Turns out that even gold rings gather moss.
We got an email from Gregory asking us to hunt for his lost ring at one of the Big Island’s most hunted spots by metal detectorists – Hapuna Beach.
Gregory had been on his honeymoon and snorkeling in shallow water. At dinner, his wife noticed his ring was missing – and they were gutted to think they’d never see it again! (We hear many stories of newly-weds having their lost rings discovered at dinner…!)
It took Gregory a week to find us and there were some major hurdles working against finding his ring : The first was the fact that it had been over a week since he’d lost it! The second strike was that he’d lost off of one of the the most-treasure-hunted beaches in Hawaii. The third was he wasn’t here to retrace his steps or point out the most probable places it was lost! As we discussed the area, he was on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles away, in Oregon…!
As I searched for the ring, I checked every crag and rock – including the little urchin holes – trying to imagine I was him on my honeymoon; an adventurous man, yet “not a strong swimmer,” as he’d described his own foray into the water. I worked from the sand – through the water, rocks and eddies made by the shifting tides. Nothing but a few pieces of junk.
As I got to the deepest point I could search, I turned around and retraced my steps back to the shallows, following the Google Maps points Greg had noted, as well as I could remember. The water was a slurry mix of fresh and salt water which causes one’s vision to blur.
Blurry but free of moss, I put the gold hammered ring back in place to take this image where I found it in the rocks surrounded by sharp sea urchins. Hapuna Beach, Hawaii
The lovely, tropical bay where Gregory’s ring was lost. We found it – and returned it – a beautiful hammered gold men’s wedding ring!
A mossy circle grabbed my attention between two sea urchins jammed in the rocks. A piece of pipe most likely. The blurry water and the swaying moss growing on the object felt almost dream-like as I pulled it out of its home between the sharp spines of the urchins.
I often put men’s found or recovered rings on my thumb to keep them from being lost again!
Almost as a magician had waved a wand, the object shed all of its camouflage as I pulled it close to my mask to inspect it – from green moss to brilliant white and yellow gold – the ring glimmered into reality in front of my eyes!
I took a moment underwater to thank God, appreciate this beautiful, ornate and heavy ring, and contemplate what it would mean to Gregory and his new wife that I’d found it.
A Hawaiian “shaka” with Gregory’s found gold men’s wedding ring. Big Island, Hawaii.
The ring had been hidden but it had almost jumped out at me as I passed even though it had “grown” moss over the week it had been lost. We’re so glad to have been part of this story in their new marriage. Mahalo for trusting us to find your treasure!
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A beautiful men’s gold wedding ring – lost – and found – at Hapuna Beach by Big Island Metal Detecting. Big Island, Hawaii.
Big Island Metal Detecting is Hawaii’s TRUSTED ring-recovery service and a proud member of Hawaii’s Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce. See more of our details at www.BigIslandMetalDetecting.com
car keys missing-the only keys they had for their car. They had been in her backpack at the start of the hike, but going down the other side of the dune she had fallen, and assumed that is where she lost the keys.
