central texas lost ring Tag | The Ring Finders

On Thursday December 17th I received a phone call from a golfing buddy of mine.   Eldon said that a friend of both of ours, Cleve,  had lost his gold ring while running Christmas lights around the eve of his house.  He wanted to know if I could meet Cleve at his residence.  I advised him I would be there in about an hour.

I gathered my equipment and was at the residence in Early Texas within the hour.  I met with Cleve and he advised the following had happened.  On Saturday December 12th he had been installing Christmas lights along the eve of his house.  He had finished, then went to the bathroom to wash his hands .  At that time he noticed the ring was missing from his finger.

Cleve was almost 100% sure he would have lost it while installing the lights.  He knew it was missing immediately after he finished, when he went to wash his hands.  Although, he wasn’t positive it was on when he started.  He strongly felt he would have noticed it being gone.

The lights were strung on the front and both sides of the residence.  While facing the residence the left side had Holly Shrubs all along the wall and they were as high as the eve of the residence.  The front had knee to waist high shrubs and the right side had no shrubs.

I began searching the ground with my Etrac.  I searched for near 1 hour on the ground as much as I could with my Etrac.  The next search would be conducted by me crawling up under the shrubs and between them and the wall.  I had my Garrett AT Pinpointer for this search so I could get to the areas I had not been able to reach with my detector.

I crawled under and around behind the shrubs scanning the ground and up into the shrubs as far as I could reach .  I had the AT Pinpointer set on the third level of sensitivety.  It can reach as far as 6 inches or more with it set at this setting.  Again,  I searched for near an hour without finding the ring.  The final search would be searching the top area of the tall Holly Shrubs.

I started near the back of the residence on the left side of the residence where the shrubs reached the eve of the house.  I scanned all through the first shrub with the Pinpointer .  It was clear, then the second and it was clear.  I started on the final shrub scanning the side as I ran my pinpointer all around and into the shrub as far as I could reach.   I then went around to the front side of the shrub at the corner of the residence.  I ran the pinpointer in as far I could reach and I received a quick vibration and beep as I wiggled it around.  I then slowly moved it around until I got a strong vibration and beep.

I had to part the limbs and leaves with my hands so I could see inside the shrub.  A few seconds later I was able to see the ring sitting lodged between three limbs that came together.  It was near the middle of the shrub and eye level to me .

I left the ring and went to the door and rang the doorbell.  Cleve came to the door.  I told him I needed to ask another question.  He said he would be out as soon as he got his shoes on.  I walked to the shrub where the ring was.  Cleve came out and met me.  I asked him if he had been on the roof any at all.  He said no.  I then said well I was just curious.

Cleve started walking back towards the front door and I said “While you’re out here look right here in the shrub and tell me what you see.”  He had a puzzled look on his face.  He parted the limbs with his hands and looked around for a few seconds.  All of a sudden this big smile came across his face and I heard this excited voice say ” My Ring !! ”

I had left the ring as I found it so Cleve could see where he had lost it and allow him to recover it.  At one point while I had been searching for the ring he had sounded as though he had given up hope of ever seeing the ring again.  It had been missing for 6 days.

Cleve told me the ring was very sentimental.  The ring was made from his Mother and Dads rings.  One was 14 kt and the other 24 kt.  the two were combined to make his ring, a size 15 !!!!  the 5 diamonds came from his Dads ring and the 5 rubys came from his Mothers earrings.   He said there was no way it could have ever been replaced.

The total search time was 2 hours and 45 minuets

 

Aug 24, 2015

I received a phone call on the morning of August 24th.  The caller gave her name as Jessica.  She stated that she had been at a wedding this past weekend and one of the wedding rings was lost during the ceremony.  she was not the bride but a friend of the bride.

Jessica stated that during the ceremony the Ring Bearer (child) was carrying the pillow that had three rings attached by a ribbon to the pillow.  When the Ring Bearer reached his position it was found that the ribbon had become loosened.  Two of the rings were still resting on the pillow but the third ring was missing.

I asked Jessica a few more questions and then received directions from her.  I would be traveling to Hawley Texas. That would be a 90 mile trip from my location.  I prepared for the 180 mile round trip to Hawley.

I arrived in Hawley around 12.30PM.  I arrived at a home out in the country where the wedding had been held. I met with Genet, the owner of the property, who was also a friend of the Bride.  Jessica and the Bride, Kim, were to arrive at a later time.

Genet showed me where the Ring Bearer had walked.  It led from the back of the house and covered a route of about 50 yards.  Genet believed that the two rings that were found had fallen from the pillow and had been found on the ground while several people searched.  I had her walk off an area where she thought the two rings had been found.

I placed cones around this area and out a little more.  I began my search and had just about finished searching the area inside the cones.  The Bride, Kim, arrived at that time.  She met with me. I learned that the two rings that had been found had actually stayed on the pillow.  The rings had never fallen off to the ground.  That changed the area I had felt the ring should have been in and added more that would be searched if I did not find them there. Now,the rings could be back anywhere along the 50 yards.

Kim went to the house and I continued my search.  The ground was covered in short grass but was very sandy.  I was sure the ring had been stepped on while the group searched.  The ring would be pushed below the sand and out of site.  I was finishing the area that the cones bordered.  Approximately 8 minuets later I received a signal on my E-Trac that was very promising.  The reading was a good signal for a small gold band.  With my Pro Pointer I scanned the surface in the area of the signal.  I began scraping the sand away and not more than a half inch under the sand, there it was.

I slid the ring onto the small finger of my left hand.  I then set up my video camera.  I called Genet on the phone and asked if she could have Kim come back outside   I told her I had thought of another question I needed to ask.

Kim came outside and I told her that she had not been there before I had begun the search.  I told her normally I would get her to fill a search contract form out and do a pre interview video if she was ok with being videoed.  Kim agreed to do an interview on video.

In the video I surprise Kim with the ring.  It was an awesome experience seeing her reunited with this ring.  She had told me she had stopped the wedding while several looked for the ring.  This was a special ring.  Her rings and her husbands ring were rings his Grandparents had worn for more than 50 years.  Both Grandparents had since passed on.  The rings had fit both the Bride and the Groom, perfectly.  The rings were passed down to them to be married in. The loss of the one ring was very difficult for many of the family members to handle.

Kim was kind enough to send the photo of the Grandparents who had worn the rings for more than fifty years.

Hi my name is Don Carmack,

I joined The Ring Finders directory as a metal detecting specialist to help people who have lost a very special ring/cherished keepsake.

To reach me click on the above Directory, click United States, click Texas, click either Abilene or Brownwod for all the surrounding areas, click my name Don Carmack.  Click on my blog next to my picture and view my contact information and stories of my hunts.

If you lost your ring, jewelry or anything metalic call me ASAP, I’ll do my very best to find it for you!

I look forward to finding something you thought was lost forever!