Proposed on Tuesday, Yellow Gold Engagement Ring Slipped off in the Outgoing Tide on Thursday, Found and Returned Friday Oak Island, NC
I woke up to 2 separate lost ring text messages on Friday, Sept 23rd. The first text was sent at 7:56 am from Ryan saying “Good Morning! My girlfriend lost her engagement ring in the sand last night at Oak Island. I have the location marked. Do you think it is worth looking for it after a tide change when the water came up over the area?” The second text was sent at 8:15 am from Casey saying “Hi Jim! My name is Casey. I got your number from the ring finders’ website. I was on the sound side of the point at Oak Island last night and my ring slipped into the sand, water’s edge as high tide came in. We searched but no luck and I’m hoping a metal detector would help. I have the gps coordinates of where it was dropped.” I figured they were both texting about the same ring, so I called Ryan. First question I asked was is his girlfriend’s name Casey, his response was yes. I asked him a few more questions about location and time. Between him pinning the spot on his phone and Casey digging a hole in the sand in the lost area, they had the spot pretty well isolated. I told Ryan I’d be there at 11:30 am, which was just before low tide. Ryan sent me the address, so I was ready to go.
When I arrived, both Ryan and Casey were waiting in the driveway. As we’re discussing the loss, neither one of them knew that the other one had contacted me. Ryan texted me from the front porch while enjoying his morning coffee and Casey was in the house texting me. I asked Casey what happened when she lost it. She said that she was reeling in a fish and the ring slipped off her finger. Since Ryan had just given her the ring, she hasn’t had a chance to get it sized yet. We all hopped on the golf cart and drove over to the area. As we’re walking out on the beach, Ryan spotted the mound of sand Casey had piled up the night before while looking for her ring. When we got to the mound, I asked what metal the ring was. Ryan stated yellow gold. This gave me an idea of what number to look for on the Equinox 800. A lady’s yellow gold engagement ring would be somewhere in the 9-13 range, depending on the size and thickness. I turned the machine on and checked the mound of sand with no signal. I then swung the coil over the half-buried hole and hit a solid 13 VDI (visual display indicator). It’s in the range I was expecting, but pull tabs also come in at 13. I dug up the sand, had the target in my scoop and gently spread the sand out on the beach. I took my foot and spread out the sand. Not seeing the target, I ran the coil over the area to pinpoint the location of the target. After I hit the target, I reached in the sand and felt the ring. Casey didn’t react until I cleaned the sand off the ring and held it up for her to see. She was overwhelmed with relief and happiness and a few tears flowed down her cheeks. I asked Ryan to slip it back on her finger where it belonged. I’ll never get tired of seeing the excitement, relief, and pure happiness when someone gets their cherished item back.
Ryan and Casey – thank you so much for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. I wish you both all the best in your future together!! Have a safe trip home.
Jim
I got a call from Kelli about noon on Wednesday asking if I could find her wedding ring. She and her husband had been married for nine months and the ring was designed by her husband and custom made. She first called my son in law, David Cartee, who wasn’t able to help because of other obligations that day but he recommended She give me a call. Kelli’s ring was lost in a lake off a dock in Andalusia Alabama. It had been a couple day since she lost it. She got in the water up to about neck deep and tried doing a visual search but the bottom was muddy and she had no luck. Listening to her story I felt sure the ring had sunk out of sight in the mud. I told her I would help. I was in the Pensacola area at the time and Andalusia was about 2 hours away. I felt time was of the essence because I didn’t know that lake and fearing the ring might settle deeper in the muddy bottom over time. The lake turned out to be a reservoir used by the power company to generate electricity and the bank was very steep. When I saw how quickly the grade dropped off I began to worry about it having vanished in the deep water or my recovery activity dislodging it to deeper water. It was most important to plan carefully so that would not happen. I took my time making sure the search coil didn’t touch the bottom and to carefully completely search the area before moving my feet to deeper water. Fortunately I got a good signal, the ring had settled on a slope in about 5 foot of water. I set my recovery scoop and both husband and wife stood by in anticipation. I peered into the scoop then looked up at them and smiled, her beautiful precious ring was recovered and returned to her finger. Smiling faces and no more worries all around!
