TEARDROPS IN THE TIDES; The Journeys of a “Ring Finder”
Just wrote and published a book about some of the ring find and returns I’ve had over the last few years.
Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 16 of 22
10K Clemson College Ring Lost in a Golf Course Pond – Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach, SC
On February 13th, I received a phone call from Ryan asking if I could help retrieve his Clemson ring he lost, the day before, in a pond on a private golf course. My first question was, “are there any alligators?” He assured me there wasn’t, and went on to say that he lost it throwing a ball in the pond for his dog to fetch. He also said the ring was in about 6 to 8 foot of water. I told him I was up for the challenge, but I wasn’t a diver. However, my son-in-law, Donnie was, and I’m sure he’d help if I needed him. After all was said and done, I agreed to search but had to wait for a waiver of liability from the golf course. In the meantime, I called Donnie and told him what was going on, and I was going to attempt to recover the ring, and I’d call him if I needed his help.
Ryan sent me a text two days later saying his boss finished the waivers, and I could search as soon as I signed it. I had them make two waivers, in case I needed Donnie to help. We set it up that I’d meet him at 2 p.m. in his office, sign the waiver, and start the search. When I got to his office, I learned he was the Assist. Superintendent, which explained why he was able to have his dog with him on the course. He drove me out to the pond in one of the maintenance carts, and when we pulled up, I thought it didn’t look too bad. Well, looks were deceiving!
As I took my first few steps into the pond, I was sinking at least seven to eight inches in the extremely soft mud. I immediately started picking up great signals, but they were long and narrow. There’s only one thing those could be, yep – Golf clubs! Total, there was two putters, one fairway wood, two club shafts, one grip with a shaft, one tee marker, and two clubs I didn’t pull up.
So as I made my way out to the area Ryan said he saw his ring hit the water; the water was getting colder and deeper. The water temp had to be in the low 50s, my wetsuit helped, but it was still cold! I got out as deep as I could on tiptoes until I was chin deep and still wasn’t in the right spot. I searched as well as I could but wasn’t getting anything close to a small solid signal. I made my way back out of the water, picked up my cell phone and called Donnie.
When Donnie showed up, he had his scuba gear and went right to work. He made his way out and searched with no luck. By then it was almost dark, so we called it a day and made plans to go back.
We decided and planned on going back, today, February 20th. Donnie came up with a plan that he’d run a rope anchored on shore to an anchor buried in the mud past the suspected area. The rope gave him a track line that he could follow while submerged since any movement stirred the mud up and made visibility zero. Close to 30 minutes later, Donnie popped up holding the ring in his hand. Ryan drove up to check on us just as Donnie handed me the ring. Ryan was definitely excited he had his ring back.
Donnie, thanks again for all your help, couldn’t have done this one without you.
Ryan, Thanks for trusting us to find your ring. Good luck in all your future endeavors!
Jim
Diaper and Memories out the Window, Clarkton, NC
On January 27th, I noticed I had a missed call and a voice mail on my cell phone. The voice mail was from Brent, saying that he found me through The Ring Finders website and that his wife had lost a ring. He asked if I would call him back. When I called him, I got the full story.
He had taken his wife and very young son out to dinner the evening before. On the way home, his son had one of “those diapers”, every parent knows exactly what I’m talking about, one of those been there, done that, moments. Brent’s wife, Allie was in the back seat and changed the baby. Unfortunately, it got to be a little overwhelming and Allie was compelled to toss it out the window. When she did, her beautiful 18K diamond clustered ring went with it. Allie commented to me, something like, she never does anything like that and she was being punished.
My understanding is they pulled over and immediately started searching for it. According to Brent, he went home and got a metal detector that he’d had as a boy. He also enlisted the help of his dad, Andy. He said, they were out there searching, along the side of the road, into the wee hours of the morning.
Brent text me the nearest address to the location and told me his dad would meet me out there. I plugged the address into my GPS and started the hour plus drive.
I got there a little before his dad and was driving slow along the side of the road looking for a diaper. I finally parked and was walking along the side of the road when his dad pulled up. I followed him down the road a little further where we parked, got out, and introduced ourselves. He walked me over to the spot where I started searching the ditch around the diaper. Andy was walking along the road looking for the ring and in less than a minute, Andy said, “Look what I found.” He was probably 10 feet from me and a foot off the road. I took a picture of the ring and sent it to Brent saying “look familiar” and telling him his dad found it. He quickly responded saying “Are u kidding me. That’s great!” We worked it out that I’d drop it off at his house and surprise Allie. I followed Andy to Brent’s house and waited about a minute for Brent to show up.
I met Allie and told her Brent had called me saying that she lost a ring and asked her to describe it to me. I had it over my little finger with my hand in my pocket and as she’s describing it I held my hand up in the air.
She was very excited.
Andy, thank you, for your help!!
Jim
Man’s Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean at Ocean Isle Beach NC, Found 3 months later and Returned
I had originally received an e-mail from Katy L. on Sept 23rd telling me her husband had lost his wedding band while body surfing on Sept 15th. They were back home in Tennessee after a family vacation on the beach when the accident happened. We exchanged quite a few e-mails back and forth, one being a very special and extremely sentimental picture and story from Katy. After reading the story and seeing the picture my heart melted and I was determined I would give it my all to find this ring. I got to the beach and conditions were horrible, the waves were big and crashing on the beach. I waded out and was getting hammered by the waves when I got a good signal (which was not the ring). In the process of trying to dig the target I literally got picked up by a wave and slammed down in the water causing me to try and catch myself and ended up breaking the arm cuff to my detector. Anybody that metal detects knows how difficult it can be in rough seas without an arm cuff. So basically I was without a machine for the surf and called my son-in-law, Donnie and asked for his help. When he showed up he did the surf, getting knocked around and I did the wet sand with no luck.
A few days later, still without an arm cuff for my machine, I borrowed a detector from Matt Fry, TRF Myrtle Beach to give it another shot. When I got to the beach the conditions were just as bad as the first try. Again I waded out in the waves, getting pounded as I went. At some point I again got lifted up by a wave and slammed down. This time I tried to brace myself but buried Matt’s coil into the sand and ended up breaking the shaft holding the coil. Ok this was not turning out to be an easy recovery but I got both machines fixed and was ready to go.
Meanwhile, we had been getting some big hurricanes and storms off the coast that was driving tons of sand up on the beach. From the details I got from Katy on where her husband lost his ring, I knew it was there but getting buried deeper by all the sand. I was bound and determined I was going to find this ring so I kept going back hoping for better conditions and less sand.
After at least 7 trips by me and a couple from Donnie, today (Dec 18th) was the day. When I got to the beach at low tide I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Calmer seas (at least for this beach), at least a foot to a foot and a half of sand off the beach and a big cut in the sand. I started a north/south grid search from low tide out to about thigh deep, the water was cold!!!! Worked my way up the beach and started an east/west grid. Probably about 7 grid lines and I got a so-so hit on my White’s Dual Field PI that I dug. The target was down a good 12-15 inches and when I pulled it out of the hole I thought I had a bottle cap because it was covered in sand. I shook the scoop and bingo there was the lost ring. I knew in an instant I had the right one. I just stood there in awe, 3 months and 3 days, 8th trip and I had it. Even I couldn’t comprehend this one.
I flew home to check the picture Katy had sent me and I had her husband’s ring in my hand. I called Katy and reintroduced myself and said I’ve got 2 questions. First, what is your husband’s name and secondly what’s the address to mail his ring back to him. She lost it, made me lose it and neither one of us could talk. Then we had a true serendipity moment, her and her family were just finishing up with an early Christmas, opening presents, etc. when I called. She put me on speaker phone and I think everyone there was in shock. She also informed me a little later that on Dec 28th her and her husband, Will will be celebrating their 4th Wedding Anniversary. The timing on finding their ring, calling at the moment I did and getting their ring back to them before both Christmas and their Anniversary couldn’t have been better. This is exactly the reason I’m a member of The Ring Finders, it does NOT get any better than this!
Will and Katy – Merry Christmas and Happy Anniversary, hope you have many many more of both!!!
Katy, thank you for contacting me and trusting in me to help find your lost treasure. I wish you and Will all the best.
Katy gave me permission to post this very special picture.
Jim
Gold Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC
My wife and I were on a little get away in Gettysburg PA on Friday the 13th when I noticed I had a missed call with a voice mail. Listening to the voice mail, Frank D explained that his wife Diane was in North Myrtle Beach with some friends and had lost both her wedding ring and engagement ring in the surf. I called Frank back and explained I was out of town but I could contact my son-in-law Donnie and was pretty sure he could go look for me. I called Donnie and explained the situation and gave him Diane’s number.
My understanding was that Donnie and Diane had talked and were to meet on the beach a little later that evening. Not hearing anything from Donnie wasn’t giving me high hopes that he had found them. Donnie called later that evening and said he had no luck and was very sure he was in the right area and convinced he had covered the area very thoroughly. Fast forward to 8:15am Saturday morning and Donnie texted me a picture of the rings saying “Found them”. Come to find out Donnie had gone out early Saturday before he had to go to work and just happened to run into one of Diane’s friends walking the beach who told Donnie that she thought they were maybe 10 or so feet further south. Donnie told me on his second pass over the new area he got a strong signal and knew it was one of the rings, about a foot away he found the second ring.
Donnie – thank you so much for filling in for me, you do a fantastic job and are a great resource I can count on when I’m not able to answer the call.
Frank & Diane – thank you for allowing us the opportunity to find and return your lost treasure.
Jim
Man’s White Gold Wedding Band Lost, Recovered and Returned at Oak Island, NC
Sunday night I got an e-mail from Daniel G. telling me he had lost his wedding band on the beach at Oak Island, NC the previous Friday. In the e-mail he asked if I would be willing to drive to Oak Island and see if I could find it. I responded saying yes that it’d be no problem and then asked the normal questions – where on the beach, the time he lost it and the ring description.
The next morning Daniel had followed up with his responses as well as calling me. He knew exactly where he had been, what time it was and even down to the number of paces it was from the soft sand into the high tide line. Looking at the current tide tables, I saw I had about 4 hours before high tide so I headed out for the hour drive up there. Once I got to the beach I followed his directions and he couldn’t have been more exact on where it was. On my third grid line, in ankle deep water I got the signal. Two scoops and I had his wedding band in my hand. I took a picture of his ring and sent it to him with a text saying “Bingo”. While I’m standing on the beach waiting for his response, I noticed two ladies walking towards me. They walked up to me and introduced themselves as Daniel’s mother and his Aunt and informed me that Daniel had called them that morning letting them know I was going to be looking for it. They thought they’d come down and watch. I told them I had already found it and had sent Daniel a picture and text and was waiting for his response. Neither one of them could believe I had found it and were really surprised and excited for Daniel. Shortly after Daniel called and was very excited about his ring. He told me to go ahead and give it to his mother, which was good so it didn’t have to be mailed. A great ending to another lost ring story.
Daniel – Thank you for trusting me to find your lost treasure.
Jim
14K Man’s Wedding Band Lost in Myrtle Beach, Found and Returned
I got a call from Hunter about 3pm about his lost wedding band which turned out to be in Matt Fry’s area. I told him that one of us would call him back shortly. I called Matt and gave him the information and he told me he had some things going on and to go ahead and take it, so I did. I called Hunter back and we agreed to meet at 7pm.
Hunter and I met in his front yard and he told me the story. Their family heirloom wedding rings, which had quite a story attached to them, belonged to his wife Michelle’s aunt who passed them on to Hunter and Michelle as a wedding present. Michelle and Hunter got married on July 6th of this year and Hunter’s ring was too small for his ring finger so he wore it on his pinky finger. At some point during the celebration of their wedding and partaking of adult beverages the ring fell off his finger and has been lost since. Hunter had contacted another metal detectorist, not associated with The Ring Finders, a week after the loss who was unable to find the ring. He told me I was the last resort because their lease was up at the end of the month and they were moving. As I got started in my search Hunter handed me Michelle’s ring which was smaller but an exact duplicate that I tested with my AT Pro and got a solid 53 on the meter. A 53 on this machine is exactly where a nickel would ring up as. About 45 minutes later and after finding a buried nickel I got a second solid nickel reading and dug down through the grass and dirt to about 2-3 inches and this time it was Hunter’s ring. I cleaned it off and walked up to Hunter who was sitting on the porch. I showed him the ring and he flew out of the chair and gave me the biggest bear hug I’ve ever had. I took the ring back to get some pictures while he ran inside to tell Michelle. She came outside in utter shock and more hugs. How can it possibly get any better than this other than Michelle told me she had just found out she’s pregnant with twins. Wow!!
Hunter offered me a very generous reward but I agreed to take a portion if they’d use the rest to buy their new twins something from me. They agreed. Very happy ending all the way around!!!
Hunter and Michelle thank you for trusting in me to find your lost treasure and the very best of luck to you in all your future endeavors. Good luck with the twins!
Michelle’s wearing Hunter’s ring on her first finger for the picture, right after the picture it came off and put away until they can get it sized.
Jim
Man’s 14K Wedding Band Lost, Recovered and Returned Ocean Isle Beach NC
Got a call this morning from Jimmy asking if I could help find his lost wedding band. His wife Crystal had googled “Lost Ring Ocean Isle” and up popped The Ring Finders website which lead to finding me. Jimmy told me he and his family were on vacation from Virginia. He went on to say that he lost the ring in about thigh high water yesterday while throwing a ball back and forth with his son Caleb. We agreed to meet in about an hour and I was on my way.
When I got to the beach Jimmy, Crystal and Caleb met me at the beach access. On the way out to the beach I got a few more details and then Caleb walked us out to the area his dad was at when the ring slipped off his finger. The big question was whether Jimmy was right or left handed and did the ring slip off his finger or get slung off as he threw the ball. Luckily he’s right handed so it made for an easier search. I did a north/south grid line at the low tide line first knowing it probably wasn’t there but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity just in case. I then moved up the beach at the high tide line because people were starting to show up and I didn’t want to miss that opportunity either. After a few search lines I moved to an east/west search grid and after about 5 or 6 lines I hit it. Jimmy’s son was close and saw me hold up my hand towards Jimmy and came running over. He checked the inscription to confirm it was his dad’s ring and we had a match.
Jimmy was extremely happy he had his ring back to continue the 24 year story it held. Hugs and handshakes all around.
Jimmy and Crystal thank you so much for trusting in me to help find your lost treasure. Caleb, thank you buddy for putting me in the right area and best of luck on your new career, I think you’re going to do great!! Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip home.
Jim
14K Man’s Wedding Band Lost and Recovered in Cherry Grove, SC. Returned to Owner in Indiana
On Sunday, July 16th I got a heartfelt e-mail from Sarah W. wondering if I had found a Man’s 14K wedding band in the Cherry Grove area of North Myrtle Beach SC that had been lost the previous Thursday night, July 13th. I wrote back that I hadn’t and asked her for some details, time it was lost and where her husband Eric was in relation to the beach (dry or wet sand or in the water). We went back and forth with numerous e-mails including google satellite maps with areas of the beach highlighted. Every ring call is very very special in its own way but occasionally you get one that tugs at your heart strings for whatever reason. When she wrote saying that her husband’s original ring was getting too big for him so she had bought him this new one and gave it to him on his birthday last month, she had me. We ended our e-mails with me telling her that “I can’t promise miracles but I do promise you I’ll give it my best shot”. A few hours later I was on the beach working from the dry sand to the mid-tide area that was highlighted on the google map going outside the area on all four sides. After a little over 3 hours and finding very little I called it a night knowing I was going back out first chance I had. I had sent Sarah an e-mail saying I hadn’t had any luck not letting her know I was planning on going back out. Monday morning I got an e-mail from her thanking me for looking and offering gratuity for time and gas. I wrote back telling her thanks but it was my pleasure and that I was planning on going back out.
Fast forward to Tuesday morning, I woke up early so I could be out on the beach working the outgoing tide to low tide. Another 3 hours plus and again I’m not finding very much of anything after going from thigh deep at low tide to the high tide line doing both north/south and east/west grids. By now I’ve got about 40 yards of beach left to search, the crowds are starting to show up taking some of my search area away and really no place else to search. BANG, I get a booming signal on my stand-in Gold Quest machine. Dug a scoop and flipped it out on the sand and there it was, I was 99% sure I had the right ring. Sarah had told me about the very special inscription she had put on the inside of the ring but I didn’t have my glasses and there was no way I could read what it said. I walked down the beach to a small pool of water and washed the ring off. I then walked up to a much younger man playing with his son and asked him if he could tell me what the inscription said giving him the first 2 words, he read the rest and I had it.
I had already played it over in my head on how I was going to tell Sarah I found it. So, I sent her an e-mail saying my e-mail was acting up and if she’d call me or give me a number to call her because I had a couple more questions. When she called I gave her a little pity story about how I’d been searching, blah, blah, blah and then I said I’ve got a couple of questions to ask 1-what is your husband’s name and 2-what address do I send his ring back to? She caught on instantly “you found it?”, and tears of joy rang out. I got it in the mail today and it’s on his way home!! A little later in the afternoon she sent me the following text that put a smile on my face – “And you said you couldn’t promise a miracle!”
I got a text message today, Friday from Sarah that she had received the ring and giving me another big Thank you. Mission Complete!!!
Sarah and Eric thank you for trusting in me to help find your lost treasure. Best of luck in all your future endeavors.
Jim
Man’s 14K Gold Wedding Band Lost, Recovered and Returned on Ocean Isle Beach NC
I got an e-mail from Kim asking if I could help find her husband Trevor’s lost wedding band during low tide. I responded saying that there shouldn’t be a problem and we agreed to meet at 7:30pm. During the 35 minute drive, I noticed a nasty storm brewing and moving my way quickly. I met Kim and as we’re walking to the beach she told me what happened. She said her husband had lost his ring the day before while wave surfing with the kids. They had been out later that afternoon and searched with no luck and her husband didn’t want to waste anymore vacation time looking for what he thought was gone for good. She had (discreetly) looked on the internet and found me though TheRingFinders directory and decided to contact me for help.
We walked out on the beach to an area in the wet sand marked on 4 corners with a big X . I’m watching the storm move closer, with big lightning strikes off in the distance, so I started my grid search. I wasn’t finding anything between the X’s so she told me that the ring could be a little outside of the X’s that she had previously marked. I expanded the grid and on my third row I hit a good solid 59-60 on my AT PRO. It took me 3 scoops to get the ring out of the hole. I dumped the sand on the beach, spread it out with my foot and saw a small glimmer of gold. I reached down and picked it up, blew the sand off the ring and turned around to give it to her. She was overwhelmed with joy and a few tears were shed, which gets me every time! I got a huge hug just as her husband and 3 kids were walking onto the beach. I think she had just texted him that we found his ring. He was extremely happy as well. It just doesn’t get any better than this and this is what it’s all about.
Kim and Trevor thank you for everything including trusting me to find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a very safe trip home.
Jim
Thank you for reading my blog.