Christina McCree Tag | Page 2 of 5 | The Ring Finders

Wedding Band Representing 42 Years of Marriage Lost While Gardening…FOUND in Huntsville, AL!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder/Metal Detectorist for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

This afternoon, Tuesday (March 28th, 2023), I received a call from Susan explaining that her husband, George, had lost his wedding band while gardening earlier in the day.  They’ll be celebrating 43 years of marriage in November!  I was still at work, but told Susan that I would grab my gear as soon as I got off and head their way.

Just before 5pm, I met George at their home in Huntsville, Alabama.  George told me that he knew he had his ring on before starting the yard work.  He then proceeded to show me everything he did: moving dirt in a wheelbarrow, putting leaves and debris in a bag, and tilling the garden.  George told me that he really thought his wedding band ended up in the spot where he was tilling the garden dirt.  I decided to start my search there.

The tilled dirt area was roughly 10×20 feet.  I was using my Minelab Equinox 900 for this search.  I started a grid and within a few minutes, I had my first signal.  The item was beneath the ground, so I moved on.  Right next to that, I received another good signal.  I gently brushed the ground with my detector coil and saw the glimmer of gold shining through the dirt!  George was standing nearby, so I said to him, “hey Sir, I think we found your wedding band!”  George came over and exclaimed, “that’s it!”  I snapped a picture before we cleaned it off.

Both George and Susan were so happy and thankful to have George’s wedding ring back.  This was THE ring that Susan placed on George’s finger over 42 years ago!  Such a blessing being about to use this hobby of metal detecting to help others, and I pray that I get to continue helping others for many years to come.  Please tell your friends and family about The Ring Finders Metal Detecting service.  Awaiting my next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, keys, cell phone or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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iPhone Dropped into Smith Lake in Arley, AL…Recovered by Ring Finder with Metal Detector and Blu3 Nemo!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder/Metal Detectorist for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

It’s been a slow year so far on lost item calls.  This could be a good thing — people aren’t losing stuff, or they just don’t know that a service like The Ring Finders exists.

On Friday (March 17th, 2023), my husband and I were just pulling up to our house after enjoying a nice brunch in town when I received a call from Corey.  Corey explained that his girlfriend’s (Sara) iPhone had dropped into Smith Lake the evening prior.  He thought the water was about 5 feet deep in that spot and it wasn’t a large search area, because of how the phone entered the water.  Corey and Sara had just finished kayaking when Sara set her iPhone on a spring-loaded box on the pier.  It was dark outside, and Corey didn’t know it was there.  When he popped the box lid open, her phone slid off into the water.  I had no other commitments that day and it was my Friday off, so I told Corey that I would gather up my gear and be on my way.

It was a one hour and 25 minute drive from my home in Harvest to the lake house in Arley, Alabama.  I met up with Corey and Sara and they showed me what happened.  They helped me haul my gear from my truck down to the pier.  My handheld Hawkeye depth finder showed the depth to be between 5.3 to 6.5 feet depending on where I was standing around the deck box.  It also showed the water temperature at 47.3 degrees Fahrenheit.  A little chilly for my liking, but I had my 7mm Henderson Greenprene wetsuit, 5mm hood, 5mm gloves, and 7mm boots to keep me warm.  Plus, I didn’t expect to be in the water that long since it was a phone and small search area.  Then once I got into the water, I felt very comfortable in that gear.

I got geared up and hopped in the water.  I could touch bottom as I got closer to the shoreline, and there were some rocks I could stand on a few feet from where the box was in the photo above.  I had my Minelab Equinox 800 with the 15-inch coil.  I was able to cover most of the area by where the phone would’ve slid into the water.  I had a really good signal that I thought was Sara’s iPhone.  There was about a foot or two drop off to that signal from where I was standing.  However, I had trouble descending because I was too buoyant.  I’ve dove with the Greenprene wetsuit before, but I had my BCD on that time.  This time, I wasn’t using my BCD, so I needed to add more weight.  This took a couple of attempts to get closer to being neutrally buoyant.  I tried diving on that signal again, but had trouble staying down long enough to check it, because I needed just a little more weight.  While I had a wrist mounted dive light, the visibility wasn’t the greatest and the phone was in a black case.  I was hoping that I could just free dive and recover the phone, but decided to break out my Blu3 Nemo dive system, so that I could take my time to locate the signal while I was submerged.

We got the Nemo setup, and I relocated the signal.  I made my descent and was able to hold onto a rock to keep my position steady.  I searched around with my flashlight, fanned away some silt, and thought I caught sight of a phone.  I grabbed it and sure enough, I had Sara’s iPhone in hand!!!  I immediately thanked the Lord!  I resurfaced and waved the phone for everyone to see.  Big smiles and cheering all around!  Sara and Corey were so happy and thankful for the recovery!

Corey helped me out of the lake.  I took off the wetsuit and grabbed some dry clothes to change into.  We all headed up to the lake house to warm up.  Corey’s mom, Hilary, was there along with Corey’s brother and sister.  We all enjoyed some friendly conversation before heading back down to the pier.  We took some photos and packed up my gear.  Sara now had her iPhone back, including the sim card that contained all of her cherished memories — pictures, videos, and other important data.

Thank you, God, for another successful recovery and safe trip!  As I always say, I love getting to go on these adventures, hear everyone’s story, and find/return these precious items to people!  Best job and feeling in the world!!!  Proud to be a member of Chris Turner’s, The Ring Finders, and looking forward to the next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, keys, cell phone or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Breast Cancer Survivor Ring…FOUND in Car in Harvest, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder/Metal Detectorist for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

Just after noon on Saturday, October 22nd, 2022, I received a text message from Paula stating that she had lost her ring in her car and wanted to know if I was available to look for it.  She said that she lived in Harvest, Alabama.  That’s the same city I live in, and she was only a 6-minute drive from my house!  At the time of Paula’s text, I was helping a local flower shop deliver flowers, because all the regular drivers were unavailable that day.  I told Paula that I could swing by after I was done or the following day.  I finished the deliveries around 3:15 and told Paula that I was going to run by my house to change and grab my equipment.

I arrived at Paula’s house around 4pm.  I asked her to tell/show me what happened and the story behind her ring.  Paula told me that she was a breast cancer survivor and her best friend from Jacksonville State University had given her this special ring on her 5-year anniversary of being cancer free.  They had seen the ring in an antique store in New Orleans.  Her friend had secretly purchased the ring and held it until the anniversary to surprise Paula.  You can imagine the sentimental value this ring held to Paula.  I was determined to find and return it to her!

Paula said that the day before she was sitting in her car and took off the ring to put on lotion.  She set the ring on her lap, but it fell onto the divider she had between her seat and the center console.  The ring landed on some papers in the divider, but when she went to grab it, her ring was gone.  Paula and her mom looked for about an hour but could not find it.  Paula told me that she found out about The Ring Finders by watching a YouTube video of a ring recovery in a car by one of my good Rind Finder buddies, Jeff Morgan “Seattle Ring Hunter”.

I grabbed my high lumens flashlight and endoscope and started searching.  I started by feeling around the seat and floorboard.  Next, I used my endoscope to search under the seat, in the air vent, and other crevices.  I didn’t find the ring in any of those spots.  I decided to research along the seat and found a metal bracket.  It had a tray and when I slid my hand in there, I could feel a ring!  I was able to carefully grab it with my hand and when I pulled it out, I saw a gorgeous 14K white gold antique looking ring.  This was Paula’s special cancer survivor ring!!!  I was so happy to see it and thanked the Lord!

At the time I found the ring, Paula was out talking with her neighbor.  I took some pictures and headed out to surprise Paula.  I introduced myself to her neighbor and said I was trying my best to find Paula’s ring.  At that moment, I opened my hand and said, “is this your ring?”  Paula gasped and said, “yes, that’s it!”  She was so happy and thankful that she had her ring back!

We took some pictures and I chatted with Paula for a few minutes afterwards.  I told her about some of my prior searches.  Paula was so fascinated by The Ring Finders and excited that one lived so close by.  We said that maybe we’d run into each other somewhere around town.  Paula gave me a big hug and thanked me again.  I headed home and Paula was now able to enjoy the rest of her Saturday evening with her beautiful ring back on her finger where it belongs.  I love getting to go on these adventures, hear these stories, and find/return these sentimental items to people!  Best job and feeling in the world!!!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Lost Wedding Band…FOUND by The Ring Finders during Final Search Attempt in Homewood, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On September 12th, 2022, I received a text message from LeeAlice stating that her husband, Jamie, had lost his platinum wedding band in July.  She said that he was 99.99% sure that he lost it in the yard.  Jamie was in a rush trying to water the plants before he had to go catch a flight.  He noticed his ring was missing right before he left their house for the airport.  They tried searching numerous times with a cheap detector they bought from Costco, but they just couldn’t find it.

Here’s the catch…LeeAlice and Jamie had since moved, so they no longer owned the property.  However, the flippers that bought their house were totally fine with me coming by to look for the ring.  This would be the last opportunity to find it though.  And if I didn’t find it, this ring would definitely be lost forever.  The pressure was on, but I knew if the ring was there, I would find it.  I have a high level of confidence in my equipment, knowledge, and search techniques.  LeeAlice told me that she had pretty much given up all hope.  I told her to keep her hope alive, because many people tell me the same thing, and then they are shocked when I do find it.

LeeAlice wanted Jamie to be there during the search, so that he could show me what he was doing and everywhere he went.  I agreed, because it’s very helpful to go over the details with the person who lost the item, so that we can narrow down the search area.  Our schedules wouldn’t align until Sunday, October 2nd, 2022.

I met LeeAlice and Jamie on a beautiful fall afternoon at their former house in Homewood, Alabama.  Homewood is just slightly south of Birmingham.  Jamie showed me exactly where he went and what he was doing.  They decided to go say hi to some former neighbors while I was searching.  I got out my gear and got to work.

I chose to focus on where the spigot was.  Jamie walked there a few times to turn on and off the water.  I started searching on that side of the house and along the grass line first.  I knew that the thick Zoysia grass would easily hide a wedding band much easier than the mulch. I covered a couple of feet and checked a few signals.  All items were below the soil.  I was almost parallel with the spigot when I received that loud and proud tone on my Minelab Equinox 800.  The depth was reading at 2 inches, so I knew this would probably be the ring.  I bent down, parted the grass, and could just barely make out a circular object.  I wiped away some dirt and there it was—Jamie’s platinum wedding band!!!  I always get so excited when I find the ring, and then even more excited when I get to tell the good news!

LeeAlice and Jamie were still at their neighbors, so I took some pictures, and went to grab a bottle of water from my truck.  I texted LeeAlice that they could come back when they were ready.  Shortly after, they came walking up.  I told LeeAlice that Jamie’s 99.99% odds were spot on!  She was slightly confused, so I said that Jamie’s ring had been found!  Her face went from confusion to complete shock and emotion.  I took them over to the spot and Jamie slipped the wedding band back on his finger where it belongs.  LeeAlice thanked me numerous times and gave me a couple of big hugs.  Best feeling in the world!

Below, I included a picture of where I found the ring in the grass in relation to the shrubs and mulch area (the ring was next to where my orange pinpointer is laying on the side of my detector).  I also included a picture of the ring in the grass to show just how impossible it is to see it with sight alone.  However, it’s not a true representation of how it actually looked.  I had already parted the grass and removed the ring for some pictures, so the ring was completely out of sight when I found it.  Almost no way to find that without a good quality metal detector.

This wedding band had the potential to never be seen or worn again.  And while some may say it’s just a ring, it’s way more than that!  This is the very ring that LeeAlice put on Jamie’s finger on their wedding day almost 5 years ago.  Extremely sentimental and irreplaceable!  Sure, you can just go buy another one, but it’ll never be the same.  Thankfully, that wasn’t the case here.  This ring will stay on Jamie’s finger and get to continue its story.  Thank you, God, for another successful ring return!  Looking forward to the next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Missing Engagement Ring in Columbia, Tennessee…FOUND!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On Thursday night (September 8th, 2022), I received a text message from Austin stating that his fiancé, Shannon, had lost her engagement ring earlier that day while she was outside of their home.  They had spent 4 hours searching with a cheap metal detector, but no luck.  They also tried looking in the dark with a flashlight.  I told Austin I’d be more than happy to help, and that I could come out the next day as soon as I got off from work.

I met Austin and Shannon at their home in Columbia, Tennessee on Friday around 4:30pm.  They explained that they checked their security cameras and were able to pinpoint when Shannon last had her ring on and when she first noticed it missing.  Shannon had gone over to the chicken coop, grabbed a bad egg, and threw it over their wire fence into the field.  She shook her hand because some yolk had gotten on it.  Next, she went and pulled some weeds from the garden, but she said she had noticed her ring was missing before she did that.

I began my search by where Shannon was standing when she threw the egg.  Next, I hopped the fence and began a grid search in the field.  This was challenging at times due to the height of the grass and weeds, so I had to press my detector down in certain spots.  When I felt like I had covered a decent area, I hopped back over the fence to check the bedding where the chicken egg was.  Still no ring.  Austin then showed me the video of the egg throw and I noticed that Shannon threw sideways towards the right side.  I hopped back over the fence and expanded my grid towards the right.  I continued searching until I felt like I had covered the area quite a ways.

We decided that I could come back out in the fall and recheck the field better when the grass was cut.  I told them that I wanted to check the garden in case Shannon had actually noticed the ring was missing after (not before) she had weeded.  Austin marked the path she had walked with my cones.  I walked down to the garden and searched one side of her path.  I then searched around the planter she was working in.  The grass was about 2-3 inches tall.  I just finished my lap around the planter when I received a solid tone that showed at a shallow depth on my Minelab Equinox 800.  This was the kind of signal that you just know it had to be the ring.  I bent down, parted the grass, and saw that golden circle beaming back up at me!  I looked up at Shannon with a big smile.  She said, “you found it!?”  I replied, “got it!”  Both Shannon and Austin were shocked because Shannon thought she noticed it missing before she pulled the weeds from the garden.  In fact, they didn’t even search that area because of that!  I explained that our minds will play tricks on us and can even change how events are played back in our heads.

Shannon and Austin were both so excited and relieved that her beautiful 14K yellow gold engagement ring was back on her finger where it belongs!!!  They were also so happy that they came across The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service.  Shannon apologized that she had me looking in the wrong spot, but I told her that it was the most likely area and we needed to search that first.  In the end, all that matters to me is that the person gets their ring back no matter how long it takes to find it.  I’m so proud to be a member of this great service; please, tell your friends that it exists!  Looking forward to the next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Cell Phone and Wallet Found in the Street…Happily Returned to Owner in Harvest, Alabama!

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On Wednesday afternoon (August 3rd, 2022), my husband, Lindell, and I were on our way to my doctor’s appointment.  Right after we turned out of our subdivision, we spotted a cell phone and wallet lying in the middle of the street.  I was able to safely pick up both items.  The iPhone was in good working condition.  The wallet was intact and contained everything you would imagine…driver’s license, debit card, credit cards, and numerous other important items.  There were a few cars driving by, so thankfully the items weren’t run over or picked up by the wrong person.

I didn’t see any contact or emergency contact info on the lock screen.  We had the gentleman’s, (Robert) address since the wallet contained his driver’s license.  Robert lived in the neighborhood right across the street from us.  We stopped by Robert’s house immediately after my appointment, but nobody was home.  We planned to go back later in the evening.

Right after we got home, we saw a few text messages coming through on Robert’s cell phone from the Verizon store in Madison, Alabama.  We Googled the phone number and were soon on the line with one of the store reps.  We told them that we found the cell phone and asked if the gentleman was there.  Robert was and they put him on the phone.  We introduced ourselves and let Robert know the good news that not only did we find his cell phone, but we also had his wallet.  Robert was so happy and relieved!!!  He was in the process of getting a new cell phone and putting a hold on his bank and credit cards.  Getting his wallet back would also save him the headache of a trip to the DMV for a new license, plus replacing all the other items in his wallet.  We gave Robert our address and he was on his way over.

Lindell and I handed Robert’s cell phone and wallet over to him after he arrived.  He was one happy guy!  Robert told us that he had set them on the back of his truck and went to get the mail.  When he got back to his truck, he had forgotten he put them there and drove off.

While this isn’t one of my typical stories, it was a successful return, nonetheless.  I’m always happy to help and thank God for putting Lindell and I in the right place at the right time!

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Mother’s Ring Lost While Pulling Weeds on Mother’s Day…FOUND Maysville, Alabama!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

This was my second of two ring searches on May 9th, 2022.  This one was in Maysville, AL for a 14K white gold mother’s ring and the first one was in Lincoln, AL for a 14K yellow gold wedding band.  It’s about a 2 hour and 15-minute drive between the two locations.  I’m very happy to report that both rings were successfully found!  Ring search #2…

I received a text message from Heidi on Sunday, May 8th, 2022.  This happened to be Mother’s Day and Heidi said that she lost her mother’s ring that same day.  Heidi explained that she was weeding the side of the driveway earlier in the day and noticed that the ring was missing shortly after.  I thought that this was a typical mother’s ring where the ring contains the children’s birthstones, but this was not the case.  This ring actually belonged to Heidi’s mother and was passed on to her.  It was in their family for about 65 years!  Unfortunately, Heidi’s mother passed away 2 years ago.  Heidi’s sister had the smaller rows of diamonds added.  Their mother had a hinge added to the ring when she developed rheumatoid arthritis.  Heidi said that the hinge would sometimes pop open, and she believed that the white gold ring came off while she was pulling the weeds.  She wasn’t wearing gloves.  This ring is extremely sentimental to Heidi and her family.  It was imperative that I find it.

The search was scheduled for the following day (Monday, May 9th, 2022) around 5pm when I got there after work.  However, I ended up getting a call for another lost ring in the Coosa River in Lincoln, AL.  I ended up going to that one immediately, because it was lost in a public area.  I like to go to those types of search ASAP to avoid the potential of someone else finding the ring.  If that happened the owner may never see the ring again.  I went to that search in Lincoln.  I thought it would be a quick one and I would make it to Maysville around the time we originally scheduled, but that Lincoln search ended up taking around 2 hours.  I didn’t make it to Heidi’s house in Maysville until just after 8pm.  I apologized profusely, but Heidi said that she understood due to where the ring in Lincoln was lost.  Heidi said that I could come back the following day, but I had my high lumens headlamp and flashlight with me, so it would be no problem.  I told her that I would do a quick scan and if I didn’t find it, I would come back the following evening for a more thorough search.

Heidi took me to the area where she had been pulling weeds from the side of her driveway on Sunday.  I had told her not to throw anything away, so Heidi left all of the weeds in front of that spot.  The search area wasn’t too big, so I thought that I had a good chance for a recovery that night.  I turned on my Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector with the 10×5 Coiltek coil and started my search.  The first signal I checked turned out to be wires from an electrical pole.  I kept going and the next signal I had was a loud and solid tone in the lady’s gold range.  I bent down to check it with my Garrett AT Pro pin pointer.  I parted a couple of leaves and saw that shine of white gold beaming back at me!  I looked back at Heidi and said, “GOT IT!”  Heidi was shocked, because I had just started searching.  She quickly came over and her eyes locked on her mother’s ring.  She bent down, picked it up, and gave me the biggest hug!  I could feel the stress melt away and tears of happiness.  Best feeling in the world!  I’m so blessed that I get to do this.

We determined that the hinge had popped open and caused the ring to come off.  Heidi said that she was going to take it to the jeweler and get it fixed.  We walked over to the front porch to take some pictures.  Heidi’s husband, Bart, walked out and gave me a big fist bump.  He said, “thank you for making my wife happy!”  We chatted for a few minutes, and I got a few more hugs from Heidi.  Heidi is the owner of Flint Ridge Farm, a full-service horse boarding and teaching facility.  If you’re ever in the Maysville, Alabama area, please check them out!

While it was a long day between working half a day and going on 2 ring searches, the searches/returns are the thing that I love doing the most and were well worth the effort!  I praise God for another successful recovery!  I wonder what type of adventure the next call will bring…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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FOUND with Metal Detector…Lost Gold Wedding Band in the Coosa River Lincoln, Alabama!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

This turned out to be my first of two ring searches on May 9th, 2022.  This one was in Lincoln, AL for a 14K yellow gold wedding band and the second one was in Maysville, AL for a 14K white gold mother’s ring.  It’s about a 2 hour and 15-minute drive between the two locations.  I’m very happy to report that both rings were successfully found!  Ring search #1…

I received a call from Austin just before noon on Monday, May 9th, 2022.  Austin stated that he lost his 14K yellow gold wedding band the day prior (Mother’s Day) while walking to his boat in 2-4 feet of water in the Coosa River (part of Logan Martin Lake) in Lincoln, Alabama.  Austin told me that he’d been married less than a year and desperately wanted his ring back.  He also dropped his sunglasses in the water.  Austin spent about 2 hours searching for his sunglasses and wedding band.  He was able to find the sunglasses, but unfortunately, came up empty handed on the ring.  He went online for ways to recover it and came across a service he never knew existed…The Ring Finders!

I had the other ring search scheduled for when I got off work that day.  I thought I could leave immediately for Lincoln, AL and help Austin find his ring, then head to Maysville for the second ring search.  I put in a leave request at work and started gathering up my gear.  I arrived in Lincoln around 3pm and met Austin by the water.  I quickly changed into my wetsuit pants and grabbed my detecting gear.  Austin showed me where he was wading through the water, where his boat was parked, and where he found his sunglasses.  He said that he never saw or felt the ring come off his finger, but he noticed it was missing within 30 minutes after his boat ride.

I started a north/south grid search in the area Austin found his sunglasses at.  I then expanded my grid to where he walked towards the dock and then the other side by where his boat was parked.  Unfortunately, I only found some trash, fishing sinkers, and a nickel.  I then worked an east/west grid making sure I covered the entire area really well.  I asked Austin questions on whether he shook his hands, threw anything, etc.  Austin said no and that I had pretty much covered all the spots he was at.

I decided to continue searching towards the shoreline just in case Austin’s recollection was slightly off.  Within a few minutes I got a screaming signal in the gold range about 20 feet from the original search area.  I took one scoop and had a ring in my basket!  I told Austin that I got it.  He said, “NO WAY!!!”  With a big smile I replied, “there’s a yellow gold ring in my scoop!”  I picked it up and asked him if there was an inscription.  Austin quickly said, “all my love”.  This was it!  Austin couldn’t believe it, because he said he didn’t walk over that far.  I’ve had a couple of searches that turned out this way.  Just another great learning experience to remember– always keep expanding the grid!

I walked over to the dock where Austin was standing and handed him his wedding band.  He said that he thought he’d never see it again and this was the best thing ever!  I’m so happy that he has his ring back and it was honestly found at the last minute where it shouldn’t have been.  Thank you, God, for another successful recovery!  I’m so proud to be a member of Chris Turner’s online directory of metal detecting specialists, The Ring Finders!  Write-up of search #2 to follow…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Lost Tungsten Ring…FOUND by Member of The Ring Finders in McMinnville, Tennessee!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

I received a text message from Rachel on Thursday evening (April 7th, 2022) stating that her boyfriend, Tyler, lost his Tungsten Carbide promise ring in February while they were rock crawling on a trail in McMinnville, Tennessee.  McMinnville is about a 2-hour drive from me (Huntsville, Alabama).  I told Rachel that I would be more than happy to help, but I wouldn’t be able to make it out until Saturday or Sunday when I was off from work.  Sunday actually turned out to be a beautiful day, so we scheduled the search for Sunday morning.

I arrived at their home in McMinnville, TN on Sunday morning (April 10th, 2022) around 10am.  I transferred my gear over to Rachel’s vehicle.  We needed to go through some thick grass and over rocks in order to make it out to the spot that Tyler lost his ring at.  We headed out and arrived at the base of the trail about 15 minutes later.  We parked at the base, because we didn’t want to drive over the ring.  I grabbed my Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector from Rachel’s vehicle and we started making our way up the steep trail.  It was about a 10-minute walk up to the spot where Tyler thought he lost his ring.  The Tungsten ring was actually thrown during an argument.  This happens way more than people think.  People have disagreements and sometimes rings go flying.  It’s always important that I know exactly what happened in order for a successful ring recovery.

Both Rachel and Tyler said that they heard a ping, so we knew that the ring probably hit a rock.  We were just hoping that it didn’t take a weird bounce.  The main part of the trail was easy to search.  The right side was very steep, so I didn’t think that it bounced up that far.  The left side was rocky, and I planned to search that last if I didn’t find the ring in the main trail area.  Tyler showed me where he was standing when he threw the ring.  He threw it down the trail, so I started at the top section.  I marked that spot with a few cones and started my grid search heading down the trail.  I covered the trail a good ways down and only found junk metal and some vehicle parts.  I felt that I searched that area very well and started searching the left side where all the rocks were at.  I eventually made my way up to the top where my cones were, but I didn’t find Tyler’s ring.  I decided to head back down and search along the trail again to be sure.  I made it back down and confirmed that the ring was not there.  I was about 1.5 hours into my search, I told Rachel and Tyler that they may have been further down the trail when the ring was thrown or it just took a crazy bounce.  I could tell that their hope was fading, but Rachel said that she thought they were further down the trail when the ring was thrown.  That made sense, because different sections of the trail looked very similar.

I began searching that next area where Rachel thought they were.  About 30 minutes in, I received a good shallow signal on my Equinox.  I moved my coil to the side and saw the shape of a ring just barely covered!  I could see the gleam of the sun reflecting off of it.  Rachel was looking in my direction, I smiled and pointed down to the ground.  She asked, “you found it?”  I said “yes!”  Both Rachel and Tyler came over, and Tyler picked up the ring.  They were so excited!  Tyler almost couldn’t believe it, because it wasn’t where he thought it should’ve been.  We can only find what’s there to be found and being in the right spot is the only way for that to happen.

We celebrated for a few minutes, took some pictures, and were on our way to their house.  I’m so happy that they have their ring back.  I pray that this helps strengthen their relationship.  Thank you, Lord, for another successful ring recovery!  I’m always happy to help, proud to be a member of The Ring Finders, and looking forward to my next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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College Ring Lost While Fishing in Wheeler Lake…RECOVERED by Diver Decatur, Alabama!

Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

Just after 12:30pm on Monday (April 4th, 2022), I received a text message from Jonathan stating that he had lost his college ring two days prior while fishing from his boat in Wheeler Lake (part of the Tennessee River) near Decatur, Alabama.  Jonathan said that it was lost in 10-12 feet of water, and he had marked his waypoint on his boat’s sonar graph.  Jonathan asked if I thought his ring was recoverable.  I told him that there was a good chance since he marked his waypoint.  But if the visibility was bad, then it would make it harder, but not impossible and we could definitely give it a shot or two.

I quickly checked the weather and realized that the remainder of the week called for rain or cooler weather and the weekend was much worse (lows in the 30s, highs in the 50s).  That day was the only decent day for the rest of the week.  It was sunny and in the mid-70s.  It was pretty much go now or wait at least a week or two.  We decided to take advantage of our only good day.  We both took off from work for the remainder of the day.  Jonathan went to get his boat ready, and I started gathering up my dive gear.  It took me about 1.5 hours to get everything ready–topping off batteries and making sure I had all essential dive equipment, including my colder weather 7mm Henderson Greenprene wetsuit, hood, gloves, and boots.  I don’t own tanks just yet, so I opted to take my new Blu3 Nomad Diving System (floating surface supplied air system), because a trip to my dive shop would’ve added at least an additional hour.  I’ve already used my Blu3 Nemo on numerous occasions, so I felt comfortable using the bigger Nomad.

It was about 3:45pm by the time I met Jonathan at the boat launch ramp at Ingalls Harbor in Decatur, Alabama.  We chatted for a few minutes about the loss.  Jonathan explained that he was very dehydrated the day he lost his ring.  He was standing on the starboard side of his boat when the college ring he bought back in 2015 to commemorate him earning his master’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) slid right off his finger and into the water.  Jonathan felt helpless as he watched his ring sink to the bottom of the lake.  He immediately marked the waypoint on his boat’s sonar graph.  This would later turn out to be our saving grace.  Jonathan initially thought that he would be okay with the loss of his ring, but it really hit him hard on the drive home.  He knew he needed it back!  Trying to figure out how to recover it led him to a Google search and, ultimately, discovery of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service website.

Jonathan helped me load up my dive gear onto his speed boat and we were on our way!  It only took about 5 minutes to arrive on location of Jonathan’s waypoint he titled “MY RING OFF STARBOARD” (picture below).  Jonathan dropped his anchor and I started setting up my dive gear.  Shortly after, I was in the water using my Blu3 Nomad Dive System and Minelab Excalibur metal detector.  The water temperature was about 55 degrees, but I felt very comfortable in my 7mm wetsuit, dive hood, and dive gloves.  I decided to use a circular grid system due to the open area location of loss.  I made my descent and attached my grid line.  Visibility was better than I thought, but not the greatest.  I could see about a foot in front of my face and would lose some visibility once the bottom started stirring up.  I started my circular grid rotation.  I checked 2 targets, but could not recover the items.  I assumed that they were too deep and could not be Jonathan’s ring.  The third target had a good ring to it (pun intended lol).  I started feeling with my gloved hand and felt like I had the target in my grasp.  I thought it might be a clam shell, because I had already found a few of those on the first two signals.  But I soon realized that it wasn’t a clam shell.  I started feeling the shape of a ring!  I brought it closer to my face mask and saw that beautiful glimmer of gold and gleam of the emerald stone!  Wow, what an incredible moment!!!  I was almost in shock!  I shook the muck off the ring and studied it for a minute.  I immediately thanked the Lord for what seemed like the miraculous recovery in the middle of a massive lake!

I put the ring over my gloved ring finger.  It felt snug, so I felt comfortable keeping it there until I was topside.  I turned off my detector and made my ascent.  Jonathan took my metal detector and I swam over to the ladder.  I said, “hey Jonathan, BAM!!!” and held out my clenched fist with his ring.  He went nuts with excitement!  My favorite part of every ring recovery!  I took Jonathan’s sentimental UIW college ring off my finger and handed it over to him.  He said that he couldn’t believe it!  He helped me onboard, and we celebrated!  We took a moment to reflect on how this ring was recovered.  Something so small, in such a large lake, found 2 days later by a waypoint grid (which I’ve been told that waypoints can be off by about 20 feet or so).  But this one was spot on!  I was only about 5-7 feet from my downline.  I was also only underwater for 17 minutes according to my Shearwater Peregrine Dive Computer.  I believe in my heart that this ring was found by divine intervention.  God is so good, and He deserves all the glory!  It was such a beautiful day, and the dive recovery went as smoothly as I hoped and prayed for.

I packed up my dive gear while Jonathan got a few casts in.  His ring was lost while practicing for an upcoming bass fishing tournament being held on Saturday (April 9th, 2022).  I wish him all the best in the fishing tournament!

We set out on the water that day to the “X” on Jonathan’s map and we found gold, baby!!!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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