Bay Area Ring Finder Tag | The Ring Finders

Recovering a lost gold wedding band at an Alameda beach!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Three successful recoveries in 24 hours!!!

When Abel contacted me about a lost gold wedding band at a beach in Alameda, I had just sat down to dinner after performing two other recoveries within the East Bay.  It would be dark soon and I elected to perform the search the following day.

I met he and his wonderful wife on the beach on the kind of day California dreams are made of.  He gave me a brief run down on how he had lost the ring in the dry sand and was able to recover it, but when he took it to the waters edge to wash the sand away, the ring again disappeared into the sand.  Abel had apparently purchased a cheaper detector to search, but was unsuccessful.

I had little doubt that if the ring was there, I would have it quickly.  He was so absolute on where he had lost it that I knew something was wrong when after 15 minutes it had not revealed itself.  To my surprise, Abel moved me fifty feet further up the beach and there I swung over a perfect sounding 20 VDI on the Manticore.  Before I even took the scoop, I informed the two of them that we had found it!  With one large scoop with the CKG Pro Titanium…We had made the recovery!!!

Abel and his wife were stunned and admitted they didn’t think it was likely to be found.  I on the other hand, never had any doubt, and just like that…#78.  It was a pleasure to meet you both and I have nothing but the best wishes for your future.  Thank you.

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost Gold Ring in Berkeley Hills Garden…Recovered!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I truly have the best job in the world when it comes to lost item recovery.  I get to meet really interesting people, all of which are supportive and grateful for my efforts.  There is always a sense of adventure, not unlike any great treasure hunt.  And don’t get me started on the precious metals and gemstones! However, I think that all of us who perform these searches will agree, the greatest part about successfully recovering someones item are the reactions.

Danica contacted me after getting my information from fellow Ring Finder Laura Peters (Shout out to Laura…Thank you and I can’t wait to hunt together).  Danica had requested help recovering her beautiful gold wedding ring from a mishap in the garden.  We set a date for the following day and I reassured her that we would be successful in our endeavor.

The following day was wonderful and I was brimming with confidence after a successful recovery in Danville before heading to a beautiful home in the Berkeley Hills to meet Danica.  She showed me areas of interest and we made efforts to clear them as we walked. At one location, Danica informed me that the garden had “Gopher Wire” beneath the soil rendering the Manticore useless.  I switched tactics and knew that my best bet was to utilize my Garret Pinpointer and tune the sensitivity while searching the dirt beneath each plant.

Less than 20 minutes had past and score…We Made The Recovery!  A wave of shock and excitement shown on Danica’s face, an almost childhood giddiness ensued.  I spent a few minutes taking the obligatory pictures for my profile and chatting with her.  It has a joyous moment for us both.

Thank you Danica for entrusting me with your search and recovery!  It was a pleasure to serve you!

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Missing Ring in Danville, Recovered from the Trash!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

When I tell people that almost all the rings I recover within a home come from the trash, they look doubtful.  Here is another instance that proves my point.

Mia contacted me about a missing ring inside a home.  She goes on to tell me a story that, when it ends, I make one request… do not take out the trash.

It would be a week before I could get to this search due to my volunteer work with the BSA and taking several youth scouts to camp.  However, upon my return, I contacted Mia to schedule our search effort.

There were four large trash bags laid side by side when I arrived.  We separated the trash and scanned each object with a pin-pointer as we went through the refuse.  On the second of the four bags, a clue…a chip bag that Mia had admitted to have been munching on the night the ring went missing.  Moments later, I was handing Mia her beautiful Platinum and Diamond ring,  We had made the recovery!!!

Less than 20 minutes into our search, we celebrated another success and another missing ring from within a home, located in the trash bin.

Thank you Mia for entrusting me with the location and recovery of this beautiful piece of jewelry.  I wish you the best for your future!

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Titanium Wedding Band lost In the Delta…Recovered!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

After an exciting baby shower the day prior, Nina and her family spent the day on a little beach on Sherman Island in the delta.  The day was beautiful and the weather perfect.  That was, until Nina’s husband Chris lost his titanium wedding band when playing with his nephews in the water.  He was extremely disappointed to say the least and a dark cloud loomed over an otherwise perfect weekend.

I was made aware of the incident and agreed to perform a search the following day.  Water recoveries in the summer are always a welcome escape from warm inland temperatures, but this day was very windy and the water was choppy, not ideal for searching.

None the less, my boys and I made our way out into the water and started the process of locating the missing ring.  A number of objects in the water meant that this area most likely had never seen a detector.  Bottle caps, pull tabs (some very old), lead weights all made for a noisy and busy search.  I could tell with every piece of trash we pulled and minutes passing that Nina was losing hope.

When I recovered the ring I knew that Nina and her sister had not noticed.  I gave it to my oldest boy to take to the beach like all the other trash we recovered, but this time he asked, “did the ring look like this?”  Confused the two looked at the ring then all at once realized… We had Made The Recovery!

A celebration ensued and I even allowed myself to have a celebratory White Claw with my new friends.  I learned all about the two’s courtship, marriage, and the new special package about to bless their lives.  It was a joyous time and I was glad I got to take part in their story, however small my part was. It was a pleasure to meet you Nina and we wish you the very best!

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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A botanist lost her keys at Tilden Park and we helped to recover them!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I have fallen victim to misplacing my car keys just at my home, panic set’s in quickly once you realize…. I can’t imagine how hopeless it would feel to loose them out in nature while on a hike.

Meet Cody, a botanist who spends a lot of time working outdoors. Recently, while working at one of our local regional parks, she did just that.  Her vehicle parked merely feet away from her task, locked out from access and unable to move off of the trail.  Her work had her bushwhacking amongst the park flora investigating if rare species existed around a 100′ circumference of a work point.  Think tall grass, twisting berry vines and poison oak, thick brush and tree’s.  To make matters worse thick duff and leaves and remnants of old building materials litter the ground.  At some point her keys slipped from her possession lost to the wild.

Lucky for Cody, a spare set of keys could be driven from her home not to far from the site and she would not be forced to abandon her vehicle at the location.  She spent a healthy amount of time searching the area before deciding she might need additional help in order to recover the lost keys.

I was away on a camping trip with the local cub scout pack when I received her request for help, but she graciously waited a full week for our schedule to align.  We met early the following Saturday and headed out on the trail to the location.  I might have been a little overwhelmed when I saw the search zone, but we quickly got to work bushwhacking our way through the overgrowth.  We did find some oddities along the way and trash definitely made the metal detector chatty.  I found a neatly made bird nest nestled on the ground with four little eggs.  It was not the item we were looking for, but it was a treasure non-the-less.

We were under a grove of tree’s searching and as we moved off, there on the ground were the keys we were looking for…We made the recovery!

Cody and I celebrated that we had located them and that we would not be trudging along the overgrown hillside any longer.  All that remained were a few quick photos and a short walk back to the trailhead.

Thank you Cody for taking me on an early morning adventure in the hills.  I won’t soon forget our time on that search.

 

 

 

Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Gold Ring lost in Hayward, CA…Recovered!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Our first ring recovery of 2025 came while I was providing First Aid support for a Cub Scout knife safety/whittling class for our Pack.  I had received a call for assistance in Hayward, CA to locate a yellow gold chain ring lost in tall grass along a trail.  I informed them that I was committed for another two hours but would head their direction shortly thereafter.  I had them text me an address and informed them I would let them know when I was on my way and again when I was 10 minutes out.

My two older boys would accompany me to provide assistance and loaded their detector as we made for the location.  It took just under an hour to reach the site and a short 3 minute walk put us in the target area.  I provided some orange soccer cones for them to define the search area as I prepared our detectors. I was excited when my oldest boy got a promising hit on his Vanquish 540.  Upon further inspection it was found to be spectacle frames for a pair of glasses.  Moments later, I got a great signal on the 800 (12-14) and when pinpointed…we had made the recovery!!!

It was a beautiful day and I had almost wished it took a bit longer to locate while spending time with the boys among the tall Kelly green grass of the East Bay hills.

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

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Lost Diamond Stud Earring…Found with a Dyson???

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

When you are “The Bay Area Ring Finder” and your wife looses her diamond stud earring…you had better find that thing!!!

With no fewer that 5 metal detectors, 2 sand scoops, multiple shovels, pin-pointers, a video-endoscope, and no shortage of other tools, trinkets, and gadgets for performing recoveries ALL laying around the house and the countless hours spent helping others, there would be no excuse I could think of for not locating this tiny precious stone for the love of my life!

When asked the when, where, and how, there would be few answers she could report.  Not a good start!  Suspected locations included the car, the couch, the master bedroom, and the bathroom.  My initial searches turned up nothing in the vehicle or the couch and I decided that if the diamond stud was going to turn up, it would not be the countless thousands of dollars of equipment that was going to find it.  Instead, it would be the trusty Dyson that was the tool of choice.  I systematically cleaned and vacuumed every surface I could find within the house over the course of several days.  Each canister was put into a rubber bin for investigation at a later time (I didn’t check each canister in an attempt to spur on my deep cleaning process).  Well, yesterday I felt like I achieved everything I could and took the rubber bin out for a look.  Visually nothing came up, but I ran the Equinox over it and it confirmed some sort of metallic object.  With a little more investigation… WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

   

The lesson learned in this case was this:  When any item is thought to be lost inside a home, it’s only with rolling up your sleeves and digging in that these items are found.  Metal detection equipment is not reliable equipment for the job and even though the video-endoscope might just be the ticket for some indoor searches, the key is just having a strong process to clean and organize anything in your path. A keen pair of twin optical scanners helps too.  Also, a reminder to never loose hope…there is always a chance!

And to my wife, I adore you and am so glad I was able to help you!  Thank you for indulging me the time and resources to provide this service!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost unique white gold ring with diamond…Found at Baker Beach!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I contacted Debra early on Wednesday after reviewing a Craigslist post about a lost white gold ring with a diamond.  She had been on Baker Beach when the ring went missing and after talking with her I could tell that it was troubling her.

I sent her a link to THERINGFINDERS.COM site and agreed to search for the ring the following Saturday.  She agreed and was very thankful for my offer.  Later that evening my good friend Jes Muse, founder of The Bay Area Bleepers (check it out) sent over the post suggesting that I perform the search as she would be out of town.

I woke up at 4:30 Saturday morning, packed my gear, and made the hour drive to the coast.  When I arrived, there were few people on the beach and at one point I shared the beach with no one but three coyotes.  The fog was thick, so much so that it fell like rain and the sand had a thin wet layer on top.  I opened up a photo that Debra was kind enough to mark up of the area that would become the search zone.  The detecting was difficult with seemingly never ending targets hid beneath my grid pattern.  I cleared handfuls of trash from the beach as I searched.  And then, a ring!  Sadly not the ring I was there for, but a happy consolation.

After about two hours of searching, I decided to call Debra and give her an update and to get a better account of where she might have been.  As it turned out, I was working away from where she had been and after a 20 yard course correction and pockets full of trash, I hit an 8-9 VDI (visual display indicator) that sounded very promising on the equinox. In one scoop I had the item, but it had not revealed itself.  I’m happy to announce, WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

The exciting part was yet to come.  I took a few photographs of the ring and the beach and sent them on to Debra.  The next thing I did was gave her a call and when she answered I simply asked if she had gotten my photos.  She admitted she had not but went straight to them.  That is when I got my payout!!!  She was so extremely excited that I could feel it through the phone.  It’s a feeling like no other.

   

After our celebration over the phone, I agreed to drop off the ring on my way home.  She lived along the route I would travel home and I was excited to get to meet her.  I quickly packed the gear and 45 minutes later the ring was back with Mrs. Debra.

It takes a lot of trust for someone to disclose a bunch of details about their missing valuables, especially when they are so sentimental.  Thank you Debra for putting your trust in me to assist you in the recovery of your unique and beautiful ring and for your generosity!  It was a pleasure to meet you and I wish you the very best in your future!

   

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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14K White Gold Ring Lost at Shadow Cliffs…Found in 3 feet of water!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

On Memorial Day I received a message from Madison requesting help.  While spending the day with family at Shadow Cliffs, a man-made lake in Pleasanton, CA, he lost his wedding ring in 3 to 4 feet of water.  Shadow Cliffs is part of the East Bay Regional Parks District, and they require a special permit for detecting.  I have always carried this permit, but it comes with some red tape.  Specifically, it does not allow for metal detectors to enter the water.  I informed Madison that I would request special permission from the park manager before we could schedule this search.  The park team was great and very accommodating!

With permission to enter the water and permit in-hand Madison and I met at the lake to perform the search.  It was a beautiful, warm day and we were both excited to get into the water and recover the ring.  He walked us out to chest deep water and stated that he thought that the ring was lost at this spot.  A 15 minute hasty search turned up a few dimes and no rings.  The best news was that there was not a lot of trash to contend with.  A grid was established working parallel to the shore line first in deeper water working towards the shallows.  I informed Madison that I believed that the ring would hit between 12 to 14 on my Equinox 800, but would investigate every signal to “clear it” from the grid.  With each target, I could see the anticipation in Madison, but he was a good sport each time we pulled up what was not his ring.

 

At one point after being in the water an hour or so, we questioned the position of the area and the depth of water.  We moved to more shallow water and it wasn’t to long before…WE MADE THE RECOVERY! It took three attempts to get the 14k white gold band into the scoop but I just knew that the 13-14 signal and perfect tone was our sought after prize.  When I noticed that Madison had not seen me recover the ring I moved closer and asked him to describe the ring again and if it had “looked like this!”  The instantaneous smile appeared that makes performing these recoveries so great and he said he could hug me, to which I leaned in for the embrace!

Once back on the sand beach I took some obligatory photos and we walked down to the lifeguards who had been interested in our activities.  The lifeguards had doubted the success of our venture and were excited for our victory. Then he and I stared out at the water for a bit and talked.  Madison was just the sort of guy I’d like to know.  He was patient, kind, and thoughtful and seemed like a great father.  Thank you Madison for trusting in me to assist you with your ring recovery.  I very much enjoyed your company and conversation while we took this journey!  Best Wishes!

 

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

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Golden Pearl Earring Lost at Danville School…Found with Metal Detector!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

On the Hawaiian Islands there are no shortage of kiosks and jewelry shops where one can pick out your own clam and harvest a pearl.  These shops allow you to also pick out and set your newly harvested pearl into ring’s, pendant’s, and of course a pair of earrings.  They make a great souvenir from what most likely was a memorable trip to the islands.

This story started roughly 8 years early, when a young 8 year old girl did exactly that.  The pearls where mounted into a pair of very cute golden turtle earrings.  These earrings over the years became prized possessions, memories of a great family trip to the beautiful islands.  So, when the young teenager was spending outdoor time with her family over the holiday weekend and lost one of these earrings, it was deflating. The teen pleaded for her parent to find some way of recovering the lost item.

Being caring and intelligent parents, they discovered THERINGFINDERS.COM and contacted it’s local operative.  This proved to be a huge win for the family and the lost golden turtle.  Once we met at the Danville, CA school field it wouldn’t take more that 20 minutes to MAKE THE RECOVERY!  You see, we were able to run the metal detector over the mate of the lost earring and knew the exact signal we would be looking for.  True to form, after a number of passes in our grid search the earring was returned to the appreciative family.

Special thanks to the family for entrusting me with this search!

The precious Hawaiian souvenir!

An appreciative father!

The scene of the incident!

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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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