Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 6 of 32

History Repeating Itself Averted! Stainless-Steel Chain and Silver St. Christopher Medal Lost, Found, and Returned Wrightsville Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, I got a call from Robert asking if I could help find his stainless-steel necklace with a St. Christopher Medal. He told me he had called the Ring Finder closer to Wrightsville Beach, John Finnerin, but didn’t get an answer. I could tell by the desperation in his voice that this necklace was very important to him. I told him I’d give John a call and if I couldn’t get him, I’d be on my way. John didn’t answer, so I called Robert back and told him it’d take me almost an hour and a half to get there. Unfortunately, Robert and his wife were already home from vacation, so I needed a good idea of the search area. On the way up to the beach, I called Robert back and discussed all the necessary details I needed. He told me that he rarely took the necklace off. When they set up their chairs for the day on the beach, he took the necklace off and put it in the chair cup holder. When they were packing up and leaving the next day is when he realized his necklace was gone.

When I arrived, and found a place to park, I called Robert back to confirm I was at the right beach access. He also gave me a couple more landmarks that lined up with where I was. I made my way down to the beach access and out on the beach. There was about a 3-4 ft cut (where the waves wash away the sand). Again, I called Robert to verify whether the cut was there the day before, He said it was and they were sitting in front of that, towards the ocean. I got as much information as I needed and went to work. I started at the top of the cut and took my search out to about 15-20 yards on each side of the middle of the access. Within15 minutes, and as I made my 3rd turn to go in the other direction, I got a loud solid signal. The number on my machine was showing me 29, which normally is a quarter. I dug the shallow target out, turned on my headlamp and looked in the scoop. In the bottom of the scoop, there was St Christopher looking up at me. I walked back to the car and took a picture and sent it to Robert. I then called him, and I could tell he was extremely relieved his necklace, and the medal were found, I told him to send me his address, and I’d get it in the mail the next day.

I was curious about the back story concerning the necklace and medal, so I text him. With his permission here’s his story in his own words. “My dad gave that necklace to me when I was 13 (I’m now 25, so 12 years ago). His dad’s mom gave him the same kind of necklace when my dad was around that age too. He wore it at all times. Well, my dad wore his necklace to Wrightsville Beach one year some time in his early-mid-twenties and he lost it in the ocean. Sadly, his mom had passed away between giving him the necklace and him losing it, so it was a really tragic loss for him. My dad ended up getting another one, but he always warned me to not wear mine into the ocean, To this day, I’ve never worn mine in any body of water for that reason. I’m usually extremely careful with it. However, because I wear it all the time, sometimes I forget when it’s on or off. It feels like a part of me. I didn’t realize I had worn it down to the beach on Monday. I was careless when I took it off and placed it in the cup holder of my beach chair. After being on the beach all day, I had forgotten that I put it there. My wife and I started packing up our things, and it must’ve fallen out into the sand right then and there without me realizing. I wouldn’t realize that it was missing until the next morning when we started packing up to go home. Sorry for the long text! There’s a lot to tell being somewhat of a family tradition.”

Robert – Thank you for sharing your story and allowing me to help find and return this precious treasure back to where it belongs.

I heard from Robert today (Friday) and his treasure is back home!

Jim

   

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

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This 3rd ring call of the day started with a text from Cayla. Cayla’s text started with “Hey how much are your services?” I told her that I do this on a reward/gratuity basis with 10% going to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Honor of the giver. She responded saying “My husband has no faith on you finding his ring, we are in north Myrtle. He shook his hand and the ring flew off. This was around 12 this morning.” I ask her to call me. I was within blocks of where they were staying, so I pulled into a parking lot and waited for a response. In the meantime, I sent her a link to my Ring Finders page showing my Bio, number of finds, etc. When she did call, she told me her husband thought she was crazy because he thought his ring had been taken out to sea. When she told me the ring had come off in the dry sand, I assured her the ring would be right where it came off. I also told her if she was real sure of the area he lost it; we had a great chance of finding it. Cayla agreed to have me come over.

It took less than 10 minutes to get there, and Cayla met me in the parking lot. We walked out to the beach and were followed by many members of the family, who all doubted the ring could be found. Cayla and a few others showed me the area. I thought this should be a piece of cake, except for the metal drainage pipe that ran underneath the sand. I started a grid search and turned down the sensitivity as I passed over the pipe. Within just a few grid lines, I got a solid 17 on the VDI (visual Display Indicator). I knew that number was exactly what I was looking for. I looked up at Cayla and gave her a little smile and started digging. It took 3 scoops to get it out of the hole, which surprised me, but I got it out. After finding it in the sand from the scoop, I held it up and Cayla came running. She was happy we found it, but I think happier that she made the right decision to call for help. Cayla and I had fun teasing the doubters, especially her husband Brittian when he came down to the beach. All in good fun!

Cayla – Thank you for trusting me to help find Brittian’s lost ring. So glad I could help and have a good time doing it. All the best to you and yours!

Jim

 

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White Gold Necklace with Diamond 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 was my second call of the day, and it started with a text from Emma saying, “Hi I saw the website and I lost a necklace. I’m not sure of your pricing. I lost a necklace, it’s very sentimental to me and I will pay anything just to find it again. We’re in North Myrtle. Is there any way we can pay you to help me. Just give me a call back or text messages. Thank you. Have a good one!” I called the number attached to the text to get more details. One of the things she told me was that the necklace and pendant were stainless steel. Emma explained that her mother had gotten her the necklace and that her mother has since passed away. I told Emma I had a slight delay but would be there as quick as I could.

When I got there, I met Emma at the boardwalk to the beach, and we walked out on the beach. Emma told me that she had taken the necklace off and given it to a friend. The friend put it in a hat and set it on the beach. As they were leaving the beach, the friend picked up the hat and put it on his head. At that point he remembered the necklace, but it was too late. The necklace quickly disappeared into the dry sand. They spent a lot of time looking for it with no luck, hence the phone call to me. I started outside the search area, but Emma moved me a little lower on the beach. A couple of grid lines, I hit a solid 10 on the metal detector. Since she said it was stainless steel, I was expecting a signal in the 20s. I moved the sand with my foot looking for the item. Finally, I got a little glimmer of something shiny. I reached down and pulled out Emma’s Necklace and handed it to her. I told Emma that I thought her necklace was white gold instead of stainless steel based on the number I got on the detector and what I was looking at. Regardless of the metal it is or isn’t, Emma got her very precious necklace back and was very happy.

Emma – Thank you for calling me and letting me help find your very sentimental necklace back where it belongs.

Jim

 

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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

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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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