Scott Foss, Author at The Ring Finders

Lost Heirloom Gold Wedding Ring Found in West Santa Cruz

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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It was a familiar scenario. The owner had been gardening before he noticed the ring was missing from his finger. He had been pruning in two distinct, small areas no bigger than 10′ in diameter. These were the two most likely spots for the ring to be hiding in and it could’ve been quick work one way or another except for the two distinct challenges at this location. The first was the ground was heavily saturated with bits of non-ferrous metal, copper, brass etc. from an old previous structure so my machine was making a lot of noise. The second challenge was the topography. There were a lot of plants and objects that presented obstacles for swinging the detector which is essential. These two challenges were going to slow me way down and make this considerably more challenging. I set off to scrub the first area as best I could and dug a couple very shallow targets as I knew the ring would be right on or just below the surface but no ring. After scouring the second spot I started to expand my search area outward. After several more minutes I was swinging the coil, dragging it along the ground when it kicked up a piece of tanbark and I caught the unmistakeable glint of gold. It caught me completely off guard as I was beginning to think about the next spot to search when the ring suddenly caught the sunlight. It had been beneath a piece of clutter and had been stepped on and pushed into the damp soil. I called the owner over and had him retrieve the ring and bring it home. The ring was very large and had Celtic symbols, it looked like a sculpture to me it was incredible. It turned out the ring was part of a set he and his wife had custom made from their ancestors jewelry. It was much more than just a gold ring. When I find something this special the feeling is indescribable. Let’s just say there were three very happy people on the west side today! peace

Lost Gold Ring Blooms from the Garden

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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I’ve found in my years of ring finding that gardening is a common theme in many of the losses. This was the case in my most recent lost ring search. The owner had been gardening, potting a bunch of plants as well as maintaining an in-ground raised bed planter box. The ring could have been lost in any of these locations as well as the backyard lawn and area. I decided to scan all the loose potted plants first to hopefully find the lost item or at least eliminate them from the list of possibilities. Unfortunately when I turned my machine on the area was being inundated with electromagnetic interference (EMI) along with my machine. Probably due to some nearby, overhead high voltage power transmission lines. Also the lawn area was pretty saturated with metal beneath the surface. I would have to turn the sensitivity way down as well as suspend the plants in mid-air while I scanned them. Every search has it’s own variables and challenges, these are what I had to deal with on this one. The owners son-in-law helped me out by carrying the plants to me one at a time then carrying them away, greatly simplifying my process and strategy. After awhile I received a promising signal from one of the large pots but it ended up being a “hot rock” which is a highly mineralized rock that can cause detectors to give false signals. After that letdown I had one larger, rectangular planter to check before moving to the in-ground planter and lawn area. Upon scanning the planter I picked up another similar signal to the previous one. I was semi-convinced it would be another hot rock but I had to check every signal considering the circumstances so I pulled out my pinpointer detector and began to probe into the planter. It was seriously hiding and after a minute I was all but convinced it was going to be another hot rock.  I then pulled a handful of soil aside and caught the bright, unmistakeable glint of gold shining out of the dirt. I had the owner retrieve the ring from the planter so it could go back to it’s rightful home. Happiness and a family of smiles all around made this another remarkable day in my life I will never forget. The owner said I was a “blessing” for her. I was happy to hear that she felt that way but I consider it a blessing for all of us when a ring finds it’s way back home. peace

Seabright Beach Gives Back 2 Lost Heirloom rings

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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The call came in and it was a classic story I’ve heard numerous times. Two rings were taken off and put in the beach chair cup holder while sunscreen was applied and then forgotten about. Later the chair was packed up and the rings were flung out into the sand. This was good news to me as I could be certain that the rings were lost at that location. This along with the fact that the owner said they knew right where they were sitting led me to believe that this should prove to be a gimme. I arrived at Seabright beach early the next morning to meet the owner and do the search. I had parked approx. 1/8th mile North up the beach from the location and proceeded to head South down the beach to our agreed meeting spot. I was early and I decided I was going to get my machine running and swing my coil on the walk down … and that’s when things got strange. Now the owner had not given me any information about the rings supposed location beyond the beach name and that it was more towards the South end. I had an 1/8th mile of beach that is also 100+ yards wide and I was just randomly working my way South zig zagging back and forth mostly just warming up my joints as well as finding pretty much nothing. After about 30 minutes I was still about 50 yards from our meeting spot when I got a solid signal that I thought might be a nickel. I scooped into the sand, sifted and looked into the scoop and my jaw dropped. There, in the bottom of the scoop was a heavy, silver toned ring with a large solitaire diamond set in it. At first I thought I had just gotten lucky and found another ring by chance but when I reached in and turned it over it closely matched the description of one of the rings I had come to search for, a triple banded, platinum ring with a large solitaire diamond along with smaller diamonds running down the bands. I absolutely could not believe I had stumbled across the rings I was there to hunt for but after another couple passes I located the silver Irish claddagh ring close by and I knew that’s exactly what I had done. I was numb. When the owners arrived I was happy to reunite them with their rings and told them the story. I was told that the large solitaire diamond was an ancestral heirloom handed down to them and the silver claddagh ring was a promise ring given 25 years earlier, they were both heirlooms and very special to the owners. It was at that point that I realized what I truly believe had happened. The odds were astronomical against doing what I had done and I believe there was more going on beyond pure blind luck. I may have been holding the detector but it was also not my skill that found those rings. I was searching by myself but I was not alone. We had help and the rings went home to where they belong. It was an incredible day I will remember forever. peace

Lost Platinum Ring Found in San Jose

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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The ring had been lost on Saturday and the call came in on Tuesday. The owner had been at a park outside of my area playing catch when the ring had apparently fallen off. This particular park has a strict no digging rule but I knew the ring would only be hidden down in the grass and not underground. When we met there the following day the owner noticed that the lawn had been mowed since the loss, an unsettling detail as the mower can pick up and fling objects. I was seriously hoping this had not happened to the ring. If it had then all bets would be off as far as where the ring would be. I put that thought out of my mind and proceeded to systematically hunt the area of lawn where the owner thought the ring had come off. I noticed very quickly that this park had not been detected in a long time. There were targets of all kinds saturating the lawn area. I tried to narrow down how many times I had to stop and squat down, paw at the grass looking for a glint then stand and resume searching by only checking signals that matched specific criteria. This is risky as you could miss a target like a platinum ring this way but checking every signal just wasn’t feasible time wise. After about an hour I had hunted as far in one direction as I wanted for the moment and resumed searching in the other direction from a common starting point. After 30 minutes in and still no ring I was beginning to wonder if the lawn mower had thrown the ring or if my strategy had backfired when I got a candidate signal and squatted down. The grass was about 3-4″ long and I could see absolutely nothing, I pulled the grass aside and was about to grab my pinpointer when I caught a glint down in the tangle of roots on the ground. Pulling more grass aside the ring popped up and I’m pretty sure I let out a huge sigh of relief. There is a huge mental aspect to ring finding and you can easily go astray with self doubt or a loss of concentration. Every search has it’s own variables and this one was considerably more challenging than I’d hoped it would be going in but I had a strategy built from experience and it payed off. The ring went home. Thank you. peace

Lost Wedding Ring Found at Seabright Beach

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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When John called it quickly became apparent that he was the type of person that was going to do everything possible to help retrieve his wife’s lost wedding ring. He had clearly marked the spot of the loss and had even spent 5 hours searching the area himself with a rented metal detector. Although he did not locate the ring he had done everything else including contacting me at The RingFinder’s. John’s wife had been removing two rings while sitting in a beach chair when they both flew forward out of her hands. She soon located one ring in the sand a couple feet directly in from of the chair but despite her and John’s efforts the second ring remained in hiding. I arrived on site and John put me directly on the spot where the ring went airborne. This appeared to be a slam dunk but I’ve learned that is a foolish attitude to have going into any search so I prepared myself for the unexpected. After approximately 15-20 minutes I had searched through and beyond the most likely area for the ring to be. I realized this was a mischievous ring and had done something strange once it left the owners grip. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that sometimes the lost item is in a spot you would never have believed it could get to given the circumstances. I continued searching and could feel John’s confidence waning some as I was moving out of the immediate area in front of where the chair had been. I deduced the ring most likely deflected somehow and flew farther than anticipated and quite possibly in a different direction than the obvious. Several minutes later I picked up a low, dirty signal .. not the type of signal I expected from this lost ring. Assuming it was probably trash but taking no chances I pulled out my pinpointer and started pawing at the sand when the beautiful custom, white gold wedding ring popped out! We were both floored. The ring had flown approximately 12-15 feet away and almost directly to the right. After inspecting the ring I realized it’s particular construction had caused the errant signal. I have no idea beyond speculation how it actually got to a spot neither of us could believe it had reached. Regardless the ring was going home. Ring finding is never as easy as it seems but it is always thrilling when it ends in smiles all around. peace

Lost Gold/Alloy Ring Found at Cowell’s Beach

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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I’ve been recovering from injuries for quite a while. I hadn’t been out on a search for some time and I was eager to start back up with a successful recovery. I started early to get a feel for the location and establish my presence and activity. This helps discourage beachgoers from encroaching too closely as the summer crowds start filtering in. My initial location to start off was going off of a verbal description over the phone. After about 30 minutes I received a photo update from the owner and adjusted my location slightly. After an additional 20 minutes the owner arrived and we moved my location once again this time about 20′ over. The ring was unique combination of metals that had been assembled from three pieces but had already broken into two pieces before it was lost. I was curious what the signal would be and couldn’t assume anything so I had to dig everything. During the search I dug up an aluminum tent spike approx. 18″ down and a catsup packet over a foot deep along with a few other sundry trash items.

After about 30 more minutes of searching I picked up a solid signal and found the single gold ring about 4-5″ down in the sand. I figured the others would be close by and they were .. just 6″ away from the first. I had the owner dig up the second part and reunite with the rest of his lost ring. What a great day back. peace

Gold Heirloom Medallion and Chain Located at Beer Can Beach

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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When I spoke with the young man about the lost pendant/necklace I could plainly hear the weight of the loss in his voice. The pendant was an heirloom from his great grandfather .. he didn’t need to say anymore, I was in for whatever it was going to take to find it. We met at the site and he showed me the area where he believed he had been skim boarding 48 hours earlier. I picked a spot and started the search hoping for the best as usual. This was a very large potential area and it was in the tidal zone which magnifies the difficulty of being as meticulous and thorough as possible .. it was daunting given the sentimental value of the heirloom. No more than a minute or two into the search I received a solid signal. This beach usually is very clean and you can go a long time without any signals so I was intrigued but after a minute?! It could’ve been a lot of different things. I didn’t dare believe I could be that fortunate but I was careful digging with the scoop so as not to damage the pendant just in case. After the second scoop, about 6-8″ down by my estimate, I dumped out the scoop and poking out of the wet sand momentarily was a big gold pendant! I dug it out partially again with my hands and called the owner over to identify it. It was a moment I will never forget. He said “that’s it” and went silent .. I could see and feel the burden of stress lift from him and transform into joy and I was engulfed in it. That is why I do this. About an hour later I located the herringbone gold chain with the faulty clasp that had held the medallion also pretty deep, about 8-10″. I like to think I have some skills with my detecting equipment but I’m certain it was not my skill that made the difference today. We had some help. peace

Lost Gold Wedding Ring Found at Boardwalk/Dream Inn Beach

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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I met the owner of the lost wedding band at the beach they had been at a couple days prior. It was far from certain that the ring had been lost there but after hearing the details I considered it at least a decent probability that it had been. The owner had taken a photo while they were there and I was able to triangulate their location from two days before from background landmarks, pretty closely I was confident. I started searching in a square spiral and after 3-4 coins, 1 pull tab and about 20 minutes I got the signal I was looking for. After swiping away the sand to about 2″ deep the silver edge of the white gold band glinted out at me like a smile I thought or maybe that was just me 🙂 I think it’s going to be a busy summer … peace.

Lost Platinum Ring Found on a Second Chance at Seabright Beach

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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I started the hunt at first light for the platinum band that had been lost two evenings prior. I was hopeful as I had some good intelligence to start the search with. 45 minutes later when the owner arrived I was still hunting for the ring. He updated me so I modified my search and kept at it. Approx. 3 hours and 6-7000 sq.ft. of beach later and it was time to call it. I felt I had searched well beyond where it could reasonably have been if it was there so I packed up and texted the owner the disappointing news. It’s always disheartening to have a “no show” but this time I felt like it really should have been there. I reversed my decision and decided to give it another search but in the opposite direction. This is a technique I don’t generally employ in the sand but I figured it couldn’t hurt … I just felt I had to give it one more shot in the highest probability area. I spiraled out from my starting point counterclockwise this time and 10 minutes in I hit a solid signal I did not get before. It appeared to be too high for the platinum ring I was searching for but I clear all targets so I scraped into the sand expecting a bottle cap … when I felt the heft of the ring against my finger I instantly knew I had found it! Sometimes they’re easy, sometimes they never show and sometimes they just make you work a little harder to get them back home. peace

Lost Gold & Silver Wedding Ring Found in San Jose

  • from Santa Cruz (California, United States)
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The owner contacted me and informed me that the ring had been missing for about a month. When the ring did not eventually turn up he reasoned that it had probably been lost during some landscaping work he had been doing about a month prior. After arriving and assessing it sounded as though his hunch was quite possibly correct and I proceeded to set up my machine to hunt for the lost ring. It took an extra minute or two to get set up as there was some electrical interference that I had to adjust for before searching. The owner had a similar ring to the one that was lost so I pulled a signal off of it to see what it was reading. When I saw the VDI # was 26 I was stunned. Most gold bands that size read around 10-14 generally. That’s when I learned the rings were commissioned and crafted out of three colors of gold with silver layered in between, this ring was a genuine piece of art. The silver in the construction was boosting the VDI # way up as it’s a measurement of conductivity and silver is more conductive than gold. I was searching for a lost sculpture and I was determined to locate it. Armed with this information I proceeded to search the area and within a minute hit a signal very similar to the one from the smaller companion ring, right around 27-28. I carefully pushed my trowel into the ground and pried slowly and out popped the most beautiful band I’ve ever seen, maybe 1/2″ below the surface. It didn’t take a lot in the way of detecting skill but it was a thrill to see such a beautiful piece of artwork and I am very glad it’s found it’s way home. peace.