Dennis Tag | The Ring Finders

Dennis, MA Lost Ring in Sand Found and Returned by Richard Browne

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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July 29, 2025 Debbie and her husband were out house hunting. My home was on the market and the Open House sign attracted them. While touring the home they noticed my metal detector and struck up a conversation with my realtor about my water detecting prowess. Little did they know the knowledge of my hobby would be beneficial to them within a few days when Debbie saw her wedding band slip from her finger into the beach sand as she was applying sunscreen lotion.

The smart idea of marking the area with shells and a few small rocks after hand searching the sand would be of help in locating the area the next day. A better marker media would have been anything metal i.e. coins or soda cans. Debbie had paced of the distance from a wooden structure to the point of loss. At home they called Tom, my realtor, for my contact information. Jack had to leave a voice message which Tom later played back to me over the phone. I took the information and called Jack. I had to leave a message on Jack’s phone as he did not answer. A bit later Debbie called me and we set up a 6:30AM meeting on the beach.

I arrived a bit early just as the beach sweeper went by, grooming the beach for the holiday weekend crowd. With my new VX9 detector, on its first search, in one hand and my scoop in the other, I looked for the land marks but they had been swept away. I took what information I had, started to pace off 35 feet but that would have put me in the water, somethings never go well. I had been on the beach for less than five minutes when Debbie and her girlfriend showed up. After a bit of an introduction and pointing to the area, Debbie started to pace off the 35 feet. I watched as she paced the 35 feet by putting the heal of one foot to toes of the other, repeating it 35 times. I followed, detecting the sand as I went. About five feet (60”) from where Debbie’s 35 “feet” ended and even closer to my last drag mark in the sand I had my second signal of the morning. A quick scoop and my searching was finished.

“Lets go back to the car so I can get more information.” Looking puzzled, I had to tell Debbie to look into my scoop. Yes the ring was the second target and the ring was in my scoop. All in less than a minute! Debbie and her friend Lynn were told I was good at finding a lost ring, but this morning I was great. But Debbie had one more up on me when she said she had a cup of coffee for me in the car. I often mentioned my thirst for coffee but no one had ever had a cup ready for me.

At the car we talked and the recent happenings just continued to amaze us. Jack and I are both retired sailors and worked with submarines during our tours of duty. This year is Debbie and Jacks 30th anniversary. She had lived on Cape Cod and I live here now. I could not convince her that she and Jack should buy my house, it was meant to be – not. If the house was smaller – maybe. At least all is well and Debbie has her ring back for the upcoming anniversary. What a wonderful way to have at the start of another day on Vacation Land.

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Craigville, MA Lost Wedding Ring Delays Trip Home

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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August 3, 2025 Mike and his wife were about to leave for home at the end of their vacation after one last dip to remember the great vacation by. The crowning event was to take a splash in Nantucket Sound even tho Mike was not fond of swimming. Little did anyone know their trip home would be delayed by Mike’s unfortunate loss of his yellow gold wedding band (that has more sentimental than most as it is a hand-down from his father) in waist deep water.

When I got a call for help my first request was to have Mike at the beach to put me on the right location in the very large swimming area. The first area description of: half way between two points and less than shoulder depth really needed, to be a but more precise. Both Mike and his wife Amy had their own idea of were the loss occurred. After lessening to the two search parameters, Jim, a visiting friend of mine, and I started to search first perpendicular to the shore then parallel to the shore. Not finding the ring we opened up the search area, still with no results. We then kind of went our own way with thoughts of our own where the ring might be. In a little over an hour of searching and the finding of a toe ring and a little heart ring passed before I found myself within the original search area when I heard the detector’s tone made when passed over a gold object. One scoop and I had the object I was searching for, Mike’s sentimental ring.

I have to say that Mike had a large support team present as Jim and I were searching. There was great fan-fare when I approached the group that was waiting for me on the beach. The one that had the most attention was Amy, as she was pregnant and now had one more joyful story to her yet to be born child. Lot of stories, pictures and plans on how not to loose a ring at the beach passed among all of us. Great family, friends and now memories along with best wishes for a safe trip home. I was off to my car, to take a sip of water, call my wife, before going back to the water for some recreational metal detecting with Jim. What a wonderful day with great beach going weather. It left everyone feeling complete and ready for a safe trip home.

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Centerville, MA Beach Holds a Ring for 3 Days, Found and returned by Richard Browne

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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July 8, 2025 I was having my second cup of coffee, catching up on the news and weather – thunder storms in the afternoon when a text came in for help with a lost wedding ring. I read the following: “I’m Mattie and I lost my wedding band at the beach. I found your profile on ring finders and was hoping maybe you could help. … I know it’s been a few days of shifting sands and beach goers, but I was curious if you might be available to check it out. … I’m at peace if the ring ends up being a beach treasure in the end: it was a family ring but my mother and her parents were huge beach lovers and in way it would be poetic. … it was a ring my Yia Yia (grandma) gave to my mom, who gave to me when I was about to get married and we used for our ceremony! I’ve worn it since. It was loose on my finger in the water so I asked my older daughter to bring it back to the chairs we had while I stayed with my younger daughter (safety first!) but unfortunately she dropped it in the way. I saw how heartbroken she was and I just knew that the right thing in the moment was to not stress and move on.”

What could I do but assure Mattie that I would go and search the area. I would also reach out to other detectorists that I know frequent the area in case I did not find the ring myself. Once on the beach and in the area, I could not guess why that one area was void of towel and sun umbrellas. There was one person with a metal detecting scoop, but no detector in sight. At the end of my first pass I stopped and talked with the gentleman with the scoop. A local that regularly detects the area. I told him what I was looking for and he assured me he had not found much of anything over the past three days. Oh well, back to detecting … a coin spill of 45 cents … well no one gets it all. Another two steps and another target was beneath my coil, a quick scoop and it was in my scoop. Boy will Mattie be happy was my thought as I saw what had to be her ring, and it was. No one had found the ring in its three days in the sand. It was truly a lucky day for Mattie and a happy ending to the story for her older daughter.

As the family had returned to New York, I would mail the ring the next day and wait for a picture for the Book of Smiles. Yes, I just love my hobby for making happen endings to stories just like this one.

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Sunshine Diamond Earring Found and Returned by Richard Browne in Dennis Ma

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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July 7, 2025 Dana lost an earring, a sharp eyed swimmer had found the wire half and returned it to Dana. Dana also snorkeled for some time but could not find the diamond studded sunshine disk.

The old saying about “When it rains, it pours.” was surely true on this day. I had been called to find a ring that was lost on the 3rd of July when the text to help to find Dana’s sunshine lost in a fresh water pond showed up on my phone. It was first come, first served and I was off to the salt water beach. Found the ring and off to the fresh water pond. On the way I lost contact with Dana as her cell phone’s battery was depleted. So I was clueless as to the location in the pond the earring had been lost. I started the grid search and found only one piece of tin foil and a small pendent. I left the water and did a grid search of the sand area. After finding only one more target, a penny, I went back to the car to see if there was any phone response from Dana. Low and behold there was from Dana’s father. In the text there was a picture of the one earring Dana had. I could not believe it but the “charm” I had found on my way out of the water to the sand of the beach was THE earring, shining gold with diamonds.

A text and within 5 minutes Dana and her father arrived to claim the earring.

I was getting ready for my next call, and read Andrew’s last text that read “Rick, thank you so much we found it! There was a guy with a heavy duty metal detector… He found it in about 15 minutes. That was good news for me as NOAA was transmitting a severe thunder storm warning. Time to head home for the safety of the house, out of danger’s way and dinner.

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Cartier Love Ring Found and Returned by Richard Browne

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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July 5, 2025 The 4th of July started with visions of a great day; but ended with despair after I failed to locate a Cartier Love Ring. I had come to the Dennis Beach where Jack had lost the ring. He gave me the area to search, but after 2 hours of sky rockets going off down the beach and over my head and the tide going out, but not far enough I called it quits until the next day.

The 5th of July was another beautiful day with the tide going low until 2:30 or so. I got ready about noon and headed to the beach. I had a better idea of the ring’s location after talking with other family members and started gridding the sandy area beyond the area I had searched the night before. I finally got out far enough that I was detecting in the water. About my 6th pass I heard the best signal I had heard all day. One scoop, a rinse in the salt water and the only thing left in my scoop was the Cartier Love ring.

There were no family members to share my thrill with, but the other local residents were more than interested in my find and were impressed with my success. Many wanted to know more about TheRingFinders.com and my hobby of metal detecting. I finally made it to shore and then to my car. On the way others were interested if I had found the ring, they had seen me the night before in the water doing something.

Back at the house and my car I was told Jack was working at a restaurant close to my home. So I was on the move again. At the restaurant Jack and I met for a quick photo and a long Thank-you. Jack went back to work and I to home to wait for the next call for help.

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Lost Ring Found Under the Starlight of South Dennis, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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October 2, 2023: While preparing for a monthly association meeting I just missed answering my cell phone. Luckily the caller followed the answering message and called my home line. My wife was near enough to get the phone to me before the caller hung up. The caller was Dennis and he had been cleaning off a swinging chair readying it for an hour or so of enjoying the morning sun and bright blue sky. Something that had not been seen for the previous few days of rain and heavy fog. As he brushed the leaves away, away went his wedding band.

In hours of searching he did not find the ring. At the local hardware store that rents a metal detector he was told that he would be very lucky to find the ring with their rental unit. With that said he was given information about the local guy (me) that has professional equipment for such a search and to contact him through TheRingFinders.com. And Dennis did.

As I said, I had a meeting to go to and the sun was setting about 6:30 with last light at 7PM. My luck and Dennis’s was that the meeting was very short and I could be detecting within 10 minutes, and I was. Twilight was replaced by moon light and flash lights so I could continue my searching.

I knew the ring would be somewhere within the area of the chair, fence, garden and grassy area. I covered the grassy area first as it was the easiest to detect over. No ring was to be found. Next I started between the chair and garden’s edge. I was going to leave the planted garden area for last. I had no need to, as the third swing between the chair and the garden’s edge I heard a very promising signal. A sweep with my pin-pointer and Dennis saw a glitter from his ring, even before I did. He was so fast in his motion of picking it up and putting the wedding band back where it belonged, on his finger. I never saw it happen.

Now it was time to do a bit of talking. Put retired Army and Navy men together and they can talk for hours. We cut it short and took a few pictures and said our Thank Yous and I was on my way back home knowing Dennis’s wife would have a bigger smile on her face than Dennis had on his, though it would be hard to do so.

Be All That You Can Be — Anchors Aweigh

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Black Diamonds ARE Forever. Lost,Cape Cod,Found,Returned, Yarmouth Beach

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A call came in yesterday, to help find a Wedding Band that was lost the day prior in waste deep water. Rick called and asked if I wanted to go, I said he was on his own for this one, that I had a few things to do. I thought about how vast the area was, so I called back, and said I’ll meet him at his house ASAP. We met Stephanie and Chris at the beach lot about an hour later. They seemed real precise as to where they thought it to be. They walked out ahead of us, as we got ready for the search. Rick and I walked out about a mile onto the sand, then into waste deep water. We both searched for quite some time with no luck two junk targets a bullet and a penny.

I asked Chris to regroup, and stand where he thought it was, he was having second thoughts, he moved about 150 feet over.  Again Rick and I searched, and searched, still nothing. I then asked Stephanie where she thought it was lost, and to go over and stand there, so I could start my search over. Rick was still out far and walking away from Chris with no targets at all. I headed towards Stephanie, as I approached her, I said ” I just don’t get it, I just don’t get it. Not a signal in that whole area, even after an hour, it’s crazy. I told her not to give up till she sees us walking toward the truck. That if it was there and I went over it that I would hear it. I think Chris and Stephanie were about to throw in the beach towel, but as I walked by her, finally a very loud signal 4 feet away from where she was standing in the water. I looked over to her and smiled, Her eyes got huge, her smile even bigger, she had a hard time controlling her emotions. Stephanie knew, I had just recovered what they both thought was lost forever, King Neptune finally gave in to me. Stephanie was shaking, I’m not sure if it was from the cold, or from being excited. She yelled over to Chris, he started to run fast as he could in the water, I yelled faster, faster, he couldn’t get there fast enough to see what the commotion was all about. Rick knew already I had just found Chris’s  beautiful 14K white gold wedding band, with black diamonds set into the center. I handed it over to Chris as he teared up also. So gratifying to see it back on his finger.

Lot’s of congratulations and hand shakes went around, Chris kept repeating he just couldn’t believe we did what we said we would do. Great team work is always a plus. Thanks again to Rick for the invite. Now I will say it myself. Congratulations Chris and Stephanie on your return. Thank You for getting in touch with Rick & myself.

14K white Gold Black Diamonds

Leighton & Chris after return

Chris with band

Stephanie & Chris

Sincerely Leighton

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Mayflower Beach Cape Cod, Massachusetts platinum wedding band lost, found and returned

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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Nicole’s call to her father was returned with a link to TheRingFinders.com. After a short conversation with Tim I was on my way to the bay side of Cape Cod. At the end of the road I tried to call Tim but due to No Cell Phone Service I could not contact him. He was somewhere out on the beach among the 100s of beach goers. One such beach goers was kind enough to let me use her phone to call Tim. When she heard me asking about the ring she was ready to tell me the story. It seams the loss was well known by many of the beach goers.

Tim showed up and off we went eager to start searching for his ring. After about 20 feet of searching to my surprise there were no signals. Oh, my mistake, I had left my detector set to a very specific setting to find a hearing aid. A quick change of a program setting and I was searching again. Quarter, soda bottle cap, 2 beer bottle caps and then the platinum wedding band was in my scoop. I left the ring in the scoop for Tim to remove and place on his finger. I wish I had my camera handy to catch the kiss between Tim and Nicole. As I didn’t and that they would not repeat it for a camera I will just have to settle on attached photos for the Book of Smiles.

In the short talk we had after finding the ring it was revealed that the ring went missing after re-applying sunscreen and not removing the ring from the beach chair’s pocket before moving the chair to a different location. The second bit of information was that Tim had proposed to Nicole on the same beach. Only fitting the wedding band was found and returned with enormous gratitude and smiles.

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Surfing Haigis Beach Cape Cod, Lost Ring, Exhilarating Search, Book of Smiles

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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August 2, 2018 Justin Mello lost his wedding band while body surfing the incoming tide. By the time I was contacted it was just too late in the evening to start a search in a rough surf. The next morning Jim and I showed up at 7am and started to search a very angry sea bed. Three foot waves were a threat to our search. We were lucky the waves were calming as the tide was going out. However, our safety was our first objective, finding the ring the second. One set of waves came in and Jim disappeared, playing submarine, not by his choice. When he surfaced he was all in tack save for a bit of seaweed on top of his wet hat. Justin arrived about 8am and told Jim and myself we were in the correct area, but a bit too far out. Heck that was were the big waves were and we were (at least I was) having fun riding them. The tide had gone out for more than an hour, exposing more dry wet sand. We started to search the area that we could not the hour before because of the rough surf. Now in ankle deep water a strong signal said “Dig Me!” and I did. In my scoop was Justin’s white gold wedding band. The exhilarating hunt was over, time for coffee after pictures and a few detecting stories.

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What a welcome to MBL Woods Hole, MA

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)
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Martin, a new student at MBL, (Marine Biological Laboratory), in Woods Hole, had one heck of an unforgettable first night. Nothing like this would happen in his motherland of Germany. It started with bright blue lights all around him, the kind he will never forget. The light was not in he rear view mirror but rather all around him as he wadded in the waist deep waters of Buzzards Bay. The bio-luminescence comb jellyfish were the source of this light. – see: http://yesterdaysisland.com/natures-living-light-show-bioluminescence/ for more on this unique sea creature.

However, while thoroughly enjoying the moment, a horrifying second moment occurred that left Martin distracted for the next 27 hours. These hours should have been filled with attention to finishing a cardboard boat for the afternoon’s race he was entered in. No the distraction was not a sting from the harmless jellies, but the loss of his wedding band to Neptune’s dark depths. Not the light from the luminescent jellies nor the light from several waterproof cell phone could expose the ring’s hiding place.

What to do next? What else but Google search for “How in H*** do I find my ring in the ocean?” lead Martin to the web site of TheRingFinders.com. An e-mail sent at 10:30pm was answered an hour later requesting a bit more information and a promise to call around 10am. At 11am I was in the water waving my magic wand. On the seventh target my scoop was filled with black rocks and a glittering gold ring. YES, it was Martin’s. The search was over. Martin removed the ring from the bed of rocks in my scoop and replaced it where it belonged, on his finger, not swimming around with a bunch of jellies.

Pictures, smiles and stories followed along with many congratulations from fellow beach goers.

PS…Martin’s team won the Cardboard Boat Compitition, all team members had a chance to ride the waves. One heck of a great day for Martin. May continued success continue, forever, in all of your endeavors.

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