Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 5 of 31

Man’s White and Yellow Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Recovered and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Shortly after 11 a.m., I received a text from my son-in-law, Donnie who’s a North Myrtle Beach Police Officer asking, “Can you come to 23rd Ave South, ring?” I replied “sure.” He then added, “It’s in the water, kind of shallow but the tide is coming in. 2 hours before high tide.” He also sent me a name (Clete) and a phone number. I called Clete to get a few more details and told him I’d be there in about 10 minutes.

When I arrived at the beach, I met Clete as I was coming off the boardwalk. He walked me out to the area where he had marked the spot with a kid’s shovel buried in the sand. He said it was 50 steps out to the area. I looked at what 50 steps would approximately be, and I was prepared to get wet, but 50 steps would put me under water. Then he let me know it was 50 heel to toe steps, ok a little better.  I had him mark off the steps and he ended up about waist deep in the water. I turned my machine on and started my walk out to him. The water was cold!!! I caught a few waves that put me shoulder deep, but things were good. I did a couple of grid lines from shore to the spot with no luck. I then started at his spot and worked a grid around that spot. Suddenly, I got a good signal ringing up between 10-12. For the type ring he described, I was in the ballpark. I had to keep the coil on the target and butt the scoop up against the coil. Then move the coil out of the way to try and dig the target. After the third scoop, I had the target in the scoop. I let the waves wash the sand out of the scoop and Bingo; Clete’s ring was staring up at me from the bottom of the scoop. I removed the ring and clutched it in a closed fist as I walked back to shore. I looked up and saw Clete and Ashley, his wife, making their way towards me. Clete asked, “Did you find it?” I held out my fist and handed his lost treasure back to him. He was so relieved and grateful.

Donnie – thanks for the referral!

Clete – thank you for trusting me to help find and return your precious treasure. You and Ashley enjoy the rest of your family vacation!!

Jim

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Man’s Rose Gold Wedding Band Lost in a Severe Storm on the Beach – Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Last night I received a text message about 12:20 am from Savannah saying, “Hello, my husband and I are at North Myrtle Beach, and we were out this afternoon taking family pictures with our children and got stuck in a really bad storm and as we were running off the beach my husband’s ring flew off. I was wondering if you guys helped find rings or if you knew someone that could. We know the area it fell off but think sand is over it due to how bad the wind was.” I immediately responded asking her to call me, which she did. I got a few more details and told her I could be there in about 10 minutes. She agreed, so I grabbed 2 detectors and headed out. I don’t like to leave a ring on the beach for too long. There’s so many locals and tourist that metal detect all hours of the day/night depending on the tides. So, there’s always a chance a ring will be found and kept by the finder.

I arrived at the location and Savannah and her husband, Dwight was waiting for me in the parking lot. They walked me out to the area, and I could see that they had put in a good effort to try and find the ring with their hands. It wasn’t a real big area, but after quite a while of gridding and then cross gridding, I wasn’t finding Dwight’s ring. They decided to call it a night sometime after 2 am, after I assured them I’d text them when I found it. I grabbed my second detector, with a 15” coil out of the car and started all over again. I expanded the search area 10 ft past the end point and worked an east/west grid. I went from the bottom of the dunes to the top of the slope, probably 35-40 yards end to end. By now, I was way outside the assumed area Dwight said he felt his ring slide off his finger. After at least another 30 minutes, I got a very loud and solid signal. It showed me a vdi (visual display indicator) of 20-21. Of all the rings I’ve found, a man’s Rose Gold band was not one of them, so I didn’t know what number to expect. I dug a shallow scoop of sand and saw a quick glimmer of gold as I lifted up the scoop. Shook the scoop and there was Dwight’s ring sitting in the bottom of the scoop. BINGO! It was now 3 am, but I text Savannah anyway with a picture of the ring. Almost instantly she responded, “Coming down now, thank you SO MUCH. We met up and I handed Dwight back his lost treasure. Both were extremely happy. We met up again this afternoon so I could get some pictures. This is their last day of vacation so at least it’ll be a good one! Looking back on this find and discussing it with Savannah and Dwight, there’s no logical explanation of how the ring ended up so far away from where it should have been. The only thing we could come up with is that the wind was blowing so hard, it literally blew his ring 30-40 yards down the beach. It was a very strong wind though!

Savannah/Dwight – Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to help find your treasure. Best of luck to you both and have a safe trip back home.

Jim

 

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

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Shortly after 9:30 a.m., I received a call from an Alabama phone number. Sam was on the other end and asked if I could help him find his wedding band. He said he was brushing the sand off of his hands and felt his ring come off. He said he saw it land in the dry sand and disappear. He also said that he tried looking for it but couldn’t find it. I was getting a wheel bearing replaced at the time and told him as soon as it’s done, I’d be on my way. I also suggested that he quit digging because he’d either bury it more or possibly move it. I called him back within 30 minutes and told him I was on my way and to send me the address, which he did.

When I arrived at the hotel and parked, Sam met me as I walked off the elevator. He walked me out to the beach and showed me the maybe 5×5 ft area. These are the type of searches we hope for. He told me the ring was a white gold wedding band. So, I knew I was looking for a low teen number on the Equinox 800 VDI (visual display indicator). I turned the machine on, took one swing and hit a solid shallow signal showing a 14 on the VDI, Boom!!!! Because I was moving the target with the scoop, trying to take shallow scoops, it took me 3 scoops to get the ring out of the sand. But I got it! Handed the ring back to Sam, who quickly put it back on his finger where it belonged.

Sam – Thank you for calling me and allowing me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip back home.

Jim

 

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Yellow Gold Engagement Ring Lost in the Surf, Found and Returned Murrells Inlet SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This recovery started with a text message saying, “Good afternoon, Jim, are you still in the business of searching for rings? We are visiting from Ohio and may need your services.” I called the number attached to the text message and spoke with Kevin. He told me that the ring had been lost about 10:30 a.m., which was right at mid tide. When I asked how deep, I heard a young lady in the background say ankle deep. Timing was perfect because it was now about 2 p.m. and the tide had turned, and it was now low tide. I told him I could be there in an hour, he agreed, and I was out the door.

When I arrived, I met Caroline, who had lost her yellow gold engagement ring. Caroline, her mother, Beth, Caroline’s fiancé and I walked out to the beach. They pointed out where they had been sitting and then Caroline showed me the area she had been. The story was that she was throwing a football with her right hand and shortly thereafter looked at her left hand and the ring was gone. I started an east/west grid search, perpendicular to the ocean. Knowing the ring was yellow gold, and looking at the size of it, I knew I was looking for a VDI (visual display indicator) of mid-teens on the screen. About my 3rd grid line, I got a great signal and a solid 16 VDI. I glanced up at Caroline and gave her a smile, positive I had found her ring. I was surprised trying to scoop her ring out of the hole, in just a little over 4 hours the ring was about 6 inches deep. When I got it out of the hole and found it in the sand, I held it up so Caroline could see it. She had her hands over her mouth, but she was very happy and relieved to get her treasure back where it belongs. On the way back from the beach, as we crossed the street to the house, the other 17 members staying in the house (family, I assumed) were cheering. One gentleman jokingly said that I would be the dedicated ring bearer at Caroline’s wedding in Cincinnati, Oh in Aug.

Caroline – I’m so happy I could help find your lost treasure and get it back where it belongs. I wish you all the best in life.

Jim

  H

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White Gold Wedding Band and Engagement Ring, Lost in the Surf, Found and Returned in Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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A little after 6:30 p.m., I received a text from Maryline that said, “Hello, I found your contact on the internet to help find lost rings. Lost mine today on Myrtle Beach. I’m wondering if you could please help out.” I asked her to call me so I could get the details. When she called, I learned she had lost her rings in the soft sand, and she could put me in the general area. I asked her to text me the address and was on my way.

On the way there, I got another text from her saying, “We are checking some pictures we took, and it seems like it could have fallen on the wet sand or the sea.” Uh-oh, I’m thinking we may have a problem if the rings were lost in the water. We were just coming off of high tide; so I might not be able to reach them. I called her to verify the time. She said one of the pictures showing the rings, while holding her baby in the surf, was about 4:30. Ok, that was about an hour before high tide. So, things were looking good again, the tide had turned, and it was getting close to an hour after high tide.

I met Maryline in the parking lot of the resort and we walked a couple of blocks to the beach. She walked me out on the beach and showed me where they had been sitting. She then took me down towards the water and showed me the general area where she was sitting with her baby. I started a north/south grid line about ankle deep with plans to work up the slope towards the dry sand. My thought was that if she was sitting in the surf and had put her hands in the wet sand, her rings would come right off her finger. I was probably three quarters of the way up the slope and hit a solid 6 on the VDI (visual display indicator), which is exactly what I was expecting for a white gold ring. A couple of inches away I was picking up an 8 on the VDI, again what I’d expect for a little bigger white gold ring. I took a scoop of wet sand and dumped it on the beach. I immediately saw her small wedding band. Boom!! I held it up and Maryline came running, jumping and screaming to get her ring. Now to get the engagement ring out of its hiding place in the sand. Unfortunately, the waves were filling up the hole with water and sand, burying the engagement ring. Suddenly, I wasn’t picking up the engagement ring on the detector. I think the ring got turned on its side and my detection area was now very small. So basically, I was digging blind and pulling up big scoops of sand. I finally pulled up a scoop and before I could run the detector over it, Maryline’s brother-in-law, TD saw it and reached down in the ball of sand and pulled it out. Maryline started jumping up and down and she got so excited that another couple came to see what was going on. Finding people’s lost items and handing it back to them never gets old.

TD – Thanks for your help!

Maryline – Thank you for calling me and allowing me to help find your lost treasures.

Jim

 

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Gold Chain with Turquoise and Gold Pendant Lost in the sand, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This adventure started about a quarter to 7 pm, on May 15th, when I got a text saying, “Hi! This is Morgan A. I recently lost my necklace today on the North end of Myrtle Beach a few yards to the right of the parasailing set up and banana boats. I am wondering if you are able to find it. We go back home tomorrow to Idaho, and I am desperate.” I called the number attached to the text and talked to Morgan. I asked her if someone would be able to meet me to show me the area it was lost in. Unfortunately, she was an hour and a half away, so that was out of the question. Next, I asked her if she could send me a Google Earth Map with an outline around the area, which she could and did. She described the necklace as a thin 14K gold chain with a turquoise and gold pendant. I told her that I doubted I would be able to find the chain because thin gold chains are almost impossible to find with a metal detector. I had her describe the pendant, and she said it was turquoise and gold and about the size of a dime. At this point I told her that I thought we’d have a chance finding the pendant. I told her I was on my way, grabbed my detector and was out the door.

When I got there, I verified the area with the Google map she sent as well as the bar area she mentioned when we talked.  She had also mentioned a big sign with the number 29 on it. I wasn’t sure what she was talking about until I got there and saw a rental chair spot that had a big sign with 29 on it, now it made sense. I started a grid search and then took a video of the area I was searching and sent it to her for confirmation. She confirmed the area and told me it was a little more to the right and almost behind the bar. I wasn’t sure what kind of signal, if any, I’d get if I hit the pendant. So, I was checking every signal I hit, which was a lot of pieces of trash I had to check. After almost an hour and a half I got a solid signal and a 6 on the VDI (visual display indicator). Knowing what I was looking for, I felt this put me in the ballpark, or at least I hoped! I took a shallow scoop of sand and as I lifted up the scoop. I saw a quick glimmer of a gold chain fall out of the scoop and disappear back in the sand. I stuck my hand in the sand and tried to feel the chain. Bingo!! I pulled the chain out, saw the turquoise pendant and knew I had it. It was dark by then, so I packed up, chain in hand, and left the beach. I found an area with light and took a picture and sent it to Morgan and then called her. When she answered, I said “check your text.” Then she said, “you found it!?” She asked if she could meet me, it’d take about 45 minutes. So, I happily waited until they showed up. When they arrived, I got to meet Morgan and her boyfriend, Terreck. Morgan and Terreck were so happy and excited. The back story to the necklace is that Terreck had bought it for her about 4 months ago. It was the first gift he had gotten her, so their story together began.

Morgan and Terreck – Thank you for allowing me to help find your lost treasure. I wish you two only the best life has to offer.

Jim

 

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Man’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This afternoon, while browsing the North Myrtle Beach FB page, I saw a couple of notifications referring someone to contact me. Looking at the original post it read in part – “Anyone have a metal detector and a few minutes. A young man lost his wedding ring in the sand.” There wasn’t a way for me to comment, so I just had to wait for a possible text. Within a couple of minutes, the following text popped up in my Business Suite, “Hi there! I’m looking for some assistance in finding a ring that my husband lost about an hour ago on North Myrtle Beach! How might I go about getting some assistance? Any leads would be so greatly appreciated?” I texted her back with my phone number asking her to call me, which she did. I got additional details, including her name, Skylar and the address and was on my way.

When I arrived at the Villas, Skylar was waiting in the parking lot and walked me out to the beach. The story was that her husband had taken his ring off and stuck in the cup holder of the chair. As has happened so many times in the past, everything is good until the family packs up to leave. Then it becomes one of the “UH, OH” moments and the ring is buried in the sand. Skylar had marked off the area with a big circle in the sand where they had been sitting.  I turned on the Equinox 800, told Skylar it’ll take about 2 minutes and started a grid search. Well, in less than 30 seconds I got a booming signal, dug a scoop of sand and saw the ring fall out of the scoop as I pulled up the sand. Skylar was extremely happy!!

Skylar – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!!

Jim

   

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15 Keys on a Key Ring Lost in Tall Grass, Found and Returned Rocky Point, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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May 2nd, I got a call from Sherry telling me she had lost a set of keys while weed eating around her house. She said she had a hole in the pocket of her pants and didn’t realize her keys had fallen through. She also said that the grass was about 8 inches high. We agreed to meet and I set out on the hour and a half drive.

When I met Sherry, she showed me where she had started her weed eating that went around the trailer. The grass was probably thigh deep and I started detecting as well as doing a visual search. About half way around the trailer, I eyeballed the key ring with 15 keys nestled down in the grass. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a pewter charm that was also on the key chain that had evidentially come off the ring. None the less, Sherry was grateful to get her office, house, car and various other keys back.

Sherry – Thank you for allowing me to help find your keys.

Jim

     

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2 Yellow Gold Wedding Bands Lost, Found and Returned Garden City SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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April 27th, I received a text message saying, “If you could please call me, with a phone number. We lost two wedding bands.” I called the number and talked with Jessie who told me his mother; Tammy had lost her 2 Gold Wedding Bands. She had actually removed numerous rings from her fingers and had put them in the cup holder of her beach chair. When everybody packed up to leave, it was then Tammy realized her rings were still in the folded-up chair. But they weren’t.  They had all fallen out on their way off the beach. The family had searched and located all but the 2 gold wedding bands. Jessie and I agreed to meet at the beach location in less than an hour.

When I arrived at the beach, I had to call Jessie. The family was in the process of packing up and heading home from their vacation. Jessie soon showed up and showed me where the family had been sitting and their path off the beach. Jessie told me he had to finishing packing and if necessary, could I mail the rings to him if I found them. I assured him I would and started my grid search. After having no luck in their sitting area, I started working their pathway to the parking lot. Since Jessie told me he “thought” his mother’s rings were white gold, I was looking for single digit’s numbers on my Equinox 800. I finally hit a solid 13, which is a yellow gold number just off the end of the parking lot. I scooped up a small amount of sand and shook the sand out of the scoop. Bingo, 1 yellow gold thin wedding band in the scoop. I did another couple of swings with the detector and got another solid target. Another scoop of sand, I shook out the sand and had the second yellow gold band in the scoop. I sent Jessie a picture of both rings and called him. He showed the picture to his mom, and she confirmed those were the 2 rings. Jessie gave me the address they were at and I hand delivered both rings to Tammy. I caught them just before they pulled out of the driveway. Tammy was very happy.

Jessie – Thank you for calling and letting me help get your mom’s rings back to her. I wish you all a very safe trip home.

Jim

   

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IPhone 16 Lost in the Ocean, Recovered and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This recovery started on Saturday night about 9 pm when I received the following text. “Hi! My girlfriend lost her phone during a walk on the sand bar during low tide about an hour ago between 16th and 13th street in North Myrtle. The tide started coming in, so we had to limit our search to 10 minutes. We’re wondering if you’d be able to help us look for it during low tide in the morning. We know approximately where it was dropped. I know tomorrow is Easter, but please let us know if you are available.” I called the number attached to the text and talked with Maria, who lost the phone. First, I wanted to confirm the location, as to whether it was a North or South Ave in North Myrtle Beach. I also wanted to get some more details. Maria told me that her and her boyfriend, Joe, were walking on the sand bars and at some point, the phone came out of her pocket. When she confirmed she lost the phone on the side south, I decided to take a ride and look at the parking situation. I ended up stopping by the condo they were at and got to meet them. I learned the last location she was able to get from the phone was between 14th and 15th Ave South. She also told me again about walking on the sand bars and at one point she was on her hands and knees trying to feel for the phone in the water.

Today, Easter Sunday, I was on the beach at 6 am working the water between the sand bar and the beach. I ran into Maria and Joe around 6:30 as I was searching. I had misunderstood Maria and thought she lost the phone between the sand bars and the beach. She had actually lost it going through inlets between sand bars. I also thought and told her, that I suspected the phone would be lying on the bottom. The sand was hard packed, and I didn’t think the phone would settle in the sand, was proved wrong on that assumption. So, Maria got me squared away on where she thought the phone might be. I started checking the inlets between the sand bars and on the 3rd inlet I hit a strong target. I dug 3 full scoops of sand before I got the target out of the hole.  I had to be careful that if this was the phone, I didn’t want to break it with the scoop. As I pulled out the 3rd scoop of sand, I saw the red and white checkered case hanging out about an inch from between the sand. Maria saw it about the same time and reached down and pulled it out from the sand scoop. She was so excited. I’ve heard the newer I Phones are waterproof, and I guess they are. This one had been in the ocean, buried in sand for almost 12 hours and it turned right on, and she was able to call Joe’s phone. Vacation, her pictures and Easter Sunday all saved!!

Maria – Thank you for trusting me to help find your phone. Wish you and Joe all the best and enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Jim

   

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