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Lost Gold and Jade Ring Found In Ann Arbor Michigan

  • from Detroit (Michigan, United States)

A Snowball Effect…..

……Wasn’t was Savie was expecting as her and some friends took a short cut home as the snow started to come down hard this morning. Stopping briefly in a parking garage to dry off they decided to venture out and play around a bit. As the snowflakes came down, enough was on the ground to make some snow angels and throw a few snowballs at each other. After arriving home she realized her ring was missing. All rings are precious and this one held special meaning being handed down from her grandmother, to mom, then her. On site I used one of the 2 turn on and go modes on my MXT metal detector. The grass was thick and there was approx. 2 inches of snow on top. Grid searching the area revealed clean ground underneath my detector coil. Nearing the end of the suspected area I got a clean solid signal. Probing down revealed this stunning and unique gold ring with a jade stone not far from the snow angel she made! I waived at Savie to come out from under the parking deck and when she arrived she was thrilled the ring was located with a little help from the snow angel, and that it can continue to be worn and enjoyed until it’s ready to be passed down again.

Jon

 

Lost Gold Wedding Band at Hale Koa Beach Waikiki…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)


This ring find began when I got a text from Terry that said he lost his Gold Wedding band in waist deep water yesterday at Hale Koa hotel, while on vacation from Colorado Springs. I had just returned from a relaxing low tide mark hunt through Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Hale Koa Hotel beaches. I found a 14K Gold Band but it was on the Hilton side. I told Terry I’d grab my gear again and meet him on the boardwalk near Hale Koa Beach. When I arrived Terry introduced me to his lovely wife Mary and we proceeded down to the shoreline so they could show me the area to hunt. Mary was sure the hunt should start somewhat more to the left and I did start there. As those of you that know me, my gig is the ladies are much better at remembering locations. Good thing too because on only the third leg of the grid search after finding two pull tabs I got a loud 12/13 on the Nox and in one scoop there was Terry’s Gold Ring in the scoop. I will always listen to both but weigh heavily on the woman’s guidance! I can’t even remember when the last time the “Man” was correct! Terry & Mary were very grateful and several people on the beach came down to get my number. One gentleman said he was going to send me some honey from his bee farm! What a gracious offer and such wonderful people this morning on the beach. I found out Terry served in the Air Force so, “Thank You for your service Sir.” Aloha to Mary & Terry

Tantalum ring lost and found in Roscoe, Illinois.

  • from Rockford (Illinois, United States)

I received a text from Brenna on Wednesday telling me that her husband was in thier back yard doing some chores and lost his wedding ring while tossing a piece of pipe. So we set up a time for me to come search that Friday evening.  When I arrived I met Callum in the backyard and he gave me a quick description of what he was doing, where he was standing, and where he felt the ring come off. In just a few minutes I got a bouncy but strong 21-23 signal. I reached down with the pinpointer and it started beeping before it reached the ground! I pulled the grass back to see Callum’s wedding ring just under the grass and just slightly pushed into the ground.

Success!!

 

Couple Searches for Lost Engagement Ring for Two Months…Found by Ring Finder in Vienna, Virginia House

  • from Washington (District of Columbia, United States)

Beth’s Most Precious Material Possession Found by Ring Finder Brian Rudolph

Donn Proudly Displaying the Platinum Diamond Engagement Ring that he Offered to Beth on the Day of His Proposal!

BRIAN RUDOLPH, LOST ITEM RECOVERY SPECIALIST (LAND, WATER, SAND, SNOW, LEAVES, HOUSES & VEHICLES) WILL FIND YOUR LOST KEEPSAKE! CALL ASAP (301) 466-8644!

I was delighted to receive a phone call from a gentleman named Donn who was desperate in trying to solve a mystery regarding his wife’s lost engagement ring. Two months earlier, the couple was sitting on their couch located in their screened-in garden room enjoying their evening together. This particular section of the house was built on top of the existing backyard deck. Beth was drinking a glass of wine while she was fiddling around with her engagement ring. At some point, the ring slipped out of her hand and disappeared between two sections of the couch right next to where she was sitting. The two of them saw the ring fall somewhere below, but upon searching for the precious sentimental keepsake, their extensive efforts led to no avail. Beth and Donn were completely perplexed as to why they could not locate the ring anywhere in the garden room.

Days of searching turned into weeks and weeks of looking eventually turned into a couple of months. They did everything possible to recover the 1.5 carat diamond solitaire platinum engagement ring with baguette diamonds. They disassembled each section of the couch and even pulled all of the furniture away from the screened-in wall which faced the back of the property. When they couldn’t find Beth’s most priceless possession, they explored underneath the deck with a metal detector to determine whether or not the ring may have slipped through the deck boards and ended up somewhere on the ground below. Still, nothing was found. They kept scratching their heads even more than when they first tried to find the ring on the night of its disappearance.

When all of Donn and Beth’s efforts failed to recover the lost engagement ring, the couple immediately went to the internet in search of an answer. They started googling how to find a lost ring and that’s when the first part of their solution popped up on the screen. They found THE RING FINDER’S website, which is an international directory of metal detectorists who specialize in finding lost rings and other items for people just like Donn and Beth. They had no idea that such a network existed and they couldn’t wait to connect with their local ring finder closest to where they resided in Vienna, Virginia. It turned out that my name popped up as one of the specialists who serves the Vienna, Virginia area. They decided to contact me soon after they looked over my profile and were sold on my abilities and passion for a search such as this one.

Once I got all of the facts regarding the disappearance of Beth’s engagement ring, Donn and I set up a time for me to come out and attempt a recovery of the lost item. I couldn’t wait to be given an opportunity to solve this cold case and return the beautiful diamond ring to the finger that it so rightfully belonged to.

A couple of days later, I drove to Donn and Beth’s lovely house in Vienna, Virginia. When I arrived, Donn immediately took me around the back of the house where the screened-in garden room was located. We went up a few steps to the deck and then walked over to the door that led into the extended portion of the house. As I indicated earlier, the room was constructed on top of the existing deck boards. Therefore, when I looked down towards the boards, I could see the original deck flooring below me. The couple had concluded that the ring must have fallen in a gap of two of the deck boards and disappeared somewhere below. The only problem with that theory was that I couldn’t find any two boards that gave a large enough gap for such a ring to fall through.

Per my request, the couple reenacted the moment when Beth lost her ring and they showed me the exact spot where she was sitting and drinking wine when the ring slipped from her fingers. Beth even showed me how the couch could be disconnected into more than one section. It was then that I realized that there was no place for the ring to fall into the interior of that section of furniture. They told me that everything was exactly the way it was when the ring disappeared except for an area rug that was added in recent weeks. That one addition to the room did not complicate the present situation regarding this mystery. In fact, by them laying down the new carpet, it gave the couple a chance to move the furniture out of the way once more and search for the ring with additional detail in mind. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t find the jewel anywhere in the room.

Once I finished examining the “scene of the crime”, Donn guided me around the yard and took me under the deck just below the screened-in garden room. I observed a lot of dirt and patches of grass and I thought to myself how easy it would be for someone to eyeball a platinum ring in that particular environment. Donn shared how he tried metal detecting that whole section below the garden room and came away empty-handed, of course. Upon seeing that area below, I decided I wanted to search the garden room first before detecting the ground. Donn questioned why I chose to do the search in that order, and I explained to him that it seemed more likely that the ring may have never left the screened-in room. It was quite possible that they just didn’t see it while moving things around and unrolling the new area rug. I could tell that my client may have been questioning my thought process on the matter, but I felt confident in my decision to attack the room first and then head down below if all else failed.

Once I finished observing the area below the screened-in room, I returned to my car where I pulled out all of the necessary equipment that I would be using for the in-house search and for metal detecting below the garden room on the ground level. I then made my way back to the screened-in room to begin my search. Beth went into the house to connect with her work on a business conference call and Donn hung out around where I was starting to move pieces of furniture.

My first task was to move the couch forward towards the middle of the room so that I would have better access behind the area where the couch was originally situated. Once I pushed it forward, I got behind it and began looking on the floor for any sign of Beth’s beloved ring. It is at this point in the story that I have to share my endless level of excitement and surprise each and every time that I recount this particular search story to clients and friends! This is what happened: Within 10 seconds of looking for the couple’s lost marital keepsake, I was surprisingly able to recover Beth’s gorgeous diamond engagement ring just after moving the couch out of the way! When I got behind the couch, I moved a panel of drapes over to one side by just a few inches (making sure the ring didn’t end up underneath the puddle of fabric) and there it was – the precious ring! Beth’s gorgeous diamond platinum engagement ring was just sitting there waiting for one of us to discover it underneath the draperies! I literally found the keepsake in mere seconds! I discovered the ring so quickly that I couldn’t even believe what my eyes were staring at! I thought it was just too good to be true, but in fact it really was the jewel and the search had ended almost as fast as it had begun!

The excitement of finding the lost treasure was building up within me and I couldn’t wait to surprise Beth and Donn following my awesome discovery! Apparently, the couple had looked everywhere except underneath the draperies. It was just one of those simple answers that sometimes gets overlooked. We never think that a seemingly complicated search could actually have such a simple answer in solving the mystery! This happened to be one of those cases where it just took a third person with “ring search” experience and a fresh pair of eyes and hands to uncover the precious and beloved keepsake!

I must say that the couple was blown away upon hearing where I found the ring and how quickly I was able to return the special item back to the elated young lady! I told them not to be embarrassed by the simplicity of where the ring had been hiding all that time and to remember how blessed they were that the disappearance of their very special piece of jewelry wasn’t more complicated than it could have turned out to be!

After leaving Donn and Beth’s place, I returned to my car and immediately called THE RING FINDER’S founder and CEO, Chris Turner, to share this fantastic search and recovery story with him. He was so tickled to hear the details of where I ended up finding Beth’s ring and how quickly the search was wrapped up inside the couple’s screened-in garden room. I will never forget Chris’ proud voice and the words he shared with me following my account of the Vienna, Virginia search. He excitedly pronounced, “Well Brian, welcome to the 10 Second Club!“ I laughed and thanked Chris for his encouragement regarding my success in finding the ring so quickly!

I must say that other than the greatest thrill of recovering such a special item for Beth and the speed in which I did so, it was knowing that in being a proud member of THE RING FINDERS, my “cherry on top” moment was to become a new inductee into THE RING FINDER’S “unofficial” 10 Second Club that Chris Turner welcomed me into that afternoon!

SUBSCRIBE TO BRIAN’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO VIEW THIS SEARCH VIDEO!

To receive a NOTIFICATION letting you know when the video is uploaded to YOUTUBE: go to YOUTUBE by CLICKING THE LINK BELOW or OPEN your YOUTUBE APP on your device, go to the SEARCH BAR, type: THE RING HERO, click SUBSCRIBE and lastly, CLICK ON THE “BELL” to receive NOTIFICATIONS when this latest search video is available to view! 

BRIAN’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL LINK: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcn09QqWhHrj-7SGqlUBJQ

CALL BRIAN RUDOLPH WITH THE RING FINDERS AT (301) 466-8644!

VISIT THE RING FINDER’S WEBSITE TO READ MORE OF BRIAN’S SUCCESSFUL SEARCH STORIES at:

TheRingFinders.com/Brian.Rudolph/

HE WILL RETURN TO YOU WHAT HAS BEEN LOST!

VISIT BRIAN’S PERSONAL WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL STORIES AND INFORMATION AT: www.TheRingHero.net

Double engagement ring and wedding band recovery South Salem, New York

  • from Mahwah (New Jersey, United States)


I had a very interesting RingFinder call today. Jane was in her backyard with her dog and she threw a branch for the dog to fetch and she said at the same time her wedding ring flew off.
I set up a time today to search her yard for the lost ring. She had purchased a basic Bounty Hunter detector in an attempt to retrieve the ring herself. She had no success in her search. I searched the main area twice and realized the ring was not in the lawn. Their was a low, heavy chicken wire fence on the border of her neighbors yard and I could not detect within a foot of the fence.I detuned my Garrett carrot and proceeded a very thorough search along the fence. After a short time I saw the wedding band on edge next to the iron fence. When I showed it to her she was delighted and said “ You didn’t see the other one?” And I said what do you mean?
It turns out both her engagement ring and her wedding band flew off at the same time!
I went back with my pin pointer and with her watching ,found the diamond engagement ring 3 ft. From where the band was! Needless to say, she was elated to have both rings back on her hand. A first time double ring recovery for me- very satisfying!

Lost iPhone 7 in Egg Harbor River for 10 Days…Found in Mays Landing, New Jersey by Metal Detectorist

  • from Washington (District of Columbia, United States)

Mandy’s iPhone 7 Filled With 2 Years Worth of Memories Lost in the Egg Harbor River…Recovered 10 Days Later by Metal Detectorist, Brian Rudolph

Smiles Return to the Faces of Mandy and Quinn Now That Priceless Memories Can Be Extracted From the Device and Preserved Forever!

BRIAN RUDOLPH, LOST ITEM RECOVERY SPECIALIST (LAND, WATER, SAND, SNOW, LEAVES, HOUSES & VEHICLES) WILL FIND YOUR LOST KEEPSAKE! CALL ASAP (301) 466-8644!

I received a call from a young lady named Mandy who was desperate to recover her iPhone 7 from a river in Mays Landing, New Jersey. They found THE RING FINDERS online (an international metal detectorist directory), reached out to a metal detectorist in their area who then referred the couple to another ring finder in my area of Maryland and Virginia. That individual was not able to help out with this search due to the extensive distance involved and that’s when I was contacted.

Mandy and Quinn were kayaking down a couple of miles of water when Mandy’s kayak flipped over. Her iPhone 7 went overboard and so did two years of very special memories that were not saved off of her device (no prior back-up was made). The conditions were tough out there and the couple had no way of seeing the phone resting at the bottom of the water. It was also very dangerous out there with the fast current and high water level. Mandy and Quinn had to continue downstream and were forced to think about trying to recover the phone at some other time in some other way.

Over the course of the next 10 days, the couple made several attempts to recover Mandy’s iPhone. They would take their kayaks back down the river all the way to the spot where the phone went into the water. They even brought a metal detector on one of the trips, but they still could not find Mandy’s precious memory keeper. None of their attempts panned out and they notated that the water was getting colder and colder as the days lingered on.

Even though the couple knew that the phone would no longer work, based on my recommendation, they checked into a few data recovery services that could possibly extract all of the pictures and video from the phone. There were two years worth of the most precious memories one could ever save. This included Mandy and Quinn’s wedding and honeymoon photos, 5 vacations, 3 weddings and a recent family reunion! They were truly desperate to save those unforgettable moments in time.

After the couple had exhausted all of their efforts to get their iPhone back, I told them that I would be extremely excited to be a part of this adventure in trying to recover all of these lost stories that went down to the bottom of the Egg Harbor River.

There were lots of details to iron out in regards to this search and recovery operation. It would be a 3-hour drive to Mays Landing, New Jersey from my residence in Maryland. I would have to set up my NRS 12 foot raft so that we could all take the journey together down the river. We would then need to paddle approximately 2 miles to the search site, conduct the metal detecting operation, and then move down river another half of a mile to the drop off point that was near to the Winding River Campground. Mandy would leave her vehicle there ahead of time so that we could all drive back together to Weymouth Furnace Park where our other cars were left before entering the water. There was definitely a lot involved with this search, but I was determined to do everything I could to help this lovely young couple retrieve their lost phone.

On the day of the river search, I got up extremely early to prepare for the long day’s journey. I packed the car up with everything that I might possibly use for the search. This included: metal detectors, waterproof headphones, wetsuit, dive boots, gloves, detecting harness, video and photo equipment, life jackets, paddles, raft, marine battery to inflate the raft, manual pump, towels, change of clothes and much more.

The drive to New Jersey was smooth and easy. There was such beautiful countryside to view and I had plenty of time appreciating God’s beloved creation. After 3 hours of driving, I arrived at Weymouth Furnace Park and immediately got started unloading my vehicle.

While I waited for the couple to arrive at the park where we would enter the water, I brought all of my equipment down to the riverbank where I assembled my gear and pumped up the raft. Next, I changed into my wetsuit and made sure that I had all the supplies necessary to help bring success to this very unique search and recovery mission.

Mandy and Quinn arrived and we met for the first time near the parking lot where they were getting their own things out of the car to take with them on the trip. Within a short while, Quinn and I were lifting the NRS raft and bringing it into the river so we could get on our way towards our destination. Our river rafting adventure had officially begun!

During our several hour journey down the Egg Harbor River, we encountered several obstacles and mild adversities. Because the width of the water route was very narrow, we were met with down trees, large rocks and other natural resistances. There were a few times when I had to jump out of the raft and guide our vessel around certain “road blocks” that prevented us from having any access down river. There was one instance where the current created a whirlpool effect and I couldn’t get out of the suction in order to guide the raft in a certain direction. The water depth increased in that particular area which prevented me from being able to stand. I admit that it was a bit stressful during that specific encounter with the river’s angry disposition. However, wearing a life jacket at the time proved to be a true lifesaver!

Rudolph at the Bow Guiding the NRS Outlaw Raft Down River

The adventure that Mandy, Quinn and I experienced was all about teamwork. Quinn paddled at the stern of the raft and I commanded the bow with the other paddle. We worked extremely well together as we made our way from one mile marker to the next. At times, we would have to make quick decisions to avoid treacherous tree limbs that we were heading rapidly towards. Other situations had to do with observing the environment in and around the water so that we could stay away from running aground on the rocks or sandy bottom. It really was a very unique experience for me, especially knowing that we were on a mission with a very special purpose in mind – to recover lost stories that fell somewhere below 10 days earlier.

Quinn Paddling at the Stern

Eventually, the three of us arrived at the search site where Mandy’s kayak flipped over, causing the iPhone to disappear under the water. We pulled the boat up along the sandy river bank and then anchored it to secure its positioning. Mandy showed me a few tree limbs hanging over part of the river which had ultimately distracted Mandy while she wrestled against the fast current. This area would be a prime search location. There was also another section of the river that was perhaps 25 feet from where the kayak capsized which was also a place of interest. Mandy went on to describe how various items could be seen being pushed by the current down towards that other spot. I believe she mentioned that the kayak had once again encountered another vulnerable situation where it began to go into a roll which made it possible for the phone to go overboard at the particular moment.

After accumulating all of the possible scenarios as to what may have actually happened to the device and where it may have ended up, I gathered up my metal detecting gear from the raft and finally began the search. With my sand scoop in one hand and my waterproof detector in the other, I made my way over to the most likely spot in the river where the phone could have gotten lost below. When the kayak flipped over under the tree limbs that Mandy’s head was coming straight towards on that treacherous day almost two weeks earlier, I felt that that was probably the moment when the iPhone 7 went under. Therefore, that was the search location that I wanted to investigate first before I moved over to the alternative area.

Moving my detector back and forth, I scanned the whole section of water under and around the place where the tree limbs hung over me. In the first couple of minutes of the search, there were no target signals that interested my ears or eyes. I couldn’t find any evidence of personal contents made of metal located under the tree. It was at that point that I decided to swing my detector coil slightly to the outer rim of that search vicinity. My hope was that my detector would pick up a promising target on its screen, especially a digital number in the range of the lost phone. As it turned out, something of interest did get picked up on my detector screen, so I immediately checked out the signal and proceeded to identify the target. I placed my scoop down below the water and just as I started bringing it up, hoping that the item was caught inside the metal catchment, I caught sight of a flower-like circular design that was attached to a rectangular device! Immediately I knew that I had found Mandy‘s lost iPhone! I remembered her telling me that she had a PopSocket attached to the back of her phone and Mandy had described the color and floral pattern on her device, as well! This object was a perfect match to the description of the phone that we were after!

The Moment of Excitement and Relief for Quinn and Mandy!

I was so overjoyed at the realization that I did indeed discover this so very important item that contained so many memories that were at serious risk of being lost forever! Had it not been for the fact that this couple had entrusted me with this search and that we took the raft and all of my detecting gear down river in order to search that particular area, Mandy and Quinn would have never had the chance to recover such priceless images and video! There was such a feeling of elation as I processed the fact that I had traveled so far for this particular mission in mind and that it all turned out quite successfully! What a great feeling it was!

Metal Detectorist, Brian Rudolph, Beyond Excited with the Successful Search and Recovery Adventure!

I couldn’t wait for the next few minutes to come when I would surprise Mandy and Quinn with the results of my search in the Egg Harbor River! They were extremely excited and beyond surprised! The nightmare that they had been going through for the last 10 days was finally over! The rest of the river journey down to the drop off site was a time of celebration and thanksgiving! Just like the prayer that we had lifted up to God earlier on just before entering the water, so too did we thank God above for answering our desperate request for help following my happy smartphone reveal! Truly, our prayers were certainly heard and most definitely answered! I will never forget that very special moment and that wonderful adventurous day that we all experienced together on the Egg Harbor River in Mays Landing, New Jersey!

If you would like to view the SEARCH VIDEO and the fantastic RING REVEAL pertaining to this search, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and you will be notified when the search video is uploaded onto YouTube.

SUBSCRIBE TO BRIAN’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO VIEW THIS SEARCH VIDEO!

To receive a NOTIFICATION letting you know when the video is uploaded to YOUTUBE: go to YOUTUBE by CLICKING THE LINK BELOW or OPEN your YOUTUBE APP on your device, go to the SEARCH BAR, type: THE RING HERO, click SUBSCRIBE and lastly, CLICK ON THE “BELL” to receive NOTIFICATIONS when this latest search video is available to view! 

BRIAN’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL LINK: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmcn09QqWhHrj-7SGqlUBJQ

CALL BRIAN RUDOLPH WITH THE RING FINDERS AT (301) 466-8644!

VISIT THE RING FINDER’S WEBSITE TO READ MORE OF BRIAN’S SUCCESSFUL SEARCH STORIES at:

TheRingFinders.com/Brian.Rudolph/

HE WILL RETURN TO YOU WHAT HAS BEEN LOST!

VISIT BRIAN’S PERSONAL WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL STORIES AND INFORMATION AT: www.TheRingHero.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

LADIE’S SIGNET RING LOST, FOUND AND RETURNED ULTIMO TROLLEY BEACH, PUERTO RICO

I got a text message at 8:45am on Monday, August 30th from Ana saying “Hey Donald! Would you be able to find a gold ring I lost at the beach by Ocean Park?”. I was just wrapping up another beach hunt about 30 miles away. I called Ana and she explained that she lost her ring the night before in the water at Ocean Park Beach. Ana was flying home to NYC that morning, so I asked her for a photo of the lost ring and agreed to search for it weather permitting, since Ultimo Trolley Beach is mostly rough surf and difficult to search.

Ana sent me a picture of the ring, it’s a 14k Signet ring, very small. She also sent me a picture detailing the approximate area where she was when she lost the ring. The next few days I tried to detect in between the crashing surf but this small ring was nowhere to be found. I notified Ana that I had been looking for the ring and had no been able to find it, however, I would be on the lookout in case it washed ashore or a friendly detectorist happened to find it.

For some reason, I had a premonition that this ring would wash up in the surf. What are the chances, right?  But so it did! On Wednesday October 20th, almost two months after it was lost, I was detecting in the area in heavy surf with my Equinox 800, when I heard  a low tone. I quickly stabbed the sand with my Xtreme scoop and there it was, Ana’s ring!

I texted Ana, sent her a picture and confirmed it was her ring. The next day I sent the ring back to ANA in NYC and now the ring is back where it belongs.

This is such a great story, I couldn’t make it up if I tried! Thanks Ana, for trusting me to find your treasured ring.

 

PLATINUM DIAMONDS RING LOST, FOUND AND RETURNED OCEAN PARK BEACH, PUERTO RICO

 

 

 

This past Monday, just a s I was pondering going to the beach, I got a frantic call from Rei. She had taken off her platinum and diamond ring to apply suntan lotion. She placed the ring on the towel and forgot about it. When she moved the towel the ring went flying into the sand! Rei and her husband looked for the ring for about an hour with no success. I know the area where she was at and agreed to meet her there within the next half hour.

When I got there Rei came running to me , she was torn that she had lost the ring and excited to see some hope of finding it. We got to the area where Rei and her husband had been looking and Rei explained how she moved the towel and lost the ring. I had my Equinox 800 with me and felt very confident that I would find the ring.

After about five minutes of searching through lots of bottle caps and trash I approached Rei and told her I would be digging up all signals good and bad since the ring was obviously somewhere among that trash. As we stood there talking, the very next signal was a 12-13 midtone. I dug it up and there was the platinum ring!

It felt so good getting this ring back to Rei. You can tell they were very happy. Thanks Rei for trusting me to find your lost ring!

 

 

Wedding Ring Found in Lake Mille Lacs in Wahkon Minnesota

  • from Chisago City (Minnesota, United States)

I received a call looking for someone that could come up and locate a missing ring believed to be in a lake in about 3-4 feet of water.  The individual I was talking to was the former Chief of Police of a near by city before moving up to Northern Minnesota.  We planned on a time on a Saturday for me to come up and give it a good search.

Upon reaching the beautiful home on Lake Mille Lacs, I was greeted by the homeowner waiting for me out in his driveway. It was a beautiful sunny day with few clouds. I’m guessing it was about 85 degrees, with a slight wind. Another perfect day for ring recovery work. The homeowner Mike had a John Deere Gaiter waiting for me to toss all of my stuff into and took me down to the lake.  He explained that he was out moving a couple of bricks around  15’ or so from the end of the dock. Later that evening he and his wife noticed his ring was missing.  So putting everything together – figured it was out in the lake where he was working.  It had been a couple of days since it was lost and he had some fiberglass stakes marking the lake in the area where he had been.

So I dawned my gear and headed out first doing a Primary Search followed up with a secondary more methodical search.  I was finding a bunch of old tops to old beer cans form years gone by. The ones that used the old bottle opener with the pointed end to open the beer cans. The signal that these can tops would make was very similar signal to that of rings. The biggest difference was that they were coming in a little deeper than what I was looking for giving me a little ability to rule out some without digging them. But this is always a little dangerous because you could rule out something that you should not have.

I don’t recall but I remember the sun beating down on the back of my neck and my arm getting a little tire because swinging the metal detector in water takes a little more effort than air swinging.  I must have been out looking for 5-6 hours and came up empty at the end of the day.

I decided to head out and come back in the morning and give the yard and other possible locations a search. These locations seemed much less likely from what we were thinking, but because we were unsuccessful in the water, we had to expand the search area.  Mike had a well-manicured lawn with a very thick root system. This would make it very hard for a ring to get pushed down very far. My concern was that he had mowed the lawn a coupe of times and if the mower had hit it just right it could have launched it to places unknown. So we were hoping that it was run over by a wheel pushing it down into the lawn. After a search of the yard, shrubs, around the garage, and driveway – Nothing. So it was back to the water again.

By the end of the day we had accumulated a box full of parts to metal beer cans and no ring.  It was so frustrating to come up empty for a second day. You could tell that this was also hard on Mike and his wife, they had been married for 40+ years and the ring was with them for all of it. I told them that when they pulled the dock out for winter I would come back up again and give it another search without the dock and boat lift in the way.

So when that time came, I was excited to go back up and give it another try. I had one location that I had a question in the back of my head that I may have had good signal and really wanted to clear one more time. This is wader time with water temperatures running around 50 degrees. The water was glass calm, clear, and down about a foot from the level earlier in the season. I went in and had in my mind clearing that location that I had suspected as being one location I needed to clear. So I went out working the location of the dock working the area slow and methodical. When I made it out towards the location, I was getting close to I got a hit. A little deeper than what I would have liked but a good signal. I dug down and pulled up my scoop and looked inside and there it was another beer can top that I missed on the earlier searches. I kept going and I got another hit in the area that I was looking to clear. It was 3 pieces of metal all right next to one another. 2 were deeper around 4 inches and one was shallower about 2 inches but being masked by the other deeper metal targets.  The metal detector was having a hard time picking up the smaller target. Again I scooped it and missing it, but moved it. Rechecked the location and scooped again and had whatever it was. A look inside the scoop and their it was. The ring I had been searching for was in the bottom of my scoop. Mike was at his normal perch overlooking the lake, how do you let him know?  I flipped him a thumbs up, but just walked back in to him and showed him the scoop.  I had some rocks also in the bottom of the scoop that blocked his view. I shook it a little and he caught a glimpse of it… You found it… My ring.. I can’t believe you found it. It wasn’t long and we were heading back to the house to share the good news. Smiles all around. Pictures, text messages and emails to family members that the ring was recovered. It was great to be a part of the recovery.

  

Lost ring recovered from the Big Lake They Call Gitche Gumee

  • from Chisago City (Minnesota, United States)

I received a call from another Ring Finder from Southeastern Wisconsin (Paul Humphrey) about a party that had lost a ring up in Lake Superior and was wondering if I would be able to go up and assist a couple with finding their ring.  Paul was about 4-5 hours away and thought I would be closer.  He said that he would go if I was unable to make it. Superior Wisconsin is east of Duluth Minnesota by about 5 miles. Its about 2 ½ hours North of the Twin cities.  I told him that indeed I would be able to help them out, and that they could get ahold of me to set up a time that would work.  A short time later I received a call from Grace stating that her husband was in the lake at Wisconsin Point playing with their Labrador and when he got out, he noticed that his ring was missing.  He was not very far out in the lake but was not sure where he lost it. Wisconsin Point has several beautiful sandy beaches and has some sand bars that that go out about 250’ only about 3-4’ deep.  Grace sent me overhead photos with the location somewhat marked out.

I went up on a weekday while they were at work. I had a pretty good idea from talking to them and the photos where they were at. One thing that was said was they were on a sand bar. So when I got up I called them and let them know I was up looking for the ring. I was unable to reach either one of them but did leave messages for them.  So I started working the beach and the edge of the lake with my metal detector.  I was working a long narrow stretch about 400’ long.  I noticed a sand bar and recalled something said about that, so I decided to work out a couple hundred feet. All places that would be a great place to play with a dog.  I spent around 5 hours working the sand bar.  Beautiful weather, sunny skies, surf was calm, and very few people to work around. Near the end of the day a gentleman walked up and introduced himself as the person that had lost the ring. He said that I was 250’ to far east.  So I moved over and started working the area that he said he was in.  A storm front moved in and was starting to lightning about 15 minutes after moving to the new location.  We were forced to pull out for safety and would have to come back another time.

About a week or two later I went back up and was looking in the area that was pointed out to me.  I started my day working the beach where they had set up for the afternoon.  I just wanted to rule out the sandy beach before going into the water.  It would not take long, and I could be reasonably certain that that area was cleared.  While searching the beach what appeared to be a mother, daughter and a toddler were out on the beach in the area around where I was searching. The toddler was so cute and was mesmerized by my swinging the detector back and forth. She would follow me just to see what I was doing.  It was added to the enjoyment of the search.  I briefly spoke to the adults about what I was doing and that I was on a mission rather than just scavenging looking for lost items.

After that I went back out into the water, another beautiful day. Surf was calm and a beautiful day to be out searching. I was working a 100’ wide area going back and forth along the beach working my way out further into the water. The beach had a drop off about 15’ out that dropped down about 2 feet.  It was difficult to cover the area that had the slope being sand. I worked it from the top side and then the bottom side.  I found a cell phone and some miscellaneous junk items.  After about hour I was out about 35 feet and I picked up a signal. It was not a signal that I was thinking would be the ring but scooped it up. I could not believe it, it was the ring.  A beautiful rose gold ring with black diamonds just as they described.  I kind of let out a little YES after I found it and the folks on the beach were excited that I had recovered it.  They came over and seen the ring and where amazed at being able to find that small ring in such a large body of water.

Being 2 hours north of home I called and again was unable to get ahold of Grace and left her a message I was hoping I could meet up with her to give the ring back.  She called me back about 10 minutes later.  “ Hey Grace are you working today? I have something that I would like to get back to you”– No she said she was taking her dog to the vet. But you could tell her excitement. She said she was thinking of going out and buying a new ring later that day. I told her I would meet up with her at her vets office and return the ring.  In the moment I forgot to get photos of the ring being returned to her but they did send back one of the ring back where it belonged.  I did capture a couple of photos on the beach.

What another wonderful recovery. It never gets old helping people recover lost items.