Thomas LeDew, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 2 of 5

Sara’s engagement ring recovered

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Sara was vacationing at Ft. Walton Beach Florida when she lost her wedding rings. She was able to find the wedding band but not the engagement ring. She had returned home to Illinois when she called asking if I could find her lost ring. She sent me an aerial with an outline of the area she lost it and a photo of her engagement ring. The next morning i searched the area and found her ring within 8 or 10 feet of where she predicted but was 5 or 6 inches deep. The next day Sara and I did a face time call with the folks at my local UPS store and sent her ring home secure, insured and with in person delivery. Sara was very happy her ring is back where it belongs!

A most important earring

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

It was all doom and gloom until I recovered this most important earring, then the sun shown through and it was all happiness!

Engagement and Wedding Rings Recovered

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

It was a beautiful day at Gulf Shores. The family was visiting from Indiana, it was like a reunion. Their first day at the beach. Everything was going great when Lisa chased a little one before he got in water. She was wearing a top with her rings safely tucked away in a pocket that may not have been closed correctly. As she ran to the child, she took off the top and threw it towards her chair and towel. It was much later that she discovered her rings were missing. They called me for some help. I met them at their condo late that afternoon. Her husband Jason, had a fellow with a detector look for it earlier with no luck. Jason tested the detector on a gold chain and it wasn’t able to find it. So, when I got there the first thing Jason asked was will it find gold. He then tossed his gold chain in the sand for a test. Naturally my detector screamed at the chain. I explained that my detector was a state of the art machine and as far as I’m concerned the best on the market. Jason and Lisa pointed out the area they had been and weren’t sure if it was lost on the sand from the discarded top, the water or maybe some place else. Fortunately the tossed top seemed to be the logical place to start. From that point it didn’t take long to recover Lisa’s rings. Jason and Lisa couldn’t believe I was able to find it, commenting a needle in a hay stack. I could feel the tension unwind with family members now that the emergency was over. Everyone’s happy, vacation’s back on. Seeing the situation whole again is the best part being a Ring Finder.

Texas A&M Class Ring Returned to Young Man Serving in the Air Force

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

I was really happy to help this young man out. He called me and asked if I would find his ring. He wasn’t able to meet me because he was tied up at work but said he had read some of Pensacola Ring Finders past stories and was confident I would recover it. Further he said his ring was a Texas A&M Graduation Ring, which is a really big deal to anyone who knows any of their Grads will tell you. It was a must find situation, no pressure right. Fortunately this fellow gave me directions that lead exactly to the spot on the beach where He lost it. The ring recovered and a happy young man no longer worried about this representation of his achievement! Go Aggies!

Wedding Ring Found at Opal Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

On the last day of their vacation at Pensacola beach, Phil and his wife decided to visit a less travelled beach late in the afternoon. They were due back home in Fort Worth the next day and had to leave soon. I always try to provide service to accommodate and agreed to meet him in an hour to find his lost ring. I finished up what I was doing, jumped in the van (that fortunately had my detecting equipment already in it ready to go) and headed out. We met up a 6pm, got to the spot he lost the ring by 6:30 and started searching. I searched for about 30 minutes I got the signals that were unmistakeable a gold ring. Needless to say, they were relieved. The travel home plan was kept in tack and the lost ring worries were no more. Everyone was happy! The satisfaction I get helping people like Phil is why I do this!

Heirloom Ring Recovered at Navarre Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Dave, my Son-In-Law got a call Tuesday morning from Gina asking could he please help her find her Father’s ring in the Gulf of Mexico. David had to work that day so he asked me to help Gina. Her Father had since passed away and she was overwrought emotionally and ardently sentimental about the loss of his heirloom. To Gina the ring is a significant and permanent connection spirituality with her Father that was on her finger everyday and just had to be reclaimed. The ring was lost in about waist deep water at low tide but the horizontal plain was quiet large, perhaps 300 to 400 feet. Another factor revolved around the weather forecast. A tropical system was forecast to arrive that evening with large surf and gale force winds. If the ring wasn’t recovered before the weather arrived the probability of recovery would be significantly diminished. The beach she visited is part of the Gulf Islands Seashore and Park Management does not allow metal detection in the Park without a Special Permit. I have performed several recoveries of property for Gulf Islands Guests in the pass and contacted Park Staff for a permit only to learn that everyone was gone this day. The Park had an All-Hands-On-Deck wildfire in progress and I couldn’t get in touch with anyone. After several hours I did get in touch with a staff member who said to send an email requesting a permit and (in not so many words) that should cover my back. Because lots of time had passed in travel and permit issue and with weather issues on the horizon and most importantly, because Gina put her trust in me and I couldn’t fathom disappointing her, I arrived on the beach in early afternoon and Gina was their waiting on me. The search took about 4 hours before I heard the unmistakable vivacious, exuberant, resonance of gold. I immediately broke into a wide grin that got Gina’s attention. I exited the water and returned her ring to her hand and she put it back on the finger where it belongs. Both David and I are more that happy that we were able to made things right for Gina that day!

Ring Recovered Pensacola Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

I got called Saturday morning from John asking if I could help in finding his wedding band. He thought it was lost in a rather small area on the sandy beach, which he was standing guard over so no one would disturb the sand causing it go deeper. Both he and his wife were most concerned something would happen and his ring would be lost forever and could I come right away. I arrived about 45 minutes later and got to know John as we searched the area he thought contained his ring. John is from Mississippi and loves the outdoors and hadn’t been married that long. But this day he wasn’t happy, having lost his ring. He claimed I needed to find the ring to save his marriage, I’m sure just hyperbole. He had consulted with his friends back home about how to proceed, thought about buying a metal detector but someone had hear of us and recommended Pensacola Ring Finders as a more economical route. We couldn’t find it in the logical area so after brainstorming his activity determined when he moved a cooler the ring may have been sent sailing in a south easterly direction. So I searched that area and kept expanding and indeed found this ring in the steep slope leading to the water. It was found probably 40 feet from were he moved the cooler. Needless to say he was happy and impressed that I could find such a small item in such a large area. He said he was going to get a detector when he got home to do some detecting in Mississippi around where he lives. I said if he needed partners to hunt with we would be happy to assist!

Wedding Ring Recovered at Orange Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

I met Jeff and Mandi at Orange Beach Alabama where they were enjoying a week of rest and relaxation at the beach when Jeff lost his wedding ring. This ring held unfathomable sentimental significance that culmination in a romance that spanned more that 30 years. The story began when Jeff and Mandi met at the University of Southern Alabama. They became very close while in College and frequented the area attractions including the beaches. Their favorite spot was Fairhope and more specifically the Fairhope Pier that over looked Mobile Bay. Some time near graduation they were visiting the Pier and Jeff proposed presenting an engagement ring, Mandi accepted! But it was not to be, much later Mandi returned the engagement ring and they went in different directions. But they stayed friends and because of the family connections stayed in touch. Twenty five years later, the romance rekindled. They were living in different states and developed a long distance relationship. After several years, they were vacationing near the beaches and Fairhope, which Mandi says is her “Happy Place”, and they decide to visit the pier. Once again Jeff proposed and gave her the same engagement ring from 30 years before! This time she accepted forever! Unbeknownst, their families got wind of the proposal and brought the party with them, to the pier! They were finally married after about 30 years, which brings us to the present when I recovered Jeff’s wedding band. In the picture above you can see the engraving inside the band. The entire engraving reads. At Last Love Mandi. Mandi showed me the ring that was given to her thirty years earlier and again four years ago. The day I recovered Jeff’s ring the surf was quite rough several waves broke over my head, but Jeff’s ring was found in about 3 minutes. I went right to it. I can’t help but think that I was meant to find it and return it to this super couple as testament to their faith, perseverance and love!

Wedding ring recovered at Pensacola Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Chris and Michelle and their two Daughters and a friend were dining out at a beach restaurant and bar Saturday evening. It’s was great weather and they had dinner under a tiki hut on the sand beach.  While wiping her hands, Michelle’s ring fell on the table,  bounced, slipped through a crack, dropped to the sand and disappeared. They searched and searched with no Luck. Their friend was familiar with Pensacola and looked up my contact information and Chris called to ask if I could help. It was about 9:00pm when we talked. I asked lots of questions and based the very public nature where the ring was lost, I thought it best to go out right away. I arrived about 10:15 while staff was shutting down. Michelle was very sentimental about this ring.  It was a gift from Chris on their tenth anniversary and had been on her finger every day for the past 10 years. Fortunately, the bartender agreed to stick around while I was doing a search and left the lights on. The area was small so it only took 10 minutes or so to find it. Both Michelle and Chris were very emotional and very thankful. Their Daughters smiled and cheered when Mom put her ring back on. The family was on vacation for the Labor Day weekend from Mississippi.  I’m glad I could help, everybody’s happy now and they  can continue their vacation with no worries.

Promise Ring Recovered at Pensacola Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

This is kind of an unusual but very sweet story that was about two months in the making. I metal detect with my son in law, Dave Cartee, we share things we find and the stories  all. The time. I was doing some random detecting in the Gulf at Pensacola Beach, testing out a detector, and just came across this silver ring. I got home and noted the ring was engraved with two names on the outside, Tori and Brock. On the inside was the engraving I love you. The first thing I thought was this is a promise ring and two young people are really missing this. That evening I was sharing what I found that day with Dave and described the promise ring. Immediately Dave asked me to sent a picture. I sent it and he called right back and told me that about two months prior Tori had reached out to him. That was late June. I asked Dave if he still had her contact information and he looked and found a phone number. I texted Tori with a picture of the ring and asked her to call. She was amazed, emotional and very grateful. We made plans to meet and return her ring a few days later. Both Tori and Brock were extremely grateful and told me they had given up hope on recovering that ring. But because of this was their original first ring, circumstance surrounding its return, the story of its lost, emotional let down and now return. That this promise ring had a very special meaning and story they would cherish and planned to pass this ring on one day as an heirloom. I assumed that meant there’s another yet to be written chapter to this story. Tori and Brock here’s wishing you the best and I am glad I could help and become apart or you story.