Paul Humphreys, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 13 of 14

High school student, Maya Zelaya, heard the sound of her class ring when it ricocheted off the aluminum siding of her house. Then—sickening silence.

Fresh snow was falling in Franklin, WI, on December 13, a Friday-the-13th Maya would not soon forget. As she removed her glove from the hand on which she wore her white-gold, ruby & sapphire studded ring, a quick shake of her cold fingers was all it took to send the precious ring flying. For Maya, it all seemed surreal, kind of like watching a slow-motion movie with the sound turned off. But her now ring-less finger was all too real. Her class ring, honoring her upcoming graduation year, 2014, was gone.

A frantic search in the snow began. But it was to no avail. The ring seemed to have vanished in the deepening whiteness.

Perhaps they could rent a metal detector. When a friend showed up with a detector late that night it only deepened Maya’s disappointment. A plethora of spurious signals made no sense at all. The ground seemed alive with a cacophony of indiscernible chirps and squawks. It was then, Maya’s Mom, Kyle, found The Ring Finders web site. Were they for real, she wondered.

Being it was a Saturday, I was able to respond right away to the pleading voice message on my iPhone. A few hours later a careful grid pattern narrowed the search to an area where two lengths of drain pipe lay half buried in the fresh Wisconsin snowfall. Amidst the befuddling chatter in my headphones, a distinctive signal was faintly discernable. It came from the vicinity of one of the drainpipes. Sure enough, wedged underneath the pipe lay Maya’s ring. It was buried in about two inches of white stuff. But its hiding place was no match for my Minelab Excalibur 2 detector and a tuition honed by 36 years of metal detecting around the world.

Maya, I so much enjoyed helping to get your ring back and seeing your beautiful smile. Your Mom and Grandma sure pulled out all the stops for you. May you all have a wonderful Christmas together in your new home! And may the story of your ring continue for many, many Christmases to come.

It happened in an instant. A routine boat docking turned to dissapointment when Dave Mayland’s Rolex watch caught on a mooring fixture and flew off his wrist into the dark waters of Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin. To make matters worse, the watch was a 10th anniversary gift from his wife.

I received a phone call from Dave telling me of his loss. The question uppermost on his mind was, “Do you think it can be recovered?” After reviewing the details and looking at satellite maps together via the internet, I determined there was indeed a good chance of locating and recovering Dave’s lost property.

The morning I arrived on location, I had only just gotten started when a thunderstorm forced me to retreat to my car for safety. Once the worst of the storm passed I resumed the search while a gentle rain peppered the lake’s surface.

The lake bottom was not friendly to my Minelab Excalibur detector. It encountered evidence of former cottage-country visitors and ice fishermen–Old Blatz beer cans. These were summarily returned to their resting places, this in concert with Wisconsin DNR regulations [any artifact found in the ground or water that is 50 years old or older is deemed to be an archeological relic]. Coontail aquatic plants likewise impeded my search efforts. But after three hours, a promising signal proved to be that of Dave’s treasured wristwatch.

Dave, thank you for allowing me the joy of locating and recovering your fine Rolex. May its story continue many more years. Thanks too, for your kind reward.

A Father’s Day boating excersion ended on a dissapointing note for Richard (Rik) Hopper and his wife. Her precious wedding rings slipped from her finger as they frolicked in the summer waters near Silver Lake Park in South-Eastern Wisconsin. I received Rik’s email appeal for help but was unable to schedule a search until today, June 24th.

Rik led the way as we waded out into the lake together–he had done a good job of noting reference points along the shore and had the search grid area narrowed down to the size of a tennis court or larger. A steady supply of pull tabs and bottle caps bore testimony to happier times at the location. But eventually the gleam of gold and diamonds emerged in my sieve which matched the photo on Rik’s cell phone.

“I wasn’t holding my breath.” Rick said. “I am amazed that you found it.” The smile on his face betrayed his joy and relief. Now his focus is turned to a happier task–how he will re-present the lost love token to his unsuspecting bride. [At time of writing she is unaware of Rik’s search arrangments with The Ring Finders and with myself. I can’t wait to hear the rest of this story!] Thanks, Rik, for the privilege of helping the story of your wife’s ring continue. Thanks too for your kind reward.

An icy patch on the sidewalk in front of Brian McGrath’s home proved treacherous when Brian’s feet slipped out from underneath him. After collecting himself on a set of nearby steps he removed a glove and began dusting the snow and grit from his coat, but as he did so, he felt his heavy, white-gold wedding ring leave his finger. It seemingly vanished into the whiteness around him.

Despite Brian’s best search efforts the ring eluded discovery, even when he rented a metal detector. And his dissapointment only intensified when someone told him,
“Metal detectors are not able to detect white gold.”

It was then Brian contacted me by email through The Ring Finder’s directory. I assured him that my equipment, tuned properly and under most conditions, was able to ‘see’ white gold just fine. This technological fact, coupled with my thirty-seven years of metal detecting experience was a huge comfort to Brian. We agreed to conduct a search early the next morning.

Coffee cups in hand and bundled up against icy winds coming off Lake Michigan, we reviewed the historical sequence of events on location. Finally, Brian stood at ‘ground zero’ and re-enacted his arm movements (except for his spill of course) to the best of his memory. Then the search began. It didn’t take long, however, until I heard the distinctive bark in my headphones I was anticipating. A few scrapes of white powder was all that was needed to bring Brian’s ring to the light of day once again.

Brian, I enjoyed assisting you with the recovery of your ring. Thanks too, for your kind reward. And all the best to you and your wife as you anticipate a new addition to your family in just a few weeks time! May the story of your ring continue as a treasured family memory for many years ahead.

A girl’s weekend away turned to distress when Paula Hatfield’s diamond and sapphire ring slipped off her finger and into the silt of Big Cedar Lake, Wisconsin.

But the cloud turned to sunlight when her ring found its way into my sieve just 5 minutes into the search!

It was such a joy to be able to give your ring back, Paula! And the spontaneous group-hug from your friends on the dock–a wonderful sight to behold!

Is this 1960 wedding band yours? Inscribed April 18, 1960, the keen nose of a family dog lead its owner to investigate. The discovery occurred over a decade ago at a rest stop near Grantsburg, Wisconsin alongside the St. Croix River off State Highway 70.

The conscientious individual that found this ornate love-token desires to return it to the owner or owner’s family. Sadly, much of the inscription is worn away. All that remains, as the photos show, is 14K F. (or J.)….. G. 4-18-’60.

If you recognize this ring or have any information that might help identify its owner, contact: Paul.Humphreys@TheRingFinders.com
262 574 7702.

It is my hope that the finder’s integrity will inspire many

others to take the same refreshing ‘high road’ in making every reasonable effort to return lost jewelry items to their rightful owner. This is the core value shared by our team at TheRingFinders.com.

Paul Humphreys
Metal Detecting Specialist
TheRingFinders.com
Wisconsin, USA