Lost and Found in Berkeley backyard
I received a call from a young husband and new father saying that his wife had recently lost her ring in their backyard.
I drove out to their lovely Craftsman-era rental in Berkeley after work and went to work. This young couple, tired in their new roles as parents, were distraught over the loss of the ring.
When looking for lost items like rings, it is important that I get all of the information before beginning my search. Where were you sitting/standing when it fell off? What were you doing? Where did you hear it land or bounce?
We all believed it was most likely under the porch and that when it flew off of her finger it hit the deck and slipped between boards. I spent several hours under the deck sweeping away leaves, clearing out wire, nails, and other metal odds and ends and yet I could not locate the ring.
It was getting dark so I offered to return on the next available day as they were heading out of town. The following Tuesday I was back out and determined to find it. On this second trip I knew I had to think outside the box. I sat on the porch where she had been sitting when she lost the ring, imitating her movements from that evening, and even spent a little while under the porch again, this time with her help. During the week between my visits the Meyer lemon trees in the planter at the end of the deck were trimmed back a bit making it easier for me to really get in there with minimal pokes and pricks from the thorny branches. The planter was rotting and there were many gaps for items to fall into so I concentrated on these areas. I was running out of options and I really hate not being able to successfully return an item that I am called out to find. Digging through rotted wood, leaves and the odd ping pong ball, I reached down and pulled out this beautiful gold ring.
In the end, it was less about having a metal detector, and more about perseverance. People often think it will take mere minutes to locate their lost items with a metal detector. Many people give up within the first 20 minutes and I have to encourage them to let me keep working. Sometimes they leave me, thinking they will never see their precious item again. But if the item is there, I will find it.
I was called to find a ring on Robinson Island late Saturday afternoon the day before Easter. The ring was lost in the water near the their boat when the owner threw the anchor to set a stern line in about waist deep water. By the time I got there the party and most of the boats had gone home, so it was easy to maneuver while searching except for the pop tops and pull tabs. When you’re hunting jewelry you can’t depend on knowing the metallurgy so you have got to dig everything. I wasn’t counting but I’ll bet I dug over 100 pull tabs. That said when I finally located the ring the data from my detector was unmistakable. Ring was recovered, we got back to the dock with a little sun left and the the family was all happy.
This nice lady lost her beautiful wedding ring in the woods across the street from her home. But she wasn’t sure where. I searched using a detector with a small coil so I could check in weeds, brush and around trees. It took about an hour to find it in some weeds it fell into, out of sight, next to a pine tree. The detector was telling me right where it was but I couldn’t see it. It had fallen down to soil level in a tight clump of weeds. She couldn’t believe I found if. I wa happy too because it could have been anywhere. It was quite different from a beach search.
Found this ring while looking for another. Asked around and heard of a fellow who lost a ring about two week before. Was able to get his name and contact him for a return. He sent me a picture of his lost ring and that is indeed the one I found. Ring was mailed back to him. Some times we just get lucky.
