Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 24 of 25

Husband’s Silver Wedding Band Lost in the Sand – Found. North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a very nervous phone call from Londa about 1130pm on Oct 22, 2015 asking if I could help find her husband Wayne’s wedding band that he lost in the sand. She said they had just gotten married the day before and were on their honeymoon from Lexington NC. She went on to say that they were sitting on the beach and when her husband stood up he was cleaning the sand off himself and shook his hands when his ring went flying. I told her I’d be there in less than 30 minutes.

When I arrived she met me in the parking lot and we headed to the sand. As I got to the beach I saw Wayne with a flashlight looking for his ring. Thankfully, Londa had already drew a line in the sand showing me where they were sitting. Wayne showed me where he was standing when the ring came off his finger so I started my grid. By his description I figured the ring would have gone towards the ocean but actually ended up closer to the dunes. It took me about 5 minutes to find it and I let Wayne pick it out of the scoop. Needless to say they were one happy couple!!! This will be one more memory in a long life together.

Londa did everything right by calling very shortly after Wayne lost his ring and by marking off the area he lost it in.

Wayne and Londa, Thank you very much for the generous reward.

Thank you for reading my blog

Jim

 

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Man’s Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Surf – Found and Returned – Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a referral from my son-in-law on a lost ring he saw on Craigslist. I contacted Ruth, whose husband, Todd had lost his wedding band while they were here on vacation from North Carolina. After talking with Ruth she explained that the wedding band had originally belonged to her father and that Todd took a liking to it and started wearing it about 6 months ago. Ruth also said that Todd had lost the ring in the surf about 2 hours before high tide.

I got the description and location which I then learned was lost behind a resort in Myrtle Beach. Normally I would pass this off to Matt Fry the TRF member in Myrtle Beach but I didn’t want to further complicate this so I took the request.

I ended up at the location and searched extensively for the next 3 days during the low tides with absolutely no luck. By then I was convinced someone else had found the ring. After my third search, I contacted Jim Brouwer, President of our local MD hunting club, asking him if he’d put the description out to the other members to see if anyone had found the ring and if so, was willing to return it.  Jim replied saying he had found a similar ring around the same location. Wow, what’s the chances of this all falling into place? I contacted Ruth the next day asking if she could provide a picture of the ring and her husband’s ring finger size.  About 3 hours later Ruth sent me the information and I forwarded it on to Jim along with Ruth’s contact information. Bingo – we had an exact match. Jim got the ring in the mail and back to Todd and Ruth.

A big thanks goes to Jim Brouwer for his complete understanding, cooperation, and willingness to help return a treasure and put a smile on Todd’s face.

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College Ring Lost in the Ocean FOUND 6 Weeks Later, North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Evan on Friday, Sept 11th asking if I could look for his ring that he lost Aug 7th while on vacation here from Texas. When he called I was on a little weekend vacation with my wife and at the time we were on a tour boat to Ft. Sumter SC. I told him I’d be glad to look and I’d call him back Sunday for the details.

I ended up texting and then calling him Saturday night and got a general vicinity of where he lost his ring. In our conversation he said that he and his wife were here vacationing with his Law school buddy but he wasn’t familiar with North Myrtle Beach and wasn’t real sure where they were. He told me that he is confined to an electric wheelchair and thought they were close to the Cherry Grove beach. He also sent me a video that his wife had taken that showed his friend Gary carrying him out into the surf and the point that both were knocked over by a wave causing the ring to come off Evan’s finger. Luckily the video showed Gary carrying Evan past 2 posts stuck in the sand with a sign attached to one of the posts to indicate the location of a drainage pipe. This helped narrow the search area but I still wasn’t completely positive of where Gary and Evan were. Early Sunday evening I went to the presumed area looking for the 2 posts with a sign and the drainage pipe. There were two possible locations about 3 blocks apart so I did a 360 degree video of both locations and sent them back to Evan and his wife, Summer to look over and see if anything looked familiar. Evan and his wife both were pretty sure the 1st video was the right spot. I returned later that evening and searched until just above low tide at 2:30 am. I went back again on Monday at low tide and I still wasn’t convinced I was in the right spot. Evan was finally able to get a hold of Gary and Gary’s father on Wednesday and confirmed I was in the right area.

Thursday I was back at the same spot and searched from the dry to the wet sand and out into knee deep surf. Still no luck except for totally cleaning the dry sand of every bottle cap and other piece of trash in a 25X75 ft. area!!! Meanwhile I was e-mailing back and forth with friend Jim Brouwer, and president of one of the metal detecting hunting clubs in Myrtle Beach to see if he knew of anybody in the club that might have found the ring. In one of the e-mails Jim asked me if I had found it yet and I told him no but was going back out on Saturday at 4pm and if he wanted to come out to come on.

Saturday, I got there a little early after studying Evan’s video over and over again. I tried to position myself exactly where I thought Gary had started walking into the surf. Then I estimated the angle Gary walked since he didn’t walk straight in. I counted the number of steps (38) and the length of each step Gary took. I drew out a square gridline dragging my scoop in the sand. I also drug the scoop at the angle I thought Gary walked from the spot I thought he started to the low tide line and then started my grid search. Jim showed up around 5 and started a grid to the south of where I was. My search was from North to South and Jim’s was from South to North, after a number of passes I had to stop because Jim’s machine was interfering with mine. Jim ended up moving a little further south and started working a North to South grid. Right at 6:15 I had a medium signal right under my angle line I had dug in the sand showing my estimated line Gary walked. Bingo I had Evan’s College Ring in my scoop. I couldn’t believe it.

After 6 weeks and a day of being lost I wasn’t sure the ring was going to be found. We’ve had a lot of sanding over here and there’s always the possibility of another metal detectorist finding it. I had my PI set at maximum sensitivity and it took 4 or 5 scoops to pull it out from a depth of at least 10-12 inches or more.

Evan had shared his story with me on just how important his ring was to him and it truly touched me. Every ring return brings me great joy but this has a very special meaning and one I’ll never forget!!!

I mailed Evan’s Ring Monday and he got it today, Wednesday. I got a text from him saying “WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE!!!! You have mail coming your way but will never understand how grateful I am for you and all of your tireless hours!!!!”

This is what this is all about and it just doesn’t get any better than this.

Evan – Thank you so much for the opportunity and your trust in me to find your treasure!!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Jim

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14K White Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Surf – Found! Cherry Grove, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got an e-mail from Kevin about a lost ring I had posted on Craigslist that wasn’t a match to his. So after a few e-mails back and forth I met Kevin on the beach at 9am on Sept 22nd. Kevin and his family were here on vacation from Georgia and he told me he was playing Frisbee with his sons on Sept 20th. In the process of catching the Frisbee he misjudged catching it and felt his ring fly off in a different direction than the Frisbee went

I set up a 30X60 ft. grid and started searching. On the 6th pass I got a good strong signal, dug a shallow scoop and there it was. I called him letting him know I had found it and he came right down from his room with a big smile on his face.

Kevin really helped me out on finding this ring by getting landmarks and knowing the area he lost it in.

Kevin – Thank you for the generous reward.

 

Thank you for reading my post

Jim

 

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Ring Lost in the Ocean – Found in the Wet Sand at North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call on September 6th from Amy asking if I could help find her daughter Adrianne’s engagement ring that was lost in the ocean during the incoming tide. After finding out the resort location I was on my way and arrived in about 15 minutes.

I got there about 6:30 pm and found out Adrianne was on her way back home for work the next day so I met Adrianne’s younger sister Samantha (Sam). Sam gave me a general location and explanation on where and how the ring was lost. She also told me the ring was “silver” with a diamond on it. The story was that Adrianne was playing catch in about knee deep water an hour or so before high tide. Adrianne attempted to catch the ball which she miscalculated just a little jamming her ring finger when she felt her ring slip off.

It turned out to be a long night, a couple of heavy storms with wicked lightening moved through and I wasn’t having any luck finding the ring. After 4 hours of grid searching (north/south, east/west and circular) I called Amy and let her know I’d be back around 7am the next morning. Thinking I was going to have to expand my search area quite a bit and that it probably wouldn’t hurt to get some help. I e-mailed TRF member Matt Fry (Myrtle Beach) and friend Jim Brouwer, author of the book “Gold Beneath the Waves, Treasure Hunting the Surf and Sand” asking if either of them would be available the next morning.

I got back the next morning at 6:45am and started another north/south grid. Around 9:30, after getting rained on again, I looked up to see Jim walking down the beach. At this point I could have literally kissed him for showing up but refrained because the condo patios and the beach were getting pretty crowded with people. Anyway, I gave Jim the lowdown on where and what. Suggested he start looking in the area going north and I’d go south. Two hours went by and I see Jim walking towards me again, wasn’t sure if he was calling it a day (which I doubted knowing him) or he found it. When he got to me he asked if I was sure it was a “silver” ring that we were looking for and that he got a 12.04 hit on his CTX 3030. Owning a White’s PI I had no idea what a 12.04 was, but Jim informed me it wasn’t “silver”. Ok, so I asked if he found it at which time he dropped this beautiful 14K White Gold w/approximately a 3/4 Karat Diamond on it. Wow, my instant hero!! I asked where he found it and I’m almost positive I had gone over that area at least 4 times between last night and this morning. I did a quick test with my PI and I got a very faint signal with the ring on top of the sand so I very likely could have missed it buried the inch Jim found it at which I’m not sure why. My PI should have easily picked it up.

After thanking Jim at least 10 times for his help, I slipped the ring over my little finger and dropped my gear off at the car. I found my way up to Amy and her husband Brian’s condo room and knocked on the door. Amy came to the door and I started giving her a song and dance about how we’ve been searching for so long and that it was raining again and then I paused to let it sink in. Then I stuck out my hand with the ring and said “And we found it”!! I can’t describe her excitement other than to say it was awesome. Sam quickly texted Adrianne who was busy at work. Another fantastic outcome thanks to a friend’s help. Thank you Jim Brouwer!

I got a text from Amy a little later saying Adrianne was speechless, she breathed the biggest sigh of relief. That’s what this is all about!!

Brian and Amy thank you so much from both Jim and me for the very generous reward.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Jim Wren

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Lady’s 14K White Gold Wedding/Engagement Rings Lost in the Sand – Recovered in North Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Got a call at about 11:15 am from David saying his wife, Rose, had lost her Wedding/Engagement Rings in the sand and wanted to know if I could help find them. Told him I’d be there in 15-20 minutes.

David met me in the parking lot and on the way out to the beach explained that he and his wife suspected their little daughter may have picked the rings up out of the cup holder in the beach chair. Once we got on the beach I met Rose and the little culprit, who looked so innocent.

I made a line in the dry sand with my scoop that measured roughly 10X15 feet and had David and Rose clear the beach umbrella, beach chairs and other items from inside the search area. On the third pass I had the ring. I turned around to Rose and asked her what the ring looked like but she already knew I had found it because of the rattle in the scoop as I shook out the sand. I held the scoop up and let her pull it out. Another successful recovery with big smiles all the way around.

Total search and recovery time was under 2 minutes.

David and Rose, thank you very much for the reward.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Jim Wren/The Ring Finders/843-655-5889.

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Man’s 14K White Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean – FOUND in the Sand at Litchfield Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call in the early evening on 8/19 from Kevin, who with his family, was visiting from Virginia. He told me he was body surfing and was knocked into his daughter by a wave when he felt his wedding ring slip off his finger. He said he pretty much gave it up as gone forever but then later saw how much difference there was between high and low tide and thought there might be hope. He found me through The Ring Finders site and asked if I could help try and find it.

He gave me the location and a description of the ring and after checking the tide tables, I saw that the low tide was at 5:33 am the next morning. So after doing the calculations of drive and search times I told Kevin I’d be there by 4:30 in the morning and that he didn’t have to meet me there that early and I’d call him when I found the ring. I set my alarm for 3 am, which is way to early and dark to start a search for a ring but it worked. I got there about 4:15 am and marched off the 75 yards Kevin said he paced from the dunes and added another 25 yards. Kevin also told me it was about 5-10 yards north of the stairs of the beach access and I made it 15 yards. Dragging my scoop behind me I made a nice little search grid that put me right in the middle of the mid-tide line. I’m thinking this is a good sign and there is hope in finding this ring.

After a north/south grid search and finding nothing, I started an east/west grid over the same area and on my first line I extended my search grid to the low tide line. Coming back on the 3rd line, I got the one and only signal I had and Bingo. The ring ended up being buried about 4-5 inches deep and about 105 yards from the dunes. Naturally my head lamp batteries were too weak to show enough light but luckily I had grabbed a flashlight out of the car before I hit the beach and what I had in the scoop matched his description. I texted him at 5:17 am saying “Good morning, does this look familiar?” and added a picture of his ring. Got a response in about a minute saying “Incredible”. I also told him I was going to go eat breakfast and I’d be back about 6:30, this would give him a chance to wake up. When I got back, him, his wife Kristi and 2 young daughters were walking towards the beach. We introduced ourselves and then proceeded out to the beach so he could see where I found it. He told me that since he was getting his ring back that it was such a great start to the day that he and the family would watch the sunrise. And what a sunrise it was!!

Total search time was 45 minutes.

Kevin and Kristi – Thank you for the very generous reward and the opportunity to help you get your treasure back.

Kevin did all the right things in ensuring he had the best opportunity in getting his ring back – he paced off the approximate location and had land marks to his lost ring.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Jim Wren/The Ring Finders/843-655-5889

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Man’s Wedding Band Lost in the Sand – FOUND Sunset Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Shana asking if I would help find a Silver Wedding Band lost in the sand at Sunset Beach NC. I told her I’d be glad to help but I was at the movies with my wife and I couldn’t be there until about 10pm, which she agreed to. After the movies, I called Shana to let her know I was on my way, dropped my wife off at home, grabbed my gear and headed for the beach.

I arrived just prior to 10pm and met Jake, who was the one that lost his ring, and his wife, Maria at the beach access path. On the way out to the beach Jake told me that he was playing volleyball and when he hit the ball his ring flew off, he also gave me a description of the ring. Luckily they had left the net up and set out small light loops in the area they thought the ring would be in. He also let me know that about 15 family members had been digging through the sand in an attempt to find it. I let him know, for future reference, that it’s not really a good idea to try and dig through the sand because you could actually be burying the ring  deeper.

I started a north/south grid along the length of the net and on the same side where he thought the ring was and found a few junk items but no ring. I then did an east/west grid over the same area and came up with nothing. I was getting a little concerned that the ring may have been buried due to all the digging. I took a couple of steps outside the playing area and the net pole on the far side to start an expanded search, took two steps in the new grid and Bingo. I knew immediately I had it. I took a shallow scoop, shook out the sand and there it was. I nonchalantly walked back over to Jake and asked him again to tell me exactly what he did when he felt the ring fly off his finger and then asked him to describe the ring again, once he finished I held the scoop up to him and asked him if his ring looked like this one. Once he shined his flashlight into the scoop and saw his ring he got an instant smile from ear to ear and so did Maria.  It doesn’t get any better than this! On the way back to the car, Maria let me know that they’re heading back home tomorrow so this was a Must find tonight.

Overall, this was an easy search but we were all surprised how far the ring flew from hitting the ball with open hands.

Jake and Maria – thank you for your generous reward and have a safe trip home.

Thank you for reading.

Jim

 

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Man’s Silver Wedding Band Lost in the sand – Found North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I received a phone call from a third party asking if I’d contact Brian to possibly assist him in finding his Silver Wedding Band on the beach. I called Brian and he agreed that he wanted me to help in finding his ring so I jumped in the car and was there in about 15 minutes.

Brian and his wife gave me the details on what the ring looked like and the area of sand it should be in. I squared in the area, confirmed it and started doing my grid search. On my third line I got a strong signal, took a scoop of sand and shook it out and there was his very handsome ring. I called him over, held out the scoop and let him take the ring out. He gave a big fist pump and his family broke out in applause. His bride had a big smile on her face and gave him a kiss – what a moment!!!!!

This was a text book recovery thanks to Brian getting the ball rolling as soon as he lost his ring that resulted in a very happy ending!!!

Brian – thank you for the generous reward. Hope you and your family have a safe and relaxing vacation.

Remember – if you’ve lost your ring, jewelry or other treasure contact a member of the Ring Finders as quickly as possible.

Thank you for reading my Blog.

Jim Wren

 

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Miracle find on 20th Ave N., North Myrtle Beach

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a phone call about mid-morning from Michelle asking if I could help find her son’s black and silver medallion on a silver chain that was very sentimental to him that he lost the day before. She had originally called Chris Turner who told her to look for a TRF in her area. She then called Matt Fry, TRF for Myrtle Beach and Matt gave her my number since the loss was in North Myrtle Beach.

I got the description of the medallion and the location of the loss and headed out. I met Michelle and her son on the beach about 20 minutes later and they gave me the general area where the medallion was lost after a towel the item was laying on was picked up and shaken. I started working a north/south grid which was almost impossible as the beach crowd started showing up with their umbrellas and beach chairs laying claim to spots in the sand. I covered as much area as I could without disturbing anyone and decided I’d return in the early evening when the vacationers would be off the beach.

This is where the story turns into a real “Serendipity” (as defined by Wikipedia). I arrived back on the beach at about 5pm, which was an hour earlier then I had told Michelle I’d be there. As I’m walking down the narrow beach access path, which was not the same one I had originally taken on my first visit, I passed a gentleman (Jimmy) who wished me luck. I told him I was there searching for an item that I had gotten a call from someone on. He asked me if I was searching for a black and silver medallion and silver chain with a date engraved on the back. I replied I was and he told me he and his wife saw a little glisten in the sand when they arrived and pulled it out of the sand. He said he took it to his room to turn in at the front desk a little later. I about fell over at this point. I called Michelle and had her verify the engraved date and told her the story which she just couldn’t believe. She called it a miracle. I put Jimmy on the phone so he and Michelle could work out the details of returning the medallion.

This is an unbelievable story that has to go down as Michelle put it – a miracle. What’s the odds of me walking down this particular path instead of the other one, running into this one beachgoer out of the thousands that come and go on this beach in a day and us exchanging conversation to find this item? Plus I don’t think Michelle and her family are staying in the same hotel as Jimmy and his wife, so if that’s the case Michelle’s son would not have gotten the medallion back. Also if I hadn’t run into Jimmy I’d of been out on the beach for a long time searching for something that wasn’t there.

I may not have personally picked this item out of the sand but I bumped into the one guy who did and because we met the goal of The Ring Finders of getting a lost item back into the hands of the rightful owner and putting a BIG smile on their face was obtained.

Michelle – Thank you for the generous reward!!!

Thank you for reading my post.

Jim Wren

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