the Apple watch! We text her a picture and she confirmed! By this time the sun had set but, luckily for us, the moon was pretty bright so we decided to focus on the area where we found the watch! It wasn’t too long before I heard that beautiful, unmistakable tone! I called my partner over to shine some light on the spot as I gently ran my pinpointer over the leaves. I turned over a handful of leaves and there it was! Woohoo! We texted Karissa with a picture and the excitement that came back in the next few texts was awesome! It’s why we do this! She said they’d be home soon. We packed up and waited in the car until they got back. When they did get back, she jumped out of the SUV and rushed to us beaming from ear to ear! We handed her the ring and the watch and she still couldn’t believe it! How exciting! After a brief chat, lots of thank yous, a few pics and tons of smiles, we headed out! What a great way to wrap up a weekend!

Karissa with her ring and watch!

The Ring and Watch

Lost Wedding Ring Found in Wooster, Ohio!

  • from Wooster (Ohio, United States)

On Tuesday, October 10th I received a text from Rick in Wooster, Ohio who said he found my name on The Ring Finders. He said he believed he lost his wedding ring while planting garlic in his garden on Sunday and asked me to give him a call, if I thought I could help. I called him that afternoon, he gave me all the details and we set up a time the next day for me to come find his ring. On Wednesday, when we pulled into Rick’s driveway, he was ready for us! We exchanged introductions as we pulled out our gear and within a few minutes we were heading across the lawn to his garden. He showed us exactly which rows of his garden he had been working on when he believed he lost the ring and we got to work! Rick stood off to the side of the garden as we worked our way down the rows. The first few hits were bits of scrap metal, which I held up for Rick to see before dropping in my pouch and then, as I turned around to start down the third row, BAM! There it was, that perfect signal! I bent down and plucked Rick’s ring from the soil and held it out to him exclaiming, “and here it is!” Rick was so excited and couldn’t believe how quickly we found it. (The entire hunt took less than five minutes!) As I handed him his ring, he asked if he could give me hug. “Absolutely!”, I said. We chatted for a few minutes, snapped a few pictures and he told us we’d gotten him out of the doghouse! As metal detectorists, these are the moments we live for!

Eileen and Rick

The ring back on Rick’s finger!