George Hicks, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 2 of 2

It’s all in the chips! – Lost Ring and Charm Found!

  • from Orange (California, United States)

Earlier in the week, Brittnee emailed me that she got married on Labor Day and had lost a large ring and a charm, that were tied to her boot with a ribbon. “Something Borrowed” portion of that phrase that she had from her Grandmother and Mother for the ceremony.

The wedding was at a beautiful rustic place that was covered in wood chips, and while they had searched for the items themselves, they could not find them in the wood chips. Additionally, the place has very limited hours of operation so getting in had to be scheduled.

We agreed to meet this morning, and they met me there. She showed me where they had been sitting and where they were walking around, which was a pretty small area, probably 50 x 75 feet, with picnic benches in part of the area. The staff had moved the benches around since then, so I feared it may be smashed deeper into the wood chips or hard to get at under the tables and benches.

I searched two grid passes in front of where the head table area was and found lots of junk, and coins but no ring. I then decided to search in front of the raised dance floor area and from there into the bench area. After about 30 minutes, I had found it!  The stone was loose, laying next to it, so I know they stepped on it while moving tables etc. but at least it could be repaired. It was a huge ring and beautiful brown stone, that could easily be lost in the chips if more time had passed. I then deduced that the charm couldn’t be too far away so searched more under the tables for that, and about 15 minutes more, I had the charm.

Brittnee and her husband were very happy to have them back, and the Grandmother never knew they were missing either.

I am glad me and my AT-Pro were able to find these and ensure their wedding day will be remembered with a fun story about the ring instead of a sad story of loss.

Lost 14K, 1/2ct diamond earring at park. FOUND!

  • from Orange (California, United States)

Anyssa texted me early in the moring, saying she had lost her diamond earring at a local park, and wondered if I could help. “I sure can” I replied and we arranged to meet about 10:00AM so she could show me the spot.

She had been wearing (2) 1/2ct diamond studs and (2) costume studs in each ear, but took them out, attached the backs and put them on their blanket. When they left, they forgot about them and when she got to the car, she remembered, but they were gone now. They searched in the grass and were able to find (1) diamond stud. That night, she came back with a friend and lights and tried to find the others but could not. She found me the next morning after googling lost jewelry.
Using my AT-Pro, I scanned the one she had thinking “Easy, just notch out everything else!”, didn’t happen. The thing was so small and 14K gold, that it scanned erratic 21-65 and read 10+ inches deep when it was 1″ away from the coil. I tested it in the grass and it barely registered!  The grass was just mowed, but still long and very wet mushy soil. Even my Carrot would not register against it on the most sensitive setting, it just barely reacted depending on position of it, even touching it! Ok, all metal mode it is.

I searched about a half our and then found both of the costume earrings, but not the diamond one, so I had hope. I focused on the area around where the other two were found, and got a lot of trash, aluminum signals, coin signals but deep. I went back to the car and got my digger, and knew the earring couldn’t be deep but since it scanned incorrectly due to minimal metal on it, I had to investigate every signal. After an hour, I was having thoughts of getting my Surf PI because I knew it would pick it up, but everything else also.

In the area near where the other two were found, I had some foil and bottle cap signals in my way, so I decided to dig them up and get them out of the way so I could concentrate on the smallest erratic signals and try those. After digging out a rusty bottle cap at about 5″ deep, I buried the hole and scanned it again to be sure it was empty and then just on the edge of the hole I got an erratic signal and used my pinpointer to dig around and lo and behold, BINGO! Removing the bottle cap allowed me to hear the earring, otherwise I would have missed it.

I went to her and said “I think I am done, I just cant seem to get a good signal” and then said to her small daughter, “But I did find something for you! and told her to hold out her hand and I put the earring in her little hand and her mom glanced down and jumped for joy! “You found it!”.

Very nice lady and her daughter, and so happy I was able to return all three of her lost earrings!

Local lady lost her mother’s Wedding ring and called me to find it. Strange location…..

  • from Orange (California, United States)

I got a call this evening from Linda, and she said she had lost her mother’s wedding ring and found me online on TheRingFinders.com so called. I asked the usual question, where and when did you lose the ring? She said yesterday in her house!  I thought, ok, no way this is going to be where I can help, she just needs to keep looking and I offered helpful suggestions like re-trace your steps etc. and she said no, I know where I lost it, I just can’t find it!  She said it is in my closet! After more discussion, she was certain she needed my help, so I said I would come help her, and grabbed my AT-Pro, a powerful light, and my niece, Karlie, who was kind enough to hold the light.  for me and went along for the ride as an adventure!
The closet was a very small walk-in closet full of clothes hanging on all three sides, and Linda said she had her two rings in her hand when she was searching through the clothes, but then noticed she only had one of them. She searched and searched, tearing everything out of the closet but no luck.

I collapsed my AT-Pro shaft down as far as it would go and went in searching. It was dinging like crazy due to all the other metal in there, and even turning the sensitivity down all the way didn’t help, so I asked her what it was made of and she said white gold, so I knew I was looking for around a 50 VDI and could ignore the others. I started poking and brushing the coil IN MY HAND against all the clothes and got signals for every metal button, but narrowed it down to a 51 reading in a bunch of sweaters, then taking each one by the sleeve, I found it in the cuff of a green sweater!

I popped it onto my finger then stepped out the door and asked her if it had any special shape or anything, and she said it was heart shaped, so I said “kind of like this?” and she screamed and hugged me for what seemed like 5 minutes and jumped for joy. Her husband said I made her very happy.

This was the first time I used my detector to find something in a closet, but chalk it up to a Found and Returned for a very appreciative lady who is now reunited with her mother’s diamond and white gold ring!  Karlie and I were thrilled to be a part of it and I even rewarded her for helping me also!

Ring Found and Returned at Newport Beach in the Dry Sand! (2016)

  • from Orange (California, United States)

The sun going down quickly on a Monday in October 2016, and as I was finishing my day’s detecting, a lifeguard truck came by and said that a couple had lost their ring in the sand and he was taking them a detector to borrow and try to find it, but wanted to know if I would also help. Of course I said, and made my way over to where his truck drove to.

I did not know the lifeguard station had loaner detectors, and it was one of those $75 units with an analog meter on it, and the guy had already started playing with it to try and figure it out to find hs ring by the time I arrived about 5 minutes later.

His poor wife was panicked, sifting through sand already for a half hour on all fours trying to find his ring. Her hands were dirty and she had finger-raked about an 8′ square where she thought it was. They said it was on his ‘T’-Shirt and he forgot and shook it out and lost the ring. The guy was still fiddling with the “Toy” detector and randomly walking around, so I asked her if I could search where she was and I found it in about a minute, right where she had been dragging her fingers through the sand for a half hour.

I said “Oh, here is a good signal” and as I scooped it up, the ring just appeared as the sand sifted through my scoop and she burst into tears and hugged me! It was an heirloom from his Grandfather that they used as his wedding ring, and they were so very happy I found it as it was already getting dark.

It was a Platinum ring with patterns all around the outside of it. (Sorry I did not get a closeup of the ring.)

Great feeling to help them get it back!

Happy couple after I found his Wedding ring at Newport Beach, CA

 

Me and the Husband with ring.

Orange County member of “The Ring Finders” recovers lost items, Rings, Jewelery, Cell Phones, Keys-ready to help on Beach or Land.

  • from Orange (California, United States)

 

Long time Metal Detectorist helping to find lost rings and jewelry on beaches, sand, parks, lakes, and wherever you have lost things, in and around Orange County, CA.

Searching for lost items is a hobby of mine and I have found hundreds of rings and other valuables on the Beach in the sand and water, and in parks, lakes, event sites, soccer fields, baseball fields etc.

Please contact me if you have lost something in the areas near these cities, Orange, Villa Park, Buena Park, Anaheim, Tustin, Riverside, Redlands, Santa Ana, San Bernardino, Corona, and Norco or near these areas, and I will assist.

I have several detectors and the skills to use them to help find your item before someone else does!

Please find my information on the “The Ring Finders” site https://theringfinders.com/ or via email: mailto:george.hicks@theringfinders.com

I look forward to helping you find that lost ring or heirloom.

George Hicks