SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Brandon’s lost gold wedding band in the snow.
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Brandon contacted me during our Seattle 2021 snow event about his 14k gold wedding band that got lost in his neighborhood. When I arrived he showed me a residential street that had a really good angle to it where they have been snow sledding two days prior. By this time most of the snow had melted away and the road was down to bare asphalt. I knew I had to act quickly if the ring was to be found before all the snow milted away. In high traffic areas there is always a high potential for some one to eyeball the item making the recovery process that more uncertain and added steps to take.
After he described what took place and pointing out the key areas he went back to his home to tend to his work. I quickly got my gear and got to the mission at hand. As I have done so many times in the past I quickly divided the area up in to priorities and the roadway was my prime focus. Active traffic, and only a few small bits of snow quickly milting away I knew I had to clear this section without delay.
As I got just past half way down the hill in the middle of the street I made a statement of how amazing it would be to find his ring in one of the snow drifts. As I was detecting a very thin patch of snow in the middle of the road I let out a prayer that God’s hand of protection would be upon his ring and that it would be recovered and before I could get the words out of my mouth completely God answered my prayer! My detector rang out a strong solid signal, a quick swipe of my pin pointer and I had his ring in my hand! Thank you Jesus his ring was recovered less than an inch away from a tire tread that went straight through this very patch of snow of where the ring was recovered. God certainly did protect his ring as there was not even a scratch on it. Beautiful, clean and pristine 14k yellow gold with a wood grain pattern carved into this piece constructed of heirloom gold from his father’s wedding ring made this a very special recovery.
We are so happy for Brandon’s wedding ring recovery.We trust in God that my prayer will continue on for the protection of this ring as its story continues on with Brandon’s life long adventures.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Professional Soccer Player Ally Watt’s Texas A&M Aggie Diamond Ring Wrap!
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Professional Soccer Player Ally Watt connected during our 2021 snow event asking for some help. Sadly she told me she had just lost a gold diamond ring throwing a snow ball for a photo. I asked her if this was a wedding ring and she no and did not offer any further details of the ring. She had learned of my services from my local metal detection shop when calling to rent a machine. The weather was quite crazy as we don’t typically get that much snow so it generally catches us off guard in the Seattle area. Ally had been out near Point Defiance when she lost her ring. Due to the snow and all the was taking place I was not able to meet her that same day. However she lives very close to the area she lost her ring so I did all I could to help her over the phone until I could make the trip. She came out the next days and searched for her ring. At first she didn’t realize she had been over a parking lot of snow. A few days past her loss she had received a cheap metal detector purchased on line and it basically did not perform all that well for her only turning up a simple coin. She tried to detect her friends ring in the snow and said the machine didn’t even respond. Admittedly having no experience with the cheap metal detector it was no surprise she did not locate her ring with the detector. By the time I was able to meet her in the parking lot a few days after the loss I learned more of the story. This is when I learned it was a Texas A&M class ring and that she had just found the ring the day prior visually searching the slushy snow! She also informed me that there was still a missing God Diamond Ring Wrap that she could not find! By they time I arrived the parking lot pavement had been plowed clear of all snow. Having been in the snow the past few days recovering other rings I knew this snow to be soft and light when it first fell. With what she told me I suspected when the ring flew off her finger the ring and diamond wrap separated. The chunky gold Aggie ring sank in the snow as where the Diamond Ring Wrap quite a bit lighter in mass stayed up a little hither in the layers of snow. When the snow plow came thought the parking lot I was hoping the Diamond Ring Wrap got pushed to the edge of the parking lot in the piles of snow. She was very fortunate to have eyeballed her Aggie class ring and to have found it undamaged.
I had a decision to make as we often do, either go right or left. I chose the right side of the parking lot first as the snow bank was not a hight as the other side. Always do the easy low hanging fruit first! No ring wrap, so off to the left side and still no ring wrap. Determined I continued to work up the parking lot when I finally got my first real solid target. I was not sure but had a pretty good anticipation this was it. After a few quick swipes of my detector and pin pointer I had a snow ball in my hand and pulled her Gold Diamond Ring Wrap completely undamaged from its snow packed hiding place! Thank you Lord for protecting this precious diamond ring wrap. She was quite concerned that it could have gotten run over by a car but fortunately we are thankful to report it was recovered undamaged. She was extremely pleased with the results of our efforts. With big proud smiles she put her ring back on her finger ready to live through the next adventure life brings her way.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Cassidy lost gold ring.
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Cassidy’s mother contacted me asking for help in searching for her daughter’s lost rings in the snow. Being that I was a bit delayed and that they already had rented a metal detector I happily provided a lot of tips over the phone on how to search their small neighborhood play park. Cassidy’s dad did all he could do with the rented machine through the cold snow but was not able to locate either of his daughter’s lost rings.
When her grandmother passed away these rings were handed down to Cassidy. It was obvious these heirloom rings hold a deep sentimental value by the whole family. She shared that she basically ran out into the fresh snow and threw one snowball bare handed then walked a few feet over to grab some more snow when she realize both rings were missing one from each hand! It’s quite possible she may have shook her hands a few times after that first throw to clear the cold snow from her bare fingers. These actions along with cold weather are notorious conditions for rings to get flung off the hand. Where rings land quite often can be quite a mystery and very difficult to locate without the proper recovery equipment and experience.
It was a few days before I could arrive and the family did all they could with the rented metal detector with no success. It was now day number four and I’m quite sure each day up to this point the family continued to look nonstop. At this point the snow had pretty much melted away with a few patches here and there. Cassidy was rewarded for her efforts and did spot one of her lost rings a brilliant platinum diamond wedding band. It was found in the park grass where a snow man was previously. She had found it just a few hours before my arrival however the other ring a rose gold diamond wedding band was still missing in action. At this point the rented metal detector had been returned and the family was at a loss as to where the other ring hiding in the park.
After a short bit of time working the grass I got a hot signal that I had been looking for. Under a patch of snow I pulled Cassidy’s second ring, a rose gold diamond wedding band, from the ground. Undamaged and ready to be placed back safely on her finger. Cassidy and her whole family were relieved and very appreciative of the support they found through my services brought to them through TheRingFinders.com directory.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Dominic’s lost gold ring.
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Dominic contacted me asking for some help in locating a lost gold ring. Due to the cold weather front that had just arrived the night before he was gathering some firewood for the home. While collecting the wood he lost a very sentimental gold wedding band. He had received this ring from his father ten years previous and to this day it has a lot of meaning and connection to his dad. After realizing the ring had gone missing Dominic was cautious not to walk around the wood pile too much as he didn’t want to step on the ring and damage or press it into the ground. He was also quick to make a post to social media looking for a metal detector. This is when someone told him to contact TheRingFinders.com as they had used our services in the past. Later that evening I was at his residence with my equipment in hand. Without wasting time I got the search under way as a full on snow storm was quickly approaching.
Dominic clearly described his actions indicating that he did take some work gloves off during his work. He also used a riding lawnmower to haul the firewood up the driveway to the home. He became aware of the missing ring rather quickly so we had a very strong assumption the ring was most likely lost during his wood gathering actions.
I scanned the easy sections of driveway first, inspected the riding lawnmower then rounded back to the woodpile. Dominic’s ring was recovered just at the start of the wood pile. His ring was visually obscured under a few leaves as rings are much of the time. Dominic was rewarded with a hassle free recovery simply by reaching out to TheRingFinders.com and getting a Lost Item Recovery Specialist involved soon after his loss. He is happy to have his fathers ring back safely on his finger.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
In Tarrytown, New York, Heather helped her son look through the freshly fallen snow for his lost GoPro. During the GoPro search, Heather’s ring went missing! The 15-year-old diamond band had to be in the yard somewhere. Making matters worse, the ground was covered in 18 inches of snow. Heather was forced to repeatedly walk along the same pathways throughout the yard, one positive perspective of deep snow. The ring had to be on a footpath, or it could be lost near the play structure where they were searching for the GoPro. Heather realized how complicated this task could get, so she searched online for “how to find a ring in the snow.” Heather found my information and sent me an email. We decided on a day that worked for both of our schedules, and I made the trip to New York from Connecticut.
I arrived in Tarrytown and couldn’t believe how much snow was actually on the ground. Luckily the footprints in Heather’s yard were obvious, so the ring could only be in a couple of places. Heather stopped her family from using the backyard when she realized the ring was missing, preserving the scene until I got there. We carefully walked through the yard, and Heather explained everything she could remember.
I began my search at the playset where Heather removed her gloves for the first time. This location is also where Heather spent the most amount of time searching for the GoPro. The very first signal on my metal detector was faint, but it was in the gold range. The ring was small, so I knew the chance of moving it around in the loose snow was high. In my live dig video, you can see I scooped snow from where the signal originated. It took me a few seconds of fumbling and searching to realize snow had encased the item. My pinpointer was vibrating on what looked like an ice clump. My first thought was pull-tab. The kids were out here playing and dropped it in the snow. But when I moved the cluster, I saw a shape and glimmer that could only be one thing. A diamond band! Heather’s cold fingers must have been constricted, and when she pulled the glove off that day, the ring came off with it.
Check out my YouTube video to see Heather’s reaction!
From Heather:
I’m so grateful to Keith for finding my wedding band! One of my son’s friends was over at our house for some sledding. We had about 1.5 feet of relatively fresh snow, and the boys had lost a GoPro camera in the snow near the swing set in our yard. I was outside helping to search for it, and at some point, I took my gloves off quickly, and my ring flew off my finger. I didn’t notice because it was really cold at the time, and my hands were pretty numb. After a while, we found the GoPro, but I realized my wedding band was gone when I got back inside. I immediately knew what had happened. I checked my glove and coat first, and then I went back outside to take a look, but it felt pretty impossible to find anything so small in all that deep snow. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I googled “how to find a ring in the snow?” and Keith’s name popped up.
When Keith arrived at our house, I was able to show him the area of our yard where I thought the ring might be. Within 15 minutes, he found it! The ring has been with me for almost 15 years now, and I’m so relieved to have it back.
I can’t recommend Keith enough! Losing something sentimental and valuable is devastating and stressful. Keith was professional and kind, and his experience hunting for lost items put me at ease and gave me hope that my wedding band could be found even in the large amount of snow that had fallen. He drove several hours to get to our house in New York before more snow and ice (in the forecast) fell. He’s clearly passionate about what he does, and that’s a great thing for anyone who has lost something. I highly recommend calling him if you need help.”
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
Nicki and John hurried to the local sporting goods store to purchase a metal detector. Little did they know, moving the trash and recycling bins one winter night would lead to hours of hands-and-knees searching, in the snow, for a lost wedding band. John grabbed the city bin handle and started pulling. The ice and snow from the winter storm had these containers wedged in place. One was breaking loose when John’s cold hands slipped off the handle. He heard something strike the wooden garage door and realized it was his gold wedding band. They spent three hours searching for the ring, including the use of a recently purchased metal detector and rake. Eventually, the couple decided they needed help in their search. Nicki contacted me, and we discussed the details of the lost ring. We knew the ring was there, but it could have bounced in any direction. There was a snow mound next to the garage where the bins were stored. The wedding band could have landed anywhere. There was even the possibility the ring could have flown over the chain-linked fence into the next yard. Nicki could see the only options, either book the search with a professional or wait for the snow to melt and hope the wedding band was not picked up by someone else.
Nicki booked the search and sent clear photos of the area. I arrived, and we walked the driveway recapping that night’s events. We decided to move the trash and recycling containers to open up some detecting areas. John headed indoors for a moment, and I got started with the search. Only minutes after turning on the metal detector, I heard two signals. Both came from where the trash and recycling containers were typically stored. I marked the areas and started recording for the live dig. The display numbers were in the 60s and 70s on my XP Deus metal detector. Gold falls in this number range, so I was hoping one of the signals was the lost wedding band. Uncovering the first target, as you can see in the video, I found a nickel. I brushed the snow away from the second item, and only an inch or two under the top layer of snow, I saw gold. The wedding band was barely covered and must have been protected by the recycling container. Once Nicki and John returned the bins after pick-up, the wedding band must have been preserved underneath, in the top layer of snow, until today.
I coordinated with Nikki for the surprise reveal of the ring. Once John came back out, I asked a couple of questions, and in the middle of his response, I revealed the ring to him and asked, “Is that it?” He was trying to focus on the item I was holding. When he realized I was holding his wedding band, the excitement set in, and I could hear the shudder in his voice. His reply was, “Yes, it is. How did you do that?” We laughed and joked about the difficulty of learning a new metal detector in the middle of an emergency ring search. I handed over the cherished wedding band to the happy couple and headed to my next adventure in New York.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
“Keith is responsive, super-nice, knowledgeable, and found my heirloom engagement ring I lost in the snow! If you’re in for a bit of a story, please keep reading. Otherwise, all you need to know is that Keith is the real deal. My fiancé Greg and I were on our way to watch the Super Bowl when I took my engagement ring off to put some hand cream on. No big deal, right? Well, I never ended up putting the ring back on. With my hands full, I hopped out of his truck and onto the driveway of our friend’s house. The ring was unknowingly flung off my lap and into the driveway. It wasn’t until we had gotten settled down inside that I noticed the ring was gone. What could have been an easy and routine find became nearly impossible due to a fresh coat of snow on top of about a foot of snow from a recent storm. In addition to this, our friend shoveled the remaining snow from the driveway into his yard after we had arrived, which further complicated the finding of the ring. Our entire group of great friends sprang into action in the search for the ring. We even used a metal detector! Yet still no luck. I was absolutely devastated. Any engagement ring is sentimental, but this is also an heirloom ring, which added even more feelings of guilt and helplessness. Greg began googling “how to find a lost ring in the snow.” Google knows everything! He came across a site called The Ring Finders, where he found Keith. He sent Keith an email, and within hours, Keith got in contact with us, and we arranged a search. Despite nearly a 2-hour drive (each way!) and even more inclement weather, Keith made the trip to help us that evening. He assured us that if the ring was, in fact, there, he would find it. He was right! After an hour and a half or so of continued shoveling, chiseling, and searching through the snow and ice, Keith located the ring! We couldn’t believe it! We were SO ECSTATIC! It almost felt like we got engaged all over again! If you’ve lost something cherished, Keith is the guy to go to! Thank you, Keith!!!” – Sarah
When I arrived, the snow was starting to taper off. I believe the Springfield, MA area got two or three inches that afternoon and evening. Looking at the waist-high snowbanks on both sides of the driveway, it was looking like a long night. I started by metal detecting the spot where they were hand digging from a few nights ago, but I came up empty-handed. I figured it was time to start shoveling if the ring was buried deeply by the previous search party. Sarah and Greg both tossed shovels full of snow onto the open driveway. I scanned with my metal detector as each scoop hit the surface.
As we cut down through the snow, I felt we had to be getting close. After about an hour and a half of shoveling, the freshly fallen snow was long removed, and we were digging into the icy underlayer. Circling out wider and wider from where we thought the ring was, I heard a good signal along the sidewalk (at least where I think the sidewalk was), but it turned out to be a small copper washer. Sometime later, I made my way down to the end of the driveway, right where Sara stepped out of the truck that night. I heard a weird signal, so I had to investigate. It was definitely buried in the ice, so I didn’t have high hopes that it was the ring. Agawam, MA, had lots of fresh snow but no temperature drop, so technically, the ring shouldn’t be under the ice. As I started chipping away and removing layers, I pulled out my pinpointer, or mini metal detector, and started narrowing down the signal. I saw asphalt, so I knew I was on the edge of the road and driveway. There was only a thin layer of ice remaining, so whatever the signal was, I was getting close. One last chip with the shovel and I flipped over a big chunk of ice. Expecting the item to be under the asphalt, I was shocked to see a gold ring stuck to the bottom of the ice clump. I brushed off the heirloom ring and handed it to the happy couple.
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
Ashley was outside with her dogs during a snow storm in Danbury, Connecticut. She removed a glove and shook her snow-covered hand. Instantly her rings slipped off into the snow. She lost her newly redesigned diamond engagement ring and her diamond band. It was early in the storm with minimal snow covering the ground. She figured there was a chance of brushing away some snow and finding her lost rings. The family came outside to join the search, and before they knew it, bare grass was showing, and had no rings for their efforts. Lucky the Ring Camera Security system recorded the whole fiasco! The camera recorded the exact location of where Ashley was standing relative to their fire pit. This security footage would be beneficial in the days to come. Ashley’s mother was determined to find the lost rings and took to the internet for help. Elaine found my website and submitted a search form. The appointment was booked, and I planned to make the trip across Connecticut.
I arrived after the storm passed, but not before almost two feet of snow had fallen. The fire pit that once was visible in the security footage was now a mound of snow. I did an initial scan of the top snow layer to see if I could get lucky and hear a signal. I found a few bottle caps and other large metal scraps in the shallow snow around the fire pit, but no rings. It was time to dig! After the first hour, I covered a ten-foot radius around the firepit. The top twelve inches of snow came off, with eight inches remaining on the ground. Each shovel full went into a 55-gallon pale that I dumped in another part of the yard. Two hours passed, and I still had nothing to show for my efforts except dirty mounds of snow all over the yard. As I expanded my search outward from the firepit, thoughts of doubt began to creep in on me.
I wondered if the rings could have flown farther, possibly over the stone wall or into the neighboring property. Dragging the heavy container of shoveled snow got old, so I decided to pile the snow closer, in a location that I already checked. Before I knew it, there was a waist-deep mound of shoveled snow right where Ashley was standing when the rings flew off. In hindsight, this was the worst possible place I could have piled the shoveled snow. I called Ashely outside to regroup and do some testing because I was at a loss for where these rings could be. The test results were mostly a disaster, but this story will be saved for another time. Armed with new information, I forced the thoughts of searching the neighbor’s yard out of my head and decided to spend my last efforts back where I started. Losing daylight and approaching three hours of digging and metal detecting, I knew this would be my last attempt for today. I moved all the snow I had spent the last couple of hours piling just to uncover the area Ashley was standing when she lost the rings a few days prior. This time, I planned on removing snow until I got within an inch or two of the grass. Next to the firepit is a popular place for people to hang out, so now that most of the snow was removed, I could hear the faintest of signals in the grass. Removing small scraps of metal such as tin foil wrappers, I was now getting the smaller targets that would sound similar to a petite woman’s ring. Racing the fading light, I was removing one metal item after another. I was popping targets out of the grass so quickly; I was already looking for the next signal before I finished placing the junk target in my pouch.
The next piece of metal came out of the snow, and it surprised me when I realized it was a ring! My hands were shaking, and I could hardly brush the snow off. I closed my eyes, said a quick prayer, and finished brushing off the snow. I opened my eyes, hoping to see a center stone. Yes!! It was the engagement ring! The first time I shoveled the area, I must not have dug deep enough to hear the faint signature of the tiny gold ring. After three hours of moving snow around, it looked like a construction site, and I still had one more search to do in another town. I handed over the two rings and promised Ashley I would come back soon to find the remaining third ring. Yes, you read correctly, the THIRD ring. Tune in when I return to Danbury and locate the final missing ring. You will hear the story of how I found the first ring and why it went from two lost rings to three!
Ashley’s rings mean the world to her. In particular, one ring represents the strongest of feelings.
Ashley’s testimonial: “Just this past year, life was a rollercoaster. My husband had recently gone overseas for a year, and I gave birth to my beautiful little boy. With my husband being gone and raising our baby, not only did he miss the birth, but he will be missing my birthday and our anniversary. We decided to upgrade my ring to make last year and this year a little bit more memorable. It signifies the bond we have created over these last 10 years, and nothing can stand in our way. Plus all the exciting things to come. When the rings flew off my hand in the snowstorm, I was devastated. The one thing to show and look on of our history together was gone. I searched for an hour before giving up and losing hope. Thank the Lord for Keith for coming as soon as he could and taking the time to shovel over two feet of snow to find my beautiful rings. He brought back so much joy not only to me but to my husband who is thousands of miles away.”
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves, taking out the trash. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting or borrowing a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring was lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Jacob’s lost gold onyx diamond ring.
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Jacob contacted me looking for help in recovering his sentimental gold onyx diamond ring. He explained to me that this was a very special ring he found in his mothers home after she passed so there was a great deal of sentimental attachment. He lost his ring about two months prior in his back yard while winding up a garden hose. He had the ring on his pinky finger making it very loose. Having been a little upset while jerking the garden hose around his gold ring shot off his finger. He told me he remembered watching his ring fly off string into a large bushy tree. He even pointed out an exact spot where he watched his ring disappear into the bushy branches. The overgrowth of this tree is so large you can actually walk inside the canopy andbe totally engulfed into a whole different space. Based on his strong eye witness account I started my search directly on the bearing he pointed out straight into the bush. I spent quite a bit of time searching inside the tree without success. Having knowledge that this was a large gold chunky mens ring and that he has some frustration when the ring got launched I knew it was possible the ring could have traveled some distance. I searched inside the tree until I was satisfied it was not there. At this point I knew I had to surface from the bush and expand my search to the yard.
Within just a few brief moment I located his ring outside of the bushy tree. It was true that he watch his ring fly off however the ring took a bit more angle missing the bushy branches and landing just a few feet to the side. Jacob and his wife were very appreciative to have his ring back on his finger as a special memory of his mother.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
Bilal crossed over a snowbank to get to his car and lost his footing. He slipped in the snow, landing on his back, and immediately felt his ring go flying! Bilal frantically searched the city street for his lost ring. His search continued for hours, closely inspecting the snow piles, sidewalk, and roadway. It was late at night, and Bilal was feeling defeated in his efforts. Bilal’s wife eventually searched online for “ways to find a ring in the snow.” She found my profile and saw all the rings I found over the past couple of years.
When I woke up the next morning, I saw the late-night missed calls and text messages from Bilal. Before I even read the text messages, I knew what happened. This had to be a painful loss for a call to come in that late. I finished reading the text messages and responded quickly. I explained that I had two other searches scheduled that day, and I had no idea how long they would take. One of my appointments was on the other side of Connecticut near the New York border, so I knew it would be tough to complete the third job. Bilal was willing to hire me, and I was determined to make it work, so we booked the appointment with a tentative timeframe.
Bilal’s level of commitment was unreal. He arrived in New Haven and guarded the area from noon until I arrived later that day at 5:30 PM. That is dedication! When I got out of my car, I noticed the parking spot from his photos was empty. It was too good to be true – a city street parking spot open at dinnertime? I hurriedly walked over and turned on my metal detector. As soon as I went to take my first scan, a car pulled into the spot. Over the next thirty minutes, multiple cars tried to park in the place where Bilal fell. He very politely explained what happened and asked the drivers if they could park in another spot. The drivers expressed their sympathy and happily parked elsewhere.
I started by scanned the top layer of the snow all around where Bilal fell. The mound was deep from shoveling and plowing. People were also climbing over the top of the snow. To scan the deep footprints, I had to angle my metal detector down and poke my coil into each impression just to get to the bottom of the shin-deep holes. The metal rebar in the sidewalk was causing a lot of interference with my equipment, so I knew the power settings had to be lowered. A side effect of low power is reduced detection depth into the snow. The ring was not detected on my initial pass, so it was time to use a different tactic. Bilal borrowed a larger shovel than the one I had in my car, and he started relocating snow from the sidewalk and piling it in the street. Bilal shoveled, and I scanned every scoop as it hit the asphalt. We heard a signal after the first three scoops. Stop! I yelled, so we could examine the noise.
I spread the snow with my foot and honed in on the target. We quickly realized the metal signal was coming through the snow from under the street. Bummer. We continued the process and started to make a dent in the snowbank. Admittedly, I was getting nervous. If the ring flew further than we initially thought and was lying in plain sight on the cleared part of the sidewalk, someone could have easily picked it up. Another 10 to 15 minutes went by, and Bilal had moved enough snow to cover an entire parking spot. He threw me another scoop, and I heard a second signal. I yelled, hold on! Figuring it was another metal spot in the road, I swiped the top layer of snow off to pinpoint the pesky thing. Before I could bring my coil down to the asphalt, the platinum jumped out at me. We were both in shock. I picked up the ring and handed it to Bilal. Both of us were speechless, so we hugged it out in the street for a minute.
The platinum ring was found almost a foot into the snowbank. Without significant plowing or a fresh layer of snow, it did not seem possible for the ring to be that deep. Bilal mentioned that the snow melted during the day, so here is my best guess at what happened during the 21 hours the ring was lost. When Bilal fell, the ring flew off and stuck itself just deep enough in the soft snow that he could not see it. The warmer temperatures of the next day caused the snow to partially melt and turn slushy. During this change, the ring sunk further down. As the temperatures dropped towards sundown, the slush began to harden and encapsulated the ring deeper than where it was initially deposited the night before. There you have it, mystery solved!
From Bilal:
“I got married in April 2020 during Covid. My wedding reception was canceled; however, we decided to have a small wedding with immediate family members. My wife bought me a wedding band that I always loved. It has diamonds around it, and it’s something that I cherish dearly. I fell, and my ring flew off into a pile of snow. Once Keith found the ring, I couldn’t explain how I felt. It was the most amazing feeling, relief, and excitement. I was so anxious during the search, but after talking to Keith, he gave me reassurance.”
How to Find a Lost Ring
Lost ring in the snow? It happens all the time – brushing and scraping ice, throwing snowballs, sleigh riding, taking off gloves. Suddenly your ring goes flying. Don’t waste your time renting a metal detector. Stop and mark the area where you believe the ring is lost. If plowing or shoveling occurs, block off the site to preserve the ring’s location. My jewelry finding service covers Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and other surrounding states.
If you have a lost ring or something of value, contact Keith Wille now.
