A Lost Ring at the Beach – How to Find my Ring in the Sand! Ruth lost her ring at the same beach where she married 13 years ago! Ruth took off her three rings to apply suntan lotion and placed the rings in her beach bag. She carried on with her day, forgetting to put the rings back on her finder. A couple of hours later, Ruth realized she had removed her cover-up and t-shirt from her beach bag. Ruth searched her belongings for the forgotten rings in a scramble and found two of the three lost rings. The most meaningful ring, her diamond wedding band, was missing. Ruth contacted me, and we were able to meet on the beach later that day. Within a few minutes of searching the sand for the lost ring with my metal detector, Ruth’s ring was back on her finger!
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring at the beach? Rings are lost at the beach all the time – Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost and call a professional. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
Disaster struck when Linda’s son lost his wedding band at the beach near the Weekapaug Inn, Westerly, Rhode Island. The ring was placed on a flipflop while the family enjoyed a sunny weekend at the beach until Linda’s son sprang to action when help with a medical emergency. During a hasty grab for his footwear, the wedding band was dropped into the sand. Due to the circumstances, there was no time to search the sand for a lost ring. Linda told the beach workers what happened and was provided with my contact information. We connected about a week later. The day after Linda contacted me, I planned my trip to search the area where the gold wedding band was lost. It’s not very often I do a search based on a phone explanation, but Linda had solid points of reference based on where they were sitting, so I thought it was worth a try. I arrived and mapped out the area based on our phone call. As I began metal detecting for gold, a couple tried to sit in the location where the son lost track of his gold band. This situation is pretty standard – crowds of people on a beautiful weekend can cause issues with accessing the spot. These beach-goers were kind enough to move over a couple of spaces and let me search for the lost gold band.
The first signal from my metal detector (XP Deus) found gold buried in the sand. The locals applauded, and we chatted briefly about my big find. After seeing the wedding date inscribed in the lost ring, I scurried back to my beach chair and made the Facetime call to share the good news with Linda. She reluctantly answered my call – if a number called me Facetime, and I didn’t recognize it, I would be weirded out too! We eventually got past the awkward discussion, and I broke the news. Linda was planning a trip back to the area the following weekend, so we met at Lilian’s in Niantic for the ring return.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring at the beach? Rings are lost at the beach all the time – Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost and call a professional. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
A ring was lost in the surf while a dad and son were digging holes in the sand. The low tide surge washed up and pulled the ring off dad’s finger. The family tried their luck with metal detecting at the beach, but searching the shore for lost objects proved difficult. A week went by, and the family started searching online where they finally came across my website. We had a conversation about the lost ring but realized I could not search the beach for his wedding band until after the family had to leave to go back home. A couple of days later, I found the wedding band using an XP metal detector and high-frequency coil on the saltwater beach.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring at the beach? Rings are lost at the beach all the time – Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost and call a professional. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
Meghan contacted me the same night her ring went missing. It was the eve of her grandparents’ 73rd anniversary when disaster struck. Meghan realized her heirloom platinum diamond ring went missing while engaging in a hobby also passed down from her grandmother, gardening. I had no choice but to clear my schedule and make sure this ring ended up back on its rightful finger.
Turning the fresh topsoil by hand in her newly assembled garden beds, Meghan felt the ring slip off and luckily spotted the precious heirloom right away. She placed it back on her finger, realizing the cool weather was causing her fingers to shrink, resulting in a loose fit of her grandmother’s ring. Meghan could have just taken the ring off, but gardening with her grandparents was the pastime Meghan remembered most. This was a way for Meghan to honor their memory on an extraordinary day that goes back to the 1940s.
My trip came to an end as I pulled into Meghan’s driveway and began analyzing the property. I consider all the information a property owner provides during our initial conversations, but I always keep an open mind that the lost article could be anywhere in the yard. With this in mind, we walked through the yard and discussed the day’s events. I put the puzzle pieces together and began prioritizing the places I wanted to search. I started in the raised garden beds because the ring was guilty of escape this place once before. Meghan showed me the beds she was digging in and hand-turned the soil when the ring slipped off the first time. It was only moments later when she noticed the ring was missing once more. When something traumatic like this happens, and a person is forced to recall the events, it’s challenging to assemble the events in the exact order they occurred. Meghan had difficulty remembering if there were tasks outside of the garden that could have happened before she realized the ring was missing a second time. Luckily for me, the garden in this area was not planted yet, so I could cleanly sweep the beds with my XP Metal Detector coil. The beds were raised high off the ground, so the gardener to work comfortably in the soil without bending over. The raised beds are great for gardeners but make the use of a traditional metal detector difficult. The XP high-frequency elliptical coil is small, lightweight, and wireless, allowing me to use only the most necessary parts of the metal detector to scan the soil and reach the tight bed corners. It was time to get started now that I had the essential information and Meghan and Caroline’s young boys had gathered to watch the search. The audience patiently watched as I scoured the beds for their great-grandmother’s ring. I had to do a slow, methodical sweep in the dirt with the metal detector power low to minimize interference from the protective metal screens on the bed rails. Eventually, the slow sweep and lack of action lead to boredom and a sudden dispersal of my young fans. Coming up empty-handed in this area and losing my local support, I decided to move on.
I shifted to the next most likely place where Meghan remembered pausing her gardening work to toss a toy for her dog. This was a more traditional metal detecting search, so I was able to move quicker in this phase of the investigation, once again catching the attention of the youngsters. Meghan showed me the direction she threw the stuffed dinosaur for the pup. I marked off the area and began sweeping. I heard a few signals, but all were buried underground and couldn’t possibly have been the recently lost ring. Coming up empty-handed in the grass, I kept the conversation going with Meghan looking for any other details or clues.
We decided to remove the metal screen from the rails of the garden bed where Meghan remembered working that day. Removing the large pieces of metal eliminates the interference in my metal detector. It lets me take a second pass over the raised beds with my metal detector and penetrate deeper into the soil. Running out of places to search, I knew if the final scan of the gardening area didn’t reveal the lost ring, there was only one thing left to do. Scoop the dirt from the beds and scan each shovelful as it’s dumped on the ground. With Caroline working on removing the metal screens, Meghan and I laid out a tarp to prep for the soil removal. If activities did come to removing all the soil from the beds, we could avoid making a massive mess of the grass and make it easier to get the soil back into the beds by laying out a tarp. I pulled my last tarp corner tight and headed over to the garden area to fetch my metal detector.
As I walked, I passed by a metal wheelbarrow full of what appeared to be the same soil from inside the beds. I stopped to investigate. Walking around the wheelbarrow, I saw a couple of kid toys sitting on top of the dirt. The two items that stood out the most were two plastic sifters that looked like something I’ve seen kids play with on a sandy beach. These toys could also be used to sift larger objects out of the soil. A lightbulb turned on. I asked Meghan about my new findings. She explained that when the ring first went missing, they decided to remove some of the soil. They had a couple of methods for checking the dirt. One way was to scoop a bucket full of dirt from the bed and then sift the dirt into the wheelbarrow to hopefully filter out the lost ring. The dirt proved to be clumpy and did not sift very well. The other method used was to take a handful of dirt, then used the other hand to pinch and sprinkle the dirt into the wheelbarrow. How many pinches of dirt would it take to move a couple of truckloads of dirt? ALL SUMMER, that’s how many! The Meghan and Caroline managed to fill up the wheelbarrow that day with the pinch and sprinkle method. My first thought was there is no way that ring could be in there, but I wanted to test my metal detecting method over the tarp. Stating with the wheelbarrow full of already filtered dirt seemed like a good place to start. I wheeled it over and dumped it on its side near the edge of the tarp.
Spreading the dirt across the tarp with my metal detector coil, I began listening for the sounds of gold in my headphones. Almost immediately, I got a strong signal. Too strong to be under the tarp and buried in the grass I just searched, so I figured the kids must have thrown a metal object in the dirt after Meghan and Caroline finished sifting. One last sweep with my metal detector, I pushed another layer of dirt to the side. Staring at me for the freshly poured soil was a beautiful platinum diamond ring. It was hiding in the wheelbarrow the whole time! I walked over to Meghan’s wife, Caroline, and awkwardly stood in front of her until we made eye contact. I reached out with Meghan’s ring and handed it to Caroline. At the same time, I made the shhh gesture with my finger, hoping Caroline would understand. I wanted her to surprise Meghan with the ring. The emotions almost took over, but Caroline quickly reigned in the feelings and nodded in understanding. I nodded back and stepped to the side. Caroline started walking over to Meghan for the big surprise. Little did we know, Meghan knew something was up the whole time. But come to find out later, Meghan thought one of us cut our finger when she saw us standing side by side, looking down at our hands. The cat wasn’t out of the bag yet! Caroline quickly revealed the ring, and Meghan let out a scream of joy!
Meghan and I talked for thirty minutes or so after she got her ring back where she described her special relationship with her late grandmother. I had no idea how a hobby such as gardening could bond family members. It made perfect sense why Meghan wanted to keep the ring on, even after losing it the first time. Keeping the ring on was the only way Meghan and her grandmother could share their gardening once again and as they did in the decades past.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring while gardening? It happens all the time! Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
An 18k gold ring lost gardening! This french bulldog tags along on my adventure! Anne lost her 18k gold Tiffany ring while gardening. This 18k gold Tiffany ring is dear to the owner as it was designed by the late Elsa Peretti – known for her sculptural and captivating jewelry design work.
Anne was braiding ornamental grass and believed her gold ring slipped off during yard work. A couple of days went by, and she decided to email me through rediscoverlost.com for help in finding her lost gold tiffany ring. I knew Anne from a couple of years ago when we thought a gold ring was forgotten in the grass. Now, I’m back to help find the lost gold with the high-frequency coil used on XP Deus metal detectors.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in your yard? It happens all the time – as the weather warms up and the yard work begins. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
I Found Old Cash Hidden Under Floor Boards in this Attic!
If grandpa grew up in the great depression, there are probably tales of hidden silver certificates somewhere in the house. DO NOT disregard these rumors of hidden loot! After years of failed attempts, this family grew tired of figuring out if a metal detector would work indoors and even hired a construction contractor to find the treasure supposedly hidden under the floor. The family eventually found me online and hired me to figure out where grandpa hid his money.
When I arrived, we began by touring the attic. The family members showed me where people have looked in the past and where a recently hired contractor pulled up the floorboards. I reopened some of the floors where the carpenter previously worked. Now I could better look at the floor joists and see any potential metal objects under the floorboards. Turning on my metal detector, I walked over to where light from the two windows intersected. The rumor was that a person could see the box through the floorboards when the light shined into the room. Naturally, I started in the middle of the floor, looking for cracks where light could shine through. As I swept and my metal detector just above the attic floor, I realized every signal I heard so far was directly underneath and damaged piece of the flooring. The damage was either claw marks from a hammer or split wood where someone recently pulled up the flooring. The damage told me that someone already looked there, so I didn’t waste much time in the center of the room. I did notice some loose floorboards, so I took the opportunity to open the floor and tune my metal detection equipment. As I moved across the attic, I used a crayon to mark every significant signal I came across. I also identified the floor joists to make sure I knew where the center of each cavity was underneath the floorboards. The next step of my plan was to go back and investigate floor markings by drilling a pinky-sized hole in the board above the potential target. Finally, I would view the underside of the floor by dropping my 8.5-millimeter endoscope camera into the hole. Using this process of drilling a small hole and using a snake camera, I could see the floor cavity and see if I was dealing with electrical wiring, piping, or treasure without causing excessive damage or wasting much time. The old pine tongue-and-groove floorboards were fragile, and I did not want to remove them unnecessarily.
As I approached an hour of searching with my XP Deus metal detector, I had already heard many signals and seen even more evidence of other people removing floorboards. But I hadn’t heard any signals I felt were worth stopping and conducting an immediate investigation, mostly because of the fresh claw marks in the wood above almost every signal heard. I decided to inspect outside the rumored area and get closer to the attic space’s sloped ceiling. I figured focusing on the outskirts of the attic might show me something new, considering everybody else before focused on the center of the room. I started checking closely in the areas where the roof slope intersected with the attic floor. Due to the lack of headroom, I got on my hands, knees, and belly to check this area. I noticed a loose board, so I popped it up and shined my flashlight inside. I could see some insulation, but we only had rumors of the treasure being hidden under the floor, so I didn’t want to make a mess by removing insulation unless I heard an excellent signal. I reached inside to gently move the insulation and see if it was even possible to hide something underneath. I learned of a few spots across the whole attic where there was space to hide something under the insulation, so I was not too concerned about checking underneath. I figured the treasure was big enough that it would take up a decent amount of space.
I heard a choice signal in the very back corner, so I slowed down and began inspecting closely, looking for other clues. I also noticed there were four rough cuts at 45-degree angles in the floorboards. The two sets of jagged saw marks were side-by-side and lacking the fresh wood color of all the other recent board cuts I had been checking over the past hour. Each of the four saw cuts had a slight bow in the cut direction. Cuts of this nature were done with an older type circular saw or by someone inexperienced in woodworking. Maybe even a reciprocating saw or possibly a hand saw. Something else that looked odd was one of the boards had two parallel splits down the center. Splits like this typically happen during forced removal, possibly with a prybar. Splits like this would not have been done during the installation of the floor seventy years ago. My conclusion – this looked like the work of a homeowner hurriedly removing boards and warranted a closer inspection. I grabbed my endoscope camera and set it up. This particular endoscope camera wirelessly connects to my phone, allowing me to record directly to my iPhone. I figured whatever the suspect target is, there are a couple of different ways to access it. I wanted to check four or five other access points, so I took a hammer and popped up a few trim pieces covering up these places. I began inspecting under the floor and behind the walls with my endoscope camera. When I finished with the first hole, I realized many spider webs were obstructing my view, so I used a stick to clear some of them out. With a clearer image, I thoroughly inspected a couple of spaces. I decided to call the family member over to see what I was doing and understand the benefit of my technology. I pointed at my screen and explained what we were viewing. She seemed to understand what was in the floor cavities. When I dropped the endoscope camera into the next access point, I saw a small round, shiny circle displaying letters and numbers. We discuss the object for a moment as I brought my camera into focus and began to use the recording feature. The family member was observing the screen and suggested a pipe of some sort. My first thought was a coin was dropped and slipped through the flooring. Bringing the object into focus, I realized a slot in the center of the silver hole. OH MAN, THIS IS A KEYHOLE, I yelled! The first question that came to mind was, what is a keyhole doing under a floorboard? I pulled the camera further away from the item, and I could now see the edges of the box wedged between the floor joists and on top of the insulation. Call it denial if you want, but I still was not ready to admit that I had found a lockbox hidden underneath the floorboards.
I took a deep breath and convinced myself we have something serious. This is the essence of treasure hunting – it’s game time. The family member notified her relatives, telling them I was inspecting something of interest. My next move was to figure out the best way to access the box. I removed a piece of plywood covering the floor joist, rafter, and header joist’s meeting point. I managed to view the box by sliding on my belly and squeezing my head between the rafters. I reached for the cash box with a clear view down into the joist cavity. This was the most incredible treasure I’ve ever seen! As the event unfolded, I explained my every move to the family members as they have been very patiently waiting to find out what is inside the lockbox. As treasure stories go sometimes, the contents turn out to be time capsules, pictures, notes, and other keepsakes. Just because you find a lockbox doesn’t mean there’s necessarily something of monetary value inside. I try not to get a person’s hopes up, at least in the beginning. When you find a hidden lockbox, you hope for a hidden fortune but suspect the least exciting content. This way, the people are not as disappointed if the contents end up being something other than valuable treasure.
I grabbed the box and pulled it, and to my surprise, it was longer and heavier than I initially thought. After a few attempts, I realized I couldn’t remove the box due to the confined space and angle of the roof. I had to go back and remove those two suspiciously cut floorboards that I saw earlier. After removing the floorboards, careful not to do any additional damage to the pine boards, I could access the cavity just as the original pirates did. At this point, I realized the rumors of light shining through the window, into the floorboards, and onto the box was impossible. This metal cash box was covered up with multiple pieces of loose trim and scrap wood. Whoever put this box in here thought that it would help disguise it some more. Possibly like a type of camouflage in case someone pules up the floorboards in the future. I slid the box into view for the family to admire. Of course, I had to get a selfie with the treasure! As I pulled on the heavy metal box and felt it break contact with the surface below, a wave of guilt came over my body. I thought, “I am undoing what the original manager of this treasure intended.”
Anticipating a treasure guardian dropping through the ceiling, I remove the box from its 63-year old hiding place. In shock, we all stared at the box in disbelief. There was a brief second of panic when we realized there were no keys for the lock. I recognized the type of lockbox and knew the piano hinge was its weak point. Disassembly of this type of hinge was easy due to the construction around the spline. I used a small punch to tap out the spline. The two parts of the hinge could now be separated with a pull of the lockbox handle. As soon as I cracked the box open, I saw the old banknotes bundled with currency straps and knew I had found the treasure.
Cash was packed to the lid. All denominations were in the bundles, and individual bills were dated 1934, 1935, and 1950. The date “December 19, 1958,” along with the teller number, was stamped on each currency strap. Silver certificates were visible in three of the bundles. The highly collectible silver certificates are banknotes representing a stated amount of silver bullion payable to the bearer on demand. Silver was viewed as a type of insurance, just in case the dollar value suddenly dropped. Four other packages included bundles in fancy currency packaging labeled “$5,000” each. The cache of vintage banknotes totaled $46,000 in face value. The purchasing power of $46,000 in 1958 was equivalent to $421,603 in 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a price increase like this means 2021 prices are 9.17 times higher than the average prices in 1958.
Most people know of The Great Depression and the hard times brought on by this period. People born during this period endured pain that would scar them for life. Perhaps the children of the depression were hit harder, or at least as hard as the adults. Being an adult and the family provider was a heavy task due to little work and money available. But more so than the adults, the kids would spend the rest of their long lives with the hard times taste in their mouths.
After a 2021 discussion with my grandfather, Louie, I learned about the life of a depression baby. Louie remembers growing up on the fifth floor of their 49th Street apartment in the Bronx. Railroad apartments were the low-cost option his family had. In 1941 his father made 8 dollars a week and paid 11 dollars a month in rent, so low-cost living was their only option. Louie lived in railroad apartments which were a series of connected rooms with public bathrooms. The kerosene heater was the crown jewel of these rooms and the lifeline of the apartment. To survive the winter months meant sticking as close to the heater source as you could. The bathrooms were outside in the hallway, requiring a cold walk he didn’t want to make very often. “Leaving the kerosene heat meant the possibility of getting sick.” Things didn’t get easier once someone finally arrived at the bathroom. “We couldn’t afford toilet paper, so we used old crinkled news newspaper. We rubbed the papers together to make it soft enough to use,” said Louie. The bathroom and other odors were never really an issue because the smell of kerosene took over everything. Clothing didn’t smell like laundry detergent and choice fragrances as they do now. Clothing only smelled of heating fuel. “The families that didn’t smell like kerosene were the rich families,” said Louie. “We couldn’t afford long pants, so knickers and stockings are what we wore. I got my first pair of long pants when I was 18 years old.” Living on a low income and the government home relief program didn’t leave many options for Louie and his family.
According to a 2012 interview with Delbert Keith Gordon, The Great Depression settled into peoples’ lives even if they were well off. Living on the family farm, Dilbert remembers going into town on Saturday nights with ten cents his parents gave him to spend. Dilbert dreamed of that big ten-cents Hershey bar or that nickel ice cream cone. As the great depression tightened its grip, the allowance dwindled to a nickel. Then suddenly, the spare change was gone, and Dilbert’s parents broke the news. The family couldn’t afford to give a child spare change; the amount of coins people nowadays don’t bother picking up off the sidewalk.
Could events like this follow Louie and Dilbert into adulthood? How could they not! Along with the cash hidden in this attic were antique tins of flour and boxes of nails from the original 1950s house construction—evidence of even the wealthiest of families being touched by these challenging times. To most, it might seem strange to save nails and baking flour when you can afford to hide a stockpile of cash. Unless you grew up during The Great Depression were survivors and clung to every material in their possession.
If you are in search of something valuable, contact Keith Wille now.
In Tarrytown, New York, Heather helped her son look through the freshly fallen snow for his lost GoPro. During the GoPro search, Heather’s ring went missing! The 15-year-old diamond band had to be in the yard somewhere. Making matters worse, the ground was covered in 18 inches of snow. Heather was forced to repeatedly walk along the same pathways throughout the yard, one positive perspective of deep snow. The ring had to be on a footpath, or it could be lost near the play structure where they were searching for the GoPro. Heather realized how complicated this task could get, so she searched online for “how to find a ring in the snow.” Heather found my information and sent me an email. We decided on a day that worked for both of our schedules, and I made the trip to New York from Connecticut.
I arrived in Tarrytown and couldn’t believe how much snow was actually on the ground. Luckily the footprints in Heather’s yard were obvious, so the ring could only be in a couple of places. Heather stopped her family from using the backyard when she realized the ring was missing, preserving the scene until I got there. We carefully walked through the yard, and Heather explained everything she could remember.
I began my search at the playset where Heather removed her gloves for the first time. This location is also where Heather spent the most amount of time searching for the GoPro. The very first signal on my metal detector was faint, but it was in the gold range. The ring was small, so I knew the chance of moving it around in the loose snow was high. In my live dig video, you can see I scooped snow from where the signal originated. It took me a few seconds of fumbling and searching to realize snow had encased the item. My pinpointer was vibrating on what looked like an ice clump. My first thought was pull-tab. The kids were out here playing and dropped it in the snow. But when I moved the cluster, I saw a shape and glimmer that could only be one thing. A diamond band! Heather’s cold fingers must have been constricted, and when she pulled the glove off that day, the ring came off with it.
Check out my YouTube video to see Heather’s reaction!
From Heather:
I’m so grateful to Keith for finding my wedding band! One of my son’s friends was over at our house for some sledding. We had about 1.5 feet of relatively fresh snow, and the boys had lost a GoPro camera in the snow near the swing set in our yard. I was outside helping to search for it, and at some point, I took my gloves off quickly, and my ring flew off my finger. I didn’t notice because it was really cold at the time, and my hands were pretty numb. After a while, we found the GoPro, but I realized my wedding band was gone when I got back inside. I immediately knew what had happened. I checked my glove and coat first, and then I went back outside to take a look, but it felt pretty impossible to find anything so small in all that deep snow. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I googled “how to find a ring in the snow?” and Keith’s name popped up.
When Keith arrived at our house, I was able to show him the area of our yard where I thought the ring might be. Within 15 minutes, he found it! The ring has been with me for almost 15 years now, and I’m so relieved to have it back.
I can’t recommend Keith enough! Losing something sentimental and valuable is devastating and stressful. Keith was professional and kind, and his experience hunting for lost items put me at ease and gave me hope that my wedding band could be found even in the large amount of snow that had fallen. He drove several hours to get to our house in New York before more snow and ice (in the forecast) fell. He’s clearly passionate about what he does, and that’s a great thing for anyone who has lost something. I highly recommend calling him if you need help.”
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
Nicki and John hurried to the local sporting goods store to purchase a metal detector. Little did they know, moving the trash and recycling bins one winter night would lead to hours of hands-and-knees searching, in the snow, for a lost wedding band. John grabbed the city bin handle and started pulling. The ice and snow from the winter storm had these containers wedged in place. One was breaking loose when John’s cold hands slipped off the handle. He heard something strike the wooden garage door and realized it was his gold wedding band. They spent three hours searching for the ring, including the use of a recently purchased metal detector and rake. Eventually, the couple decided they needed help in their search. Nicki contacted me, and we discussed the details of the lost ring. We knew the ring was there, but it could have bounced in any direction. There was a snow mound next to the garage where the bins were stored. The wedding band could have landed anywhere. There was even the possibility the ring could have flown over the chain-linked fence into the next yard. Nicki could see the only options, either book the search with a professional or wait for the snow to melt and hope the wedding band was not picked up by someone else.
Nicki booked the search and sent clear photos of the area. I arrived, and we walked the driveway recapping that night’s events. We decided to move the trash and recycling containers to open up some detecting areas. John headed indoors for a moment, and I got started with the search. Only minutes after turning on the metal detector, I heard two signals. Both came from where the trash and recycling containers were typically stored. I marked the areas and started recording for the live dig. The display numbers were in the 60s and 70s on my XP Deus metal detector. Gold falls in this number range, so I was hoping one of the signals was the lost wedding band. Uncovering the first target, as you can see in the video, I found a nickel. I brushed the snow away from the second item, and only an inch or two under the top layer of snow, I saw gold. The wedding band was barely covered and must have been protected by the recycling container. Once Nicki and John returned the bins after pick-up, the wedding band must have been preserved underneath, in the top layer of snow, until today.
I coordinated with Nikki for the surprise reveal of the ring. Once John came back out, I asked a couple of questions, and in the middle of his response, I revealed the ring to him and asked, “Is that it?” He was trying to focus on the item I was holding. When he realized I was holding his wedding band, the excitement set in, and I could hear the shudder in his voice. His reply was, “Yes, it is. How did you do that?” We laughed and joked about the difficulty of learning a new metal detector in the middle of an emergency ring search. I handed over the cherished wedding band to the happy couple and headed to my next adventure in New York.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
“Keith is responsive, super-nice, knowledgeable, and found my heirloom engagement ring I lost in the snow! If you’re in for a bit of a story, please keep reading. Otherwise, all you need to know is that Keith is the real deal. My fiancé Greg and I were on our way to watch the Super Bowl when I took my engagement ring off to put some hand cream on. No big deal, right? Well, I never ended up putting the ring back on. With my hands full, I hopped out of his truck and onto the driveway of our friend’s house. The ring was unknowingly flung off my lap and into the driveway. It wasn’t until we had gotten settled down inside that I noticed the ring was gone. What could have been an easy and routine find became nearly impossible due to a fresh coat of snow on top of about a foot of snow from a recent storm. In addition to this, our friend shoveled the remaining snow from the driveway into his yard after we had arrived, which further complicated the finding of the ring. Our entire group of great friends sprang into action in the search for the ring. We even used a metal detector! Yet still no luck. I was absolutely devastated. Any engagement ring is sentimental, but this is also an heirloom ring, which added even more feelings of guilt and helplessness. Greg began googling “how to find a lost ring in the snow.” Google knows everything! He came across a site called The Ring Finders, where he found Keith. He sent Keith an email, and within hours, Keith got in contact with us, and we arranged a search. Despite nearly a 2-hour drive (each way!) and even more inclement weather, Keith made the trip to help us that evening. He assured us that if the ring was, in fact, there, he would find it. He was right! After an hour and a half or so of continued shoveling, chiseling, and searching through the snow and ice, Keith located the ring! We couldn’t believe it! We were SO ECSTATIC! It almost felt like we got engaged all over again! If you’ve lost something cherished, Keith is the guy to go to! Thank you, Keith!!!” – Sarah
When I arrived, the snow was starting to taper off. I believe the Springfield, MA area got two or three inches that afternoon and evening. Looking at the waist-high snowbanks on both sides of the driveway, it was looking like a long night. I started by metal detecting the spot where they were hand digging from a few nights ago, but I came up empty-handed. I figured it was time to start shoveling if the ring was buried deeply by the previous search party. Sarah and Greg both tossed shovels full of snow onto the open driveway. I scanned with my metal detector as each scoop hit the surface.
As we cut down through the snow, I felt we had to be getting close. After about an hour and a half of shoveling, the freshly fallen snow was long removed, and we were digging into the icy underlayer. Circling out wider and wider from where we thought the ring was, I heard a good signal along the sidewalk (at least where I think the sidewalk was), but it turned out to be a small copper washer. Sometime later, I made my way down to the end of the driveway, right where Sara stepped out of the truck that night. I heard a weird signal, so I had to investigate. It was definitely buried in the ice, so I didn’t have high hopes that it was the ring. Agawam, MA, had lots of fresh snow but no temperature drop, so technically, the ring shouldn’t be under the ice. As I started chipping away and removing layers, I pulled out my pinpointer, or mini metal detector, and started narrowing down the signal. I saw asphalt, so I knew I was on the edge of the road and driveway. There was only a thin layer of ice remaining, so whatever the signal was, I was getting close. One last chip with the shovel and I flipped over a big chunk of ice. Expecting the item to be under the asphalt, I was shocked to see a gold ring stuck to the bottom of the ice clump. I brushed off the heirloom ring and handed it to the happy couple.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
Ashley was outside with her dogs during a snow storm in Danbury, Connecticut. She removed a glove and shook her snow-covered hand. Instantly her rings slipped off into the snow. She lost her newly redesigned diamond engagement ring and her diamond band. It was early in the storm with minimal snow covering the ground. She figured there was a chance of brushing away some snow and finding her lost rings. The family came outside to join the search, and before they knew it, bare grass was showing, and had no rings for their efforts. Lucky the Ring Camera Security system recorded the whole fiasco! The camera recorded the exact location of where Ashley was standing relative to their fire pit. This security footage would be beneficial in the days to come. Ashley’s mother was determined to find the lost rings and took to the internet for help. Elaine found my website and submitted a search form. The appointment was booked, and I planned to make the trip across Connecticut.
I arrived after the storm passed, but not before almost two feet of snow had fallen. The fire pit that once was visible in the security footage was now a mound of snow. I did an initial scan of the top snow layer to see if I could get lucky and hear a signal. I found a few bottle caps and other large metal scraps in the shallow snow around the fire pit, but no rings. It was time to dig! After the first hour, I covered a ten-foot radius around the firepit. The top twelve inches of snow came off, with eight inches remaining on the ground. Each shovel full went into a 55-gallon pale that I dumped in another part of the yard. Two hours passed, and I still had nothing to show for my efforts except dirty mounds of snow all over the yard. As I expanded my search outward from the firepit, thoughts of doubt began to creep in on me.
I wondered if the rings could have flown farther, possibly over the stone wall or into the neighboring property. Dragging the heavy container of shoveled snow got old, so I decided to pile the snow closer, in a location that I already checked. Before I knew it, there was a waist-deep mound of shoveled snow right where Ashley was standing when the rings flew off. In hindsight, this was the worst possible place I could have piled the shoveled snow. I called Ashely outside to regroup and do some testing because I was at a loss for where these rings could be. The test results were mostly a disaster, but this story will be saved for another time. Armed with new information, I forced the thoughts of searching the neighbor’s yard out of my head and decided to spend my last efforts back where I started. Losing daylight and approaching three hours of digging and metal detecting, I knew this would be my last attempt for today. I moved all the snow I had spent the last couple of hours piling just to uncover the area Ashley was standing when she lost the rings a few days prior. This time, I planned on removing snow until I got within an inch or two of the grass. Next to the firepit is a popular place for people to hang out, so now that most of the snow was removed, I could hear the faintest of signals in the grass. Removing small scraps of metal such as tin foil wrappers, I was now getting the smaller targets that would sound similar to a petite woman’s ring. Racing the fading light, I was removing one metal item after another. I was popping targets out of the grass so quickly; I was already looking for the next signal before I finished placing the junk target in my pouch.
The next piece of metal came out of the snow, and it surprised me when I realized it was a ring! My hands were shaking, and I could hardly brush the snow off. I closed my eyes, said a quick prayer, and finished brushing off the snow. I opened my eyes, hoping to see a center stone. Yes!! It was the engagement ring! The first time I shoveled the area, I must not have dug deep enough to hear the faint signature of the tiny gold ring. After three hours of moving snow around, it looked like a construction site, and I still had one more search to do in another town. I handed over the two rings and promised Ashley I would come back soon to find the remaining third ring. Yes, you read correctly, the THIRD ring. Tune in when I return to Danbury and locate the final missing ring. You will hear the story of how I found the first ring and why it went from two lost rings to three!
Ashley’s rings mean the world to her. In particular, one ring represents the strongest of feelings.
Ashley’s testimonial: “Just this past year, life was a rollercoaster. My husband had recently gone overseas for a year, and I gave birth to my beautiful little boy. With my husband being gone and raising our baby, not only did he miss the birth, but he will be missing my birthday and our anniversary. We decided to upgrade my ring to make last year and this year a little bit more memorable. It signifies the bond we have created over these last 10 years, and nothing can stand in our way. Plus all the exciting things to come. When the rings flew off my hand in the snowstorm, I was devastated. The one thing to show and look on of our history together was gone. I searched for an hour before giving up and losing hope. Thank the Lord for Keith for coming as soon as he could and taking the time to shovel over two feet of snow to find my beautiful rings. He brought back so much joy not only to me but to my husband who is thousands of miles away.”
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
