After a day or two of visual searching I received a call from Toni who had lost her 14k gold bangle on a walk in Rockland, Maine. While retracing her route I searched along the sidewalks edge until locating it buried in two inches of snow. Through tears of joy Toni explained that the bracelet had belonged to her grandmother who had passed away 19 years ago giving it significant sentimental value that no jeweler could have replaced.
This search started just before 6 pm on Jan. 2nd, 2026, when I received a phone call from Jack saying his friend Kai had lost his Clemson class ring. Jack confirmed they were in the dry sand and that they would meet me there. I told him I’d be there in 30-45 minutes, grabbed my Equinox 800 and was on my way.
When I got there, I followed Jack into the resort and back to where they were on the beach. I got to meet Kai, and he explained that he had been throwing a Frisbee when he felt the ring come off. A huge help was the fact that Kai and Jack had set two beer cans in the sand where Kai had been standing. They also left the Frisbee where it landed with another beer can in the sand. They were just above the high tide line when this happened. So, I started a north/south grid search between the two areas stretching the search out in both directions with no luck. I finally asked Kai to demonstrate his throw and when he did, I knew I wasn’t in the right area. In his demonstration, he showed that he heaved the Frisbee with his hand ending up high and to the far right. It was pitch black and getting cold, so I talked with Kai and Jack and told them I was there until I found it or exhausted searching the entire area. I also told them if they wanted to leave that I would definitely call them and keep them updated. I think both Jack and Kai’s girlfriends were with them plus a couple of others and they were getting hungry. Again, I assured them I’d stay connected and they left. I redirected my search to past the landing point of the Frisbee and higher up on the beach, just off the dunes. On my first line and just about even with where Kai had been standing, I got a solid hit. Knowing the ring was a heavy yellow gold ring, the VDI (visual display indicator) would show up in the mid to high teens. This signal was coming up in the 17-18 range. It took 3 scoops to get the target out, which surprised me that it was so deep. Got the target out of the hole, turned on my head lamp and saw the target in the pile of sand. It wasn’t until I picked up the target, cleaned the sand off it that I realized I had Kai Clemson ring. I took a quick picture and sent it to Jack and immediately got a call back. Jack said they’re turning around and would be there in 5 minutes. Kai came running out on the beach to where I was and I showed him the hole and where it was in conjunction to where he was standing when he threw the Frisbee. We walked back to the cars, he thanked me again and we said our goodbyes. He left a very happy young man!
Jack – Thank you so much for giving me a call to help.
Kai – I’m so happy that I was able to find and return your lost treasure. Take care and the best to you!
Jim
The day after New Year’s, Ian Clark was clearing snow off the driveway in Delafield, Wisconsin when his heavy yellow-gold wedding ring flew off his hand and disappeared into the snow. He was throwing ice-melt crystals when it happened. Despite his frantic search efforts, the ring seemed destined to remain hidden forever. Ian even tried using a metal detector but a large metal culvert in the area overwhelmed his machine as did the buried electrical cables and metallic objects in the ground, the kind that accumulates over a half-century of human occupation.
Ian reached out to me by text late that evening and we arranged to meet on location first thing the next morning. It was minus 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-22 Celsius) when I left my house in Waukesha. Upon arrival, a white-tailed deer walked across the road, creating a classic Hallmark winter scene in the gorgeous country subdivision. I also saw evidence of Ian’s search efforts in the snow alongside the driveway.
While I searched, Ian hovered close by; his hopes raised every time I knelt in the snow to probe a target. But a thorough grid search in front of the house failed to reveal the ring. Since a throwing action can fling a heavy ring quite a distance, I also checked along the road in front of the house. Again, no ring. I began to wonder if a neighbor had picked up the ring while out walking. Then I moved to the opposite side of the driveway. I was completing a third pass when a signal near the road invited investigation. It didn’t take long for my probe to isolate the signal’s source—Ian’s wedding ring! I left it in place and called Ian over to personally recover the love token from its frozen resting place. The emotions of that moment are hard to describe. Ian was on the verge of tears, clear evidence that the ring was, as I have so often observed, more than a ring!
Ian preferred not to have his photo published. Instead, he took one of yours truly inside his home where we both savored the warmth and success. 
If you or someone you know has lost a ring, whether recent or long ago, call me. Lost in the snow, in a lake (underwater), or on land, chances are, the ring may yet be found. I would be delighted to add your smile to the list of very happy clients who are glad they called.
At 2:18pm I received a ring recovery search request located at the south overlook parking area of Emerald Bay. Backstory: The client and family—tourists visiting Lake Tahoe—stopped at the south overlook parking area of Emerald Bay around 10am. The client climbed up on the snow embankment and began reaching into the snow with his hands and at some point his wedding ring slipped off his hand. The client and his family searched for several hours before calling me. Since the client and family planned on returning to the Bay Area that afternoon, I needed to get to the search location ASAP. Additionally, since I was an hour and a half away, I needed to begin searching before sunset. Arriving just after 4pm, and dealing with the hectic parking situation, I finally connected with the client. After getting all the ring loss details from the client, I jumped onto the snow embankment and switched on the XP Deus 2. Within a minute, I got a solid target signal with a VDI of 71. I scooped up a handful of snow and used the pinpointer to confirm the target was in my hand. Crushing the snow clump revealed a 14k gold ring with diamonds.
Another lost-ring-in-snow recovery!
New Year’s Eve ended on a disappointing note for Washington State resident, Brandon. He and his wife were visiting family in Milwaukee for the holidays. They were staying at a Motel when a few celebratory drinks combined with a marital spat did not end well. Brandon threw his wife’s wedding ring off the top-floor balcony into the cold wintry night. It was not a good way to start the New Year! Given the unfortunate circumstances, I am protecting Brandon’s identity in this story.
It happeed like this. I received a text from Brandon asking if I might be able to help. He was understandably embarrassed by his actions but, as a man should, he owned up to the situation taking full responsibility. In a few hours I met Brandon on location and began searching in an alleyway below the balcony where they had stayed. It was very cold; my equipment was struggling in the extreme temperatures. A light snowfall during the night made the search even more challenging as did the presence of a dozen brass 9mm pistol shell casings. Being in a residential area, the bullet casings begged answers to all kinds of sinister questions, answers that are probably best left unknown. Hopefully, their presence was a benign remnant of someone’s earlier New Year celebrations in lieu of fireworks.
The ring could have landed in any number places including a roof of a nearby garage or in any of several open garbage bins waiting collection. As it turned out, the beautiful love token was hiding in the snow behind one such bin! A few inches further, the ring could have ended up buried forever in a local landfill. I can attest to Brandon’s relief when his ring was found. Hopefully his marriage will be stronger for having weathered the storm.
If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even under embarrassing circumstances, give me a call. Life happens. Maybe I can help put the not-so-pleasant memory behind you—without judgment.
While working at the local casino Richard R. was clearing tables in the buffet restaurant. He came in to the Dish room where I work and emptied his cart full of dishes, glasses and table scraps. Before leaving our area he noticed his security badge missing. It clips on his collar and must have slipped off in the container holding table scraps while clearing tables. I told him I would search for it while he went back to the dining room clearing tables.
There are 2 50 gallon containers holding the table scraps, one was empty and the other one was almost full where he deposited his container. I proceeded to take handfuls of table scraps including crab claws and shells and emptying two handfuls at a time from one container to another while searching for his badge. This wasn’t my first rodeo with this type of search, I looked successfully for a mans retainer in his trash that he lost while in a nursing home (that time I was able to use my pin pointer). For Richards badge I got half way down the container and found his badge. After washing the badge off, Richard came back in to the dish room with another cart of plates and I gave him his access badge after getting a big thank you and a smile.
January 1st, 2026: The Client and his wife went Polar Plunging in Lake Tahoe. The video showed him wearing the wedding ring as he entered the water and few minutes later he realized the ring was missing, apparently falling off his finger in waist deep water. Later that evening, the Client contacted me—Trevor Oxborrow, to schedule a lost ring water search.
January 2nd, 2026: 9:30am I arrived at the Tahoe Sands beachside resort to begin the search. The air temperature was 40 degrees Fahrenheit with an estimated water temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit. The Client described the ring loss circumstances and search zone. I geared-up with my wetsuit, blu3 Nemo and XP Deus 2. Thirty minutes into the grid search I got the perfect target signal, but typically it was just a dang old pull-tab. Five minutes later I got another solid target….dug my scoop deep….sieved out the sand….there it was….a brilliant yellow and white gold 14k wedding ring. Client and wife were very happy.
Another great day at Lake Tahoe!
I was contacted by “anonymous” as she had lost her engagement ring in the mid Toronto area. During the search, she went inside, as she was very upset. After searching the suggested areas by the customer, I expanded further & quickly found the very expensive ring within 5 minutes.
Another Very happy customer!
Hem was playing with his dog in the fresh snowfall and suddenly he realized he had lost his beautiful gold wedding band. He contacted me through the Ring Finder website. I met up with him and searched the area where he felt he had lost the ring. I found it under some ice below the snow and as I found the ring I realized Hem had his Wife on a Facetime call from France on his phone-she witnessed the recovery live from France! They had only been married a couple of months, so they were both very happy I located the ring.
While carving pumpkins in their yard the gold wedding ring had been lost in the grass. The owner rented a metal detector in an attempt to locate the ring. Not finding the ring, he called me to search and in a short search the ring was found and returned. Another disaster prevented thanks to the Ring Finders!