Paul Humphreys, Author at The Ring Finders

Lost wedding ring found! Lake Nagawicka, Delafield, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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A pedal-boat ride ended on a frantic note when Delafield, Wisconsin resident, Peggy Roberts, waved at friends passing by. That was when the unthinkable happened.

Peggy’s normally-tight-fitting wedding ring of 40 years, flew off her hand and disappeared into the channel in front of their picturesque home. Peggy’s daughter quickly jumped into the chest-deep water to mark the spot. Meanwhile, Mark, Peggy’s husband assembled a buoy system by tying a brick and milk jug together. Dropping it into the water provided an invaluable reference point for the search to come.

Peggy located me on the Ring Finders directory of metal-detecting specialists. I received a text from her explaining the situation. What stood out most was, “Bottom is thick silt.” I knew from experience the “thick silt” is what I fondly call, “Wisconsin Pudding.” The “pudding” can vary in depth from a foot to several feet in places. Locating and recovering a ring in such circumstances can be very challenging. However, since the Robert’s daughter had been able to stand in the water and mark the spot, this offered hope. We agreed to meet on location the next day.

When I arrived, I quickly spotted the marker buoys out in the channel. Getting there with my gear was a challenge in the chest-deep water and knee-high silt. Three hours later, however, I still had not found the ring. The channel was full of metallic debris. Ferreting out a small wedding ring in those circumstances tested my recovery skills to their limits. That’s when Mark appeared on the family’s dock and quickly noticed the buoys had moved about ten feet! Channel currents, wind, and wakes from passing boats had slowly shifted the markers from their original position. Armed with this fresh information, I moved into the original area and soon heard a promising signal in my headset. Several scoops of silt later, Peggy’s love token lay nestled in the scoop amongst shells and aquatic plants. And the smile on the Robert’s faces tell the rest of the story!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even in ‘Wisconsin Pudding,’ don’t let its story end. Call me or a member of the Ring Finders near you. We would love to add your smile to our growing list of overjoyed clients.

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Lost diamond pendant found in Lake Michigan! – Port Washington, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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A glorious summer afternoon found Indiana resident, Sandy C and her children visiting the picturesque South Beach in Port Washington, Wisconsin. It was a perfect outing, that is, until a tiny diamond pendant slipped off its necklace, vanishing in the Lake Michigan waves. The necklace held huge sentimental value for Sandy; it was a wedding anniversary present. Losing it was heartbreaking. Losing it in Lake Michigan’s surf, even more devasting!

Within hours, Sandy located me on the Ring Finder’s online directory of metal-detecting specialists and reached out by text. Could I find something so little, Sandy wondered. She was an hour’s drive away from my home in Waukesha. We arranged to meet on location a couple hours later.

Upon arrival, Sandy helped transport various pieces of equipment to the spot she had marked in the sand. I had two detectors with me, a larger one for general-purpose sweeping in the water and a smaller wand-type detector used by gold prospectors; its extreme sensitivity comes in handy when searching for small jewelry items like diamond-stud earrings and pendants. In addition, I employed an invention of my own, a commercial dishwashing basket designed for cleaning cutlery. I fitted the plastic basket with a fine filtration screen also made from plastic. This sieve prevents tiny metal targets, like Sandy’s pendant, from falling through the holes. And the absence of any metal on the sieve allows it to be scanned with metal-detecting equipment. Attached with nylon zip ties, Styrofoam pool noodles encased the basket, making it float in the water. It was designed for the exact kind of search Sandy’s tiny pendant required.

Faint signals in the surf, invited several scoops of sand and pebbles. I deposited the contents into my custom sieve and showed Sandy how to search through the contents, both visually and with the help of my prospector’s wand. Tiny bits of nails and a piece of wire came to light.

About twenty minutes later another faint signal, deep in the sand, invited investigation. I removed a large scoop of sand, rocks and seashells, emptying them into my custom sieve. Sandy got busy washing through the mixture in search of her precious pendant. That is when, above the din of the waves, I heard Sandy cry out, “THERE IT IS!” The smile on Sandy’s face tells the rest of the story as did the tears and hugs of joy that followed.

It is incredible really, that such a tiny metal object can be recovered under such daunting circumstances. The likelihood of success is almost as small as the lost item. But with the help of technology, innovation, experience and determination, Sandy’s tiny pendant now lives on around her neck.

If you or someone you know has lost a precious piece of jewelry, recent or long ago, even in the water, don’t let its story end. Call me or another member of the Ring Finders near you. We’d love to add your smile to the growing list of people who are so glad they did.

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Lost heirloom necklace found! – Okauchee Lake, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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June 6th proved to be a delightful day for a boat ride on picturesque, Okauchee Lake in Southeast Wisconsin. But the day turned to sadness when a man’s gold-braided necklace disappeared into the lake’s depths. But it wasn’t any necklace; it had once belonged to the owner’s grandfather.

It happened when Milwaukee resident, Maggie House, was transferring a cooler from the boat to the dock. Ben, Maggie’s boyfriend and owner of the necklace, had removed it for safe keeping. He placed it into the pocket of a knapsack. But as fate would have it, the knapsack was sitting on the cooler when Maggie lifted it onto the dock. In the process, the heavy gold chain slipped out of the pocket in what can only be described as an inconceivable turn of events. But it didn’t make the loss any less acute.

Later, someone told Maggie about my ring-finding services. She soon found me on the Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists and we arranged to meet at the lake on June 15th, 9 days after the necklace went missing.

Upon arrival, Maggie showed me the location where the incident took place. I donned my search-and-rescue drysuit and waded out to the site in chest-deep water. Maggie hovered close by on the pontoon boat.

The underwater frame of an aluminum boatlift crisscrossed the area. Its proximaty to the necklace made it almost impossible to use a metal detector. However, Maggie’s precise description about where the necklace landed helped pinpoint the location. Using a metal scoop designed for this purpose, I was able to excavate and explore the contents of several scoops; mud, aquatic plants, rocks and shells. Finally, as I brought up another full scoop up out of the water, Maggie was the first to spot the glint of gold—Ben’s heirloom necklace! And the smile on Maggie’s face tells the rest of the story!

If you, or someone you know, has lost a ring or other piece of jewelry, on land or in a lake, don’t let its story end. Give me a call. I would love to add another smile to my list of over 160 happy clients.

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Man’s Lost Gold & Tantalum Wedding Ring Found! – Racine, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Racine, Wisconsin resident, Ben Rusch had spent the day catching up on projects around the house. That evening, Ben realized to his horror, his snug-fitting, white-gold and tantalum wedding band was not on his hand! His mind immediately went into overdrive as he retraced his activities through the day. One activity immediately came to mind. He had scrubbed and cleaned a cat-litter box, using the garden hose and Dawn soap in the process The litterbox event seemed a logical place to begin, this since it provided a logical cause for the ring to come off his slippery hand. Ben searched the lawn and shrubbery on both sides of the driveway. He even used a metal detector. But the ring’s hiding place eluded discovery. A few days later, he discovered the Ring Finders online directory of metal-detecting and ring-recovery specialists and reached out to me.

I arrived at Ben’s house later the next morning, this after recovering a lady’s wedding ring in a Wisconsin state park. Ben showed me the area where he had been working and I noted several thick bushes and Hosta plants in amongst a rock garden. The ring could be anywhere. I also noted three storm drains close by and pictured the ring disappearing down into one of those. Had the ring rolled into the street and been picked up by a pedestrian? These were troubling scenarios.

Finding lost rings is a forensic process, one of elimination, of determining where the ring is not. And so, I began scanning the lawns on both sides of the driveway. After eliminating one side, I moved to the other using a newer high-frequency search coil, one that is particularly sensitive to white gold and tantalum. On my third pass, I heard a signal emitting from a shallow target and in the conductivity range of Ben’s ring. Parting the grass carefully, the missing ring appeared! Mystery solved! And Ben’s smile tells the rest of the rest of the story!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, don’t let its story end. Call today. I’d love to add your smile to the growing list of over 160 clients who, like Ben, are so glad they did.

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Lady’s Lost Rose-Gold Wedding Ring Found! – Richard Bong State Recreational Park, Kansasville, Wisconsin.

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Chicago residents, Brandon Weninger and his wife, were attending a Cub Scouts outing with their son, Ben. The group met at Wisconsin’s Richard Bong State Recreation Area east of Burlington. When Ben’s mom removed her three wedding rings to apply sunscreen lotion on him, she slipped them into her pocket for safekeeping. Later, however, as she removed her cellphone from the same pocket she saw two of the rings fall out. The third, a diamond-decorated, rose-gold band, was missing. By this time, Brandon’s wife had traversed quite a large area. The ring could be anywhere.

In concert with the helping spirit of Cub Scouts, they and their parents formed a search line and carefully combed the grass area looking for the lost ring. Unfortunately, it was not found. Brandon later returned with a metal detector belonging to his father, but the presence of metallic objects in the ground made it difficult to discern which signals he should investigate. That’s when he found me on The Ring Finders online directory of metal-detecting specialists and reached out by text.

In a later telephone call, we agreed to meet at the park early the next morning. Brandon, having driven all the way up from Chicago again, was waiting for me when I arrived.

After surveying the area and the location where the other rings had been found, I laid out two 100’ measuring lines perpendicular to one another. This served as a reference aid for a systematic grid search.

Being a group-camp site, the ground was thick with the usual metallic debris such as foil wrappers, bottle caps, pull tabs and coins. The presence of these targets were tangible evidence that the site was well used. But only twenty minutes or so into the search, a particularly shallow target made itself known both audibly in my headset and on my detector’s control screen. Upon investigation, using a pin-pointing detection tool, the lost ring appeared deep down in the grass where it had either been stepped on or pushed down by a mower wheel. The smile on Brandon’s face tells the rest of the story!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, don’t let its story end. Call today. I’d love to add your smile to the growing list of over 160 clients who, like Brandon, are so glad they did.

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Scooter Accident Results in Lost Wedding Ring & Miraculous Recovery – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Mexico resident, Antonio Salinas, was visiting friends in Milwaukee when his 14K white-gold wedding ring flew off his hand. It happened during a scooter accident near the Amtrak Train Station in the heart of the city. Antonio was on his way to catch a train to Chicago and a subsequent flight back home to Mexico. As he picked himself up from the road, Antonio was grateful not to be more seriously injured. However, it was also when he realized his wedding ring was missing from his badly-skinned hand.

The ring was inscribed with his bride’s name, Georgina, along with the wedding date, 08-16-25. A frantic search was cut short by the train schedule, forcing Antonio to leave his precious love token behind. Was it was lost forever? This real possibility was deeply troubling.

Later that night, Antonio found me on the Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists. As he read my stories and testimonials, he decided he had nothing to lose. Maybe a miracle would happen. Antonio telephoned me to see if I could help.

My usual metal-detecting equipment was not going to assist with this search. I could tell from the photos Antonio sent me of the accident location that the area was all concrete. I selected a very powerful flashlight instead. Arriving in the wee hours of the morning, the street traffic by the train station was minimal. Using the flashlight, I picked my way along the street in hopes of spotting a glimmer from Antonio’s ring. Several homeless people in the area were already sleeping soundly. I tried not to disturb them.

Storm drains and road construction along the route were not encouraging. I grimaced as pictures came to mind of Antonio’s ring falling through the drain holes into the dark, watery depths, and of it flying into one of the huge ditches. I dismissed these foreboding images and pressed on hoping and praying for a good outcome. Antonio’s desperation echoed in my mind.

I had almost covered the accident scene without any sign of the ring when I turned my light up a side street. There, some 20-25 feet away from the road, I noticed a tiny reflection in the middle of the sidewalk. Upon investigation, a white-gold wedding ring lay in full view of any pedestrian. That nobody had spotted the ring was miraculous in and of itself. I took a photo and texted it to Antonio who was waiting anxiously in Chicago. His response was immediate! “NO WAY!!!!!” HOW!!!!!!!”

After confirming the ring was his by the inscription, Antonio was overjoyed by the realization that his ring, miraculously, was safe and sound. He rescheduled his return flights to Mexico and arranged to meet me a few hours later back at the Milwaukee train station.

This search was certainly a long-shot. Antonio’s ring might well have been lost forever. Thankfully, this was not the case. The story of Antonio’s ring will continue because he took a chance and trusted me, a total stranger, with the search and recovery of what clearly is more than a ring.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, don’t let its story end. Call me. I’d love to add another smile to the list of those who took the chance and who believed in miracles.

Antonio’s Testimonial:

I lost my ring during a scooter accident near the Milwaukee Amtrak station, and unfortunately had to go back to Chicago since my train was departing. I had lost all hope until I decided to research if anyone in Milwaukee searched for lost rings. When I found Paul’s website and read his success cases I did not hesitate to call at 11:30 PM. To my surprise, not only did he answer, but offered to search for the ring immediately despite how late it was. I did not have much expectations since I had lost the ring around 7:00 PM and since it was in a street it could have been picked up or lost, but when I got a text from Paul at 1:00 AM saying that he found it I could not believe it. Paul was extremely kind and professional, I have never met someone so generous or trustworthy. It was obviously difficult to trust someone with such a special object with so much sentimental value, but Paul was incredible and we met up in Milwaukee early the next morning. I am eternally grateful for Paul’s help!

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Lost Diamond-Stud Earring Found! – Libertyville, Illinois

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Ask any seasoned metal detectorist and they will tell you how challenging it can be to find tiny gold-stud earrings. The miniscule amount of metal, together with their shape, makes detection nearly impossible for standard detectors, even for higher-end units. Over the years, however, I’ve learned there are other detection tools that can be used, such as the one I used to find a lost diamond-stud earring belonging to Libertyville, Illinois resident, Abbie O’Connor.

Abbie recently received the earrings as 40th-birthday gift from her husband, Michael. Safely secured in a jewelry box along with her wedding rings, the O’Connor’s adorable and unpredictable two-year old suddenly threw the box like a baseball out into the couple’s backyard. Abbie watched in horror as the box and contents ricocheted off a rock, ejecting its contents out into the grass. All but one of the earrings was recovered. Despite many hours of meticulous searching, even with metal-detection equipment, the precious earring remained at large.

After a few days of intense searching, Abbie discovered my metal detection services on the Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists. After speaking with Abbie on the phone, I arranged to meet with her and her husband on location, an hour and half drive from my home in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Using the matched earring as a test specimen, I found it was barely detectible, even with my XP Deus 2, High Frequency coil. Time to bring out another tool, an extremely-sensitive, gold-prospecting device made by Falcon Metal Detectors, in Arizona. The Gold-Tracker MD20, uses a unique wand that responds to even the tiniest of gold nuggets. But it also responds to other types of metal. Since the O’Conner’s backyard was full of the usual metallic debris such as leftovers from roofing and construction projects, it was a challenge to suppress those signals without also sacrificing the earring’s presence.

A systematic search of the grass failed to locate the missing jewelry. Probing through a rock garden, complete with flourishing Hosta plants, likewise proved futile. Michael even cut down some of the Hosta plants in case the earring had lodged itself in one of the leaves. We set up a plastic swimming pool and scanned all the plant material, to no avail.

The next area involved some large patio stones. In between the stones was a pencil-thick mixture of weeds and sand. These seams were potential hiding places for the tiny piece of jewelry. A systematic scan of the patio resulted in a clear metallic signal between two of the stones. Upon further investigation, a tiny sparkle appeared. And Michael’s smile tells the rest of the story.

Abbie’s Testimony:

I cannot recommend Paul highly enough. After losing a diamond stud earring in my backyard, I spent hours searching through the grass with no luck. I was heartbroken and had nearly given up hope of ever finding it again.

That’s when I found Paul. He came to my home equipped with an impressive array of metal-detecting equipment and immediately got to work. What stood out most was his determination—he spent more than three hours searching in the heat and sun and simply refused to give up. He was on his hands and knees combing through the yard, treating the search as if it were his own precious item that had been lost.

Beyond his skill and persistence, Paul is one of the most trustworthy and genuine people I’ve met. Inviting someone onto your property and trusting them with something so valuable can feel daunting, but Paul immediately put me at ease. He was professional, honest, respectful, and incredibly kind throughout the entire process.

Just when I thought all hope was lost, Paul found my earring. I truly don’t believe anyone else would have worked as hard or cared as much as he did. If you’ve lost something valuable—especially something with sentimental meaning—you can trust Paul completely. His integrity, dedication, and determination are second to none.

Thank you, Paul, for finding something I thought was gone forever.

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Lost Wedding Ring Recovered – Okauchee Lake, Nashotah, WI

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Nashotah, Wisconsin resident, Joe Judd, was enjoying an evening cigar on his boat dock one evening on Okauchee Lake when a sprig of ash fell onto his pantleg. Instinctively, he brushed the ash off with a flip of his hand but as he did, Joe saw his gold-wedding ring fly off and disappear into the water. He stared in disbelief at the aquatic plants and mud some 5-feet deep where the ring fell. He thought the ring was gone forever.

Later, at a Poker gathering with friends, Joe shared his sad story. That’s when someone mentioned ‘a guy’ in the area who finds lost rings, a guy named Paul. When Joe went online, he discovered my listing on The Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists and reached out to me by phone.

Joe wasn’t sure just how deep was the water, let alone the depth of the mud. He guessed about 5-feet. Turns out his estimate was pretty accurate. After donning a search-and-rescue dry suit, I waded out into the icy-cold lake up to my neck and began to probe the mud with my SCUBA-rated XP Deus 2 detector. Joe sat close by on the dock, fascinated by the process.

It didn’t take long to isolate a promising signal, one well in the range of 18k gold. After several scoops of Okauchee-Lake ‘pudding,’ shells, plants and stones, Joe’s wedding ring finally surfaced in my scoop. I set it on the dock and watched Joe’s eyes widen in disbelief! “And that’s how it’s done,” I quipped.

The smile of amazement and joy on Joe’s face tells the rest of the story. And he couldn’t wait to tell his Poker buddies all about it that night.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, recent, long ago, on land, in snow or in a lake, don’t let its story end. Call me; I love putting smiles on people’s faces!

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Lost Ring Found on Golf Course – Glendale, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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A quick round of golf ended on a sad note for Glendale, Wisconsin, resident, Hans Wiersholm. Married just last September, his gold wedding band went missing while playing golf at the picturesque Glendale Lakes Golf Club.

A quick internet search resulted in Hans finding me on The Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists. I was on my knees in the grass and searching for someone else’s lost jewelry when my cellphone rang. It was Hans. He explained his situation and we arranged to meet at the golf course that same evening. No pun intended, but the prospects of finding a small gold ring on a golf course was definitely a ‘long shot!’ I had visions of searching long into the night.

Upon arrival, I cross-examined Hans’ storyline and found out he had removed his golf gloves on at least two occasions. These events provided a plausible, forensic explanation for the ring coming off Han’s hand, the kind of ‘event’ that can help to narrow a search area. Following Hans, I searched the fairway on the first hole using an extra-large coil, one I keep for this very purpose. Just as we approached the green, a signal in the deep grass invited my attention—it was Hans’ ring!

Hans had a look of disbelief when I showed him his ring! Clearly, it was more than a ring! He thought it was gone forever!

Thank you, Hans, for reaching out to me for help. I am honored that you contacted me and that we were able to get your ring back on your hand where it belongs.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even long ago, don’t let its story end. Call me; I love putting smiles on people’s faces!

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Lost Wedding Ring Found in Lawn—New Berlin, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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Saturday, May 16th, started as springtime Saturdays often do, catching up with errands and yard work. But for New Berlin resident, Margaret West, the day turned to agonized disappointment when she realized her platinum and diamond wedding rings were missing from her hand. She had worn it for nearly 25 years! Now it was gone!

Margaret wasn’t sure whether the ring came off in the house, in her garage, in the yard or while out shopping. Her grief, overwhelming, she spent over 12-hours searching, but to no avail. It seemed the ring was gone forever.

Margaret’s daughter found me on The Ring Finder’s directory of metal detecting specialists. I received a text from Margaret the next week. Would I be willing to take on her case? After reviewing the forensic details with Margaret in a telephone conversation, I arranged to meet her and her husband on location at her home. Margaret slipped away from work on her lunch break to show me where she had been working in her garden and in her garage. Before she returned to work, I quickly searched her vehicle to make sure the ring had not fallen off inside. I sensed her hopelessness and sadness as she departed and offered, “Don’t lose hope, Margaret. Keep your fingers and toes crossed!”

I began searching the garden areas in front the house. They contained a combination of junipers and annuals. These bordered the grass with plastic edging material. Since Margaret had been pulling weeds out of the garden and throwing them out into the lawn for disposal, I decided to scan the lawn area to make sure the ring had not come off her hand in the process. Only a few minutes into the search, I heard a distinct signal in my headset, one that stood out from all the other metallic debris in the grass. The conductivity numbers were in the range of platinum. Removing some leaves, Margaret’s lost-wedding ring came to light!

Under pretense of asking questions, I invited Damon, Margaret’s husband, to join me in front of the house. Since Damon had an electronics background, I explained how the detecting technology worked to detect and locate specific metals. Then I gave him my detection probe and let him locate his wife’s ring using it. I might have encouraged a new hobby for Damon because it didn’t take him long to discover the ring! He then sent photo images to his wife at work.

The next day, Margaret drove near my home in Waukesha to meet my wife and I and to personally deliver a hug of thanks. The ring was back on her hand! And just in time; the West’s are celebrating their 25th anniversary in August. It is clearly more than a ring!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even long ago, don’t let its story end. Call me; I love putting smiles on people’s faces!

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