Katrina called me about the custom Saphire and Diamond engagement ring she lost while cross country skiing near Turner Valley. After chatting for a while, we decided that it would be more of a closure hunt (where it isn’t) than a ring find due to the fact that she covered a total of 10 km while skiing. We would check the places where she stopped for breaks. We searched a lot of area that day. Four hours later we returned and did a couple of final checks. You always find it in the last place you look.
Mark contacted me. Found me on Kijiji but used “TheRingfinders.com” to make sure I was on the up and up. He was in the backyard with his dogs and when he went back in his ring was gone. His gut instinct was that it fell off when he was throwing the ball. When I arrived, there was lots of evidence that he had been looking for it already. A big patch of snow had been cleared. His words were, “Before I rented a detector I thought I would give you a chance.” Good choice Mark. I have had several people rent a detector, only to tell me they had no clue what the sounds meant. I searched the area with no luck. Then we followed the path back to the back door. I had one tone, which we looked at and moments later another. I love it when I hear the ring’s actual tone in my headphones. We grabbed the camera for the reveal. Awesome. Less than a year married, and just back from his honeymoon, Mark is glad to have his ring back and is planning on resizing it.
Got a call out last night. Lots of snow this week means lots of shovelling and the potential for all sorts of things to get lost. Rings, phones and keys. Ryan was shovelling his driveway and when he was finished he realized his keys were gone. After checking inside the truck without luck, it left only one possibility; they were dropped between the truck and the house and most likely when he cleared the driveway. We talked it over and he described his task as basically pushing the snow off the edge. So I checked the edge. When that did not work, I expanded my search and eventually found the keys. It must have been one of the odd times he threw the snow because they close to 6 feet from the edge. No matter, Ryan has his keys and he can breathe easy. Keys aren’t cheap but even more, the hassle of replacing them is costly as well. Thanks for the generous reward.
I talked to Tina. She was desperate to get her ring back. She had lost it while walking on the Crescent Heights ridge overlooking our city’s downtown. What started as a lovely walk ended in panic when she got home and found her necklace was broken and the ring and cross that hung upon it were gone.
The cross was nice, but the ring, it was the last thing her mom gave her a year ago just before she passed. It was the only physical reminder she had of her mom and now it was gone.
Tina and I walked the route she had taken and the one she had already searched. For the most part it was on a hard packed heavily used path or the sidewalk across the street. I pretty well knew that if it fell there, it was already gone/picked up. There was a section in the park and I promised to search it.
She left and I looked. My friend Perry has a metal detector as well and I invited him to join me in the park as he only lived a few blocks away. We searched to no avail. So there ends the story.
Not so. Perry calls me a few days later. His neighbour messaged him and asked if he knows how to tell if a ring is gold or not. When he finally gets to see the ring it turns out to be the ring lost by Tina.
It took a while but the ring is back in Tina’s hands. A little worse for wear but with a little TLC, it will be back in shape as a constant reminder of her mom’s love. Just in time for the 1 year remembrance gathering in honour of her mom. Tears flowed.
PS We haven’t given up on finding the cross.
Tina’s Story
“One afternoon I was walking crescent heights in Calgary with my girls, one of which was a toddler who was on again/ off again getting a piggy back ride from mama. Upon our arrival at home, I felt what I thought was a hair on my neck to only discover my chain had snapped! Well on that chain was a ring left to me by my mother who passed away at the same time last year! I was devastated to say the least, we traveled a pretty vast distance with truly no rhyme or reason to our path. I went into panic mode and contacted the local school, put up posters and walked that area for countless hours- NOTHING!
The next day I posted something on Calgary lost and found to have someone suggest contacting a metal detector group, and from there I met Evan ( angel to say the least) in our chat I discovered he had already begun searching for the ring, not even knowing one another yet! (The school put out a post)
We met the following day, I showed him my route, he seemed doubtful yet optimistic as the distance was vast yet contained if that makes sense…?
This man searched for hours on end, and no ring to be found! Again just devastated. Especially as I was approaching the anniversary of my mother’s passing!
One day closer to the date, I got a message from Evan indicating that someone approached a metal detecting buddy of his and they believed the ring was found!!! My heart was in my throat- honestly.
Evan and his friend rushed to get that ring to me, and although that ring was damaged it was the ring!!! The band was damaged but all stones in place!
Evan went above and beyond to help me find this ring! From his countless hours of search, to holding my hand, and offering encouragement all along, to hand delivering the ring, but days before my mother’s passing anniversary.
In this case the ring finder was so good, the ring found him! I am forever indebted to him, not only for physical efforts but his support! Words can’t express what this man has done for me and if I ever lose anything again (fingers crossed I don’t) he’s the best guy for the case!
On a side note there was a cross on that chain too, and he still continues to search for it! I’m amazed at his devotion ( the thrill of the hunt? 🤔) either way I’m grateful beyond words! “
Adam gave me a call yesterday telling me that last winter while walking down the back alley by his work he slipped and fell and when brushing himself off he lost his wedding ring. He tried finding it but no luck. Rented a detector in the summer and still no luck. I’m pleased to say that after about 45 minutes I found his ring and returned it to him.
Story of lost ring leads to another reunion, 25 years after loss at Lake Sikome
Chris Spronk searched repeatedly for ring his mother gave him on her last Christmas
Pamela Fieber · CBC News · Posted: Oct 02, 2020 3:00 PM MT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago
Chris Spronk, left, and Kevin Niefer at Lake Sikome earlier this week. Niefer, a member of Ring Finders in Calgary, found Spronk’s long-lost signet ring there about 25 years ago. (Submitted by Kevin Niefer)
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Calgarian Chris Spronk read last weekend about the return of a precious grad class ring lost 37 years ago in Calgary — found by a member of a metal detecting group called the Ring Finders — and it reminded him of a terrible loss in his own life.
He decided to reach out, and posted something in the comments section of the CBC Calgary Facebook page.
The ring he lost 25 years ago, while tossing a football at Sikome Lake, was very special to him.
“I lost my mom when I was young, when I was 20 years old. And the Christmas before she passed away, she had all of the gold that she had ever worn or owned in her life melted down and designed into these two rings — one for me and one for my brother,” Spronk told theCalgary Eyeopener.
“They were, you know, signet rings with our initials carved into them, with raw gold in the background — very distinctive rings. So it had a lot of meaning to me. And, you know, I wore it proudly.”
Two years later, Spronk lost the ring at the manmade lake in Fish Creek Provincial Park.
Chris Spronk, left, with his mother Brenda and his brother Brian, on the last Christmas they shared together. Brenda Spronk, who passed away months later in 1993, gave each of her sons each a ring that Christmas, made from her own gold jewelry. (Submitted by Chris Spronk)
“Unfortunately, stuff happens,” he said. “I was throwing a ball, I looked down, and the ring was gone.”
For 25 years, Spronk says, he thought about the ring every time he drove past Lake Sikome in southeast Calgary. He and his brother Brian, who understood the personal value of the ring, returned to the lake many times to look for it, even using metal detectors and screens to sift through the sand. Eventually, he lost hope.
“I’d given up on this ring long ago, just because it was gold and if it was found, it was going to be melted down,” he said.
Then last week, Spronk read the story on CBC Calgary’s Facebook page. He’d had no idea a group like Ring Finders existed.
“I was genuinely happy for the person, to see something like that returned, and just kind of put an off-the-hip comment saying, ‘Oh, that’s really cool. You know, I lost a ring in Sikome 25 years ago. Maybe I need to wait another 12 years for mine to come back,’ or something like that,” Spronk said.
Chris Spronk, moments after being reunited with the ring he lost at Lake Sikome 25 years ago. (Submitted by Chris Spronk)
Someone on the page encouraged Spronk to check out the Calgary metal detector’s club Facebook page.
He made a request to join, and outlined his story on the club page.
“The admin at first kind of said, not a chance, never going to find it, the sand has been changed there, it’s been 25 years,” he said. “I know it was a long shot, a huge long shot. But she also tagged this fellow, Kevin. And 10 minutes later, I got a message from somebody I didn’t know, named Kevin.”
Spronk opened the message from Kevin Niefer.
“I may have your ring,” the message read.
The personalized message engraved in the ring that Brenda Spronk gave to her son Chris. When Kevin Niefer found the ring, he knew it would have been special to whoever had lost it. (Submitted by Kevin Niefer)
Niefer, a local realtor who has been a metal detectorist for 30 years, joined the Calgary Eyeopener to describe his side of the events, which started with him finding the ring at Lake Sikome about 25 years ago on a routine outing.
Niefer said he has “a few hundred” rings in his collection — but this one stood out in his memory.
“It just rang a bell because it was so unique at the time. And the inscription inside said, ‘Chris, love mom.’ And I’m just going, ‘Wow, poor guy.’ I remember finding that and going man, that’s pretty brutal, to lose that.”
‘Most guys just melt them down’
Niefer said he has kept the ring in his collection for 25 years. He has never been one to melt down the gold he finds while out with his metal detecting gear.
“Most guys just melt them down or pawn them off, and I’ve kept them over 30 years,” he said. “It just didn’t feel right, I guess, to do that, to melt them down.”
And Spronk, now reunited with his ring, is grateful for that.
Chris Spronk on the Christmas in 1992 when his mother gave him the gold ring with her initials engraved on it, made from her own gold jewelry. Chris lost the ring two years later at Lake Sikome. (Submitted by Chris Spronk)
“You know, it means the world. It’s this gratitude that I can’t express, just the fact that I do have it back and just the emotions that I’m feeling because it was so unexpected, so unplanned,” he said.
“And just I’m thankful for people like Kevin because it shows there’s good in the world. There’s people with integrity, there’s people with conviction that stand by things like this — that want to see good.”
Sometimes the journey is what matters. Shane called me about his wedding ring, lost 8 days after his 10th anniversary. He was loading his boat back on the trailer. While winding the winch, he felt the ring go and he was sure it fell into the murky water. After searching for close to an hour, he was forced to give up as he had his 6 year old twins with him.
While searching for ideas on how to find a lost ring, he came across the ring finders and my bio. We talked for half an hour and came up with an elaborate plan on what we would do when we got there. Starting with the detector and finishing with using a wet vac to suck up the gravel from under the corrugated concrete.
When we arrived at the lau
nch after a 90+ minute drive, we hopped out. His first comment was how much lower the water was and how much clearer it was. He and I walked down the ramp and started to visually look for it. About 1 minute in, Shane bends down and picks up his ring. High fives. He has found his custom made rose and white gold ring..
The next 45 minutes were spent trying to learn how the simple metal detector he had purchased earlier worked. The end result….it doesn’t.
Thanks Shane for the opportunity to make you smile!!
Got a call! Tom’s wife lost a diamond earring when it got caught in a badminton net she was moving. They looked for it without luck. That’s when they called me. Stud earrings are small and hard to find with a standard coil. I swept the second area with my usual coil but found it wouldn’t pick it up. So I swap
ped to my sniper coil and started the search. It didn’t take too long. Key to the success was the fact they knew where and when it was lost.
I was halfway through my daily bike ride when my phone rang from a number I didn’t recognize. I stopped pedaling and pulled over to answer my phone and heard a ladies voice asking me, “Do you still find rings for people?”. I answered yes all the time and she went onto to explain that her daughter had lost her engagement ring in High River, Alberta.We agreed that I would meet her daughter the next day to conduct a search. Her daughter Fontanna came on the phone and explained that she had only been engaged for 2 weeks and went out to do some spring cleanup gardening and that she had lost it either in the front or back yard.
I arrived the next day and she came out to greet me send showed me the areas thought it might be. I started grid searching the front yard then the boulevard next the back yard and nothing but junk iron signals. I asked if they had retained the garbage bags from the cleanup, as that’s a common hiding place for lost rings. She explained that they had emptied the bags onto the garage floor and searched through them, I asked if I could try with my detector. On the way in the garage I noticed a bag of garbage leaning against the outside wall and asked about it, Fontanna explained, that it was just kitchen scraps and dog waste, it wouldn’t be in there. So I set up my detector to low sensitivity and iron discrimination then tested for rebar placement and tone. Next, I searched the spread out leaf litter and dry grass. I easily located tin foil bottle caps etc. but no ring. Then I searched the backyard and front yard yet again knowing it had to be somewhere on the property.Still no luck,
Fontanna’s fiancé came out of the house and asked her if we checked the garbage bag out back she again said she had no reason to believe it was in it. Since I had nowhere else to search I asked if we could check it anyway.They agreed and we dumped out the garbage bag and just as Fontanna had said, it was just kitchen scraps and dog waste, a pretty nasty pile of stuff. I scanned it with me detector and we pulled out metal items foil, a pop can, just the stuff you would expect to be in the garbage bad. I noticed a pair of work gloves and scanned them. I got a strong signal and separated them to discover it was only the left-hand glove that had a signal. With my pin-pointer probe, I narrowed the signal to the little finger of the glove.Fontanna’s very patient fiancé took the glove and cut off the end of the finger to reveal the treasured Lost Engagement Ring.It was smiles all around, another happy customer of the ring Finders. Thanks for the generous reward Fontanna.
Sometimes no matter how hard you try you come up empty. I got a call from Ken after he had found my blog at www.theringfinders.com/bill.jones , you see Ken had lost the keys to his truck and after checking around in the snow decided it was futile to continue. Ken asked me if I could come out and search his property he figured the area was about two football fields in size. I agreed and a couple of days later I drove out to Ken’s place by Brant Alberta, a 1.5-hour drive from my location, arriving there at noon I got my Metal Detector setup and then scanned the ground as I followed Ken. He retraced his steps from the house to the barn then past some corrals. I had the privilege of meeting their Llama “Dolly” ( Dolly Llama ) we went past the corals to the dumpster, then to a feed area for the horse metal detecting the whole way. So far only deep signals and the odd surface trash. Then I got a good signal in the shed the horses go in to feed, alas, it turned out to be a piece of sharp metal. Good to get it out of there anyway. After 2 hours we had detected through numerous corrals, sheds, and barns. When Ken announced that the May have fallen out of his pocket onto the tractor and vibrated off in one of the fields over 100 acres waiting to be searched. We retired to his beautiful ranch style home ( which is for sale, in case you want a ranch ) had coffee and cookies and discussed the days’ search. Ken showed me the hole in the pocket he thought the keys had fallen out of but we determined that the hole was too small for the keys to fit through, I asked about other clothes he had worn the day of the loss, he said, they were in the laundry hamper. I suggested we check them, his lovely wife went through the pockets of his clothes. Sadly no keys were found but she did come up with a hand full of unchecked lottery tickets destined to be laundered. Hopefully, there is a big winner there, good luck Ken.
Not all hunts are successful but you never know when you might win the lottery.
Mark contacted me. Found me on Kijiji but
used “TheRingfinders.com” to make sure I was on the up and up. He was in the backyard with his dogs and when he went back in his ring was gone. His gut instinct was that it fell off when he was throwing the ball. When I arrived, there was lots of evidence that he had been looking for it already. A big patch of snow had been cleared. His words were, “Before I rented a detector I thought I would give you a chance.” Good choice Mark. I have had several people rent a detector, only to tell me they had no clue what the sounds meant. I searched the area with no luck. Then we followed the path back to the back door. I had one tone, which we looked at and moments later another. I love it when I hear the ring’s actual tone in my headphones. We grabbed the camera for the reveal. Awesome. Less than a year married, and just back from his honeymoon, Mark is glad to have his ring back and is planning on resizing it.
Got a call! Tom’s wife lost a diamond earring when it got caught in a badminton net she was moving. They looked for it without luck. That’s when they called me. Stud earrings are small and hard to find with a standard coil. I swept the second area with my usual coil but found it wouldn’t pick it up. So I swap
