A relaxing walk turned to panic the last day of August 2022. It happened when a bee suddenly buzzed Wauwatosa, WI resident, Jennifer Walker’s face as she neared a street corner. Impulsively, she removed her cap and used it to swat away the invading insect. Unfortunately, she brushed her ear in the process and dislodged her platinum/diamond earring. While the bee disappeared, so did her earring, a tenth-anniversary gift from her husband.
Jennifer, her husband and neighbors spent several hours on their knees combing through the grass and mulch in the area. The earring was simply gone. The frantic couple even considered renting a metal detector but were advised that such a small target would not likely register its presence. The next morning, I received a call from Jennifer and arranged to meet her right away.
Those familiar with metal detecting know how challenging it can be to find small stud earrings. The metallic volume is minimal. At times, it can take specialized equipment to register such a tiny target, especially when laying in certain positions. Using the matching earring, I was able to calibrate a detector that is normally used for locating placer gold, fine particles of gold in rocks and sand. The instrument is extremely sensitive but is also very small. It takes patience to cover the ground. I also used two other detection instruments including one that runs at a very high frequency and has a larger search coil. After nearly an hour of methodical searching, using three different machines, it seemed the earring was not where Jennifer thought it should be. And so, we expanded the search area. 
A strip of grass on the opposite side of the walkway was systematically searched. Nearing the end of it, over thirty feet from where Jennifer did battle with the offending bee, a signal caught our joint attention. Upon closer examination, the precious earring came to light in the grass where it had landed the day before. Who knew it could have travelled so far! The smile on Jennifer’s face tells the rest of the story!
