Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 3 of 22

White Gold Engagement Ring Lost in the Outgoing Tide, Found and Returned Cherry Grove, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

On Sunday, June 25th, I was sitting at home waiting to return on a search where the beach was packed with tourist when I received a text from Haley. Her text said “Hi my best friend lost her ring about 5 minutes ago at the north side of Cherry grove pier right by the water line. If anybody turns it in or finds it, could you please let me know!! It’s her engagement ring.” I immediately responded asking “You want me to come look for it?” She responded with a picture of the ring and said “Yes please!” I asked her to call me and gave her my number. Almost instantly she called and I got a few more details, told her I’d be there in 10 minutes, grabbed my Equinox 800 and hit the road. This is Sunday, so parking is almost non-existent for the beach. I’ve got a few hidden spots but even those were taken. I did find a spot that I’m not sure I parked legally, but I didn’t have a ticket when I returned to the car.

As I’m walking out on the beach I called Haley saying I was there. As I’m walking towards the pier, Claire came running up to me and told me she was the one who lost the ring. I asked what happened and she told me she was looking for shells. She continued saying that when she reached for a shell, her ring slipped off her finger and disappeared. She also said her ring was a little loose on her finger. I asked what her ring was and she responded that it was White Gold. We continued walking to the water line and she showed me, almost exactly where she had lost it. I noticed the waves were pretty rough breaking on the shoreline, so I wanted to see what I was up against. I walked straight out in the water, across a bed of broken shells, barefooted no less. After about 10 feet I dropped from ankle deep to about chest deep which explained the breaking waves. After I fought the current and made my way back up to a workable surface; I started a grid line back to where Claire, Haley and another young lady, whose name I didn’t get, were standing. I made my turn and walked back to about ankle deep and hit a great signal, showing an 8 VDI (visual display indicator) which was in the ball park for a white gold ring. I dug a big scoop of sand and shells, checked the hole, which was quickly filled back in, and knew I had the target in the scoop. I walked up to where the young ladies were standing and dumped the scoop. I checked the pile of sand with the detector and found the target. I think I told Claire that we might have it. I spread the sand out with my foot and we all were checking out the sand. Suddenly one of the ladies saw it barely sticking out of the sand and said something like “there it is.” Claire saw it and scooped it up. Bingo! She was now holding her precious treasure and holding back some tears. She was very excited.

Ladies – this was truly a team effort!

Claire, so happy you got your lost treasure back where it belongs.

Jim

   

Gold Chain with 2 Gold Crosses lost in the dry sand, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

On Sunday, June 25th, I woke up to an early morning text from Aly saying “Hi There, I lost my daughters necklace with 2 crosses on it yesterday in the sand by my Condo. How much do you charge to look for it?! It was a present from her grandmother and she has since passed away.”I responded asking her to call me. I explained the details of me looking for lost items and she agreed to have me come and see what I could do. I told her there might be a parking issue, since this was Sunday and all the tourist are in town. She told me I could use an extra parking pass she had for the condo so I was on my way.

When I got to the condo, and Aly and I walked out on the beach, it was packed with tourist. She showed me the likely area of the loss and there was no way I could do a complete search at that time. Weaving in and around people, I was able to do maybe 10% of what needed to be done. I did what I could and told her that more than likely, somebody was sitting on the chain and crosses and I’d be back between 4 and 4:30. So I went back home to wait. In the meantime, I received 2 other calls which turned out to be 2 more stories. But back to Aly’s chain and crosses. I was back on the beach at Aly’s Condo about 4 and there were still 3 groups of tourist sitting exactly where I needed to search. I was able to eliminate a few more areas but not what I knew I needed to do. Aly had shared a couple of selfies she had taken with her daughter, Alexa. In the pictures, it gave me a pretty good angle of where they were sitting in relation to the life guard stand, which proved to be perfect. I texted Aly and told her the people were still sitting in the area and I’d be back in about an hour. When I got back about 6, the area was clear. I text Aly saying “I’m back” and started my grid search. Patience paid off, although I’m not a patient person. Within about 30 minutes, I got a solid signal and an 8 on the VDI (visual display indicator), which indicates Gold! I dug a scoop of sand, shook it out of the scoop and saw the first cross, then saw the chain hanging out of the bottom of the scoop. I gently pulled the entire chain and both crosses out of the scoop. I took a quick picture, wrote “BA Bam!”, and sent her a text. She responded almost immediately with “Omg!!” She showed up a short time later with Alexa, who took possession of her special treasure.

Aly – Thank you for allowing me to help find Alexa’s lost treasure.

Jim

   

Platinum Engagement Ring Lost in LuLu’s Restaurant’s Big Sand Box, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a frantic call from Amanda saying that I had been referred by Joe Denton of Denton’s Detectors in Little River, SC to help find a lost Platinum Engagement Ring. She said she had placed both her wedding band and Engagement ring on top of her phone that was on the arm of her beach chair. Later she told me that her husband had picked up the rings for safe keeping and had dropped them in the soft sand. They had found the wedding ring but the elusive engagement ring was still buried in the sand. I told her I’d be there in 20 minutes and to please excuse my appearance when I showed up because I was a mess from doing yard work. She replied that if I find it I’d get the biggest hug no matter how sweaty I was. So, I grabbed my Equinox and headed out.

When I arrived and met Amanda, she showed me a 5 foot by 5 foot area where the ring should be. I turned on the Equinox and started swinging. There was a lot of interference but when I hit a solid 11 on the VDI (visual display indicator) I knew I had her ring. When I shook the sand out of the scoop and saw the ring, I looked at her with a surprised look on my face and she knew. When I handed her the ring, she couldn’t hold back the tears, and yes, I did get my big hug! She then told me that she had sent her husband to Walmart to get a metal detector and had just text him her ring was found. I’m sure he was happy. She also told me they had a flight to catch in an hour, hope they made it!

Amanda – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

       

Yellow Gold Diamond Engagement Ring Lost in the weeds, Found and Returned Holden Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

On Friday, June 16th, I received a call from Jacob saying he had lost an engagement ring off the back deck into some bushes and asked if I could help. He also said that a friend had gone to rent a metal detector. I told him I’d wait to see if they could find it themselves and I’d check back with him. About an hour later, I called him to find out how they were making out. He told me they had been looking for about 3 hours and hadn’t had any luck and asked that I come on up and help. I told him absolutely and I’d be there in about 45 minutes. Got his address, grabbed my gear and hit the road.

When I got there, Jacob and his bride to be, Peyton, were sitting on the outside stairs. We introduced ourselves and they walked me around the back of the house. I was expecting to see a second story balcony, but fortunately the porch was on the main level. Jacob explained that he was standing at the rail looking at the engagement ring and it slipped right out of his hand. He told me he saw it hit the deck and roll off into the weeds and bushes. He had pulled some of the weeds in his effort to look for the ring. I turned on my Equinox and went to work. At one point I used my Gold Bug, but found it to be useless with all the nails, a few bottle caps and pull tabs, that over the course of time had been thrown off the porch. I thought this would be easier than it was or easier than what I was making it. Finally, after almost an hour and researching the weeds that Jacob had cleared out, I moved left towards the end of the porch. I finally got a double signal. I was looking for a VDI (visual Display indicator) of 8-10. I was getting a signal of around 15 and one at 9 within inches of each other. I turned on the pinpointer and started sorting out the targets from the dirt. Bingo! I pushed her buried ring out of dirt. I think we saw it about the same time and I snatched it up. Jacob said something like “here it is.” Peyton, who had been sitting on the ground very patiently, jumped up. She asked me if she could give me a hug and I jokingly told her it was mandatory before she got the ring back. Seeing the joy and excitement on their faces, made this entire search worth every second.

Jacob and Peyton – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. I wish you both all the best in your lives together. Have a safe drive back home.

Jim

   

Yellow Gold Engagement Ring Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Wrightsville Beach, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call from a very upset Emily saying she had lost her engagement ring and wanted to know if I could help. I asked her what beach she lost it and she replied, “Wrightsville Beach.” I told her it’d take me about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. I also asked her if she could meet me on the beach and she said she could. I got the beach access number and told her I was on my way.

I got there a little faster than I thought, my heavy foot on the gas helped. I texted her and told her I was there and she immediately texted back, saying we’ll be there in 10 minutes. I asked her which way do I need to go when I get on the beach and she told me to the left and up to 50 yards from the access. When I got to the beach, I cranked up the Equinox 800 and started an east/west grid from the access entrance north. About my 4th grid line, a lady came up to me and said that there had been a young couple who had lost her engagement ring earlier in the day. I explained that the young lady had called me and I was there to help find the ring. I asked if she knew about where the couple had been, and she pointed up in the dry sand about another 10 yards from where we were standing. As I’m heading up to the new spot, Emily came running out on the beach. We introduced ourselves and I asked the description of the ring and where she thought she had lost it. She said the ring was a yellow gold engagement ring with a diamond and had fallen out of a shirt pocket. She then pointed to the same area the lady had shown me. I walked up and swung the coil, and immediately hit a target showing a solid 14. Yellow gold is going to show a VDI (visual display indicator) in the low to mid teens. Unfortunately, a pull tab shows a solid 14, so I wasn’t sure if I had a pull tab or her ring. One scoop of sand and there was her beautiful engagement ring. Emily had made her way down towards the water trying to eyeball her ring lying in the sand. Mike, her fiancé, was standing there and I showed him the ring asking if it’s the one. When he said yes, I held the ring up and yelled at Emily, “Is this what your ring looks like?” She came running!!! She was so excited, with tears rolling down her cheeks she said, “`She had been crying all day.” I replied but now they’re tears of joy.

Emily – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure, its back where it belongs.

Jim

     

Man’s Rose Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Sunset Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a text message about 7:50 p.m. Wednesday evening saying “Hi Jim, I found your number on-line with ring finders. I noticed my wedding band missing around 4:45pm today while playing football in knee deep water on sunset beach, around high tide. We figured it was a lost cause as we don’t even know the exact spot we lost it and with losing sunlight, but after getting kids settled for the night saw your number and figured I would reach out. Thanks for your consideration, Matt.” I immediately called him, got a few more details and let him know I could be there in about 30-35 mins. He agreed, so I asked him to text me the address, grabbed my Equinox 800 and headed out.

When I arrived, Matt and his wife, Ashley was anxiously waiting in the driveway. We walked down the beach access behind the house and out on the beach. Matt showed me the suspected area, saying that his younger brother thought Matt was straight out from the stairs. He also stated that his mother thought he was farther west of the steps. I turned on my machine and started a little farther west than what his mother thought. Looking for a rose gold wedding band, I was expecting a VDI (visual display indicator) in the high teens (17-19). I started a north/south grid search running from the high tide line out to about knee deep in the outgoing tide. By the time I got started it was dark, and I mean dark. The sky was overcast so no moon or stars. I had a headlamp, but don’t usually use it if I grid in the water for fear of attracting bait fish, which attracts bigger fish. It was also getting harder to see my grid lines. After about an hour and a half, I hit my first target. It was ringing up between 19-21, which is normally in the penny range, but with the different metals used to make rings it’s hard to tell sometimes. When I started digging the target, Matt came over to watch. I told him this sounds like a penny but let’s see what we got. Once I got the target out of the hole, I turned my headlamp on. Matt had a flashlight and he turned it on, and we started moving the sand around. Finally I got a glimpse of the target – Bang!!!! There was Matt’s wedding band. I handed it to him and he said something like, “he wasn’t sure if he was happier about the ring being found or more amazed that it was found.”  We decided we’d surprise Ashley, but I think she was hanging out on the balcony and may have heard our plan. It all worked out in the end and I left a very happy couple able to continue a great vacation.

Matt and Ashley – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation with your family and have a very safe trip back home.

Jim

   

White Gold Band Lost in the dry sand, Found and Returned in North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a somewhat frantic call from Sherri saying that someone had referred me to help find her lost ring. She said that she had taken her ring off and put it in the cup holder of her beach chair to apply sun screen. When she packed up to leave, she forgot about the ring until the chair had been folded. I confirmed she was in the dry sand when it happened and she said she was. I told her I’d be there in 15 minutes, grabbed my Equinox 800 and hit the road.

When I got to the hotel she was staying out, I called her as I was walking across the board walk to the beach. I saw her at the same time I spotted another detectionist searching the area. Not good, but I understand people are more interested in having their lost item found and not who finds it. When I got to the spot, I recognized JR who is a local beach guy that detects a lot. JR said he hadn’t been able to find it and was getting ready to expand the search area. He also said he had gotten an iffy signal in the sand but nothing solid. I saw the area where he had dug with his small shovel. I asked Sherri for the details and she pointed out the small area she thought she lost her white gold ring in. White gold should ring up around 11 VDI (visual display indicator). I turned my machine on and JR asked me to check the area he had the iffy signal. Two steps and I hit a solid, loud 11, just what I expected. Got the target in the scoop and shook out the sand. BAM!! Sherri’s ring was in the scoop.  I held the ring up for Sherri and she was holding back some tears. JR asked if he could run his detector (Equinox 600) over the ring to see what he got as a signal. His machine sounded a very weak signal and he said he had walked away from it thinking it wasn’t the ring.  Nevertheless, Sherri had her very sentimental ring back.

Sherri, Thank you for trusting me in helping you find your lost treasure. My prayers are with you on your journey over the next few months, I wish you only the very best.

Jim

 

2 Rings (Gold Class Ring w/Black Onyx and Gold Ring) Lost at Holden Beach NC – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Lose a special ring or other sentimental piece of jewelry, cellphone, keys or other metal object. Call or Text Jim Wren ASAP at 843-655-5889.

On Tuesday at 6:28 p.m., I received the following text message. “Hi! My name is Leah. I am in Holden Beach until Thursday with some friends on a breach trip! We just graduated college and I lost my class ring in the sand. Was wondering if you were in the area/available to help me search??” I tried calling her and it went to voice mail. So, I responded to her text asking her to call me. When she called, she told me she had lost 3 rings but her and her friends were able to find 2 of them. She knew the area and they were lost in the soft sand. I told her it should be a piece of cake to find it and I could be there in 45 minutes. She agreed and said she’d pin the area and send it to me. So, I grabbed my 2 Equinox 800s (one as backup) and headed out.

When I arrived, I called her and she said she’d be there in about 5 minutes. She told me her rings were a little to the right of the beach access and straight out but not past the drop off (erosion). When she arrived, I was already on the beach doing an east/west grid search. We discussed the area and how she lost her rings. She moved me further to the west and stated that her rings were in a bag that had a hole in it, unbeknownst to her until she realized it later. She had marked the 2 spots where the other two rings were found, which helped. So, I refocused and changed me grid search to a north/south search. Within 4 grid lines I hit a little gold ring. Not what I was looking for, or so I thought. About 2 steps away, I hit another good signal and pulled her Gold Class ring w/black onyx out of the sand. I held it up and asked, “Is this yours?” She came running over with her hands over her mouth and said, “That’s it!” While we were standing there talking, I told her I had found another little gold ring. That’s when she told me she had actually lost 4 rings, but really wasn’t concerned about the 4th ring. She also said she wasn’t sure if it was gold or not. When I got the original signal, the tone and numbers from the machine indicated gold. But nonetheless she was thrilled she had all 4 of her rings back. She also told me she had just gotten her class ring in the mail a few days earlier. She was so happy and excited to get her rings back.

Leah – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasures. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip home. Best of luck to you in your future!

Jim

Man’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost Playing Football, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Got a call from Zach asking if I could help find a lost ring? I got the details of when, where and how.  I grabbed my Equinox 800 and hit the road. He sent me the address for 14th Ave North, and for whatever reason I went to 14th Ave South. After realizing my error, I turned around and headed north. I called Zach and told him I’d be there in about 8 minutes. Zach told me his friend was waiting near the beach entrance to bring me out on the beach. When I got close, I saw a young man standing on the corner. I pulled over and ask if he was the guy waiting on me, he was. As we walked out on the beach he told me his name was Sean and he was the one who lost the ring. I asked him to tell me what happen. He said they were here for a bachelor party and had been throwing a football around. He said he dived to catch the ball and his hands went in the sand. He also said he didn’t realize his ring was gone until a little later.

As we arrived at the group of guys enjoying the beautiful day, I introduced myself. Sean showed me an area that had stakes at each corner, maybe 20×20 ft. I asked him where he thought he made the dive to catch the ball and he responded about in the middle. I asked what kind of ring and he replied Tungsten. So I knew I was looking for a VDI (visual display indicator) around 16. I turned my machine on, looked at Sean and said “How bout we get that ring back on your finger in less than a minute.” Sean just looked at me. I started at the middle end line, took about 10 steps and got the 16 I was looking for. I took a scoop of sand, shook out the scoop and saw a Tungsten ring in the bottom. I walked back towards Sean and asked him what his ring looked like. He described it to a T! He then made the comment, “that was less than a minute.” Sean was a very happy and thankful young man.

Zach – Thanks for calling me to help find Sean’s ring.

Sean – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

 

Man’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost, Found, and Returned White Lake, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Shortly after starting the lawn mower to get the grass cut, I got a call from William asking if I could help find his lost wedding band. I asked the normal questions and learned he had lost the ring the day before in White Lake. I don’t scuba dive, but have a son-in-law that’s helped me before and does, so I asked him how deep. He explained that he was sitting on the pier/boat dock fiddling with his ring when his son jumped on him. That action sent the ring flying, hitting the dock and disappearing into the water. He told me the water around the dock was about two feet deep, and the clearance under the dock was about an 8-10 inches. I asked a few more questions and asked him to send me the address. I plugged the address in my phone and told him I’d be there about 1 pm (just about an hour and a half drive). I grabbed my detector and headed out.

When I arrived at his house, he was outside waiting and we drove down to the dock. Conditions were as near perfect as they could be, with the exception of the water being a little cold. I made my way out in the water and along the side of the pier. When I got to the suspected area, I started swinging my detector. Being a Man’s Platinum wedding band, I was expecting a 12 on the machine’s VDI (visual display indicator). My first target rang up as an 18, so I made another swing and hit a solid 12. Bingo! I used my beach sand scoop and pulled his ring out of the sandy bottom. I laid the scoop on the dock and asked if it that was his ring inside. When his face lit up, I knew we had it. The responses from returning a lost ring are priceless!

William – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure.

Jim