Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 20 of 31

White Gold Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost on Ocean Isle Beach NC – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I had gotten a referral off of a Face Book page about a young lady who had lost both her wedding and engagement rings on Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Her name, Leanna, and phone number were in the referral, so I called her. When she answered, I introduced myself and told her that I was a member of The Ring Finders, explaining what it is that we do. I also gave her The Ring Finders.com web site so she could verify the service as well as who I was. She asked about the cost of the service, and I explained I did this on a reward basis, so if she wanted to do a reward it was totally up to her. Leanne and her husband had traveled back home and weren’t in the area so after talking with her husband, they agreed to have me look. She explained that she had taken her rings off and put them in a bag and left them in a cup holder on her Aunt’s beach chair. It wasn’t until they left the beach and got to the end of the beach access, did they check and find the rings weren’t in the bag. The chair and all the rest of their belongings had been sitting in the dry sand. Her husband stated they were set up to the left of the beach access, about 3 houses down.

This would be my second search for the day on Ocean Isle, just 4 blocks apart. I had already called Jim Brouwer to help me search for the other ring. Thinking this would be a quick search; I decided we’d look for this one first and then get the second one. It never fails, the ones you think should be quick and easy never are. Jim and I got to the beach and saw people set up right where we needed to search. We started our search weaving in and out of chairs, umbrellas, and people. There were a few couples that moved for us after they knew what we were looking for. I took a quick picture and sent it to Leanna to confirm we were searching in the right area. After about 45 minutes, with no luck, we decided to go after the other ring. Our plan was to come back a little later when most of the people would be gone.

After a successful find on the other ring, we showed back up to look for Leanna’s rings. There were still a few people but not near the crowd. As I’m doing a grid search, two young ladies (Virginia and Nadia) walk up to me. They tell me their cousin had lost her wedding and engagement rings the day before. I asked them if their cousin was Leanna, which they replied “yes.” I told them those were the rings I was looking for. We went back and forth about what happened, and I told them Leanna and her husband thought they were behind the 3rd house. I asked them what they remembered about the loss. Right off, they both said that they thought they were a little further east and about the middle of the dry sand. I talked to Jim, and we dividend the new search area in half. I worked the middle of the dry sand walking east, and Jim worked closer to the slope going east. About 10 minutes, I see Jim digging out a scoop of sand, and reaching down and picking something up. He walked over and handed me Leanna’s wedding band. He then walked back to the spot, swung the coil over the area, took another scoop and pulled out her engagement ring. I took both rings and laid them in the sand to get a picture. I sent it to Leanna with a text saying BA-BOOM! I then called her and ask if she got the text, she said she hadn’t checked her phone for a while, I told her she needed too! I heard her kind of gasp and said something like “Oh my goodness.” She was one happy young lady.

Leanna – Thank you for trusting us to help find your lost treasures.

Virginia and Nadia – if you read this, Thank You both for getting us in the right spot, it made all the difference.

Jim – Once again, thanks for your help!

Jim

  

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Man’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost on Ocean Isle Beach NC – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a late evening e-mail from Kim advising that her husband, Dondi had lost his Tungsten wedding band. Her e-mail included a description of both the ring and the likely area it was lost in. The area she described was between a local Inn and the pier at the beach access with two red poles. I had a good idea of the search area, but was unfamiliar with the two red poles. I responded to her e-mail, asking a couple of questions and sent a Google earth map picture with the area broken down in a couple of squares. My initial impression was this was going to be a tough search. Luckily, she eased some of my concern when she responded that the search area was about half what I thought it might be. She also told me that her and Dondi had left to go back home. So, I was looking for a ring that had been lost 2 days before, within a 3 hour time line, and from the dry sand to beyond the low tide line. Plus, they weren’t going to be there to actually put me on the spot. Not a big deal, but I thought it’d be a good idea to get a little help. I called Matt Fry, the Myrtle Beach Ring Finder, who already had other plans, so I gave Jim Brouwer a call. Jim’s always up for a challenge and someone I can trust and depend on.

Shortly after talking to Jim, I got a referral off Face book. These were a lady’s white gold wedding and engagement rings that were lost the day before, in the dry sand, and just 4 blocks from my other search. Now, I’m glad I called Jim and got some help.

After a short attempt at finding the lady’s rings, because of the crowd, we decided to go after Dondi’s ring. When we got to that search area, we found the red poles, and divided the search area in half. I took the west side and Jim took the east side. It was just about low tide, so we started our grid searches. I started about knee deep in the ocean, Jim started above the low tide line, this way our detectors wouldn’t interfere with each other. After about an hour, I had finished my search area. I went back to the water’s edge and started a cross grid of both search areas, working my way up the beach. Meanwhile Jim was working his way up to the high tide line. Another 15-20 minutes, I see Jim walking down the beach towards me. Jim doesn’t give up, so I knew that meant only one thing, he found the ring. Sure enough, he walked up and dropped the ring in my hand. I took a picture of the ring in the sand, added a text saying “BINGO,” and sent it to Kim. I then called her; I could clearly tell she was overwhelmed. She told me she was gardening when she got the picture, and she screamed and jumped up. Dondi and her neighbors thought that she had gotten snake bit, thank GOD that didn’t happen.

Later, Kim told me that a friend of hers had told her about the ring finders, and that’s how she found me. She also mentioned that she hadn’t told Dondi that she had contacted me until they were on their way home. She confidently told him that she really felt like I was going to find it, because she had been praying for 2 days. Kim, to be honest, I had a little conversation with the Big Man upstairs as we walked out on the beach, no doubt it helped!

Kim and Dondi, Thank you for trusting The Ring Finders, and Jim and me to find your lost treasure!

Jim – Thanks so much for your help.

Jim   

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Wedding Band Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned at Ocean Isle Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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My wife and I had just sat down and ordered dinner when I got a text message saying “Hi, is this Jim the ring finder?” I called the number and talked to Blythe, who stated she was on the beach taking photos and when she stood up and brushed the sand off her pants, her Tungsten wedding ring went flying. I told her that I’d be there between 9:30 and 10.

After dinner, I dropped my wife off at home, grabbed my gear, texted Blythe telling her I’d be there in about 30 minutes. When I got to the beach, I met Blythe, Cassi and their dog, Jasper. It was very dark as we made our way out to the beach and the area both Blythe and Cassi were sure they were when Blythe’s ring came off. I turned my Equinox 800 on, literally took two steps and got a solid 17 on the machine. I knew I had Blythe’s Tungsten ring. This is the type of ring searches we pray for – lost in the dry sand, and the owner putting us in the exact spot! I scooped the sand up, checked the hole and knew I had the ring in the scoop. As I shook the sand out of the scoop, I heard the familiar sound of a metal ring clanging in the bottom of the scoop. Cassie and Blythe heard it too. I walked over to Blythe, holding the scoop out for her to pluck her wedding band out. Cassie kept saying “you found it already?” Big smiles and hugs, and I think Jasper even got a little excited.

Blythe and Cassie, thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure! Have a great rest of your trip and a safe drive home.

Jim

      

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Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Matt Fry’s (TRF Myrtle Beach) wife, Sunny saying that Matt and she were on the highway and Matt just got a lost ring call. She asked if I could take it for him. I asked her to text me the man’s phone number. Shortly after getting the number, I called Randy to get the details. Randy told me his wife had lost her rings and wondered if I could help. I told him I’d be there in an hour.

When I arrived at their location and was walking out on the beach, I text Randy saying I’m here. As I walked on the beach I saw Randy waving his hand, so I made my way over to them. I introduced myself and asked what happened. Randy’s wife, Lesa, said the rings were within about a 6 ft radius and she had taken them off and put them on the towel, forgot them until she shook out the towel. I asked if the rings were separate or soldered together, she said they were separate and both rings were yellow gold. I turned my Equinox on and took 6 steps. First signal was a VDI of 16 so I knew I had one of the rings. Took a few scoops to get it, but as I lifted up the scoop I saw the small wedding band. I turned around and handed it to Lesa, who was trying hard to hold her emotions. A couple more swings and I got another signal, 12 on the VDI, scooped it up and had her beautiful engagement ring. As I handed her the second ring there was no more holding the emotions, a few tears fell, but they were happy ones! Total search time was about 30 seconds.

Lesa and Randy, thanks for calling The Ring Finders and so glad we could help. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Matt, thanks for the call, happy I could help.

Jim

   

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Man’s Rolex Watch Lost and Found in the Lockwoods Folly River, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a text message from Mark on Thursday, Aug 29th saying that he had lost his Rolex watch, while fishing, in the Lockwoods Folly River and wondered if I could help. At some point, Mark told me that his wife, Joanna, had gotten him the watch as a present and it had a great deal of sentimental value attached. He knew the watch, itself, could be replaced, but not the memories.

I was concerned about the depth of the water and what the bottom of the river was. He said the depth was about 5 feet at low tide, which is pushing my limit, and didn’t know about the bottom. A lot of the marsh bottom in North and South Carolina has what’s called “Pluff Mud.” In earlier century’s it was called “Plough Mud,” because it was used to fertilize cotton fields that were depleted of nutrients. Anyway, it is nasty, it’s made up of dead grasses, fish, crabs, shrimp, and anything else that dies and decays in the water, it stinks, literally! When you step in it, it sucks you down, and what was at your ankles is now at your knees or thighs. So I was real anxious about searching in those kinds of conditions, but agreed to meet him on Saturday. I talked to my son-in-law, Donnie, who is a certified diver, about it and was thinking of him taking this call, but decided I’d give it a shot. Donnie has helped me on a number of searches, and I knew he’d jump at the chance of this search.

On Saturday, Mark and Joanna picked me up at one of the boat docks in Holden Beach, NC and we took a 20-25 minute boat ride to get the search area. Matt told me that the evening he lost his watch that he was having problems with his outboard motor so he was getting his trolling motor ready to use to get him back home. At some point in the process, he hit the trolling motor with his watch making the clasp come apart sending his watch in the water. When we got to the search area, Mark beached his boat and told me the search area was within 15 feet of the stern of the boat. We were bucking a strong current, but managed to search the area for a couple of hours or so. After searching what I could, I knew I was in over my head, and I’d need Donnie and his scuba diving abilities to help. While we were waiting for the tide to come back in, because we were now high and dry, and grounded on the beach; I called Donnie. I let him and Mark work out the details on the date and times both were available.

Fast forward to Monday, Donnie and Mark met at the same boat dock and headed out around 6:30am. I got a text from Donnie about 11:30 saying “No luck” but he was going to get lunch, fill up his air tanks and go back out with Mark and try again. At 6:22pm Donnie texted: “found it!” I got a few details from Donnie about his search, and the picture and video of him and Mark.

Donnie – thanks so much for your help and your “awesome” scuba skills and “fantastic” underwater metal detecting services.

Mark and Joanna – so happy and excited for you that Donnie was able to find and recover your lost treasure!

Jim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=LAk1V40FH2Q&app=desktop

     

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Lost Gold Wedding Band in the Ocean on Caswell Beach, Oak Island NC, 100th Return!

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This ring call came as I was walking out the door en route to help find a lost Rolex watch, which wasn’t found and turned into a much longer search than I anticipated. When Matt first called, I explained the situation to him, but told him that I expected to be finished in time to meet him at his location during low tide. By the time I finished the first search, and arrived at the beach, where Matt had lost his gold wedding band, it was an hour and a half before high tide. I met Matt and his wife, Mary and we walked out to the beach. Matt pointed out the area he lost his ring, and told me he and a friend had been playing catch with a football. Matt said he noticed his ring felt a little loose. A couple of catches later, he felt his ring slip off his finger and disappear in the ocean. Matt was savvy enough to immediately get some land marks, which helped. From his description on when and how he lost his ring, I knew I didn’t have much hope of finding it on this trip. I went ahead and started a grid line, trying to get out as far as I could without dying. I checked with Matt on whether I was going out far enough and he said both Mary and her friend thought he was farther out when he lost it. After being hit and thrown by three consecutive waves, the last one, making me lose my grip on both the scoop and detector, and having my swim suit down around my thighs, I decided to call it a night. I felt so bad that I wasn’t able to give Matt a descent effort in finding his ring that I promised him I’d be back at the next low tide, which just happened to be at 3:24 a.m. We had one more chat before I left so I was sure I had all the details.

I got back to the search area at 2 a.m. a little tired but ready to go. We’re in the moon phase just after a new moon, so there was absolutely no moon light to search by and it was darker than dark out there. I started a grid line search trying to keep the lines straight and in line with each other with the aid of my head lamp. I went from an invisible line I had paced off earlier, from the top of the beach next to a “Keep off the Dunes” sign. I knew then the beach was going to be a lot different almost 6 hours later. I started a little west of the landmark Matt gave me and went back and forth from the top of the beach to the low tide line and nothing. I kept expanding the search area both east and west and still came up empty. By now, it’s 4 a.m., I’m tired, sweaty, and sore, I’ve done close to 4 miles of walking in two separate searches. I’m 100% positive Matt’s ring was lying in the sand someplace on this beach. So, I was having a little chit-chat with the Big Man upstairs and I was a little cranky, to say the least. So out of nowhere, the idea of searching the area again, doing a cross grid popped into my head. I cut the search area down; concentrating on the area Matt gave me in the first place. On my third line, BOOM, I got a solid signal. I dug a scoop of sand, dumped it on the beach, and spread it out with my foot. I ran the coil over the area, found the signal and scooped it up. There it was, all covered in sand, but I had it. I looked at the hole and saw my grid line that ran right beside it, so I had walked right over the top of it and missed it, so I must have zigged instead of zagged. Matt told me the inscription on the inside of the ring, so I had to go back to the car and use the light so see it. It was a perfect match. I had asked Matt earlier if he wanted me to text him if I found it in the middle of the night, or hold on to it and contact him a little later in the morning. I knew his answer before I asked but I let him make the decision. At about 4:20 a.m., I sent him two pictures of his ring, one of them the inscription, with a text saying: “Good Morning Sunshine, I’m sitting in the parking lot, let me know you’re awake.” I got an immediate response “I’m up, be down in 5.” As soon as I handed Matt his cherished ring, all my self-pity disappeared and I remembered exactly why I do this. There’s no better feeling!

Matt and Mary, thank you so much for trusting me to find your lost treasure. Have a great rest of your vacation and a safe trip back home. This is another chapter you two can add to the long story this ring will carry.

   

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Lost in the Sand, Sentimental White Gold Diamond Pendant North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a text message from Joe Denton, Minelab and Garrett metal detector distributor in North Myrtle Beach, saying “Call this lady. Names Teresa and she lost her necklace.” Joe gets the occasional frantic calls from people looking to buy or rent a metal detector because they’ve lost a ring or other piece of Jewelry. When he does, he usually steers ‘em my way.

I called Teresa and left a message, she quickly returned my call. She said her necklace had broken and her pendant fell in the dry sand. She gave me the resort name and I told her I’d be there in about 15 minutes. When I met up with Teresa and her husband, Ronnie, they showed me the suspected spot in the dry sand. I got the details and found out the pendant was a white gold pendant with diamonds. I started up my Equinox 800 and did an east/west grid and didn’t get a signal, other than a soda can buried deep in the sand. I started a cross grid going north/south and still wasn’t picking anything up. Ronnie had told me that they were sitting in one area, went to lunch, and when they came back they moved up and over to a new spot on the beach. Teresa also said she walked down to the water to rinse her hands off after apply suntan lotion. I widened the search area, including getting wet in the incoming tide, and still wasn’t finding anything. At that point, I switched to my Gold Bug II thinking maybe the Equinox just couldn’t detect the pendant. I’ve also learned to always take a second detector; nothing is more embarrassing than to start a search and your machine’s not working. I was starting to worry that I might be searching the path they took when they went and came back from lunch, too. I started another grid line with the Gold Bug, and on my second line I got a scratchy signal. I took a small scoop of sand and laid it out, ran the detector over it and got a better signal. I spread the sand out with my foot and picked up a small patch of sand. I gently shook the sand out of the scoop and saw a shell and the back part of the pendant. I turned around to find Teresa standing on the beach, held the pendant up for her to see I found something. She got the “did he really find it” look on her face. She literally ran over, and when I handed her her pendant, she was overwhelmed! Her happiness, tears, big hug, and the Thank you is exactly why I enjoy doing this so much.

Teresa and Ronnie, so glad I could help find your special 2 year old Valentine’s Day present. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip back home.

Jim

  

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Lost Cell Phone in Myrtle Beach, SC – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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George called me from his wife’s phone saying he had lost his phone and wanted to know if I could help find it. When he gave me the hotel name, I was pretty sure he was in Myrtle Beach, which he confirmed. That’s Matt Fry’s area, so I told George that I’d call Matt and one of us would call him back within 10 minutes. I didn’t have any luck getting a hold of Matt, so I called George back and told him I’d be there in about 30 minutes.

When I arrived at the beach, it was pretty crowded. I called George to let him know I was there and he said he’d be right down from the hotel. When he arrived on the beach he pointed out the area, which at the time, was being occupied by two young ladies. As I started walking over to them to ask them if they’d mind moving, they started packing up to leave, so no problems.

I started doing an east/west grid line, and on the third leg I got a 31-32 on the Equinox 800 so I knew I had he’s phone. Surprisingly, the phone was deeper than it should have been after less than 2 hours of being in the sand. I very carefully used my scoop to get the phone out of the sand, saw it lying in the hole, and reached down and pulled it out. George was in a little bit of shock, but very happy he had his phone back.

George, thanks for contacting me to help find your phone. Have a great rest of your vacation and a safe trip home.

Jim

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Sentimental Diamond Stud Earring Lost on Ocean Isle Beach NC, Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Daniel early this morning, July 21st, saying his wife Ashley had lost a Diamond stud earring, and asked if I could help find it. He said that they had been walking from their rental across a wooden boardwalk leading, over the dunes, out to the beach. I haven’t had much luck finding small stud earrings, so I told him I didn’t think I’d be able to find it. After thinking about it for 30 minutes, I called him back and told him I’d give it a try but it wouldn’t be until about 10 pm that evening. I also told him to bring his wife’s matching earring so I could test it with my machines to see if one of them could detect it.

Shortly after 9 pm, and after having dinner with family members here for a family reunion, I grabbed my Gold Bug II, and my Equinox 800 and headed out. I called him en route and got his address. Shortly after arriving, we met up on the street and he led me to his rental house, where I met Ashley. She had the other earring so I laid it in the sand next to the driveway and turned on the Gold Bug, wham, I had a strong signal. Ashley lead the way out on the boardwalk stopping at the spot she said that she felt something hit her chest, then she heard it hit the wooden boardwalk. She reached up to her ear and didn’t feel the earring. The spot we were standing at was about 8 feet high above the sand dunes. I made my way out to the beach and came up on the other side of a neighbor’s access. It was a small search area and I was very careful not to damage or destroy any of the undergrowth in the search area. I got a good signal and started sifting the sand through my hand as I continued to check the area. When I hit hard ground I knew it wasn’t the earring. I took a few more steps and got a strong signal and again sifted the sand through my hand. At one point I saw the earring move as I grabbed some sand. I reached down through the sand until I felt the earring, I picked it up, blew the sand off, and held it up for Ashley to see and reach down for. After making my way back up to the boardwalk, I got a big smile and hug. She told me her mother had gotten those earrings for her, and later Daniel had bought her a matching necklace. She was very upset that she had a beautiful necklace and only one earring. Now she has both earrings back and both Ashley and Daniel are an extremely happy couple again, which is why I do this.

Ashley/Daniel – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Have a great rest of your vacation and a safe trip back home.

Jim

 

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Man’s White Gold Wedding Band Lost in North Myrtle Beach, Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I received a late night email from Kim saying that they were here on vacation with some friends and one of them, Tommy, had lost his wedding band. She asked if it was something I could possibly help with. I replied asking if he thinks he could put me in the right area and to give me a phone number and I’d call him this morning for the details. She wrote back saying she thought he could and gave me his number. I think she was emailing me while Tommy and his wife were searching for his ring in the dark.

I contacted Tommy at about 8:15 this morning, waking him up, and got the details and location. Told him I’d be there in about 20 minutes and was on my way. These were perfect conditions because it hadn’t gotten hot yet with a heat index over 100 and there shouldn’t be the big crowds to contend with.

When I arrived, I walked out on the beach and called him saying I was there. When we met, he was standing in an area of soft sand that was maybe 10ft X 10ft. He told me that he had handed his ring to his wife to hold while he put sun screen on himself and her. He wasn’t sure what happened after that, but at the end of the day, the ring couldn’t be found. I started a grid line and just as I started the 4th line, Boom, I got a solid 12 on the Equinox 800. I dug a small scoop of sand, checked the hole to make sure I had the ring, and dumped the sand. As I did, I saw the glistening of his white gold ring lying in the sand. I reached down, and picked it up with the scoop, shook the sand out, and walked over to where Tommy was standing. I stuck the scoop out for him to see his ring and then he reached in and plucked it out. Overjoyed was definitely an understatement in this case.

Kim, I didn’t get to meet you, but thank you for reaching out to me and putting me in touch with Tommy.

Tommy, thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure, and getting it back where it belongs. Have a great rest of your vacation.

Jim

 

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