Jim Wren, Author at The Ring Finders

Yellow Gold Crucifix Lost under Stilted House, Found and Returned Surfside Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Friday, March 8th, I received the following message from Corey, “Hi, I have a house in Surfside Beach. One of the guests has dropped a necklace and the crucifix came off of it and can’t be located. Checking to see if you’re interested in trying to find it.” I responded saying “Sure. Call me,” and sent him my number. When he called he gave me a few more details. He mentioned that when the crucifix was dropped on the concrete it bounced, possibly in an area beside the driveway. I told him I’d be there in 30-45 minutes. I also asked him to text me the address, which he did.

On the drive down, Corey sent me a picture of the area, with a red circle around the particle spot where the crucifix had been dropped. When I pulled into the driveway, I got a better idea of the possibilities of what I needed to do. First, I did a visual of the entire area, looking through 2 boxes of kid’s shovels, buckets and other beach toys with no luck. Next I looked in and around a golf cart, including releasing the brake to move the cart and looked under the tires. Still nothing, I pulled my Gold Bug with a 6” coil out of the car and started detecting the ground holding a row of trees, mulch and dead leaves beside the driveway. I pulled out about a dozen roofing and siding nails, pull tabs and bottle caps, but still no crucifix. I went to the neighbor’s yard and did the back side of the tree line. I moved over to the opposite side of the driveway and checked the grass area. I was out of ideas, so I grabbed my Equinox 800, lowered the sensitivity and researched the tree line. I called Corey and told him I hadn’t had any luck. He told me that Kim, who is the owner of the cleaning company that cleans the rental, was coming over and would be there in about 10 minutes. I told him I’d wait.

When Kim arrived she told me that in the process of cleaning the house, she had found the chain and crucifix among other items the renters had left behind. In the process of moving the items downstairs to the garage she set everything down on the seat of the golf cart. At that time the crucifix was still on the chain. When she picked up everything to move it to the garage is when she noticed the crucifix was gone. Her co-worker said she heard something hit the concrete and saw it bounce into the tree line. The two searched everywhere and couldn’t find the crucifix, hence I was called. She opened up the garage to show me where she had set everything down. Not sure if when she picked up the items, the crucifix fell out or not but we both saw the crucifix lying on the garage floor. Woo-Hoo!!!! I can’t remember if Kim said the owner lived in Michigan or Wisconsin but she was going to get the crucifix back home soon.

Kim – Thank you for helping solve the mystery.

Corey – Thanks for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find this treasure.

Jim

   

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Daughters Tattoos Symbolizes Ring Recovery and Return Number 220

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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As Ring Finders, we’ve all received those frantic calls asking for help to locate a lost “very” sentimental item (ring, necklace, bracelet, etc.). We’ve also experienced the happy returns with handshakes, big bear hugs, and laughs. And more times than not, we’ve watched those big tears running down cheeks, including our own sometimes. We also have those returns, for one reason or another that we’ll never forget.

This return happened in August 2023 when I found and returned my 220th item, which happened to be a lady’s wedding band. It started with a mother and her two daughters having a girl’s vacation at the beach. The mother was in the ocean and was knocked over by a wave. Knowing what that ring meant to their mother, the daughters contacted me. I was fortunate enough to find it and get it back on the finger it belonged on in pretty quick fashion. And oh yes, there was all the excitement, scream, hugs and tears with the return. It was a moment to remember!

Yesterday, just shy of 3 months I got a text saying, “Jim, I’m super sorry to bother you. But a couple months ago you found my mom’s wedding ring in the sand. My sister and I were so happy. I think you told my sister that we were number 220 of finds for you. We are going to get a tattoo and I just want to verify that our number is in fact 220. Is that something you are able to do for me?” I verified it for her, and she thanked me. I also asked her for a picture of her tattoo, and she agreed. Today I got the picture. I asked her what it meant to her, her sister and their mother to get the ring back. Here’s her response – “Let’s see what finding that ring meant to my family…. everything. Memories of a lifetime. From my parents dating and living the “easy” life to a marriage of 42 years! From the fights to the hugs, from the late nights out to the late nights up with kids. It’s a symbol of strength and promise. A promise that your life will not go unseen because I’ll be by your side through it all. So, to some it may be a ring, but it is so much more of family life wrapped in that ring.”

This is one of my returns I will never forget!

Jim

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Lady’s Yellow Gold Wedding Ring Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Thursday, just before 4 pm, I got a text saying, “Is this ring finders? We have a lost wedding ring out there in the ocean today, north myrtle beach. My mother has had it for 44 years 🙁 I called the number attached to the text and spoke with Sara. She told me that her, her mother, Debbie, and her sister, Kadie had arrived about 1 pm for a girl’s week. Her mother had gone out shortly after arrival to about knee deep in the surf. She suddenly got hit by a big wave and got knocked over. Sara also said her mother was tumbling around in the water and when she finally stood up; her wedding ring was gone. I asked Sara about what time this happened, and she told me about 1 pm. This was good news because high tide was right around 1 and it was now shortly before 4 so the tide was receding.  I told Sara I’d be there in 15-20 minutes, grabbed my Equinox 800 and was on my way.

When I arrived at the condo, Sara was waiting for me in the parking lot and gave me a parking pass. On our way out to the beach she reiterated the details and said she was sure of the location. Once on the beach, I met Debbie and Kadie. One thing that was very obvious to me was that these young ladies really love their mother. I could tell Debbie was very upset but held her emotions in check. Both Kadie and Sara showed me the search area and it was maybe 25 yards across. I confirmed that the metal was yellow gold and from the picture they showed me, I was expecting a 12/13 on the VDI (visual display indicator). I noticed Debbie had gone back to their room, while Sara and Kadie found a spot on the beach to watch. I started a perpendicular grid search at the far north boundary line.  Since the loss happened over 3 hours ago by now, I expected the ring to be in the wet sand and not in the ocean. Nonetheless, I ran my grid line out to about thigh deep. I was about 3 lines short of the southern boundary line and in the wet sand when I got a solid 13 on the VDI. I took a scoop of sand and laid it out on the beach. I spread the sand out with my foot and saw a little glimmer of gold and the outline of a ring. BINGO! I reached down and picked up the ring and held it up for Sara and Kadie to see. They both saw me at the same time, I think one of them gave a little scream of excitement, and literally flew down to me. I didn’t want to give it to them until I had washed the sand off in the ocean, they were patient. When they had their hands on it they were so excited. They quickly called Debbie and gave her the good news. I couldn’t see her, but one of the girl’s said Debbie was on the balcony waving her hands. What a feeling it was to hand Debbie back her ring of 44 years. She had called her husband when it happened and gave him the bad news. I got to hear her call him back and give him the good news; he was very excited for her. I love these lost item reunions.

Sara and Kadie – Thank you so much for trusting me to help find your mother’s special wedding ring.

Debbie – I’m so happy to have gotten your ring back to you. You guys enjoy your girl’s week.

Jim

     

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`Woman’s Yellow Gold and Diamond Wedding Ring Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Holden Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Thursday, August 24th, I woke up to a text saying, “Good morning. Yesterday I lost my wedding ring at Holden beach to the left of the pier about 100 yards just about the high tide water mark in the soft sand. I posted on Face book, and some posted your contact information. Is this something you are able to help with?” I called the number and talked with Shannon, who had lost the ring. She confirmed that the ring was lost in the soft sand. I got a few more details and we agreed to meet at noon. I got ready to go and invited my wife, Jan to come along. She loves looking for shells and shark’s teeth at Holden Beach.

When we arrived at the pier, Shannon was waiting in the parking lot. As we walked out on the beach, Shannon said that she had been sitting out on the beach the day before and had the ring on. Later that evening, when she was back at the rental, she realized her wedding ring was gone. She was pretty sure her ring came off at the beach where they were sitting. She also mentioned that she did walk the beach for a short distance. Her and her friends set me up in the dry sand where they had been sitting. After I started a grid search, they started wondering if they were a little east or west of the spot in the area I was searching. I asked if they had taken any pictures and thankfully, they had. Shannon showed me one picture that I was able to use to line up directly behind one of the beach houses. I continued my grid search working west in relation to what I saw in the picture. After a few more minutes I hit a solid 15 on the VDI (visual display indicator) but it was showing about 8 inches deep. I had the number I was expecting, but deeper than I was expecting. I took a big scoop of sand and dumped it out on the beach and saw the gold in the sand. I reached down, picked it up and held it up for Shannon to see. She got so excited; she gave me a big hug and big smiles.

Shannon – so glad I could help find your lost treasure and get it back where it belonged. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Jim

   

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Yellow Gold Wedding Band and Engagement Ring Lost on the Beach, Found and Returned Carolina Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This adventure started out with a text message at 10:28 am on Saturday, August 19th. The text read, “Hi! My name is Samantha. I saw you on ring finders and was wondering if you’d be interested in a hunt on Carolina Beach? Or could you put me in touch with someone if I’m out of your range? I lost my wedding rings sitting on the beach yesterday. I would appreciate any help or advice!” The text included her number, so I called for more details. When we talked, we agreed we’d meet in a particular parking lot at 3 pm. I had already made arrangements to meet another lady on a different beach for a separate search at 12:30. I was finished with that search in time to drive the hour plus to Carolina Beach and meet Samantha on time.

As we’re walking the block to the beach, I learned there were actually 3 rings missing. She had lost her wedding band, her engagement ring, and a gold ring her parents had given her. Samantha said that she was in town to attend a bachelorette party. She had come a day early to enjoy a peaceful day on the beach reading her book. Once she had her chair in place, she took her 3 rings off and put in the cup holder to apply sunscreen. She had moved her chair once during the day. When she was ready to go, she folded the chair up and walked to the water’s edge to rinse the sand off the chair legs. When she got back to the car and looked at her hand, the shock set in. She immediately returned to where she was sitting and did a visual search and then did a pin drop on her phone for the location. When we got to the beach she walked us through the Saturday afternoon crowd to the spot of the pin drop. Surprisingly, there was only one guy sitting in the way. I turned my Equinox 800 on and started a perpendicular grid search from the dry sand to the incoming tide line. Within a grid line or two, I hit a 10 on the VDI (visual display indicator), a great number for a small yellow gold ring. I dug a scoop of sand out, checked the hole and had the target in the scoop. I dumped the sand on the beach and ran the coil over it and hit the target. I got down on my hands and knees and spread the sand out until I saw the ring. When I first showed it to Samantha, she didn’t think it was hers until she got a closer look and exclaimed (loudly) “that’s my wedding band.” She was so excited; I almost saw a tear, but she held it back. Ok, 1 ring down 2 to go. I showed her the hole and asked her if that was where she had been sitting. She replied that’s about where she was when she washed the chair legs off. I started the grid again from the hole, which had now filled in from the incoming tide. A few more steps and about ankle deep in water, I got another hit showing 10 on the VDI. I dug the target out and carefully washed the excess sand out at the water’s edge. I saw the engagement ring in the bottom of the scoop and walked over to Samantha and let her reach in the scoop and pull her ring out. That put her over the top with excitement, still no tears through, she was really trying hard not to cry. I continued the search for the 3rd ring for another 20 minutes or so and Samantha said she had to go. I told her when I found it I’ll call her and we’d work something out to get it back to her. I searched for another 30 minutes doing a complete search then did a cross grid and wasn’t able to find her 3rd ring. By this time the tide had come in enough that the water was covering my tracks. Although disappointed I couldn’t find the 3rd ring, Samantha was overjoyed she had her wedding and engagement rings back.

Samantha – Thank you for letting me help find your lost rings. So excited you got them back.

Jim

   

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Man’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost in the Sand – Found and Returned Kure (Cure-y) Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Right around 12:30 pm on Friday, August 18th, 2023, I got a call from Adib, saying he had lost his Platinum Wedding Band in the sand. He asked me if I had any advice on how to find it. There really isn’t any, other than getting down on your hands and knees and try sifting through the sand. I’ve had a couple of situations where the individuals tried finding it themselves and ended up moving the item feet from where it was dropped. I asked Adib not to dig, if he was, because he could either move it or bury it. He was also concerned with my travel time and didn’t want to see me drive over 3 hours round trip. I assured him that’s what I do when somebody loses something, and I didn’t have a problem with it. I grabbed my Equinox 800 and started my trip.

When I got there, I met Adib at his rental and we walked out to the beach. As we walked, I found out that he was there from San Francisco, CA. attending one of his buddy’s bachelor party. He said that he had taken his ring off and put it in his lap to apply suntan lotion. At some point, the ring ended up disappearing in the dry sand. He also said that he and his friends had been searching for the ring and when I told him not to dig, they stopped. Everybody had pretty much left the chairs and other items sit where they were so the area was well marked. Once I got a visual on the search area, we moved the chairs, and I started a small grid search in maybe a 10X10 ft square. After just one grid line, I got a strong 15 on the VDI (visual display indicator). The problems I had were the target was reading 8-10 inches deep on the depth meter, which was deep for only being lost for 3 hours. Secondly for a platinum ring, I was expecting a lower number in the teens. So I honestly thought that target was trash. I did take a couple of scoops but left the hole and continued the grid. After finishing the search area with no other targets, I went back to the hole. I took another couple of scoops and had the target out of the hole. I ran the coil over the clump of sand, found the target and scooped it up. I gently shook out the excess sand, and then I heard the sweet sound of metal rattling in the scoop. Looked in the scoop, saw the ring and held the scoop out for Adib to pull his ring out. Adib was thrilled he had his ring back. He ended up taking a selfie of him and I with him holding his ring up to send to his wife. This never gets old!

Adib – thank you for letting me help find your lost treasure.

Jim

   

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Platinum Engagement Ring Lost at High Tide, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Ashley about 8:15 pm saying she had lost her engagement ring between 8th Ave and 10th Ave South and wanted to know if I could help. First thing I asked her was if she could narrow the distance down some, 2 blocks is a large search area. She narrowed down to around 9th Ave S. I then asked what time and how deep she was in the water. She said between 5-5:30 and ankle. Perfect, she was right at high tide. I told her I could be there in 15 minutes.

When I got to their rental and got out of the car, she met me in the driveway. She told me that a friend suggested she call Donnie, who he had worked for. I told her that Donnie was my son-in-law and had helped me before. Ashley and her finance, Cole walked me out to the beach and out to where Donnie was detecting. I told Donnie that Ashley had called me, but this was his search. We agreed that we’d split the beach in half and I’d go north and he’d take south. He had already done a north/south grid search down the slope, which cut out a lot of the area. I started an east/west search from his last grid line out to about thigh deep. After just a few minutes, I got a solid 10 VDI on the Equinox 800 which is what a platinum ring would show up as. When I met up with Donnie on the beach, he also had one of my granddaughters, Maris with him. When I started digging the target she came over with a flashlight. I got the target out of the hole and spread the sand out on the beach. I asked her for the flashlight, and then realized it was a pinpointer. I stuck the pinpointer in the sand looking for the target. As I found the target and pushed the ring out of the sand, Maris said “There it is!!”  This was her first ring recovery. She was so excited you’d think it was her ring we found. I gave the ring to Donnie to surprise Ashley when we got back to the rental. He got her, she was very happy. At some point she told me that they were getting married Sept 6th.

Ashley – Thank you for calling me, glad I could help!

Jim

   

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Sentimental Silver Ring Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned Ocean Isle Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call about 2:30 pm from an Indiana phone number which could only mean one thing a “Lost Item!” When I answered the phone, Joni, the young lady on the other end said, “my friend lost her ring, can you help?” For some reason I thought she said earring, so I needed details. The biggest question, was it lost in the dry or wet sand, or in the water? She said they were playing volleyball and it came off. Again, I asked just to confirm it was in the dry sand. She said yes. I told her I could be there in about 45 minutes. She was talking to someone in the background and turned back to me and said ok. Still thinking I was looking for an earring I grabbed my Gold Bug detector as well as the Equinox 800 and hit the road.

When I got to the beach and walked off the boardwalk, Gracie came walking up to me. She introduced herself, saying she was the one who had lost the “ring.” Ok, it was a ring I was looking for. Unfortunately, I left my sand scoop in the car figuring it would be of little use with an earring. Gracie walked over to the far side of the court and showed me where she had been standing and how she had hit the ball. She then moved about three quarters left on the court and showed me where a friend had found her identical gold ring in the sand. I started a grid search from where she had been standing and covered that side of the court with no luck. I then moved to the opposite side of the court and searched that entire area and still no ring. It had to be somewhere, so I started a cross grid. When I got to the end of the court, I did about 4 more grid lines in the out of bounds area. I got a strong hit and was confident it was the ring. Without my scoop, I had to get down in the sand and start feeling through the sand for the ring. It took a couple of seconds, but I found it. Gracie was so excited and happy. She shared that her mother bought her that ring when she graduated from the 8th grade, and she’s worn it ever since. So happy to get the ring back to her and continue its story.

Joni – Thanks for calling me!

Gracie – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

 

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Wedding Band and Engagement Ring Lost in the Ocean at Cherry Grove SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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About 8 p.m. on Sunday, Aug 6th, I got a text with a picture from Ariel. The text said, “My daughter lost this ring today, in the ocean right in front of 53rd N Myrtle Beach. She also lost her wedding ring which goes with this but she is more concerned with the engagement ring.” I didn’t see the text until about 3 hours later, and responded asking what time and how deep she was. Ariel responded back saying, “It was high tide, around 12:30-1:00 pm. She was waist deep. There is a walk through at 53rd street and we were to the right about 100 feet.” I did a quick check of the tide tables and saw the next low tide was around 6:30 am Monday. I texted Ariel asking if there was a chance that someone could meet me in the morning around 7 am to show me the area. She responded “Absolutely, see you at 7.”

I got there a little early Monday morning and texted Ariel that I was there. I then marked off about a 100 feet and started an east/west grid search. Shortly after that Ariel, her husband Dan, and her daughter Hailey and her husband Justin showed up. I learned the wedding band and engagement were White Gold. This told me I was looking for a low number on the Equinox 800. Combined, they had done everything right. They had used a stationary landmark higher on the beach to mark where Hailey had lost her rings. I repositioned myself another 30 plus feet down the beach and started another grid search. Not too long after that, I got an iffy signal that would occasionally hit a 5. Ok, that’s what I was looking for. I dug a couple of scoops and got the target out of the sand. Earlier, Hailey had explained what the wedding band looked like. After spreading the sand out with my hands, I saw Hailey’s wedding band. They had moved down the beach and came running when I held Hailey’s ring up in the air and called her name. One ring found with one to go. I searched in a 10X10 foot square in and around the hole I dug to find the wedding band with negative results. My thinking was if both rings came off together, then both rings should be within a foot of each other. By now I was losing the tide, so I called Matt Fry, TRF Myrtle Beach and asked if he’d like to help later that afternoon. He didn’t hesitate to lend a hand.

Matt and I both showed up about 5 pm that afternoon ready to find the engagement ring. We split the area in half, he went north and I went south. We’d been out there a while, when a couple of buddies, who were out metal detecting the beach, stopped and joined in on the search. Now there were 4 guys with 3 different metal detectors searching from above the high tide line out to about knee deep and from north to south. We were grid searching, overlapping, and basically searching the entire beach for more than an hour with absolutely no luck. Again, the tide had changed so we called it a night. The 4 of us stood out there trying to figure out what could have happened to the approximate size 3 engagement ring with a pretty good size diamond on it.

I had a hard time letting this one go, so I text Ariel telling her that I wanted to try a different machine, my White’s PI and look again Tuesday evening at around 7 pm. I had another ring search pop up that I thought I could find quickly and still be at Hailey’s spot to search. Things don’t always work out as planned so I rescheduled Hailey’s search for 7 am on Wednesday. Wednesday morning I got there and got the area confused. I grid searched south of the area which worked out because the currents on Sunday, the day of the loss, were running to the south. Ariel showed up just as I was finished and showed me the right area. So I made another trip out with the PI on Wednesday evening and did another grid search and still wasn’t able to find the engagement ring. I just don’t have an answer as to what may have happened to Hailey’s engagement ring.

Hailey – I’m really sorry I couldn’t get both rings back to you but thank you for trusting me to try.

Jim

   

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Sentimental Sterling Silver Ring with Green Emerald Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Ocean Isle Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Nancy saying she had lost a very special ring with a green emerald stone in the ocean. She said the emerald had belonged to her grandmother and had been passed down to her. She also stated that she had lost it about 30 minutes prior and she was right at the water line. I knew this was a race against the incoming tide; I got a few more details and told her I’d be there in about 45 minutes.

When I got there, I met Nancy on the beach and she showed me the area. It was maybe 10 feet across and as far out as I could take it. Unfortunately the sea breeze had kicked up and the ocean was hitting the 2nd breaker with a lot of force. I started a grid search going north and south perpendicular to the beach. After, maybe 5 lines, I called it. Between the waves and the current I was having a rough time keeping my grid lines straight and just getting knocked around. I told Nancy I’d be back around 5, thinking once the tide made its turn at 2 pm I’d have 3 hours with an outgoing tide.

I got back about the time I said and Nancy was waiting. I started my grid search and after an hour and a half and covering the suspected area, I was coming up empty. So, the next step was to extend the area north and south and start over. After another forty-five minutes to an hour, I was working my way back up the middle of the search area towards the high tide line. I got a solid 21-22 on the VDI, which is what I was looking for on a Sterling Silver item. I dug the target out of the hole, spread the sand with my foot and there Nancy’s ring sat. After I found it, I tried to figure out how I missed it the first time. Looking at my grid lines, none of them were straight and all curved to the right. There is no other explanation, other than I missed it the first go through. I took a picture and sent it and a text to Nancy saying “BOOM.” She called me a short time later, not believing it was found. I dropped it off at her house on my way home. She was extremely happy and thankful that she got both her ring and her grandmother’s emerald back.

Nancy – thank you for allowing me to help find your precious and sentimental treasure.

Jim

   

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