Paul Humphreys, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 2 of 14

It was the day before Valentines. A Wisconsin snowstorm found Milwaukee resident Tim Sobie, blowing snow from his driveway and sidewalk. That was when his unique cobalt wedding ring went missing. Despite his best search efforts Tim was forced to wait until the snow had thawed before resuming his search. Despite his best efforts, however, the ring was nowhere to be seen.

Three weeks later, on March 6th, I received a text message from Tim asking if I might assist. It was a long shot. A public sidewalk presented the troubling thought that a passerby may have found it already. But I could at least search the lawn and driveway areas just in case.

We met the next afternoon. Once on location and while reviewing Tim’s timeline of activities, Tim recalled his snowblower hitting a twig or something in front of his home. It was a logical place to begin searching. Using a sample cobalt ring, I was able to accurately calibrate my XP Deus 2 detector. The cobalt rang up in the high 50’s on the conductivity scale. Armed with this information I began searching the area where Tim had heard the mysterious twig sound.

Just a few swings into the search a clean, high 50’s-signal begged further investigation. Buried under some leaves and grass, Tim’s precious wedding ring appeared. And the smile on Tim’s face tells the rest of the story.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even long ago, chances are it might still be found. Don’t let the story of the ring end. Call today.

November 12 marked a day of profound sadness for West Bend resident, Michael Schultz. His loose-fitting wedding ring came up missing after a day’s activities. He had done chores on their country horse farm, spent time sighting in hunting rifles in anticipation of the upcoming deer season and then made a trip to town. A recently harvested cornfield served as a 100-yard shooting range. Later, as he stood in line at a grocery store, Michael noticed, to his horror, his wedding ring was missing from his hand!

Michael had recently lost weight which resulted in his ring fitting loosely. He remembered thinking that very morning how it might be best to store the ring away until it could be resized. Now, he regretted not heeding the thought. He was truly grieving his loss and all the precious memories the ring held.

Michael’s wife, Nikki, reached out to me several days later. After speaking with her on the phone, I concluded the ring could be anywhere. The most likely place to search seemed to be the cornfield where Michael had taken his gloves off and on as he sighted in his rifles. But the area was similar in size to a football field. No matter, it would be a process of elimination.

I arrived early afternoon on November 22, 10 days after the ring went missing. The remains of corn stalks made the search challenging, hampering the swinging of my search coil. After 3-hours of searching, it was pitch black. I still had about another hour of searching left when a signal caught my attention. Beneath a muddy corn leaf, Michael’s gold and diamond ring appeared with the help of a flashlight!

Michael and his family were overwhelmed at the sight of the ring! Hugs and tears of joy ensued.

This was yet another amazing find in what was, by all accounts, a long-shot search. However, the ring’s hiding place was no match for modern technology and perseverance even in a vast cornfield in the black of night.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, don’t let its story end. Contact a member of the Ring Finders today.

Hamilton High School football coach and Wauwatosa resident, Josh Neary, was moving training equipment off the field when he felt his tungsten wedding ring catch and fly off his hand. Despite his search efforts and those of several others, the ring was nowhere to be found. The loss was made all the more acute with Josh’s plans to celebrate his and his wife’s second anniversary the next day.

Josh found me on the Ring Finder’s internet directory of metal-detecting specialists. My wife and I were travelling in the Canadian Rocky Mountains when I received his text. After arriving home in Wisconsin, we arranged to meet at the Hamilto High School on Friday, September 27, four days after the ring went missing.

A systematic grid-search revealed the presence of many metallic objects. Thankfully, I had a sample tungsten ring for calibration purposes. This helped to ignore most of the signals. After, covering the most likely area without success, it was decided to expand the search grid. Soon, a shallow signal was promising. Using a pin-pointer, Josh’s wedding ring came to the light of day in the deep grass where it had fallen.

I left the ring in its place and called Josh to come and look with me. Handing him the pin-pointer I explained how it worked and then let Josh ‘discover’ the ring himself. It didn’t take long. Josh pulled the ring from the grass and held it in astonished unbelief. The smile on his face tells the rest of the story!

It seems the whole school was aware of Josh’s lost ring. Students and staff alike expressed their well wishes and joy. It was obvious to me that Coach Neary holds a special place in the hearts and lives of many at Hamilton High School. I’m so glad to have had a part in your story, Josh.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even long ago, don’t let its story end. Call today. Who knows, we might just be able to put a smile on someone else’s face.

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin residents, Ben and Alyson Schmidt were enjoying a July 4th excursion at Silver Lake. That’s when Alyson felt her wedding rings leave her hand in the chest-deep water. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind not to move, to remain standing where she was. When a subsequent search by family members failed to locate the ring in the mud and sand, Ben retrieved a metal mooring fixture and screwed it into the lake bottom where Alyson stood, this to mark the location. In all my years of metal detecting, this was the first time a client had the presence of mind to mark the location with such precision.

After finding me on the Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists, I received a text message from Alyson asking if I would assist. The next day I met up with the Schmidts at the boat dock where the loss occurred. The water was crystal clear, making it easy to spot the mooring fixture. I quickly assembled my detection equipment and waded out to the marker. A mixed signal near the marker invited further investigation.

Normally, a ring generates a consistent and repeatable signal. But this signal was not stable. It bounced back and forth between two conductivity numbers which initially made me question if the target was indeed Alyson’s wedding rings. As I drew it to the surface from the lake bottom using a specialized scoop, the sun refracted off many diamonds. Sure enough, it was Alyson’s lost-but- now-found, wedding rings!

Upon examining the rings more closely, I discovered the center ring was hallmarked 18 karat gold while the side rings were 14 karat. It was this tiny, but significant difference that explained the mixed conductivity signal.

The smiles on Ben and Alysa’s faces say it best, “It’s more than a ring!”

It was not yet May. Lake Michigan waters were still too cold for a swim. However, that didn’t deter Beaver Dam, Wisconsin resident, Victor Nelson, from taking a refreshing plunge. Victor was spending a relaxing day with his girlfriend on the picturesque beach at Kohler-Andre State Park near Sheboygan. Before jumping into the frigid waves, Victor removed a meaningful silver necklace, giving it to his girlfriend for safekeeping.

Inspired by The Dresden Files the necklace and pendant were crafted after one described by the fiction author, Jim Butcher. Wikipedia explains how in Butcher’s book, the necklace had a pendant in the form of a pentacle with its encircled five-pointed star. The pentacle represented the five elements of air, fire, water, earth and spirit. It had “the power to repel certain creatures of the Nevernever and glows with a low blue light when infused with Harry’s will.” For Victor, the pentacle necklace had more than magical value. Complete with its lab-grown center ruby, the necklace was a special, thoughtful gift from his girlfriend.

To Victor’s horror, he realized the necklace was missing after the couple returned to their vehicle later in the afternoon. Victor’s girlfriend was likewise distressed, this as she had been entrusted with its safekeeping. It had somehow slipped away into the sand while moving beach furniture.

Replaying the afternoon’s activities, it seemed the necklace had slipped off its resting place and disappeared into the loose sand. Despite a half-hour of frantic searching the necklace could not be found. Victor considered renting or purchasing a metal detector but found my listing on theringfinders.com directory instead. A week later my wife and I met up with the hopeful couple at the beach.

Being a Wisconsin State Park, I completed the mandatory license application for a metal-detecting permit. Permit in hand, Victor led the way to the location where he and his girlfriend had spent the day a week prior. Using a nearby piece of partially-buried driftwood as ground zero, a systematic grid search commenced. After an hour the unmistakable signal of silver appeared on my detector’s control screen. The necklace’s hiding place was no match for a state-of-the-art XP Deus II metal detector. While the pentacle didn’t glow with a low blue light when it was found, the smile on Victor’s face was more than magical!

So glad we were able to find your special necklace, Victor.