Engagement ring lost in the sand on a Oregon beach

A little before midnight on Sunday, a text message came through asking if I could help find an engagement ring lost in the sand at Cannon Beach. I didn’t see the message until early the next morning. I messaged Brooke at 0825 for the details. She said that the ring had slipped off her while on the beach and disappeared into the sand. (She had just received the ring less than 12 hours prior). They spent hours sifting through the sand by hand, and even driven up the coast, purchased a metal detector, and returned to try again. She admitted they didn’t know how to use it, or what settings were required. They reluctantly gave up and drove home to Portland. As a last hope, she went online and found me and Ringfinders.

This is where all stars lined-up. It just so happened that I was spending several days on the coast, and was in a camp ground less than 10 miles south of Cannon Beach. My plans for an early morning salmon fishing trip had been canceled. And, I had all my gear with me to detect the beach if I had some time.

Brooke sent me a picture of her on the beach just before she lost the ring, and a map showing a pinned location. She said the location was directly below a house with an American flag and I might be able to see the area due to the patterns they had marked in the sand, and the holes they had dug.

I packed up and made the short drive north to Cannon Beach. This is a very popular tourist destination and can get quite crowded. Fortunately I arrived early enough to find parking close to the location, and the beach wasn’t too crowded yet. From the beach I discovered there were actually three houses with American flags in the area. With the picture Brooke had provided, I was able to lineup Haystack Rock and some logs on the beach, deciding it was likely the northern most house with a flag she mentioned. Looking closer, I saw very faint lines in the sand (windy location) and figured I was in the right place.

I started on the south side of the suspected area, and worked east to west over the sand. I found the obligatory aluminum items, and hit a few iron targets. On my fifth pass, I got a faint, but repeatable signal. Going in with my scoop, I missed it. Going in a second time, I knew I had the target, so I dumped the contents of the scoop onto the beach. (I hate to rattle a ring in a metal scoop) A little kicking and I saw the ring!

At 10:38 I sent Brooke a picture, asking “Something like this?” She quickly responded with “You’re amazing!!!!!!”

She told me that she and her fiancé, Mickey, could be there around 7 or 8pm to get the ring. Here’s where the next serendipity comes into play. I was returning to the PDX area the next morning, so it would save them a trip all the way to the coast to recover their ring. I assured her I would keep her ring safe, and meet Mickey the next afternoon.

I met Mickey the next afternoon. He told me the ring was a family heirloom, passed down from his great aunt. He gave me a nice card with handwritten notes from both him and Brooke, and we had a great conversation.

One for the books. Everything lined up perfectly to get this ring back where it belongs.