The day after New Year’s, Ian Clark was clearing snow off the driveway in Delafield, Wisconsin when his heavy yellow-gold wedding ring flew off his hand and disappeared into the snow. He was throwing ice-melt crystals when it happened. Despite his frantic search efforts, the ring seemed destined to remain hidden forever. Ian even tried using a metal detector but a large metal culvert in the area overwhelmed his machine as did the buried electrical cables and metallic objects in the ground, the kind that accumulates over a half-century of human occupation.
Ian reached out to me by text late that evening and we arranged to meet on location first thing the next morning. It was minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-22 Celsius) when I left my house in Waukesha. Upon arrival, a white-tailed deer walked across the road, creating a classic Hallmark winter scene in the gorgeous country subdivision. I also saw evidence of Ian’s search efforts in the snow alongside the driveway. 
While I searched, Ian hovered close by; his hopes raised every time I knelt in the snow to probe a target. But a thorough grid search in front of the house failed to reveal the ring. Since a throwing action can fling a heavy ring quite a distance, I also checked along the road in front of the house. Again, no ring. I began to wonder if a neighbor had picked up the ring while out walking. Then I moved to the opposite side of the driveway. I was completing a third pass when a signal near the road invited investigation. It didn’t take long for my probe to isolate the signal’s source—Ian’s wedding ring! I left it in place and called Ian over to personally recover the love token from its frozen resting place. The emotions of that moment are hard to describe. Ian was on the verge of tears, clear evidence that the ring was, as I have so often observed, more than a ring!
Ian preferred not to have his photo published. Instead, he took one of yours truly inside his home where we both savored the warmth and success. 
If you or someone you know has lost a ring, whether recent or long ago, call me. Lost in the snow, in a lake (underwater), or on land, chances are, the ring may yet be found. I would be delighted to add your smile to the list of very happy clients who are glad they called.
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