In The News Category | Page 44 of 99 | The Ring Finders

Small Gold Ring Found In Merriam, Kansas – Owners Very Happy

  • from Olathe (Kansas, United States)
couple holding ring found by high plains prospectors
Heather and Her Husband Holding The Recovered Ring and Baseball Glove

Early last week I received a call from a lady named Heather in desperate need of help. Her and her husband were playing baseball catch in the back yard beneath an enormous shade tree.  When they wrapped up their session she took her glove off and walked into her house when she suddenly realized her engagement ring and wedding band were both gone.  Startled, she realized she had not taken them off her hand when she put her baseball glove on.  She was pleased when she immediately found the engagement portion of the set inside the ball glove.  The wedding band, however was missing.

The couple scoured the back yard for hours looking for the small gold band lined with diamonds the no avail.  The next day she found our listing on TheRingFinders.com  website and called.  By that afternoon we were at her place ready to recover her precious wedding band.

My detecting partner Brett Thompson was along with me and we began searching the yard in a grid fashion.  Luckily they knew the approximate location where the ring might be.  About thirty minutes into the hunt, and having covered almost the entire area they had been playing, I began getting a little nervous.  The couple emerged from their house and we began chatting.

“I think it is pretty cool you guys do this for people”, Heather’s husband said.  He clearly couldn’t sense my uneasiness.

“Yeah, well,” I said.  “We have been pretty successful finding rings….but,” I said.  “Unfortunately I am not batting 1000.”  I explained how many times when we don’t find a ring I eventually get a phone call with the owner telling me they found it somewhere inside their house.  However, they were very sure it was lost in the yard.  So, I looked at Brett and told him that if we didn’t find it after covering the last small suspected patch of ground, we would hit the whole thing again.  I was determined to find the ring.

Not two seconds later, I got a solid reading on my Garrett Ace 400 detector.  This is not the metal detector I typically hunt with, but it is an ideal detector for finding rings.  Many times when you are on a ring recovery job once you get the signal you simply look down and see the ring.  This ring was a small white-gold ring and it was covered by some dying grass along a well used path of the yard.  It appeared to have been stepped on several times (likely by the family dogs) and was hard to spot at first.

The couple was talking with Brett who was only seconds away from finding the ring with his Minelab Vanquish 540 himself and did not even realize I got a signal.  I knelt down, picked it up, and walked over to Heather.  “Does this look like your wedding band?”  She was ecstatic as was her husband.  We got a chuckle out of how I had just jokingly questioned myself about my abilities.

The couple was very happy.  When we do a job like this we typically allocate about an hour to recover the ring unless it is a large property and the person doesn’t have an idea where they lost it.  This recovery job only took 30 minutes.  Our typical trip charge is around $60 which we had agreed upon with the option to offer a tip if she felt compelled to do so.  Most of the time we get more than the trip charge.  She pulled out an undisclosed amount of money and handed to me.  “I really want you to have this.”  I did not count it, I simply thanked her graciously and bid the couple farewell.

This was an example of a successful recover for another very happy couple.  We love these happy endings and the hobby that led us to be able to do good things for good people.

Stay tuned to our blog for upcoming articles and episodes by following us on your favorite social media outlet to stay informed of releases:

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Lost wedding ring recovered from Lake Michigan, Union Pier, Michigan

  • from Granger (Indiana, United States)

Got a call from David, who had lost his white gold wedding ring while out at a Lake Michigan beach, near Union Pier Michigan. He wasn’t certain when the ring had fallen off his finger, but knew it was either up on the dry sand or out in the water, possibly deeper than head deep, within a certain “width” area.
Lake Michigan quickly claims many rings and can be quite uncooperative or merciless due to prevailing winds/waves. The wind forecast looked promising for a morning search the next day. Upon getting to a nearby parking area that next morning, I could hear an unwelcome roar of the surf.
We met at a certain stairway, walked to the beach and I could see the 3-4 foot high-freqnency whitecaps that make searching in the surf nearly impossible. The water temp had dropped from cold water being moved in. Temp from mid 70’s down to what felt like upper 50’s. I searched the dry sand area, then near the water line with no luck. Started in the frigid water, working the shallowest parts, getting battered by the waves and powerful multi-directional currents, as if the lake wanted to take me. With numb legs and that terrible feeling of failure, I accepted that the big lake wasn’t going to let me to find this ring today. I had to call the search and break the bad news to David and Silvia, who were standing on the beach watching with hopes of good news. They had to check out and leave for home again this same morning. I told them that I’d be back when the conditions were better so I could try searching more.
I returned to try again when the wind forecast looked good, but as usual with Lake Michigan, it wasn’t as forecasted and was still wavy enough to interfere with searching, no luck after trying a couple hours before work.
Fast forward a few more wavy days, there was finally a few hour window of nearly flat calm in the forecast and I took advantage of it. A few days of heavy wave action, wild currents and mass sand movement were not bringing positive thoughts for a recovery. I had a couple hours to search and had until 1130, which was when I had to stop and leave for work.
I searched the dry sand again, then the surf zone and found a few dimes, a nickel, a quarter, a couple pennies and some junk pieces of metal or tin. Moved out deeper, no promising signals of any kind. I had taken into consideration the wave directions, the current and searched quite a distance beyond where David said he’d been. For awhile, I was even using my scoop and detector like “arm stilts”, so I could detect deeper than head deep (I’m 6’3″), nothing but junk targets. . 1130 came, it was time leave for work, no ring, that bad feeling of failure again set in.
Started back towards shore, I figured I’d go even further South of the search area to keep swinging the detector until back on the beach. About halfway to shore, chest deep, I got a potential lone signal of gold or a nickel. Scooped it up and there it was, a white gold men’s size wedding band. It had inscriptions in it and I confirmed with David that it was indeed his lost ring.

Lost Ring in Skaha Lake found by long time member of The Ringfinders.

  • from Kelowna (British Columbia, Canada)
Contact:

Chad was in Skaha Lake behind his family home teaching his daughter how to swim when he realized his !8k White Gold wedding ring was missing,  he searched the water to no avail. 3 weeks later he found me on The Ringfinders website. The day I got the call I was searching Okanagan Lake for an engagement ring successfully, so I responded the next morning. After almost 2 hours of searching in the mucky silt I was feeling discouraged knowing that the ring is there somewhere, I took 3 steps from the boat dock and success there was the ring.

 

Metal Detector finds ring lost in Lake Okanagan

  • from Kelowna (British Columbia, Canada)
Contact:

Brittany and family where playing ball in the water when she saw her rose gold Diamond ring fly off her finger in 4 feet of water, her husband called me for assistance, I responded the first thing the next morning. Knowing the approximate location is always a big help, and withing 10 minutes Brittany was delighted to have the ring back on her finger, now she can get married with her official engagement ring.

Lost Platinum Wedding Band Found Ocean City NJ By The Ring Finders South Jersey

  • from North Wildwood (New Jersey, United States)

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Chris lost his platinum wedding band trying to catch a ball in ankle-deep water today.   I received a call from fellow Ringfinder Jeff Laag who gave me Anouska’s phone number so I could get the details for the recovery.  I started a search of the wet sand shortly after I arrived, and the ring was found on the slope.  It was Chris’ and his family’s first day of vacation in Ocean City, New Jersey-it can now be a relaxing one!

 

Lost Ring Gulf Shores, AL – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

My wife Jeannie and I had another great afternoon today helping someone find their lost ring. As soon as I saw the message from Kristen this morning I could tell by the detail with which she described everything that this ring was really special to her. In actuality it was two rings because like a lot of people do, she had the wedding band and the engagement ring soldered together. This ring really meant a lot because of the family history attached to it. It had different diamonds that had once been worn by her Grandmother, her Mother and even some that had been in her Father’s wedding band. She definitely wanted this ring back. She lost it last Wednesday but finally a friend of hers had seen my website and referred her to Ringfinders. I was more than willing to help but we had a huge problem. The ring was on a stretch of beach that is usually off limits to metal detectorists. I provided some Google help and Kristen and I both started calling different numbers trying to find someone to plead Kristen’s story to in hopes of getting permission. After a lot of hold time and busy signals, Kristen finally got someone on the line who gave us written permission to head out. When we got to the beach, Kristen’s husband had done a great job of dropping a GPS pin where they had been swimming. I quizzed Kristen about how deep she had been wading and did some quick calculations based on the tide charts and I headed out to where I hoped it would be. Sometimes everything works out for the best and even after a few days in the Gulf I very quickly heard the sound of gold in my headphones. I walked over to Kristin who was in the water and I asked her if she wanted to leave her ring on the beach this time or did she just want me to give it back to her now?  As I started to smile she realized what I was saying and got excited. She followed me to the beach and got choked up as the gravity of getting her ring back with so much family history sunk in. I am so glad I could help you Kristen. I wish y’all the very best.

Lost Texas A&M Ring – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Sunday closed out what was an epic weekend of recoveries. I didn’t think it could get any better until I got home around noon and saw an email from Jesse. He left his phone number so I immediately called him. Now before I go any further, some of you may not know about my relationship with Texas A&M. Last spring I got a call from an Aggie saying she had  lost her class ring at night and I was lucky enough to find it. Then I was on the beach in the summer and a man approached me saying he lost his, you guessed it, Texas A&M class ring. I found it. Later in the summer, I got another call and after I found his too, I joked that I would need an honorary t-shirt or something if I kept finding them. It happened to get on the Aggie website and people were sharing left and right and messaging me to say thanks and I even got a 12th man towel sent to me. Awesome people. 😃. The calls kept coming but I ran into some bad luck. I had the first Aggie ring that I just couldn’t find and then I had another that was lost on the National Seashore and the Ranger would not give me permission to even look. I thought maybe the magic with the Aggies was over. That was until Jessie said the ring he lost was a class ring. I said, wait a minute, are you an Aggie?  When he said yes, I laughed a little to myself and said, I’m coming to find your ring. I talked my secret good luck charm (my wife) into going for some added help and we set off for another hour drive to Alabama. Jesse was still there with his parents standing watch and we talked for a bit before I started my search in the water. There were tons of people and it took all of my social skills to keep a good line while at the same time not risking the Coronavirus. Two hours later I was seriously wishing for the last 2 days where I had quick recoveries. I was determined though and I came back to talk to Jessie and check on my wife. My wife told me later that she had overheard Jesse’s dad consoling him and comforting him saying it would all be ok. She got a bit choked up and decided then to make me keep going no matter what. She is a trooper.   I took a different approach in my questioning with Jesse and felt some renewed hope when I realized Jesse was trying to tell me where he thought the ring would be and not where he was. You can credit his Mom for having him stand in the water where he thought he had lost it. I got a whole new perspective when he said he had walked out in front of one of the volleyball courts but he couldn’t remember which one. I started my second pass and I got a loud signal that sounded like a penny. I had already dug over 50 pennies in the previous hours but I never leave a good signal when I’m helping someone just in case. Sure enough, in the scoop was this young Aggie’s solid gold ring that means an incredible amount to him. I looked up and realized that no one was paying attention and they didn’t see me scoop it. So I took my headphones off and walked over to the family as if I had another question. I said Jesse, one more thing. Looking dejected he said, yes sir?  I said, it was the second volleyball court. As I smiled and held out my scoop they all realized what I was saying and literally jumped up and down hugging each other!  It was awesome!  What other hobby let’s you help so many people. Keep them coming Texas A&M, I don’t ever want you to lose one but if you do, I’ll be here to help. Congrats Jesse, your Mom and Dad and your Collegiate family are awesome!  GIG EM! 😃

Lost Necklace Pensacola Beach – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Saturday night was day two of what turned out to be an epic weekend. I had been looking forward to this day for a long time because we got to take my 16yr old daughter Haley car shopping for the first time. I knew how important the day would be to us all so I planned on no recoveries at all. I still had to give Blair a call though when I saw her message to me bright and early. I talked to her for awhile and told her how I could help and she explained about how she had lost her necklace on the beach the night before. She explained that it had a lot of sentimental value to her and I gave her two options. I told her that I would be glad to put her in touch with a friend of mine who could be there that morning or I could come out myself the next day. She said that she was sure my friend was great but there was just something about me that made her trust me. Well that made me feel like a million bucks and I told my wife about the awesome compliment. Once again Jeannie came to the rescue and reminded me that we were supposed to take back the kids after dinner and if I was up for an evening hunt, she would go with me. I called Blair back and she was thrilled and we made arrangements to meet on the beach right before sunset. When we got there, we all said hello from a Covid safe distance 😄 and they pointed out the area they had marked where they thought the necklace had fallen. I went over and was setting up my machine. I have learned over the years to open up the metals I can hear when the person doesn’t sound completely sure what it is made out of. I’m glad I did because less than two minutes later I had a tone that was almost like gold but it sounded clean in my ears. I reached down after moving a little sand and pulled out the necklace. Two recoveries in two days in less than five minutes of searching. Awesome!  As you can see, Blair was also thrilled. Thank you for putting your trust in me. I’m glad I was able to help. 👍

 

Engagement ring found at Sand Banks Provincial Park

Received an email yesterday from Marlon about how his fiancé had lost her engagement ring at Sand Banks Provincial Park on Saturday. They were down for the day at the beach from Markham with a bunch of friends. At noon, Camille realized that her ring was gone. With over a dozen friends, looking through the fine sand for a few hours, the ring was still missing but had to drive back home that day.

On Sunday morning, After looking at a couple pictures from google earth from Marlon and description of where about the were located at the beach, I headed to Sand banks in hope of finding it for them. Amidst the high winds, couple downpours and four hours of searching/gridding the beach, I was able to find it. I don’t think I’ve ever pulled so many beer caps and pull tabs from pop cans which when using a metal detector sounds just like a gold ring. Met with them in port hope this morning to return the ring. The look on Camille’s face, when she saw her ring again, was priceless. Another happy couple. 😊

Lost Silver Ring Found In The Sand in Troy Michigan

  • from Detroit (Michigan, United States)

Rainout

The pictured young man and his friends were having a volleyball game late Saturday afternoon. During the game it started raining, not a light rain but torrential downpour that fell upon the metro Detroit area into early Sunday morning. Running for cover his ring came off.
The ring was a special gift from his mom. Using a metal detector to find it yielded no results. When we talked this morning I suggested we meet asap before anything else unforeseen comes upon us. When I got to the playing field it was flooded with at least 6″ of water in some spots.
On went the boots. Searching with my MXT I was looking for a high meter signal based on the composition he said the ring was. The sand was clean no trash signals but lots of small iron signals much deeper than the ring should be. I set the disc. for nickel which quieted the detector down and kept gridding the volleyball court. After a few minutes I got a mid meter signal with a depth of 6″ from the top of a water pocket. Probing down into the water and thru the sand with the pin pointer caused it to buzz. Reaching down and pulling the item to the surface against the pin pointer revealed this gorgeous silver alloy ring with a sparkly emerald setting! I signaled for him to come over and without removing his shoes he ran to where I was. Reaching down into the sand he lifted it to the sky in a scoring manner, totally thrilled that the event was not a total washout. We chatted a bit, took a few pics and as the rain came down again we headed for our cars.
Jon