Ask any seasoned metal detectorist and they will tell you how challenging it can be to find tiny gold-stud earrings. The miniscule amount of metal, together with their shape, makes detection nearly impossible for standard detectors, even for higher-end units. Over the years, however, I’ve learned there are other detection tools that can be used, such as the one I used to find a lost diamond-stud earring belonging to Libertyville, Illinois resident, Abbie O’Connor.
Abbie recently received the earrings as 40th-birthday gift from her husband, Michael. Safely secured in a jewelry box along with her wedding rings, the O’Connor’s adorable and unpredictable two-year old suddenly threw the box like a baseball out into the couple’s backyard. Abbie watched in horror as the box and contents ricocheted off a rock, ejecting its contents out into the grass. All but one of the earrings was recovered. Despite many hours of meticulous searching, even with metal-detection equipment, the precious earring remained at large.
After a few days of intense searching, Abbie discovered my metal detection services on the Ring Finder’s directory of metal-detecting specialists. After speaking with Abbie on the phone, I arranged to meet with her and her husband on location, an hour and half drive from my home in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Using the matched earring as a test specimen, I found it was barely detectible, even with my XP Deus 2, High Frequency coil. Time to bring out another tool, an extremely-sensitive, gold-prospecting device made by Falcon Metal Detectors, in Arizona. The Gold-Tracker MD20, uses a unique wand that responds to even the tiniest of gold nuggets. But it also responds to other types of metal. Since the O’Conner’s backyard was full of the usual metallic debris such as leftovers from roofing and construction projects, it was a challenge to suppress those signals without also sacrificing the earring’s presence.
A systematic search of the grass failed to locate the missing jewelry. Probing through a rock garden, complete with flourishing Hosta plants, likewise proved futile. Michael even cut down some of the Hosta plants in case the earring had lodged itself in one of the leaves. We set up a plastic swimming pool and scanned all the plant material, to no avail.
The next area involved some large patio stones. In between the stones was a pencil-thick mixture of weeds and sand. These seams were potential hiding places for the tiny piece of jewelry. A systematic scan of the patio resulted in a clear metallic signal between two of the stones. Upon further investigation, a tiny sparkle appeared. And Michael’s smile tells the rest of the story.
Abbie’s Testimony:
I cannot recommend Paul highly enough. After losing a diamond stud earring in my backyard, I spent hours searching through the grass with no luck. I was heartbroken and had nearly given up hope of ever finding it again.
That’s when I found Paul. He came to my home equipped with an impressive array of metal-detecting equipment and immediately got to work. What stood out most was his determination—he spent more than three hours searching in the heat and sun and simply refused to give up. He was on his hands and knees combing through the yard, treating the search as if it were his own precious item that had been lost.
Beyond his skill and persistence, Paul is one of the most trustworthy and genuine people I’ve met. Inviting someone onto your property and trusting them with something so valuable can feel daunting, but Paul immediately put me at ease. He was professional, honest, respectful, and incredibly kind throughout the entire process.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, Paul found my earring. I truly don’t believe anyone else would have worked as hard or cared as much as he did. If you’ve lost something valuable—especially something with sentimental meaning—you can trust Paul completely. His integrity, dedication, and determination are second to none.
Thank you, Paul, for finding something I thought was gone forever.
