“I was so impressed in how calm and confident you were while searching for my ring.” Diamond Ring Recovered by Rob Ellis, Annandale VA.
James reunited with his custom-made diamond ring.
James sent me this testimonial:
“Rob is the truth! I stopped by a BBQ restaurant/bar called “O My ChiQ & Bar” in Annandale, Virginia last Friday night to catch up with a few buddies of mine. If you are familiar with this establishment, there is an outdoor backyard area available for the customers to hang out with beer pong tables and cornhole boards. My buddies and I ended up playing a game of cornhole. I was wearing my VS1 diamond flooded Miami Cuban Ring (18 karat gold) that night. I had this ring made with a customized size that fit perfectly and secure around my finger, so I didn’t even think about taking it off before playing as I was confident it wouldn’t be an issue. I was having a great time and there were no issues up until about mid-way through the game when I physically felt my ring slide off my finger at the top of the release of an underhand throw of the beanbag. I immediately stopped the game and searched the area with my friends. Unfortunately, the whole area is on choppy grass and it was quite dark being outside with only a few dim light bulbs hanging at the top. We searched frantically with our cell phone flash lights for about 15 minutes.
We walked right over it!
I felt bad and embarrassed watching my friends searching for my ring as it was supposed to be a time for them to have fun, so I stopped them and continued looking on my own for about another 30 minutes with no luck. Being exhausted and overwhelmed, I felt it was futile spending any more time searching during the night darkness so I decided to go home and come back the next morning when the sun was out. I drove home feeling so defeated.
As you can guess, I didn’t get much sleep that night. As soon as I got home, I spent a few hours researching online for any resources to help me. By the grace of God, I discovered TheRingFinders and stumbled across Rob’s page servicing the Northern Virginia area. Out of urgency, I called his cell and left a message around 1 am (sorry again Rob for waking you and your wife up!). I called back first thing next morning and Rob picked up. I told him the situation and he agreed to meet me at the restaurant an hour before it opened to start searching.
When Rob arrived, I showed him the exact area and trajectory of where I thought the ring might have flown to and then he started his search. Unbelievably, he found the ring only after 1 hour! I cannot explain the feeling of joy, relief, and peace of mind. I was still in shock for about 20 minutes after he found it. What’s even crazier is that Rob found the ring in place I wouldn’t have even checked to see. It landed behind the cornhole board I was playing on, which was the complete opposite side of he backyard where I thought it landed. So, I would have wasted many useless hours with no results if I continued to look at my search area if it wasn’t for Rob.
My situation was very mild compared to other cases you will see on Rob’s page, as my search area was relatively small. Despite this, negative thoughts were running through my mind of giving up and potentially never finding it. If you are reading this, trust me: I understand that dreadful feeling of anxiety and hopelessness. Please don’t give up hope and call Rob! I believe everything happens for a reason, and although this was an unpleasant lesson in my life, I’m glad I went through it because now I am aware of the existence of the TheRingFinders organization. Such an amazing, underappreciated group of human beings. Absolute true heroes.
Thank you Rob so much for your kindness and amazing attitude. I was so impressed in how calm and confident you were while searching for my ring. Thank you for also serving our country as a Marine. I salute you. You are my friend for life.
God bless!
-James
Rob and James
_______________________________________________________________________
Rob’s Story:
James, thank you so much for that heart-felt testimonial.
I never had one of those calls for a ring search at 1 am, until this one. I couldn’t even get to the phone before James had left a frantic message about his custom made ring lost in an outdoor bar area. I listened to the message and knew I couldn’t help at that hour and tried to get back to sleep.
The next morning, a very apologetic James called and told me how he had lost his ring tossing bags while playing a corn-hole game. I knew we needed to search as soon as possible in this popular restaurant/bar (https://omychiq.com/ ).
I arrived a little before opening and the staff was accommodating, but busy. James and I set-up the corn-hole boards exactly where they were the night before. James showed me how he had thrown a bag underhanded, and where he believed the ring flew off. I set up a quick rope line/grid and searched for about 45 minutes, a good deal of time due to stack of firewood. Being an experienced Ring Finder, I know client’s memories of an event may not be as accurate as they hoped. James and his friends were positive the ring flew off toward the targeted board, however, after finding nothing but trash, I concluded the arc of the underhanded throw might have resulted in a rear left trajectory. Within a few minutes searching there, I found James’ beautiful handmade ring. It was in the grass, close to the base of the stairs where anyone looking down could have seen it! FYI…I now set my phone on “do not disturb” at night:)
For my fellow Ring Finders: Equinox 900 Target ID of this 18K, 13.9 grams ring is 39.
Rob Ellis: Metal Detector Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703)-598-1435
Item recovered August 13, 2024. Neena had reached out in the afternoon about a ring she lost in the conservation area behind her house. I arranged a call later that evening to get a better understanding of the area and circumstances of her loss.
Once over the fence, I started detecting near the ferns, where she said she spent much of her time when she lost the ring. I immediately got a loud signal with a high VDI, similar to how a silver item would sound. Upon digging the item from the ground, it turned out to be a crushed-up soda can.