engagement ring Tag | Page 8 of 11 | The Ring Finders

Silver Strand State Beach lost ring Found!

  • from La Jolla (California, United States)

I got the call this morning a little before 8am as I was about to leave and meet up with a detecting buddy for some old property hunting. Kim had lost her wedding band/engagement ring combo in the dry sand so my morning plans would have to be delayed a bit. Instead, I hot footed it over the the Silver Strand State Beach to search for a supposedly sterling silver wedding set. After getting the boundaries of the search area established, I started my grid. It was next to a block wall with rebar inside, so, getting right up next to it might pose a problem. a couple of minutes later, I get a nice low tone 12-07 on my E-trac….. probably a wad of foil…..not what I was looking for, so, I almost passed it by, but, I figured, what the heck. It was a good strong signal and removing it would keep any masking problem from occurring. I stuck my pin pointer into the sand and located the target. Fished it out with my fingers and to my amazement, it was Kim’s ring! I said to them, this is not sterling silver, it’s reading gold. Kim said, “oh yeah, it’s white gold, not sterling”! Good thing I didn’t ignore it! That’s why we ask what type of metal we’re asked to find. With most high end modern detectors, we can discriminate between metals and ignore some of the ones we’re not looking for, so, knowing exactly what we’re looking for is very important. In a large search area, that can be a real time saver. Everything turned out good and a very happy Kim and her husband John can now get some much needed sleep! Oh, I didn’t mention that they were just married and were on their honeymoon when this happened! In fact, it happened last night and they spent the night sleeping in their rental car at the beach so they could keep an eye on the area! Now that’s people who wanted that ring back! A pleasure to meet you both! Have fun on the rest of your honeymoon, a safe trip home, and thank you for the reward.

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Lost Wedding Rings in Maurice, LA. – Found

  • from Lafayette (Louisiana, United States)
Contact:

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Lost Wedding Rings in Maurice, LA. – Found

Sid got a call from Shane the day after his wife lost her engagement ring and wedding band (soldered together) in his Dad’s back yard. They were having a party and the couple were active at the party and around the subdivision. They had made many trips around and off the property on a golf cart.  I went early the next morning and started in the back yard off the porch, the party’s main location. On my second pass, I got a shallow, gold signal and found the ring ½” below ground level. Total search time, 15 minutes. Another smiling face. Dad got the picture since Shane needed to be at work. Thank you Randy and Shane for the generous reward. This helps keep these search services available.

 

P.S. Received an email from Shane’s Mom later in the day. She is a good friend from the past. Made the find even sweeter.

Ring Lost in the Ocean – Found in the Wet Sand at North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call on September 6th from Amy asking if I could help find her daughter Adrianne’s engagement ring that was lost in the ocean during the incoming tide. After finding out the resort location I was on my way and arrived in about 15 minutes.

I got there about 6:30 pm and found out Adrianne was on her way back home for work the next day so I met Adrianne’s younger sister Samantha (Sam). Sam gave me a general location and explanation on where and how the ring was lost. She also told me the ring was “silver” with a diamond on it. The story was that Adrianne was playing catch in about knee deep water an hour or so before high tide. Adrianne attempted to catch the ball which she miscalculated just a little jamming her ring finger when she felt her ring slip off.

It turned out to be a long night, a couple of heavy storms with wicked lightening moved through and I wasn’t having any luck finding the ring. After 4 hours of grid searching (north/south, east/west and circular) I called Amy and let her know I’d be back around 7am the next morning. Thinking I was going to have to expand my search area quite a bit and that it probably wouldn’t hurt to get some help. I e-mailed TRF member Matt Fry (Myrtle Beach) and friend Jim Brouwer, author of the book “Gold Beneath the Waves, Treasure Hunting the Surf and Sand” asking if either of them would be available the next morning.

I got back the next morning at 6:45am and started another north/south grid. Around 9:30, after getting rained on again, I looked up to see Jim walking down the beach. At this point I could have literally kissed him for showing up but refrained because the condo patios and the beach were getting pretty crowded with people. Anyway, I gave Jim the lowdown on where and what. Suggested he start looking in the area going north and I’d go south. Two hours went by and I see Jim walking towards me again, wasn’t sure if he was calling it a day (which I doubted knowing him) or he found it. When he got to me he asked if I was sure it was a “silver” ring that we were looking for and that he got a 12.04 hit on his CTX 3030. Owning a White’s PI I had no idea what a 12.04 was, but Jim informed me it wasn’t “silver”. Ok, so I asked if he found it at which time he dropped this beautiful 14K White Gold w/approximately a 3/4 Karat Diamond on it. Wow, my instant hero!! I asked where he found it and I’m almost positive I had gone over that area at least 4 times between last night and this morning. I did a quick test with my PI and I got a very faint signal with the ring on top of the sand so I very likely could have missed it buried the inch Jim found it at which I’m not sure why. My PI should have easily picked it up.

After thanking Jim at least 10 times for his help, I slipped the ring over my little finger and dropped my gear off at the car. I found my way up to Amy and her husband Brian’s condo room and knocked on the door. Amy came to the door and I started giving her a song and dance about how we’ve been searching for so long and that it was raining again and then I paused to let it sink in. Then I stuck out my hand with the ring and said “And we found it”!! I can’t describe her excitement other than to say it was awesome. Sam quickly texted Adrianne who was busy at work. Another fantastic outcome thanks to a friend’s help. Thank you Jim Brouwer!

I got a text from Amy a little later saying Adrianne was speechless, she breathed the biggest sigh of relief. That’s what this is all about!!

Brian and Amy thank you so much from both Jim and me for the very generous reward.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Jim Wren

Lost Ring in Garden, Don’t Waste your Time Renting a Metal Dectector – Call a Ring Finder! – Madison, WI

  • from Madison (Wisconsin, United States)
Contact:

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I took a day off from work to take care of several errands around town that had piled up, so I was driving a lot, stopping in several businesses, and crossing many parking lots.  Later in the day, I worked in my yard, weeding and cutting back branches with my pruners.  I usually wear gloves when I’m gardening, but I didn’t think I’d be out for very long that afternoon, so I skipped the gloves.  (Never again!)

Among other things, I inherited crooked little fingers and big knuckles from my father.  I’m also left-handed, and my sister had given me some left-handed pruners.  The big knuckles mean that my wedding ring has had several modifications to make it fit my finger right, with the last being hinges on the sides and a clasp on the palm side of the ring.

After I had done more gardening than I planned, I had another errand to run, and when I looked at my left hand on the steering wheel, my stomach dropped about a foot when I realized my wedding ring was gone and I had no idea when – or where – I had lost it.  Because I’m usually pretty aware of it, I thought I must have lost it in the garden – but where?  I was all over the yard and it could be anywhere – in the mulch, in the dirt, in the grass, in the overcrowded hostas, in the birdfeed bin – anywhere.

When I got home, my husband and I started to search, but it was getting dark, so we decided to try again later.  On my next day off, I checked with the places that I had visited on the Thursday that I lost the ring, but no one had seen it.  I still suspected it was in the yard, but I still didn’t know specifically where.

My husband kept up the search over the next several days, and I borrowed a metal detector from someone who answered my plea on our neighborhood message board.  But I quickly realized that I did not have the skill (or the time to learn the skill) to use it effectively.  Dan later told me that this is common when people rent a metal detector.  Feeling more and more discouraged, I checked the Lost and Found listing on Craigslist, where a title jumped out at me: “Lost Ring?”

That listing led me to the www.TheRingFinders.com website and to Dan Roekle, who I contacted. After coordinating our busy schedules, he and his son Carter came over on a Saturday afternoon.  I showed them the two specific places in the yard that I thought were the most likely places where my ring was likely to be.  Dan commented on the large number of pieces of metal that he was getting hits on, mostly from the roof replacement that we had a few years back.  He showed me one of the pieces and then he continued his search.  A few minutes later, he came back to where I was and with a totally straight face, said “Sometimes we find other things, too” and opened his hand.  There was my ring!  He had found it in the middle of the leaves of a hosta plant – the perfect place to hide.  The grin on my face still hasn’t gone away!

And there’s one more thing my father gave me – he was a clergyman who married my husband and me, so part of the service was blessing our rings.  He died seven years ago, and knowing that I have back the ring that he blessed, means more to me than I had ever thought it would.  Thank you so much, Dan and Carter!

Faith

 

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Engagement Ring found in Johnsonville, Wellington, NZ

  • from Wellington (New Zealand)
Lubna reunited with her engagement ring

Lubna reunited with her engagement ring

Lubna was a bit embarrassed when she rang me as she had thrown her engagement ring into the neighbour’s garden which was heavily overgrown with weeds and bushes. Of course she regretted it straight away but even after clearing away most of the weeds her family could not find it.

It is winter, here, and as soon as I arrived at the property it started to rain and I only had a short time before it would be dark.  The area to be searched was very small but with so much foliage and rubbish I resorted to getting down on my hands and knees with my handheld pinpointer.

An hour later, with a pouch full of rubbish, I had finished the most probable area without success and had to extend the boundary.

A couple more bits of rubbish and then while pointing at the base of a small tree yet another signal.  As I cleared away the debris Lubna’s beautiful white gold and diamond encrusted ring finally revealed itself.

It looks like it has bounced sideways off one of the trees and then slipped down to the bottom of another tree.

Sorry for the bad photo but is was dark by the time I took this

Sorry for the bad photo but it was dark by the time I took this

The smile says it all.

This was after I cleared away the weeds and rubbish

This was after I cleared away the weeds and rubbish

Unforgettable 4 Year Wedding Anniversary – Lost Ring at Devil’s Lake State Park, Wisconsin Dells

  • from Madison (Wisconsin, United States)
Contact:

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Mandy and I were looking forward to a long weekend to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary.  After enjoying a night at Madison’s Concert on the Square, a round of golf another day and exploring some of Wisconsin’s hidden gems we decided to meet family at Devil’s Lake State Park for a pleasant Saturday afternoon.

The sun was shining and Max (our beagle) was by our side.  After a full day of activities, including Wollersheim Wine, New Glarus Beer and of course cheese curds in hand, we decided to hop in the lake.  Although the water was chilly, the volleyball was flying and we were having a great time.  Not even five minutes in the water, the weekend became ever so memorable.  I turned to Mandy and calmly told her my wedding ring had just flung off my finger. She thought it was a joke until she glanced down at my hand.

I was able to see exactly where my ring hit the glossy water but the vision didn’t last long as it disappeared into the cloudy lake water.  Everyone froze … not a movement was made.  A friendly family on the beach offered their snorkeling gear to us to aid in the search. I stayed put while Mandy and family member Cody swam in circles, periodically coming up for air while trying not to stir up the mucky sand on the lake floor.

We thought it would be easy to spot a shiny ring sitting atop the muck but we were sorely mistaken.  After the remaining afternoon and the entire evening (over 5 hours in total) was spent searching, daylight was gone and we called it quits.  Needless to say the ride home was quiet.

We threw around ideas: “Should we go back and search the next day?”, “Do we call the jewelers right away?”, “Call the insurance company?”.  Late Sunday night as we were getting ready for the week ahead it dawned on us, maybe there are such people as treasure hunters?  It was worth a Google search at least.

Sure enough, the first website that popped up was www.TheRingFinders.com.  We entered Wisconsin Dells as the location and a man by the name of Dan Roekle was revealed.  I got on the phone right away and explained exactly what happened.  His response, “We’ll find it, guarantee it.” While we knew nothing is ever 100%, his statement was enough to bring a huge smile to Mandy’s face.

The very next day, Dan and I coordinated our schedules and decided to meet at Devil’s Lake in the evening. Cody and I headed up to the State Park and after securing the proper paperwork from the Park Warden to use a metal detector in the park, we headed to the infamous spot where my ring was lost. Dan often takes his two children with him on treasure hunts, teaching them patience while having fun at the same time. I stayed back as to not stir up the sand.  After only five minutes, Dan came back with his son by his side and sadly told us the conditions just weren’t ideal that evening to search for the ring.

My heart sank.

Mandy was going to be so disappointed? The ring itself wasn’t important but the sentiment and memories behind it were invaluable.

Not even 10 seconds later with a huge smile on his face, Dan’s son pulled his hand out of the water and revealed my ring!!!  I couldn’t believe it.  After spending our entire Saturday afternoon in the water, it took them only five minutes to locate and dig up my ring, which had sunk about 3 inches below the mucky sand.  I got Mandy on the phone and tried to tell her the conditions just weren’t right.  Of course, she could tell by the tone of my voice that wasn’t the case.  When I told her, she was overjoyed and couldn’t believe how quick the ring was retrieved!  The ring is now safely back on my finger and after four years I finally got it re-sized as to avoid anything like this in the future.

Thank you Dan and family for your enthusiasm and confidence.  Although it’s just a ring, it means a lot to us and we are incredibly grateful for your assistance. One thing is for certain, we will probably never forget our four year wedding anniversary!

 

Best,

Allan and Mandy G.

 

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Alan’s Text to His Wife Right After Finding the Ring                          The Lost Ring

 

Newspaper Article – From Delight to Despair – Castle Rock Lake Lost Ring Search

  • from Madison (Wisconsin, United States)
Contact:

We were recently featured in a local paper, the Juneau County Star Times.  They wrote up a nice article about our Castle Rock Lake recovery.  Click on the link below for the complete article.

http://www.wiscnews.com/juneaucountystartimes/news/local/article_4e19f8b1-6381-5936-875e-720c341a01d5.html

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Lost Wedding Ring in Trophy Club, Tx while digging a trench in his yard!

  • from Dallas (Texas, United States)
Contact:

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On Sunday afternoon we got a call from a gentleman who had lost his wedding ring.  He had been working all day in his yard digging a trench to relieve some standing water.  After completing the several hour project he realized his wedding ring was gone.  He and his family search for 2 hours and had no luck.  He found “The Ring Finders” website and gave us a call.   We spent about 20 minutes covering the area which was crazy with signals due to a power line running under his backyard.  I decided to re-check the trench with full descrimination, looking only for gold.  I got a hit near the end of the 15ft trench about 6 inches down.  As  I bent down and used my pinpointer through the mud and water in the trench I saw a glint of GOLD in the hole.  The wedding ring was stuck in the wall of the trench about 4-6 inches down.  I turn and ask the homeowner,  I said, “I have a questions for you” “would you like to have this back and I handed him his ring“.

He and his wife were so excited they could not believe we found it… they kept saying “you guys are good, you guys are so good“.  The wife came out and gave us hug… it was another successful hunt for the “Dallas Ring Finders”.

Don & Ellen

Lost 3 Ring Wedding Set Raking Leaves in Backyard, in Cedar Hill,Tx

  • from Dallas (Texas, United States)
Contact:

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We received a call from Christine about 3pm on Sunday afternoon.  She got our name and number from a friend she had told that she had lost her wedding set of 3 rings.

Christine lives on about a acre of land, she had gone out to the back of the property to help her husband bag up some leaves that he had been raking together.  They worked together for about a hour and finished up and carried the bags of leaves up to the garage about a half acre away.   That was when she realized that her Wedding Set (3 rings) was missing.  In a panic, she and her husband looked all over the yard, they dumped the leaf bags out but did not see anything.  They spent several hours looking with no luck.   Later in the day while talking with her friend, she told her about the lost rings.  Her friend said, wait a minute I heard about this website of people who find rings.  She Googled and found “The Ring Finders” website and called Christine back and gave her our number.

It was about 3pm when Christine called and she lived 41 miles from us.  I told her we would be there in about and hour & a half.  We needed to hurry as I was concerned it would get dark and it was already quite cold, and the darkness would only make it colder.   We arrived and got our 2 Garrett AT Pros and Pinpointers out then Christine walked us to the back of the acre of property.  She showed us all the places she walked and was helping her husband with the leaves.   Ellen and I chatted about what area we would grid off visually and began to detect.   Within 10 minutes I hear Ellen say “Here’s One”,  I joined her as we looked through about 4-6 inches of leaves in a pile but nothing else rang up on the detectors.   I told Ellen to keep looking and I ask Christine to show me the bags of leaves, my thinking was that if one ring was in the pile of leaves that they had been bagging then it was likely the other rings would be in the bags of leaves near the garage.   I began to scan the full plastic bags of leaves with my detector and got 3 very light hits.   I kept scanning but nothing else hit so I backed up to the bag with something metal inside.   I tore a small hole in the bag and began to stick my Pinpointer into the bag.  As I got a signal, I used my hand to begin pulling out whatever the metal was.  1st hit was piece of wire, the second was a metal screw and the 3rd hit I could not see it.  Finally I saw a glint of Gold in the bag.  I began to smile but had to fight the leaves to find it, and finally the smallest of the 3 rings rings was found.   Christine was standing right beside me and could not believe I found it.  Now the only ring missing was the most expensive, the diamond solitaire with several small diamonds around the band.   After determining that nothing else was in the 4-5 bags of leaves, I walked back to the rear of the property and told Ellen that I had found one but that one was still missing.  She had been working out visual grid and I went back and started back over the grid working the opposite direction.   I made several passes checking every 2inch or less hit that I got regardless of the type of signal.  Then I got a shaky 44-46 hit that was very weak,  as I was checking everything I almost kept going but thank goodness I did not.  I reached down and moved the leaves and grass and there it was, the diamond solitaire twinkled at me.  I reached down and picked it up and ask Christine, “Would this make you Happy!”  She and her husband were so excited and grateful.  It is so much fun to see the reaction of our customers when we are successful.

So 3 rings, 1 in the leaf pile, 1 in a trash bag a 1/2 acre away and one in the grass 5-6 feet away from the 1st one.

Another successful hunt for “The Ring Finders”.

Don & Ellen Wilson – Dallas/Ft Worth

Platinum Ring Lost in the Bush, Maungaraki, Wellington, New Zealand

  • from Wellington (New Zealand)

Anna was putting up some Christmas lights on the handrail of their deck.  When finished she realized that her Platinum engagement ring was no longer on her finger.  There was a 2 – 3 metre drop into native bush below.

Anna with her Platinum engagement ring firmly secured by her wedding ring

Anna with her Platinum engagement ring firmly secured by her wedding ring

There was some heavy undergrowth to get through and when I started swinging the coil on the CTX3030 I was picking up trash all over the place.  I was also having problems with the standard size coil.  I was using the Propointer to eliminate as much junk as possible, but I had to bring out the good old AT Pro with the 6in coil just so I could maneuver around the vegetation.  I hit another trashy area and used the Propointer to clean it out.  Thought I had everything but gave the area another sweep and got a good clear signal with the right number.

When the leaves were brushed aside the ring was exposed

When the leaves were brushed aside the ring was exposed

I couldn’t see anything but the Propointer was telling me there was still something there.  I brushed away the leaves and Anna’s beautiful Platinum and diamond ring was just sitting there.  It is amazing how these rings manage to bury themselves so easily.

Well, the reaction from Anna was magic.  She was so excited and I think the smile in the photo says it all.

Lovely to meet you Anna and I appreciate the generous reward.