#how do I find a gold ring in leaves Tag | The Ring Finders

Gold Engagement Ring Lost In The Ocean Park, Old Orchard Beach, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a call, just after 10:00am, on Thursday August 21st. The caller was frantic sounding and she identified herself as Aryane. Aryane told me that she had lost her Engagement Ring, the previous evening, in Ocean Park, Maine. She and her fiancée had searched last night in the dark but unfortunately, they could not find the engagement ring. Aryane had returned to the beach this morning to resume the search. As she was searching, two lifeguards arrived, for duty and also help search, by combing the sand. Another beach goer saw what was going on and told Aryane to contact me. The woman told Aryane that she follows me, on Facebook, and I should be able to help her. This is when Aryane called me. I told Aryane that I could be there and help her, in approximately 20 minutes, as I live close by, in Saco, Maine. Aryane told me she was on the beach, at the end of Reggio Avenue.

Once I arrived I walked onto the beach and Aryane walked right over to me and introduced herself. I asked what had happened, the previous evening and did she see or feel the ring come off. Aryane told me that her boyfriend, Benjamin, had proposed to her, Tuesday evening and last night, Wednesday evening was their last night in Ocean Park, Maine. Aryane and Benjamin decided on their last night that they would go to the beach and do some star gazing. As they were star gazing and talking Aryane felt her brand new Engagement Ring slip off, as she was gesturing with her hands. Aryane told me the ring was a little loose and that she intended to get it resized, once her and Benjamin returned to their home, in New York. Unfortunately, she never got the chance to get it resized and was now worried she would never see her Engagement Ring of 1 day again. As I looked over the area, I told her she was lucky because I did not see any signs of the beach cleaning machine, having gone through the area. A big plus and I saw a slight smile on her face, when I told her that.
There were a few areas that I could see where people had been searching, as the sand was all disturbed. Aryane told me she remembered standing next to the burnt wood, of a bonfire, the night before. She and Benjamin were then just 10 feet or so, to the north west of the burnt wood and it was this area, that most of the searching by Aryane, Benjamin, the lifeguards and my follower had been taking place. I told Aryane that I would start my grid search, next to the burnt wood and work my way north, to where the lifeguards had the chairs, just 15’ or so away. I would grid search, towards the beach access path, covering the area, where they had been searching. With Aryane, the lifeguards and my follower watching me, I started my first grid pass. Within 30 seconds, I received a very nice sounding low tone, registering a 27, on my VDI screen. Definitely in the gold range but I tempered my excitement became nickels ring up as a 27 and are also a low tone target. I retrieved my pinpointer and located the target. I started running my fingers, down into the sand and felt the target and it had a hole in it. It had to be the ring and was very heavy, for its size. As I pulled the target out of the sand, I could see the brand new shiny gold just shimmering, in the morning sun. I had just found Aryane’s Engagement Ring, of one day and I then heard the shriek of excitement, clapping and hollering, from the people watching me. The lifeguards were just amazed that I had found it so fast and I told them that it’s better to be lucky, than good. As I passed the ring back to an extremely happy and excited Aryane, she immediately put it back on her finger and gave me a hug. All the nervousness had left Aryane’s body and she now had a happy bounce as she walked and it was a great feeling to see her smiling. I would like to thank my follower for the referral and for her concern for Aryane. It was a genuine concern and she helped Aryane with support, while they searched. I would also like to thank the lifeguards who helped look for the ring and also gave Aryane support.
Aryane told me that she is from Brazil and Benjamin from New York, where they now live and are planning their lives together. I wasn’t able to meet Benjamin, as he was packing up their belongings and had to be out of their rental. As Aryane left to meet up with Benjamin, she was all smiles and just overwhelmed and overjoyed. It’s such a great feeling to turn a potential gut wrenching nightmare into a happiness that resonates to everyone involved. I love my job 😀❤️🙏

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Three Gold Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost In The Old Orchard Beach,Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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After a late night recovery, at Longsands Beach, York, Maine, in York Beach Maine, I had to go to Boston, the next morning. As I was driving to Boston, Massachusetts, I received a phone call, from Lindsey. Lindsey’s sister, Paulette, had just lost 3 rings, in the dry sand, in front of The Brunswick, in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. They were a Wedding Ring, Engagement Ring and one other sentimental ring. The rings were White Gold and one of them had diamonds around it. After losing the rings, in the sand, the group searched but could not find the rings. They reported the missing rings, to the lifeguards and the lifeguards recommended calling The Ring Finders of Maine. That is when Lindsey, called me. I told Lindsey that I was on my way to Boston, Massachusetts, but I could get someone there and quickly.
Now, I had arranged, with Gary Hill the previous week to be ready for some call outs, as I wasn’t going to be available. As always, Gary stepped up and said he would be ready, if I called. As soon as I hung up with Lindsey, I called Gary and gave him the contact information, for Lindsey. Gary called me back a few minutes later and said he was meeting the clients, at the Brunswick, as soon as he could get there and he was leaving immediately. Once Gary arrived he was met by Lindsey and Paulette. Since they had left the area they were in, there was a question,bat to where they had actually been sitting. Each woman thought they were in a slightly different area, than the other one thought and another person, in the group, thought they were sitting somewhere else. Since the three area were all close together, Gary told them that he could search all three areas. Gary immediately grid searched the first area and only found the usual beach trash and a few coins. He then walked to the next location and searched that area, as well. Still none of the three rings had been found and there was just one area left to search. Gary then went to the third area and almost immediately received a nice low tone. Using his pinpointer, Gary located the first target, put his fingers, into the sand, felt a ring and pulled out the first missing ring. Gary ran the coil, in the area of where he found the first ring and he received a “funky sound”. He then pinpointed the area, put his hand, into the sand and was able to pull out the other two rings. That’s right, the other two missing rings were just pulled from the sand. Lindsey and Paulette were ecstatic and were so happy to get the rings back. Gary was also smiling ear to ear and was just happy to have been able to help these women out, with his Metal Detecting skills. As Gary always says, “I’m in it for the smiles” and he certainly saw some smiles today. There is no better feeling than to see the faces of our clients, when they see their lost jewelry, for the first time. What started out as a stomach turning disaster, turned into smiles and hugs. Thank you Gary, for all you do.❤️🙏

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Titanium Wedding Ring Lost In The Drakes Island, Wells Beach Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a text message on Tuesday morning, August 5th. This is the message

“Good morning,
I lost my wedding band last night at Drake’s Island Beach in Wells, Maine around 6pm. The tide was coming in and I was in the water when it came off. The area probably won’t be searchable until after lunchtime. Please let me know if you think you can help.
Thank you,
Colby *******”
I immediately replied
“Hi Colby, So sorry to hear this. Would you be able to show me the area you lost it in?”
Colby replied
“Yes what time could we meet? Low tide is around 3pm.”
I replied
“Looking at the tide chart, 6:00pm, last night was approximately 2 hours before high tide. Today’s low tide is at 2:49pm. If I get there at 12:00noon, that would be 3 hours after this morning’s high tide and the tide will still be going out for another 3 hours. Depending how far out in the water you were, the ring may be recovered, just under the wet sand.”
Colby then told me he was approximately 75-100 feet, from the jetty. He was in the water throwing a football around with his son, when he felt the ring come off his finger and plop right into the water, just in front of him. Colby said the waves were of a good size and stirring up the sand, making it impossible to visually search for his wedding ring, of 19 years. Colby said he was just heartbroken that the ring was gone.
After a restless night, he was talking with his wife when he remembered about me, finding rings, for people. He told me he has been following my adventures for the last few years but his wife hadn’t heard of me and was a little skeptical, so to speak. This is when Colby reached out to me. We made plans to meet, in the parking lot, on Drakes Island, Maine at 12:00pm. I then looked at the webcam, from the beach across the river, from Drakes Island Jetty, in Wells Beach. I didn’t like what I saw because the waves still looking big and rough. The ring may have been moved by the large waves, at the time it was lost and before it came to rest, under the sand. Thinking about this I decided that I should bring Gary Hill, in on the search. The area just expanded and this would require help, getting as much area searched as possible, before low tide. I called Gary and he didn’t answer. Approximately 15 minutes later, Gary called me back and he was just leaving the Dentist office and would love to help me search.
So at 11:15am, Cheryl, myself and Gary headed to Drake’s Island, in Wells Beach, Maine. We arrived just before 12:00pm and pulled into the parking lot. As luck would have it, we parked right next to Colby’s truck. We then all walked down to the beach and Colby showed us the area he and his son had been throwing the football. We decided the area to be searched would be from the lifeguard stand, to the jetty. We then determined the halfway point between the two, dug a hole at the halfway point and decided that Gary would search from the halfway point to the Jetty and I would grid search from the halfway point to the lifeguard stand. We also started higher up on the beach, than Colby had been, because we just didn’t know if the heavy surf had pushed the wedding ring up towards the shore. As Gary and I searched, we were finding very few targets and the targets we were getting, were just small bits of aluminum and pull tabs. As we made our way down the sloped beach, towards the water, I couldn’t help but think that the wedding ring couldn’t be this far down the beach, near the water. Colby had lost the ring just 2 hours before high tide and it was now 1:30pm and we were just about an hour away from low tide. From where Colby thought he was, to where we now were was 100’ down the beach, closer to the water. Could the waves, with the help of the beach being sloped down towards the water, move the ring that much? Or had Colby misidentified how far down on the beach he had been. I called Gary and Colby over and we decided that I was searching to far to the north and that we would now have Gary start searching closer to the jetty and I would stay along the water, by shifting my search to the south, by about 50-60 feet. We only had an hour left before low tide and I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that the ring hadn’t been found by now. Continuing the search, with the new parameters, nothing was being found other than the trash, we had been finding. Gary was making his way up the beach, along the jetty and I had now caught the water line. Waves were now rushing up and over my feet and coil. There was no way the ring was down this far and I decided to just do another grid line, or two, along the water and then start searching closer to the jetty also. It was now 2:10pm, with only another 40 minutes, before low tide. As I was making my way south, towards the jetty, I received a solid mid sounding tone, registering a 38 on the VDI screen. My depth reading was from 0 to 2 inches deep. I sized up the spot and dug a hole, throwing the scoop of sand, onto the hard packed wet sand. I then ran my coil over the hole and the target was no longer there. I ran the coil over the pile of sand and the target was in the pile of sand. When I looked down at the pile of sand, I could see the roundness, of a ring. I had found Colby’s wedding ring. Colby had gone back up to the parking lot, for a moment, so I called him and told him I think I had found his ring, unless someone else had lost a similar ring, in the same area. I was going to leave the ring untouched, until Colby got here, so he could have the honor of removing the ring, from the pile of sand. Colby arrived just a few minutes later and I told him to get the ring and see if it was his. Colby reached down, removed the ring and said “That’s it”. I then congratulated Colby and he thanked us. Colby then put his wedding ring on and said, “Back where it belongs”. Colby then gave us all hugs and thanked us each, individually, for helping to find his ring. He then took a photo of the ring on his finger and sent it to his wife. We were all smiling at this point and just so happy to have been able to find Colby’s wedding ring. As Colby told us, he just didn’t feel right, without his wedding ring of 19 years. It wasn’t the monetary value of the ring, it was what the ring meant to him. His marriage of 19 years, to his wife, his children, everything about his ring, related back to his family. That is the story for most people who’ve lost a wedding ring. It’s a memory of all the good things, in your family life. Now Mike’s ring has a new chapter, to his rings story. Gary, Cheryl and myself got another hug from Colby as we were preparing to leave and Colby gave us another heartfelt thank you to us once again. He was smiling ear to ear as we all drove off. What a great feeling for us to be able to help people like Colby. 😀❤️🙏

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost In Thick Vegetation After Being Stung By Wasps, In Windham Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Monday evening, July 21st, I received the following voicemail

“Hi, My name is Brooke T******* and I live in the Town of Windham, Maine. My husband and I, um, he was mowing the lawn, the other day and was stung by a couple of hornets and he was swatting around and his wedding ring flew off, in our yard or maybe the woods nearby. We’ve been searching and haven’t been able to find it, um, I came out to try and help him and I also got stung by four and one was in the eye. It’s been quite a few interesting days. We did get a friend’s metal detector but we still haven’t been able to find it. We’ve heard good things about you guys and thought we’d just call and see if you might be able to help, as well. If you get this message and wouldn’t mind calling, at some point. My number is 508-***-****. Thank you so much, bye, bye.”
I called her back as soon as I heard the voicemail. Brooke explained that 4 days earlier, on Thursday July 17th, her husband, Mike, had been mowing the lawn, when he unknowingly ran over an underground hornets nest. The hornets came flying out, of the underground hole and started attacking him. As Mike was running, trying to get away, he was swatting the bees off and flinging his arms around, trying to keep the hornets away. Mike was stung multiple times and when Brooke went out to help him, she was also attacked and stung multiple times, including a sting, right next to her eye. The eye area immediately started swelling and she needed immediate medical attention, at a local quick care facility. Mike woke up the next morning and his arm was extremely swollen and also needed medical attention. Both Brooke and Mike were put on medication, to help alleviate the symptoms of the hornets stings.
At some point, the previous day, after being stung, Mike realized his white gold wedding ring had gone missing. Most likely when he was flailing his arms, after being attacked by the hornets. So, once the hornets nest was taken care of and filled in. Mike and Brooke borrowed a friend’s metal detector and searched their lawn, with no luck. They told me the detector kept making noises but there was never anything there, when they looked. I told Brooke that the noises she was hearing, were most likely targets, in the ground. I also told her that if they had never used a metal detector before, it would be very difficult to understand what was going on. The metal detector will beep on anything metal, above and below the ground. It will beep on ferrous and non ferrous metals. If you don’t understand what the machine is telling you, you will get frustrated very quickly. That is why I always tell clients not to go buy or rent a metal detector. In most instances you will be wasting your money. You are better off by calling us, The Ring Finders of Maine. Not only are we less money, than renting a metal detector but Gary Hill and I have 40 years of experience, between us. I will also bring an extra detector, if a client would like to help, at no cost, other than our Transportation Costs, that’s it.
I told Brooke that Gary and I were currently searching for 2 lost Gold rings in the Ferry Beach State Park area, of Saco, Maine. We could only search for those gold rings at low tide and once those were found, I would call her back and set up a date and time to search for Mike’s wedding ring. I explained that Mike’s ring was on private property and wouldn’t be going anywhere but the two gold rings, in the ocean, were an emergency, because of the tides, waves and possibly other metal detectorists. Brooke totally understood! Unfortunately, it took Gary, myself and my clients son, Ben, the next 4 days, before Ben finally recovered the two rings, on Friday, July 25th. That same day, we received 2 more emergency call outs, with Gary going to Ocean Park Beach, to search for a pair of prescription glasses and I went to Ogunquit Beach, to search for 3 lost gold and diamond rings. Gary recovered the glasses but I didn’t find the rings, on Friday, but was heading back to Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea, pre dawn, in the morning. Meanwhile, Brooke contacted me on Saturday morning and asked if I would be able to come and search this weekend. I explained that I had just returned from Ogunquit, Maine and had found the 3 gold and diamond rings and was now at Bayview Beach, in Saco, searching for a lifeguard’s lost gold pendant. I wasn’t wasn’t sure how long I would be. Gary had already left, this morning and was driving his grandson back to South Carolina and wouldn’t be available. Sunday, Cheryl and I were going to Boston, to a Boston Red Sox game. I told Brooke that I could do any morning, next week starting on Tuesday July 29. Brooke and I ended up agreeing to a search on Friday, August 1st.

Today, August 1st, Cheryl and I arrived promptly at 8:00am and Brooke and Mike came right out, to meet us. Mike had to leave and get his two sons to rec camp but first took me to the area where the underground hornets nest had been. The underground nest was now defunct and filled in, thankfully. Mike showed me the route he ran , as he was fleeing the hornets. The grass hadn’t been mowed, which is a good thing, and because of the lack of rain, the grass wasn’t tall at all. If the ring were on the lawn, I would think it would have been visible to find. Mike and Brooke had already metal detected the lawn, along with visually searching, many times, without finding the ring. Mike had also started cutting back the overgrown wild raspberries vines, and other thick vegetation. I told Mike that I would grid the lawn, just to eliminate that area. The lawn wasn’t very large and I could do it in approximately 15 minutes. I would then try and get in the thick vegetation and vines, as best I could. Mike then left with his sons and Brooke had to get to work.
I did grid search the lawn in approximately 15 minutes and the ring was not found. I decided to enter the thick vegetation just behind where the underground hornets nest had been. I really couldn’t swing my detector very well, because of all the vines. I would stand on the vines, best I could without getting pricked and swing over the area as best as I could. Some areas I couldn’t swing at all and I took off my 11” coil, used on the lawn and put my 8” elliptical coil on. The small elliptical coil worked much better, in the thick vegetation because if I couldn’t swing it properly, I could push it between the vines much better. I still wasn’t able to search every square foot, but I was able to cover much more ground, with the smaller coil. After approximately 15 minutes in the overgrown brush, I finally received a good sounding target. A nice loud low tone, repeating on the VDI screen at 29-30. Definitely a good sounding and looking target. As I looked down, into the extremely thick vegetation, I still couldn’t see the target. I got my pinpointer out and located the target. Even with the pinpointer, I still couldn’t see the target. Whatever it was, it was deep in the vegetation. As I started removing the vegetation, I caught a glimpse of a round, silver colored ring. A white gold ring? After taking a few photos, I picked the ring up and it was very heavy. It was Mike’s wedding ring, which has now been lost for 15 days. I called Brooke and told her I had found the ring and because she and Mike both work from home, she came right out but Mike was on a call, but would be out shortly. I showed Brooke the area I found the wedding ring but because of the prickly vines and heavy vegetation, she couldn’t get all the way out to where I was. She was elated and said, “ You are amazing “. Mike then came out and I showed him the spot where I found it and he agreed that the ring would never have be found , visually. It truly is amazing how a ring can just disappear, from sight. The ring was found approximately 10” to 12” from the edge of the lawn and without a metal detector, it wouldn’t have been found. I gave Mike his ring back and he immediately put it back on. Brooke had told us that Mike “Felt Naked Without His Ring On”. Mike gave me a nice big firm handshake and a nice big smile. He was so happy to finally have his almost 10 year wedding ring back on his finger, where it belongs. I love being able to do this for others but also for myself. There is no better feeling than to hand back a lost item to the rightful owner and see the happiness, on their face. 😀❤️🙏

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost in Portland Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I started receiving many notifications, from Facebook. Someone had posted in the Portland, Maine Facebook Page, about their husband losing his Wedding Ring, somewhere along The Eastern Promenade Trail System or at an Irving Gas Station, in South Portland Maine and I was being tagged, to help find it. I reached out to Lauren, the originator of the post, and told her if there was anything I could do to help, just contact me.

I then received the following message on Wednesday, 4/9/25, from Lauren,

“Hello! You come highly recommended! 🙂 I posted earlier about a lost wedding band in portland. Do you charge per hour for your services? Thank you!”

I replied
“Good Morning Lauren, I am so sorry about your husband’s wedding ring. So I do not charge anything at all for my time or my services. I do however require a Transportation Fee, to cover my Gas, Tolls, wear and tear, etc.. A few questions and observations first, if you don’t mind. 1) When was the ring lost and which location do you think it was lost at? 2) My metal detectors wouldn’t be of any help, at the Irving Station. Just to much metal and the area is paved. This would be a visual search only. Have you and or your husband performed a visual search at the Irving and on the trail? 3) The City of Portland, Maine has a strict “No Metal Detecting” policy, on the Eastern Prom, Portland, Maine, Deering Oaks and other areas, across the city. If I do search, I would need to receive permission, from the Portland Maine Police Department, before any search could take place. 4) If you do decide to hire me to search, I will not be available to search today, Saturday or Sunday, due to previous commitments. Please let me know your thoughts, Dennis”

Lauren replied
“Thank you for the information! The ring was lost on Friday night 4/4 so its been a while. I think it was most likely lost along either the soft trail or paved trail along eastern promenade – we walked both but more so on the soft gravel area. We did do a visual search at both Irving and the trail. If you get permission from the police department, would you be able to do a search either Thursday or Friday of this week? I think if you can get permission through the portland PD to do a search of that trail, i think we would definitely like to have you try.🙂”

I immediately contacted Portland Police Department and I was given permission to search, with my metal detector, but I could not dig any of the grounds. That wouldn’t be a problem, since the ring would still be above ground. I then contacted Lauren and told her I would search first thing in the morning (Thursday) and I would bring my friend, Gary Hill to help me. It was such a large area to search, over a mile long and both sides of the trail would need to be searched. It’s an extremely large area, for one person.
I also told Lauren my concerns about the ring being lost, in a public space, for 6 days, by the time I searched. Depending on where the ring was lost, there was a good chance that someone has already found it. The trail was asphalt and some areas are hard packed gravel. The ring would be easily seen, if it landed on the actual trail. Our only hope was that the ring was hidden in the grass, along the trail, near the picnic tables or in the grass, near the swings.
Gary and I arrived at The Eastern Promenade Trails, near the East End Beach and immediately started searching around the picnic tables, overlooking the water. After 15 minutes, no ring was found. We then started searching along the actual trail. Gary would search the right side of the trail and I would search the left side of the asphalt paved trail. The grass area, along the asphalt was not very large and the grass was extremely short and matted down. If the ring landed on this area of the grass, there was a good chance someone may have seen it already. Only about a mile to go, before we reach the parking lot, where Lauren and her husband had parked. As we searched, we also always perform a visual search, just in case it was on the trail and no one had seen it yet.
As Gary and I searched, the trail switched from asphalt to hard packed gravel and then back to asphalt . As we were approaching the parking area, we were not hopeful the ring would be found. We we running out of real estate, to search. The trail near the parking lot was closed, due to construction and the trail temporarily runs along a railroad track. There is no grass at all in this section, just asphalt and railroad tracks. The ring would have been found already, if lost in this area. Not looking good at all, as we entered the parking lot. There were two separate areas of grass to search, in the parking lot. The first section of grass has two swings on it and you can sit on the swings and enjoy the views of Portland Harbor and Bug Light Lighthouse, in the distance. I saw Gary had already started grid searching the area, horizontally, to the water. I decided to grid search the area, vertically to the water. After 4-5 minutes of searching and directly behind the first swing, I heard a slight low tone, in my head phones. As I looked down and slightly in front of me, I saw a gold ring. WOW, I couldn’t believe it. I yelled over to Gary and informed him of the good news. I had found Lauren’s husband’s wedding ring. Gary came over and we discussed how lucky Lauren and her husband were, to have lost the ring, in an area that isn’t as heavily trafficked and one of the only areas, where the grass was tall enough, to semi hide the ring.
I then took some photos and a video and sent the video, to Lauren. Her response was

“Omg!!!!! I cant believe it!!! Thank you so much!! I’ll call you in just a minute! Im
Going to step outside from work 🙂”

Lauren called me a few minutes later, as we were walking back down the trail, to our vehicle. She was so very happy and in disbelief. After 6 days , she knew it was a long shot to be found and was just so grateful, we went out and searched for her. Lauren then told me that her husband is out of town on business and they live in New Hampshire. We agreed to meet on Monday, in 4 days, when she would be in South Portland, for a business meeting. Approximately an hour later, Lauren sent me the following text

“I can’t stop smiling today! I shared the great news with all my coworkers and they were so happy to hear such a great ending to this story too 🙂”

Gary and I couldn’t stop smiling either. We love helping people like Lauren and her husband. The is no better feeling, than to be able to return something so sentimental and see their smiles and happiness.

On Monday April 14th, I had an 8:30am Dr’s appointment, for my 3 month Knee Replacement Surgery. Lauren would be in town at approximately 11:30am and I would return the wedding ring, at that time. My appointment went extremely well and my wife, Cheryl, and I decided to walk from The Eastern Promenade and around Baxter Boulevard. This would be a good test on my knees and we would also use this walk as a way to wisely use the time and really test my knees, with a 6 mile walk. The walk was completed in approximately 1 hour, 45 minutes and it was almost time to meet Lauren. Lauren arrived and was just beaming, from ear to ear. She immediately thanked me and she was still in disbelief, that the ring was found. Now Lauren’s husband, Daniel, is out of town, on business and still does not know that his Wedding Ring has been found. Lauren is going to surprise Daniel, on Friday, when he returns home. Unfortunately I won’t be there to see his face but if it is anything like Lauren’s face, when I handed her the ring, it will be incredible. Congratulations to the still newlyweds ❤️🙏

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Key Fob and Keys Lost During Snowstorm, In Portland, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On February 9th, I received the following text message, from Kim

“Hello, I was wondering if you could share more info on your services such as cost/availability? We had a mishap with snow removal today and a set of house/car keys are most likely in a snow bank. I’m wondering if this might be an option vs waiting until spring! Thanks”!
I then replied
“Hi Kim, So sorry to hear this. So I do not charge for my time or my Emergency Metal Detecting Service. I do however require a Transportation Fee, to cover my gas, tolls, wear and tear, etc.”
Kim replied
“Thanks for the quick reply! Have you had much luck with finding keys in the past? I wasnt sure if stainless steel would be tougher to find”.
I then sent her a few photos, of previous key fobs and keys, that I have recovered, in the past year. I also told her my detectors would pick up the metal that the keys and fob were made of. We also set a date for me searching for the lost keys and key fob. I would search on Wednesday February 12th, 3 days from now.
I asked Kim if the fob & keys were lost in the snowbanks of their driveway or the street snowbanks. She replied

“That is part of the challenge, not sure when it got lost so it could be in our side/back yard or near the end of the driveway along the street. it’s possible we’re too late if it was at the end of the driveway with the snowplows. fingers crossed it’s in the yard”!

When I arrived on February 12th, Kim and Pat were there to meet me and showed me the area, Pat thinks the key fob had been lost, at the end of the driveway, near the street. Pat told me that he actually had two sets of keys and fobs go missing. One set was for his vehicle and house keys and the other set was Kim’s. He had both sets because as he was snow blowing the driveway, he was moving the vehicles around. Once he realized both sets were missing, he started searching the driveway, end of driveway and street, along with his backyard. Pat was able to locate Kim’s key fob & keys, in the backyard. Unfortunately, Pat was not able to locate his set. Pat really thought his set was lost at the end of the driveway, where it meets the street. If this were the case, the key fob and keys could have easily been plowed by the City of Portland, Maine, all the way down the street. Pat was extremely concerned that if someone found the key fob, along the street, they could easily start pressing the lock/unlock button and listen to where his car was. They would then also have keys, to gain access to their home. We needed to find this set of keys and fast.

The snowbanks, along the street were extremely high and wide. Conceivably, the keys could be buried in the middle of these absolutely huge snow banks . Their property also had extremely deep snow. I told Kim and Pat that the snowbanks may be too big and if I wasn’t able to find the keys today, I would be coming back, as the snow melted. After all, metal detectors do not detect small items in feet, but in inches.
I was confident the detector would pick up the keys at a depth of somewhere between 8-12 inches but the snow banks were approaching 4 feet high and 3-4 feet in width. If the keys and fob were in the middle of those snow banks, we wouldn’t find them today and would need to return, as the snow melted.
I decided to search the snow banks , along the street first, hoping to find it, before someone else, with bad intentions did. Pat accompanied me and would dig the items I had found, along the street and we encountered many metal items. No keys were found. I then detected the snow banks, along the sidewalks, on the way back to Pat & Kim’s home, on the outside chance the keys were pushed on that side of the snow bank. Still no keys found.
I then started detecting the driveway, towards the back yard and back door, including the area, where Kim’s keys were found. Still no keys found, in the extremely deep snow. I then searched the other side of the house, where there is a walkway, to the backyard. Still nothing. At this point, I had searched for approximately 1 1/2 hours, in the deep snow. I told Pat that I would need to come back, as the snow receded, from the melting. Unfortunately, in the week or two that followed, we received more snow and then rain. Even if I found his fob, would it even work? Replacement fobs can become very expensive.
I did check out the street and yard, a few times, after getting out of Physical Therapy, to see if the snow was melting. Very little melting, the first 2 1/2 weeks. Then the melting really picked up and I messaged Kim, I would swing by on Tuesday March 11, and bring my detector with me. Kim replied that there was definitely less snow. Just what I wanted to hear.
So, after Physical Therapy, I traveled the 1 1/2 miles to their home, from my Physical Therapy facility and started visually searching and Metal Detecting, the little snow left, along the street and sidewalk. No keys found. I then searched, the same way, as I went down the driveway, towards the back yard. Still no keys. I decided to search the backyard itself, in the event the keys were thrown by the snowblower or shoveled up onto the lawn, during the cleanup. As I was swinging the detector back and forth searching, I actually spotted the keys and fob, still intact, near some birch logs, along the fence. They were approximately 20 feet from where Kim’s keys were found. I highly doubt they went through the snowblower and must have been thrown that far, when Pat did some shoveling , during the cleanup.
I then sent a photo of the keys to Kim and told her that I had found Pat’s keys. She replied, “That is fantastic news!! Thank you. Did you leave them there or elsewhere”? Since neither Kim of Pat were home, I hid them in the backyard and told Kim, where they could find them. We also agreed to meet in two days, when Pat would be home, so I could add his photo, to my “Book of Smiles”
When I met with Pat this morning, he was extremely happy to have his fob and keys back. Amazingly, after a full month of being in the snow, ice and being rained on, the key fob still worked perfectly. As Pat hit the lock/ unlock button, on the fob , the car would beep and you could hear the vehicle locking and unlocking. This brought a nice big smile to Pat’s face. What a great feeling it is to help people, like Kim and Pat and see the smile on his face. No better feeling than to see their smiles.😀❤️🙏

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Engagement Ring Lost in The Sabattus, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

I received the following text, on Friday, January 31st, 2025

“Hello. My daughter lost her engagement ring in our driveway under snow. Can you help to locate? What is approximate charge?
I live in Sabattus Maine. I have the area near my driveway and lawn about 10×30 area identified. No trees Or obstacles”.

I replied

“Hello, So sorry to hear this. When was the ring lost?
I do not charge for my time or service. I do however have a Transportation Fee. This is to cover my gas, tolls, wear and tear etc..
I will tell you that I am not available today. I will be able to go up there, 1st thing tomorrow morning.
I have 3 appointments today, including a Physical Therapy session, after my recent left knee replacement”.

His reply
“Ring lost Wednesday two days ago. We sifted thru the snow, melted it in house tub but found nothing. I would like your help to check area by car in driveway? Tomorrow is fine”.

I then asked for some more information, his name, address and what the metal was that the ring was made of.
Gary N****** is his name and the ring was 14K White Gold. I told Gary we would be up around 9:00am and I would bring some test rings, to set the detectors up with and to show them how metal detecting works.

Saturday morning, Gary Hill picked me up at 7:45am and we made the approximately 1 hour drive to Sabattus, just a little northeast of Lewiston, Maine and Auburn, Maine. I still have not been cleared to drive, after my recent Total Left Knee Replacement and with Gary driving, it was all good. I am very close to being cleared and hopefully be driving again, soon. Until then, I’ll follow Dr’s orders. It was still snowing as we drove to Sabattus and with the stiff winds, the temperature was only 4 degrees. So glad we have all of our cold weather gear as who knows how long we will need to search.

Once we arrived at the search area, in Sabattus, Gary Hill and I were met by Gary N. and his daughter, Samantha. Gary Hill had already turned his detector on, and searched the driveway, as we walked, up the driveway. I was talking to Samantha and her Father and they were
Explaining that Samantha had been cleaning the snow, off of her car, Wednesday morning, after the overnight snowstorm. Samantha was standing next to her car , shaking the snow, off her hands, when she felt the ring go flying off her finger. She was uncertain, as to which way the ring went flying but was confident the Engagement Ring, was somewhere, on the front lawn, not to far from the vehicle, she was cleaning off.
As Samantha was telling me the circumstances, leading up to the ring being lost, Gary Hill had been searching the area, approximately 6 feet out from the car and as he took a step closer, to the car, Gary had a very nice signal on his VDI screen, reading 12. A definite low conductor and Gary said the tone sure sounded like gold. As we watched on, Gary moved some snow away, with his hands and pinpointer. Then, THERE IT WAS, the engagement ring was clearly visible to all of us. Smiles broke out, happy tears were flowing and all in less than 5 minutes. I never even turned my detector on and the ring was back with Samantha, where it belongs.
Samantha then told us that she recently became engaged, back in October, while on a trip to The Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming. Samantha’s fiancé had even had the proposal videotaped, under the guise of videotaping some animals. Samantha was totally surprised and unaware of the proposal and it was all caught on camera, to watch over and over again. Samantha also told us that her fiancé, designed, this very special ring.
Gary Hill and I are extremely happy to have been able to help Samantha, in her time of need and to see her smile and happy tears as she put the ring, back on her finger. There is no better feeling than to see the smiles on the faces of our clients. Samantha will now be in The Ring Finders of Maine, “Book of Smiles”, forever. Gary and I wishing Samantha and her fiancé a wonderful wedding and marital blessings ❤️🙏

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Engagement Ring Lost In A Pile Of Hay, In Shapleigh, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

On Friday morning, January 17, 2025, my phone rang but because of my recent knee surgery, I was unable to reach it quickly. When I did reach it, I had the following voicemail

“Yes, Hi Dennis, this is Nick ****** calling. I found your information on the Internet that you are able to find rings. Anyways, my sister has lost her ring, in the hay. My parents have a farm and I was wondering if that was something you’d be able to help us with If it is, if you wanna give me a call back 207-***-****, thank you very much…”

I immediately called Nick back and he explained that the previous night, his sister, Rebecca , had gone out, to feed the cows, at the farm, in Shapleigh Maine. After throwing a bunch of hay down, in front of the cows, Rebecca had noticed her Engagement Ring was missing. It was extremely cold and she thinks her fingers had shrunk, just enough, that the ring came off. I was a little concerned that the cows had already eaten the ring or the ring was lost, somewhere else, on the property. Nick said his sister wasn’t positive about the exact location, the ring was lost in but that the hay, would be the first place to search. They had all visually searched the area, last night, but the ring was not found. The search would expand to other areas, if not found in the hay.
I also let Nick know that I would be unable to personally search, because my left knee was replaced 10 days ago and it just isn’t healed or ready to get back out there, just yet. I told Nick that I have a friend, Gary Hill, that goes out and searches for me, when I am unable. I immediately called Gary and he said he would head right out, to the farm, in Shapliegh, Maine, from his home, in Hollis Center, Maine.

Gary arrived in Shapliegh, at 9:20am. Once shown the cow feeding area, and hay on the barn floor, Gary saw just how difficult this search could end up being. There was a lot of metal, all over the barn, which may interfere, with the Emergency Metal Detecting Search. Gary got to work. Steve, Rebecca’s husband was there to help Gary, by using a pitchfork, to remove some hay, as Gary searched with his metal detector. The hay was quite high and when Gary searched an area, Steve would then remove a foot or two, of the searched hay, exposing new hay below, for Gary to search. Because of all the metal, in the barn, Gary had to use his small 8” coil, so as not to pick up as much iron targets, keeping the White Gold Ring, isolated and given a better signal. After approximately 40 minutes of Steve taking layers of hay off the pile, Gary received a very promising 16-17 on his Minelab Manticore’s, VDI screen. Definitely in the gold range and certainly not a nail. As Gary searched through the pile of hay, with his pinpointer, he saw the ring, at the bottom of the pile of hay. Gary was extremely relieved the cows hadn’t eaten the ring and now Gary wouldn’t have to check the cows dung. A great day indeed.
Steve was extremely happy that his wife’s engagement ring had been found, as was Nick. What they all thought would be an extreme long shot to find, ended up with smiles on everyone’s faces.
The Ring Finders of Maine, take great pride, in being able to get to a local as soon as possible. Today is another example of me getting a call at approximately 8:10am, calling Gary and Gary arriving on scene, in just over an hour, at 9:20am. This includes the drive, out to the farm, in Shapliegh.
This was literally a ring in a haystack and thankfully, Gary was able to make the recovery. There is no better feeling, than to be able to quickly help people like Rebecca, Steve and Nick. It is also a great feeling knowing that Gary has my back, when I am unable to search. Thank you Gary, from all of us!👏👏👏

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Key Fob and Keys, Lost In The Limington, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

I had just returned home from a successful Heirloom Ring recovery and return, in Acton, Maine, when I received the following text

“Hi I’m hoping to get in contact with Dennis of Ring Finders of Maine. My name is Tim and I live in Limington Maine (about 45 minutes from Saco, Maine). I’ve been missing my keys since yesterday morning, and my wife and I have torn our house apart looking for them. We believe they may be under a couple inches of snow along the edges of our driveway, I wanted to know if you were able to offer your metal detector services to help find them”

I immediately texted Tim back and told him that I could certainly help him, to try and find his keys. I sent the following text message back to Tim

“A few questions
1) what makes you think they may be in the driveway area?
2) Are these actual keys, a key fob or both?
3) How big and long, is the driveway? I could bring an extra detector, if you or your wife would like to help search.”

Tim replied

“The driveway is about 5-6 car lengths long and 2 cars wide.
There is a fob, but there’s also 4 or 5 metal keys, and it’s on a carbon fiber key organizer.
We think they’re in the driveway because I usually keep keys in one coat pocket and my wallet in the other, and I last had them Wednesday when I went out and came back. I was staking our driveway for our plow guy since we had some snow coming Wednesday night into Thursday and when I went to use my car yesterday my wallet was still in my coat pocket but my keys were not, and between staking the driveway and taking a couple patio chairs off the deck the only explanation for not finding them in the house anywhere is if they fell out of my pocket while outside.
I’m happy to help search if you can teach me what I need to do”

I replied
“Ok, are you available now? I can come up now, if this is ok.
What is your full name and address, I would need to go to? I will bring the spare detector”

Tim said he was home and I told him I would be there shortly. After being home less than an hour, after returning from Acton, Maine, I was out the door, to Limington, Maine. I arrived at Tim’s home, approximately 45 minutes later and was promptly met by Tim. I asked Tim to show me the areas, he thinks the keys may be in. Tim said the keys could be on either side of the driveway, where he had placed some stakes and cleaned back a little snow. They could be out back, where he had moved some patio furniture. The could also be along the walkway, to the front door, coming from the driveway.
I then retrieved both of my detectors, set them up and tested them, with my set of keys and key fob. After placing my set of keys, under the bank of snow, along the driveway, I showed Tim, what he would need to do and listen for, as he helped me search. The detectors were picking up the test keys with no problems, at approximately 10-12 under the snow bank. After watching Tim swing the detector, over the test keys, I asked him which side of the driveway would he like to search. He chose the right side, as you faced the house and I would start on the left side, of the house. As we were searching, we were receiving plenty of targets but definitely not in the key range. As we were finishing up the sides of the driveway, I heard Tim say, “Got em” and I looked up and Tim had found them, at the intersection of the driveway and walkway, to the front door. Tim was very excited and happy, with a smile from ear to ear.He surmised that they fell out of his pocket, while placing a stake, in the area and disappeared, under the surface of the snow and then more snow arrived, covering them even more.
Tim said he had been extremely stressed about his keys and key fob being lost. The key fob was extremely wet, from the snow and Tim was going to place it in a bag of rice, hoping to dry the fob out. Hopefully, it works.
So it’s not always jewelry that The Ring Finders of Maine help recover. Sometimes it’s Keys, Key Fob, Property Markers, Water Shutoff Valves, Cell Phones, etc.. Whatever the item is, I love being able to help people like Tim out, in their time of need. It’s such a great feeling when I am able to return a lost item and add another face to my “Book of Smiles”

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Men’s Gold Wedding Ring Lost While Changing Tire, Found With A Metal Detector, in Saco, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

On Monday night, November 18th, I started receiving Facebook notifications, for both my personal Facebook account, Dennis Boothby and for The Ring Finders of Maine. People were tagging me about a lost wedding ring that had posted to the Bidd Saco Group Facebook Page. I read the post about the lost ring, in Saco, but no location was given, by the poster, Karla Ann. This is exactly what someone should do, when posting about a lost piece of jewelry. You never want to give the location of a lost piece of jewelry, that was lost in a public place. Even though 99% of people are honest, there is always that 1% that is out for themselves. Only reveal the location to someone you can trust, including me, The Ring Finders Of Maine, I will be happy to help. If you post about a piece of lost jewelry, you may mention the town and say that you lost your ring and describe the ring. Hopefully someone honest will find it and turn it in.

So, after reading the post by Karla Ann, I sent her a PM and made a comment, on her post, mentioning all the comments mentioning me. My comment said

“Thank you everyone, for thinking of me and the referrals. I truly appreciate your support ❤️🙏

Karla Ann, If there is anything I can do, please message me on my Facebook Page, The Ring Finders of Maine or call me at 207-423-3027.

Thank you and prayers for you getting your wedding ring back 🙏🙏🙏”

I did hear back from Karla Ann and she replied

“Hi Dennis,

Thank you for your reply.

We think the ring was dropped in a parking lot. Not buried at the beach or anything.

We went back to look for it.

It was the lot at the Saco heath preserve, my husband changed a flat tire. Thinks it was lost at that time”.

After some more messaging back and forth with Karla Ann I told her I would absolutely search for her husband, Naz’s, wedding ring, first thing in the morning, as soon as I dropped my 7 year old granddaughter, off at school. Once I walked her to school, I came home and immediately drove to the Saco Heath Preserve. I parked opposite of where they had parked, to change the tire. I started up my metal detector and decided to search all the leaves, along the edge of the dirt parking lot. Nothing found but the usual trash of pull tabs and foil. When I reached the corner of the parking lot, I turned around and took a 1/2 step, to my left. I would now be searching the actual gravel parking lot. As I started across the parking lot, I received the low tone I love to hear and I was between a 1/4 to 1/2 way across the lot. The signal was coming from underneath a fallen leaf. I moved the leaf and there was a bright yellow gold ring, staring back at me. I had found Naz’s ring in less than 10 minutes. I immediately made a video and sent it to Karla Ann and showed her the ring. We made plans to meet back at the Saco Heath Preserve at 10:30am and Naz would be getting his ring back.

Once Cheryl and I arrived, we saw Naz and Karla Ann already there. After introducing ourselves, I handed a very happy Naz, his ring back. Karla Ann was fighting back tears and I could see her eyes were watering up. Always a great feeling to to able to help people out with such a sentimental piece of jewelry.

I asked how the ring became lost and Naz told us that he and Karla Ann had come down to Saco, to have their snow tires mounted, for the upcoming winter. Once the left the Rt 1 Saco dealership, they were heading home to Waterboro, when they got a flat tire. They pulled into the parking lot on the Saco Heath Preseve and Naz changed the flat tire. Once back in the vehicle and on the road, Naz noticed his wedding ring was missing. They went back to where they had changed the tire, but didn’t see the wedding ring in the area, around the car. Not knowing if he lost the ring, prior to the flat tire, they drove back to the dealership and searched there. Still no ring was found at the dealership. That’s when Karla Ann made the Facebook Post.

As we were exchanging the ring, Naz showed us where he had parked his vehicle, to change the tire and asked where I found the ring. Where I found the ring was approximately 15-20 feet from where the tire was changed. Naz and Karla Ann hadn’t searched that far out because they thought the ring would be right next to the vehicle. It appears that the ring either rolled away, when he lost it or it flung off his finger. When the ring was found, it did not appear to have been run over or hit by a car.

After saying goodbye to Naz and Karla Ann, they decided to walk the trail of the Saco Heath Preserve. A beautiful easy trail everyone should try. Me, I am told by my better half that I need to mulch leaves. I’d rather be putting smiles on peoples faces, like Karla and Naz, than do yard work but that is where we are at. Congratulations Karla & Naz and thank you for placing your trust in me, The Ring Finders of Maine😀

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