#how do I find a lost gold ring in the sand Tag | The Ring Finders

Sentimental Gold And Diamond Ring Lost In Cornish, Maine, Found During A Visual Search

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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July 4th weekend was an extremely busy one , for The Ring Finders of Maine. Not only did Gary Hill and I recover and return 3 wedding and engagement rings, on July 5th, we also received multiple calls, that would require us to go search the next morning, on Sunday July 6th. There was a lost ring, in Portland, Maine and another in Cornish, Maine. I would search for ring in Portland, Maine, and Gary would search for the ring in Cornish Maine. This recovery and return is from the Cornish, Maine search and Gary Hill.

I received a call from Mary, on Saturday, July 5th. Mary was camping up in Cornish, at the Saco River Hideaway Camp. Her good friend, Tina lost an extremely sentimental ring, the night before, while enjoying the July 4th fireworks, at the campground. Mary told me that Tina, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease, was just absolutely devastated. Tina has difficulty getting around so she and her husband, Buddy, uses a golf cart, to get around the campground. After watching the fireworks, Tina and Buddy visited other campers, at their camp sites, enjoying the festive atmosphere with her many friends. Tina would not leave the golf cart and her husband would get her a drink and bring it to Tina, while still sitting, in the cart. At the end of the evening and back inside her camper, Tina realized she wasn’t wearing her ring. She and Buddy backtracked to all the camp sites and pavilion they had been at. Everyone they had visited helped, in the search for the ring, but it was dark and the gravel campground roads were a great place to hide a ring, not to mention the grassy areas. The ring was not found and Tina was absolutely devastated. I told Mary I was going to see if Gary was available, as I was heading to Portland in the morning. Gary was available and agreed to drive up to Cornish and hopefully find Tina’s ring. Below is Gary’s activities the next morning.

I arrived at Saco River Hideaway Campground, in Cornish, at 8:00 am and met with the campsite owner, who took me to Tina and Buddy’s campsite. Buddy explained to me they had taken the golf cart up to th Pavilion to see the fireworks. They then went visiting other campsites to celebrate the 4th eventually ending back home. After hearing Buddy’s story and being shown the areas they had traveled and visited,bI did a search of the driveway and around their fire pit. We then drove to the Pavillion and searched where they had parked the golf cart. Tina never left the golf cart and the ring had been on her left hand. Tina has Parkinson’s Disease had hadn’t moved around much. While searching this area a neighbor stopped and said Tina had the ring on her finger, when they visited another campsite just up the road. Ah a good clue. We walked from the Pavillion to the campsite checking both the road and grassy area. Nothing. We continued walking the road around the campsites checking each one. We continued searching until we arrived back to the Pavillion. From there we checked the road to the river. Still no ring. We went back to Buddy and Tina’s campsite and did another search. Nothing. After discussing all the events I had a strong feeling it was in the camper. Buddy asked if I would do a visual and maybe use pinpointer around the trash. I don’t usually go into residents home but this ring meant so much to Tina. After several minutes, in the camper, we ended up in the bathroom. In the corner was a spiral toilet paper holder. I glanced down the inside and beside a spare roll of toilet paper was the ring. The tears started flowing from Tina’s eyes. Truly a precious moment. Because of her difficulties of getting around, she couldn’t see the ring, in that area, of the bathroom.

I also received the following messages , from Mary, after Gary found the ring.

“We are beyond thankful and blessed for your help. I will be writing a review on your facebook page. Tina was so emotional when it was found. U and your colleagues are the best. Thank you again. Mary”

Another message from Mary

“Dennis. Her ring is so special because they have added to the ring over several years of marriage. Tina has Parkinson’s Disease and she does not get around very well. She was so devastated when she realized her ring cluster was gone. She was so emotional when it was found. The entire campground was out looking before I placed a call to you. I have read all your stories and they are so special. While the rings were very expensive, money could not replace the memories of how she received all three from her very dedicated husband. They are a wonderful couple and neighbors of mine at the campground. I plan to write a review attached to what you post. You and Gary are exceptional special guys and I thank you both from the bottom of my heart. So thankful for both of you”

“A sincere thank you does not even sum up the joy you brought to Tina and Buddy and to all the campers who so diligently search Saco River Hideaway Campground Dennis was so happy to take my call and arranged for Gary to meet with us bright and early on July 6th. You offer such a special service for those who have lost a treasured piece of Jewelry. Tina’s tears of joy flowed easily when her rings were found and her smile was so beautiful. Dennis and Gary are both one in a million caring guys.
I know you made our July 6th such a phenomenal day. Thank you, thank you, thank you💕”

Gary summed it up well,
“Well it just doesn’t get better than helping someone who truly needs our help. A beautiful and extremely special moment and I couldn’t have been happier for Tina. Happy Tears and smiles, it doesn’t get any better than that.”😀❤️🙏

 

 

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Engagement And Wedding 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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On Saturday July 5th, Cheryl and I were driving to Ogunquit Maine. As we were driving around 4:30pm my phone rang. I answered and Jared identified himself and told me that his sister had lost her Engagement and Wedding Rings, on the beach, near Union Ave, in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Jared wanted to know if I was available, to help him. I told him that I personally wasn’t available but that I could get someone to help him. I told him I would call someone and I would have them call his sister. I immediately called Gary Hill and gave Gary the information and Jared sister’s phone number. Gary told me he would call her, asap.

Gary met up with April, at Union Ave and She showed Gary where she thought the rings were. She explained to Gary that she, family and friends had gone to the beach. When they arrived, April took her rings off and applied lotion, on herself. She had placed the rings on her lap, while applying the lotion. April had then forgotten about the rings and gotten up. It wasn’t until later that she realized what had happened, but it was too late. The rings were already buried in the sand.
Gary said he started a grid search and went 25 feet, across the sand. As Gary turned and started back and started back, towards where he started, he immediately received a very nice target, reading an 07, on his Minelab Manticore’s VDI screen. This is a definite gold range target. Gary put his pinpointer in the sand and found his target. Gary then used his hand held sand scoop and out popped the first ring. Gary then rechecked the immediate area and received another target. Another scoop of sand and another ring popped out. WOW!!! Not even 5 minutes and Gary had gotten both rings. Incredible performance by Gary. A lot of people had gathered by then and photos were being taken. Several of the pictures were taken by a stranger who then forwarded them to Gary.
Gary said that April had become very emotional after getting her rings back. April thought they were gone forever and when she saw Gary pull them out of the sand, happy tears flowed. Gary was also very excited and happy for April. There is no better feeling than finding and returning a sentimental item, or two, that the owner thought they would never see again. April then texted me with the following, not knowing Gary had already messaged me

“He found them 🥹🥲 Thank you SO, SO MUCH!!! 🙏🏽”

The Ring Finders of Maine are proud of the service we provide. If I can’t personally get there to search for you, I will get Gary there. We want you to get your lost item back as much as you do. Nothing beats the feeling of seeing a clients smile or tears of joy. It just a great, great feeling. If you don’t believe me, ask Gary❤️🙏

To honor the clients wish, of not showing her face, on social media, I have placed a “Smiley” face, over her face. She said she is still smiling and her “new” face is very appropriate.

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White Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Ocean Park, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Wednesday, July 2nd, as I was driving, I heard a G-Mail notification, on my phone.

“My husband lost his ring in Ocean Park. I don’t have phone service to call because we’re Canadian. Any chance you could come out?
Thanks,
Heather “

I pulled over and replied
“Hi Heather, Did he lose the ring in the Dry Sand or Water?”
Heather replied that her husband thinks he lost his wedding ring, in the water. They are staying on Temple Ave, in Ocean Park, Maine and had walked down to the beach.
I then messaged Heather and told her I would head straight home, get my equipment, and head straight to Ocean Park. We made plans to meet at the beach access path, at the bottom of Temple Ave., in approximately 25 minutes.
After retrieving my equipment, from home, I immediately headed to Ocean Park and I was met by both Heather and her husband Quinton, at the bottom of the Temple Ave, beach access path.
After introducing myself, I asked Quinton to run me through the events, preceding him losing his White Gold Wedding Ring. Quinton told me that once he and his family arrived at the beach, he applied lotion to himself and then walked down to the water, with his children. As the children were playing in the water, Quinton was also playing around with the children and they were in approximately 4’ of water, just prior to low tide. After playing in the water for a while, Quinton noticed his wedding ring, was no longer, on his finger, while in the 4’ of water. After visually searching the ocean floor , Quinton and Heather went back up to their chairs. Heather then put a Facebook posting, about her husband, losing his wedding ring and if anyone finds it, to please contact her. Almost immediately people were commenting on her post and telling her to call me. Heather told me the comments were extremely positive about me being able to help that she decided to contact me, via the email.
As I was walking down to the water I asked Quinton if he knew the area, he was in with his children and what time he noticed his ring missing. Thankfully he knew the exact area but he lost it around 10:00am and it was now close to 12:30am. Not only has the ring been in the ocean for 2 1/2 hours, the tide was now coming in and had been, for an hour and a half. When the ring was lost, it was lost approximately an hour, before low tide and he was further out, in 4’ of water. The water would be deeper now but I needed to try and find the ring. I fired up my detector and headed out into the incoming tide and waves. Quinton accompanied me out into the water, to get his bearings and put me in the right location, which was between the signs on BillowHouse Beachfront Boutique Inn and The Nautilus at Ocean Park Beach. Maybe 100’ to 150’ between the signs and who knows how far out, into the water, would be my grid search area. Once we were in the water we went out as far as we dared. The waves were very large and a few of them literally were over my head. I had to jump straight up to avoid being slammed by the waves. After 15-20 minutes of being battered by the waves, Quinton and I exited the water. There was no way I could get any further out, with the tide coming in. I told Quinton and Heather, I would be back, the next morning between 9:30am to 10:00am. This would give me 2, 2 1/2 hours of searching, by following the tide out. I would search the wet sand, in the event, the ring was moved by the large waves and pushed closer to shore. I didn’t really think this would be the case but I just needed to cover all bases and search the area.
So this morning, my wife Cheryl and I headed to Ocean Park, hoping the waves weren’t as big as yesterday. Cheryl brought along her beach chair to enjoy the day, after her daily 5 mile walk, as I intended to search for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I brought two different metal detectors with me. A Minelab Manticore, with a 15” coil and a Minelab Excalibur, with a 10” coil. I planned to search the wet sand with the Manticore because of the large coil. I could cover the wet sand, fast and efficiently. The Excalibur is a waterproof diving metal detector and to me, is much easier to swing, in the water, waves, currents, etc.. The Manticore is also waterproof but I just feel much more comfortable with the Excalibur, in the water and definitely more comfortable with the Manticore, on the wet and dry sand. My plan would be to spend an hour or so, grid searching the wet sand, waiting for the tide to recede far enough out, that I could reach the area Quinton had been in, the previous day. Thankfully, the waves weren’t as big as yesterday but still big enough to knock you off your feet, if you weren’t paying attention and definitely big enough to just knock you around.
After an hour or so of grid searching the wet sand, I decided it was time to venture out into the water, hoping I wouldn’t get too battered around. Once in the water I would grid search the area by going straight out, as far as I deemed safe and would the take a half step, to my side and head back towards shore. I did this because I can keep a better grid search line by lining up with something on shore. I would just go out, come in, go out, come in and work my way from the Nautilus sign, to the Billow sign. As I made my way towards The Billow House. I saw Heather in waist deep water, with her children, as they caught the waves, with their boogie boards. I had covered a large portion, of the area, and with maybe 45 minutes of searching left, I told Heather it wasn’t looking good. Heather understood the difficulty of the search but kept hope alive. As I made my way to shore, I was about to turn around and head back out to the deeper waters, through those dang waves. I saw Cheryl standing at the water’s edge. I exited the water and updated her on the search. After finishing the update, with Cheryl, I re-entered the water and headed back out towards the deeper water. When I got to about knee deep or maybe a little deeper, I heard a nice loud low tone. This was absolutely the best sounding target, I had had all day. Unfortunately, The target was right where the waves were breaking. I didn’t dare to take my eyes off of the waves, while I tried to juggle my detector and scoop. I yelled over to Heather and asked her if she could hold my metal detector, while I tried to scoop up the target and keep an eye on the ever coming waves. Heather immediately came over and took hold of my detector. I kept the target, under my right foot, as I would brace for the waves. After a few waves went by, I saw an opening and I pushed the scoop into the sand, pulled up a full scoop of sand. I then shook the scoop in the water to wash the sand out. I could hear something in the scoop and when the sand was gone I looked into the scoop. A big smile broke out as I saw a big ring. I then tilted the scoop towards Heather to show her the ring. Her hand immediately went to her heart and she couldn’t believe it. She was so happy and she just kept thanking me. She also waved to Quinton, to come on down. I saw him running down to the water’s edge and Once he arrived, I showed him the ring and he gave me a big hug. He also kept thanking me and was just so overjoyed, at having his ring back. He told me he just felt naked without his wedding ring of 16 years. Now it’s back on his finger, where it belongs and he will sleep well tonight, knowing his ring is not on the ocean floor.
It’s truly a pleasure helping others out in their time of need. There are many, many rings, lost out in the water, that are never recovered. Thankfully, this isn’t one of them
I have the best job in the world.❤️🙏

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“Do Not Duplicate Key” Lost In Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Found With A metal Detector and Returned To Owner

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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While out on a search, for some lost missing rings, I found a freshly dropped Key. Once home that night, I was looking at the key and noticed it was a “Do Not Duplicate” key and the locksmiths name and phone number was on the key, to call if found. The locksmiths name is Fortier’s Lock, and a Maine phone number is also on the key. After an internet search, I found Fortier’s Security Center, formerly Fortier’s Locksmith and is located in Lewiston, Maine,  approximately 50 minutes north of me. Now, Fortier’s Security Center is the oldest locksmith in Maine. It is family owned and has been in business since 1921. WOW, over 100 years old and still family owned.
So I called the number the next morning, Saturday, but they were closed until Monday. Monday rolled around and I called again. This time I was able to reach them and explained to her, what I had found. She told me they could locate the owner by the serial numbers, on the key. I gave her the serial numbers and she would call the owner. Perfect, I will be able to return the key, once the owner called me, after being contacted by Fortier’s Security Center. Wednesday came and I still hadn’t heard anything. I called Fortier’s Security Center and the employee told me they had left a message for the owner of the key because no one had answered their phone call. They would call the owner again and try to make contact. I received no call on Wednesday or Thursday.
So on Friday I decided to drive toLewiston, Maine and drop the key off myself, to Fortier’s Security Center. Cheryl and I were heading to Athens, Maine, for a funeral, on Friday and we would be driving right by Lewiston, on our way to Athens. We would just get off the Maine Turnpike and drop the key off to Fortier’s Center, on Lisbon Street. As luck would have it, Fortier’s Security Center is just off the turnpike exit and I would be able to get right back on the road. Once I arrived at the location, I went inside and was immediately approached by the owner. I showed him the key and explained the situation. He assured me that the owner would get the key back and they would call them again today. Thankfully the records show who the owner is and the owner will soon have their key back.  So, now I have returned the key and although it may not be as flashy as a diamond engagement ring being returned, it is a return of a key that may  unlock a safe deposit box that holds jewelry and gold coins. Well I can dream, can’t I.
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Gold Wedding Ring Lost For 25+ Years, in The Greene, Maine Woods, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I will say,  if this wasn’t the most challenging search for me, it is in the top 2. It all started when I received a text message, from Randy. This is his original text, from March 12th, 2025.

“Hi my name is Randy
Saw your story on Facebook. I lost a ring in our back yard a number of years ago. I live in Greene and are planning to relocate in a year.
I’d like to be able to retrieve it before we leave the area.
Kindly let me know if you are interested in this challenging hunt. Thanks”

I replied

“Hi Randy, So sorry to hear this. Searching for this ring is certainly something we can do. A few questions 1st, if you wouldn’t mind

1) How long ago did you lose the ring and why do you think the ring was lost in the backyard? Did you see or feel the ring come off?

2) How large of an area is your backyard and is it grass, field, woods, etc.. If need be, I can bring someone with me to cover a larger area.

3) Were you looking to have the search, this spring, after the snow melt?”

Randy replied,
“The ring was lost 20+ years
I sadly threw it into a cleared wooded area on my property with about a few pine trees approx 6ft tall

It is overgrown now with 30-40 foot trees however storms have dropped many of trees

As far as timeline for searching, whatever is easier for you.
We still have a fair amount of snow here.
It’s my original wedding ring.”

WAIT, WHAT? 20 + YEARS AND IN THE WOODS?  Randy was certainly correct about this being challenging
I replied
“Ok, So the ring is in the wooded area and you remember the area? I will say that 20+ years is an extremely long time. Not impossible but it certainly would be a challenge. My concern would be a tree or roots are now over it. I can search as soon as the snow is gone and the ground is no longer frozen. I found a wedding ring, last August or September that was lost in 1982. It was only 5-6 inches deep, but on a manicured lawn.

Randy replied,
“Yes I know exactly the direction and approx 150 ft from edge of lawn
I searched by hand years ago but was not successful
I’m retired so just reach out whenever “

So today, just over 2 months after being contacted by Randy, I enlisted Gary Hill, to assist me on such a large and difficult search. We arrived at Randy’s home, in Greene, Maine at just after 8:00am. Randy showed us an orange traffic cone that he had placed on his lawn. Randy told us he was standing there when he threw his ring, “as far as I could”, after a disagreement, with his wife (Hey, it happens and who are we to judge). Randy immediately and seriously regretted his actions and went out in the woods, searching for his ring. Unfortunately he was not able to find it and he continued searching for days and would occasionally search, years later. Now Gary and I headed out into the woods with Randy and he showed us the area, he thought the ring would be in. We put up orange markers on the trees, to the north and south, that would serve as our boundary markers. The plan was to start there and grid search, as best we could, towards the house and orange cone, on the lawn. Unfortunately, the closer we got to the house the thicker the downed trees and branches became. So thick and deep, we couldn’t swing our detectors properly. It was that bad and I even got jabbed by some downed branches, on a tree. It caused a cut on my leg and drew blood, but not serious. We were very careful of the branches that were eye level. Gary and I did’t want to go home blind.

After searching for 2 1/2 hours, in the area that Randy thought the ring would be, Gary and I started to expand the search area, with a consultation, from Randy. He thought the ring may be further into the woods and possibly a little more to the north, of the original search area. I would search deeper into the woods and Gary would search just north, where the downed trees and branches were extremely troublesome. Gary and I told each other that it would be a 1 in a million chance of finding the ring, under all the downed trees and branches. My thinking was that the entire area, closer to the house was very likely the area the ring was in and Gary agreed. We just didn’t think the ring would be as far back in the woods, as Randy thought it would be. But how do you search an area, with dead trees, on the ground. Throughout the search, we would move branches, as best we could, but there were many, we were not able to move. Very frustrating to think the ring could be under one of the trees or branches, that we just couldn’t move. As I was finishing up the area, deeper in the woods, I started up towards the house, to see how Gary was doing. He was 50-60 feet north of the boundary, of where th ring should be and in a thicket of downed branches. I decided to search a little closer to the original area, but still just north of it. We have now been searching for 3 hours and 15 minutes when I hear Gary yell out, “I GOT IT. I FOUND THE RING.” I yelled back, “REALLY, THATS AWESOME.” I then made my way over to Gary and there in the hole was a Gold Wedding Ring, UNBELIEVABLE. GREAT JOB GARY!!!!! I then summoned Randy back into the woods and when he saw his Wedding Ring for the 1st time in almost 30 years, he said ”SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.” Randy then looked around to where the orange traffic cone was and just could’t believe how far north of the search are, the ring was found (Watch the full video of his reaction, posted earlier today.)

As all 3 of us were standing around talking about just how lucky Randy was that the ring was found. After all it was a good 60-70 feet from where Randy thought it was. Gary was expanding the search area and BAM, there it was. Randy the told us he didn’t remember the exact year the ring was lost, other than it was between the years 1997 and 2000. So 25 to 28 years lost in the woods and Randy has his original Wedding Ring back, just in time for his 35th Anniversary. Randy mentioned that he and his wife will most likely renew their vows, on their upcoming Anniversary. Now Randy will have his original Wedding Ring and another Wedding Ring he purchased, just after losing his first one.
Gary and I were just beaming, all the way home, knowing that we have put another smile on someone’s face, once again. Randy was just so happy and in disbelief of the ring being found. No better feeling in the world than to help others find their lost items and return them, to the rightful owner.

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Diamond Stud Earring With White Gold Post And Setting, Lost In Wells, Maine Grass,Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received the following message, from Jennifer, on Friday night, May 9th.

“Hi! I lost a diamond earring in my backyard. Do you think you can help me locate it? We live in the Moodysection of Wells, Maine”.

I replied

“Hi Jennifer, I am so sorry to hear this. Are you sure it was lost in the yard? Did you see or feel it coming off?
Also, do you still have the matching earring, so I may set my detector up with it? Gold stud earrings are the most difficult to locate because there is so little metal on them. With that said, I do have a program that does a great job, on stud earrings. I would just like to use the matching earring, for setup and testing. We can keep it in a zipped sandwich bag, so that doesn’t get lost”.

Jennifer’s reply

“Hi! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!
Yes, I felt my fingers go to my ear and pull. Was being pulled by my dogs. I saw the earring “go flying.” I have a general idea where it could be. Just can’t see it.
I do have the matching earring”.

I then asked her a bunch more questions and she told me that the earring was just lost a hour earlier, at 7:00pm. She also told me that the lawn had been mowed, earlier in the day and the law had no stand water or muddy areas. This was all good to know and would help in the search. I then told Jennifer that I would come down tomorrow afternoon Wells, once the rain stopped, the next day. I would access the situation and see just what the lawn area looked like and just how wet and muddy it was or wasn’t. If I could search after the rain stopped, I would. If the area was bigger than I thought, I could come back in the next few days, with someone to help me. If the area was as small as I thought, I couldn’t have two of us in the same area, because our metal detectors would interfere with each other’s machine. Stud earrings are extremely difficult to find, due to the lack of metal on the post. Any interference would result in false signals and we may not find the earring.
After the heavy rain stopped, I drove down to the Moody section of Wells, Maine, and met Jennifer. She gave me the other earring and I made some adjustments to my Minelab Manticore and the earring was picked up with no problems. My pinpointer also was picking the earring up with no issues.

Jennifer then took me to the backyard and showed me the area she was in, when the dog pulled her forward, resulting in the earring flying off, into the grassy abyss. Jennifer and her family showed me where they visually searched the area, immediately after losing it. They even used flashlights, after dark. Unfortunately the grass was wet from all the rain we have been having and the water on the grass was glistening to much, to be useful. I looked at the area and decided I would grid search, from just behind a pit on the lawn, to the neighbors driveway. I would then take a half step over and head back towards the pit. I needed to make sure I was overlapping my previous grid line, so as to not miss anything. I also was swinging my metal detector extremely slowly, so the processor could pick up all the non ferrous low conductor targets. My first grid line was approximately 30 – 40’ and took me 15 minutes to grid search it. I was going very slowly and being deliberate, checking every target two and three times. I then started back towards the pit and I had a non ferrous low conductor target, ringing up on my VDI screen between 01 and 03. This was the same reading I was receiving , with Jennifer’s matching earring. Unfortunately I couldn’t see anything, in the grass. To be through, I removed my pinpointer and moved some grass, still couldn’t see anything. I then started moving the pinpointer through the grass and the pinpointer found the target. I pushed the grass aside and staring right back at me was a Diamond Stud Earring. I Stood up and saw Jennifer visually searching, while running her fingers through the grass and I said “Jennifer, I found your earring”. Jennifer was very surprised and came right over. I showed her exactly how I found the earring and then stood the grass back up, so the earring was no longer visible. She then told me “You’re my hero” and we then hugged. She was so happy to have her Diamond Earring back, especially since tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I just absolutely love being able to recover and return lost items It’s the best feeling in the world.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mothers out there. I hope you have a FANTASTIC day🌹❤️🙏

 

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Lost Well Cap, Found In Freeport, Maine, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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It isn’t always that I am called out to find someone’s lost ring. I have searched and found other items, such as keys, property markers, water shutoff valves, phones, etc.. Today was a first for me, a Well Cap needed to be located, in case the Well Pump failed.
I received a message from Karen. She and her husband had purchased their home 8 years earlier but had never been able to locate the Well, because the Well Cap was not visible, but buried somewhere, on the property. Now, I have never had a well so I knew absolutely nothing about them. I asked Karen some questions and she replied, with the following

“We are in Freeport, Maine. The well cap would be thick metal and approximately 5 inches diameter attached to metal piping. Most well caps stick out of the ground several inches so we think ours was buried possibly under our flower bed when the house was built. We know some parameters such as where the line comes out of the house and how far it has to be from the septic tank and leech field (which we know the exact locations of). Our yard isn’t terribly big”. Karen also sent a photo of a cast iron Well Cap.

I told Karen that I shouldn’t have any problems, finding the well cap, as long as it wasn’t too deep and out of the range of my detectors. We then agreed to meet at her home, today, at 10:30am. I arrived at 10:30am and was greeted by Karen. Her husband had run an errand and would be back shortly. Karen took me to her neighbors homes and I saw two Well Caps, above ground. I then tested the Well Caps, on my detector and they both rang up as ferrous metals, ringing up in the 90’s, on my Minelab Manticore. As I was finishing up my testing, Karen’s husband, Andrew arrived home.
Andrew explained that the Well Cap should be a minimum of 100’, from the leach field and Andrew knew where the leach field is. So we grabbed my 300’ tape measure and measured out 100’ from the leach field. This put the search area, near the flower garden, with bark mulch and a little of the lawn. Since it is supposed to be a minimum of 100’, Karen and Andrew also thought it could be on the other side of the driveway. We decided to start the search, at the 100’ mark and perform a grid search of the lawn, leading up to and including the flower garden. I was finding many ferrous targets, but in my mind, I didn’t think they would be the Well Cap. The targets didn’t seem big enough to be the Well Cap, but we need to check the targets out anyways. If it was a ferrous target, we dug it and on every occasion, the ferrous targets turned out to be many different sized nails. After I finished the flower garden area, I started grid searching the lawn, from the garden, to a tree, next to the road drainage gulch. After 15 – 20 minutes I received a strong signal, in the ferrous range, but reading much lower on my VDI screen, than the test Well Caps, at the neighbors homes. The target was very large, in area and Andrew started digging. At about 5” down, we still couldn’t see anything but my pinpointer was still picking up a large target, just another inch or so, in the hole. Andrew put the shovel, back in the hole and he hit something hard. As he scraped the soil away, the white cover of the Well Cap appeared. We had found it, and both Andrew and Karen were elated. After 8 years of living there, they finally knew where the Well Cap was. No more worrying about a Well Pump failure, they couldn’t fix, because they didn’t know where the Well Cap was. It turns out the Well Cap is just under 100’, from where we measured from, in the leach field and we started searching about 10’, from where we thought it would be. Andrew isn’t sure if we measured from the right location, in the leach field but we were put in the general location. That’s why when you don’t find your target, you just keep expanding the search, until you find it. If we hadn’t found the Well Cap, in this area, we were going to search the other side of the driveway. Thankfully that search was not needed.
Karen and Andrew measured out the Wells Cap location, from an area on their porch and now know the location, whenever they will need to access the Well Cap. Andrew is also going to check into seeing if the Well Cap could be modified, so that it is slightly above ground, rather than buried, 6 or 7 inches deep.
Karen and Andrew’s smiles were big and very satisfying to see. So, even though this wasn’t a wedding ring, engagement ring or another piece of sentimental jewelry, the satisfaction for my clients and myself, was just as great. It’s always a great feeling to be able to help and make people happy 😃

 

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

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

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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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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Sterling Silver and Turquoise Ring Lost in the Old Orchard Beach sand, Found With a Metal Detector

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

Recovery and Return #76, for The Ring Finders of Maine

As my wife and I were on a 13 mile bike ride, I saw I had a Facebook PM, from an hour earlier, from Jessie. It said
“Hi!! My bf lost a ring in the residential area of Old Orchard Beach, Maine (near puffin st). Could you help us located it please? It’s circled in Red”.
I asked her a few questions about the location of where the ring was lost and she replied,
“The ring was lost very close to the house (Puffin St) on the beach. Right near the walkway to the road”.
Jessie then told me she was at work and her boyfriend, Matt would be calling me with more information. Matt call a few minutes later and told me that the ring would be in front of his Uncles house, on Puffin St, just 10 to 20 yards, out on the beach, going towards the water. The previous day, Sunday, September 15th, Matt and his cousins were throwing a football around, on the beach and Matt felt the ring come off, after throwing the football . Everyone in the group searched, for the ring, but it was already under the sand and out of sight.
Matt then sent me a photo of the ring and a photo, with a circled area, in which Matt was confident the ring would be in. Matt wasn’t sure just how far the ring flew off his finger, but was sure, it would be in the circle. Matt asked me if I could get down there in the next two or three days and search for his ring, he would appreciate it. I told Matt that I wasn’t waiting and would be searching, within a 1/2 hour, after finishing talking with him. A ring lost on the beach, should be searched for asap and as it was now, a full day has passed. If the beach cleaning machine had cleaned the beach already, the ring was probably lost forever. Another possibility is that another metal detectorist may have found it already. I just needed to get there asap and search.
When I arrived at the location, I saw that the beach had not been cleaned, by the beach rake. That was a huge relief. I decided to start at mid beach and grid the area, south to north , working my way towards the house. This was decided as I was communicating with Matt. I was on the beach and sending Matt photos, of the area, to try and verify the area, as best as we could. Once Matt told me

“That’s the house and spot, though it won’t be far from that location. Perfect!!! It would be closer to the houses, than the water, but that should do the trick”.

Now with the location verified, I started the grid search. I was finding very few targets as I was going along. A few pull tabs, a piece of foil and 1 quarter. The beach was very clean. After 35-40 minutes of searching and as I worked my was towards the houses, I finally received a really good target, right in the area, Matt had been throwing the football around. A very loud high tone and a 12-45/46 on my Minelab CDX-3030 VDI screen. Absolutely in the Sterling Silver range or possibly another quarter. I pulled my pinpointer out and stuck it into the sand. As I was moving it back and forth, Matt’s Sterling Silver ring with a blue and a white turquoise stone popped up and became visible to me. I didn’t even need to dig it, as it was barely under the surface. Wow, I knew Matt would be extremely happy and I sent him a text saying, “How does it feel”? Matt replied “Pardon”? I then sent Matt a photo of his ring, still in the sand, exactly as I found it, with the pinpointer. Matt then replied

“OMG! You’re incredible!!!!!. My deepest and endless thanks my friend. WOW! You’re a legend, for real”.
I sent back two laughing emojis 🤣😂

We then made plans to meet at my house, the next night, as Matt was going to be in Saco, Maine anyways. When Matt did arrive he was so polite and thankful and to,d me the ring was very special because it was a gift, from his girlfriend, Jessie. I am just so happy to have been able to help him, in his time of need. Being retired gives me the flexibility to leave anytime and search. I was afraid of the beach rake getting the ring but it all worked out and Matt now has the ring back on his finger and a smile, ear to ear.
S

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