how to find a lost ring in sand Tag | Page 3 of 115 | The Ring Finders

Grandfather’s Gold Wedding Band on a Gold Chain Found After Being Lost on North Topsail, NC Beach

  • from Emerald Isle (North Carolina, United States)
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Jon’s family arrived for a few days vacation and spent the morning enjoying the beach, waves, and weather. Jon took off his necklace, which held his late grandfather’s wedding band, and placed it on his lap. It wasn’t until they returned to their room that Jon realized his necklace was missing. That evening, Jon’s wife made a social media post hoping for its return, but I felt she revealed too much information about its location. I came across her post, sent her a private message, and reached out to her after some detective work. We connected quickly, and I headed to North Topsail Beach. Despite doubts about finding the necklace after 12 hours, I met Jon, who described the events of the day before heading back to his room. I began my search, and after a few passes, my machine picked up a non-ferrous signal. Using my pinpointer, I located the target, scooped into the sand, and uncovered the gold chain, pulling it from its sandy hiding spot.

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Wedding ring lost and found in Little Lake Saint George – Liberty, ME

  • from Rockport (Maine, United States)
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I received a call from Danny who had lost his platinum wedding band in Little Lake St. George in Liberty, while swimming at the cabin he and his wife had rented for the week. Despite the gooey mucky lake bed I was able to locate and recover this ring in about 20 minutes. Happy to help avert a potential vacation disaster and add another one to the book of smiles.

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Lost engagement ring lost on Oregon beach. Found with metal detector.

  • from Oregon City (Oregon, United States)
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Oregon lost ring
This Sunday morning, I received a message from Angie, telling me she had lost a ring on Sand Island, at Rooster Rock State Park the previous day. This area is a very popular, clothing-optional beach east of  Portland, in the Columbia River Gorge.

I asked her to explain how she had lost her ring. She said she had removed the ring and tied it into her top, thinking it was a good place to secure it before going swimming. She and her friends enjoyed the day at the beach, beating the hot weather. When it was time to go, she put her top back on, packed up their stuff, and headed home. Shortly thereafter, she realized her ring was gone. They immediately went back to try and find the ring on the crowded beach. They had no luck, but someone suggested she drop a pin with Google Maps to lock down the location.

Angie had posted her dilemma to Reddit, and she was referred to look for a Ringfinder. Being the only Oregon listing, she contacted me. We agreed to meet up in the closest parking area at 0900 for the search. I want to get on it as soon as possible, and hopefully get there before it was too crowded and hot.

We met and discussed the plan. I told Angie the search could take two minutes, or two hours, so I handed her a beach chair, grabbed my gear, and we started our hike. It took about twenty minutes, and a wade through shallow waters to reach the spot she had pinned on her phone. She gave me a rough estimate of where she had been, so I started a search pattern.

The beach was remarkably clean, so on the first pass I found an aluminum pull-tab and a penny. Angie joked if I could find a few thousand more, she could buy a new ring. About halfway through the third pass, I heard a nice tone in my headphones. I dug into the sand with my hand and there was her ring. I let out a little laugh, and Angie asked if I had found something interesting. I said “I sure did. Your ring.” She was sitting about 15 feet from me and it took a couple seconds before she processed I was holding her ring up. She jumped from the chair and ran over to get her ring. I almost thought she was going to cry, but then her face lit up and she did a little happy dance on the sand! When she finished, she asked if it was okay for her to hug me, and I told her sure.

We packed-up and made the trek back up to the parking lot. Total recovery time was one hour, including the hike to and from the beach. Super helpful that Angie had marked the location, and was able to be there to guide the search.

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White Gold Wedding Ring Lost in Front Yard-Found!

  • from Chattanooga (Tennessee, United States)
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I was contacted by a husband, (Ben), saying his wife lost her wedding ring in the front yard and that they had tried finding it with a metal detector, but had not located it. They had a very large front yard, but had marked off an area they thought it would be, because he had to run the mower. The area he thought it would be had not been cut. The temperatures those days were at the 95 degree range and I was in the full sun with no relief from any shade. The first day I spent around 4-5 hours finding nothing but surface items that sounded like a ring, small pieces of foil. I had completely covered the entire area he thought it would be. I was spent from the heat, so I came back the next day and expanded the search area. After around 4 hours I was well outside of the original search area by around 60 feet or so and I got a consistent 17 on my Manticore and it seemed to be on the surface because of the double beep. I had found it, but there was a problem. It was in the area that had been mowed and had been damaged from being run over with the mower tire. The band had been bent, had a small stone missing, and the main setting stone was loose. So as soon as I could I put it in a small zip lock bag so if anything else came loose it would not get lost.

 

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Stamford Rings: Miracle recovery in the sand, August 2025

  • from Old Saybrook (Connecticut, United States)
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Susan and her son were spending a nice day at the beach and she took off her rings for safekeeping and placed them in her shirt pocket. Later in the day when leaving she went to put them ion while heading out and noticed her pockets were empty. She turned around and went right back to the beach which started a series of events. Her and her son started sifting the sand with a fishnet and her husband arrived and stayed until closing searching with a small detector.

They decided that outside help was needed and looked up @theringfinders.com and got my name. I cam the next morning and began my search in an area we had marked off. After gridding the area for a short time, I expanded the search a bit further and got my first solid hit and a platinum wedding band emerged from the sand and ringed with diamonds. Not the task was to find the second ring. After an extensive search in the immediate area there was no engagement ring to be found. We relived the previous day’s activities, simulating sitting in the beach chair and removing her shirt to see how a simulated ring would fall out.

I’ve now gone back three times and during the last attempt had the assistance of another detectorist and possible future ring finder and still the ring is not to be found. It’s very possible that it had been picked up. The couple purchased a detector and giving them a few tips they will continue the search. During the last search, she found a ladybug sitting on a shell and gave it to me for good luck. When I first met her, I had given her a St Anthony medal and in hopes that prayer and divine intervention would again help recover both rings. It was a miracle we found one and the other may require another miracle.

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Lost my Car Keys on the beach, What should I do ?, Island Beach State Park, recovered by Edward Trapper, NJ Ring Finder

  • from Lavallette (New Jersey, United States)
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Arlene’s day at Island Beach State Park with her family took a frustrating turn when they realized her car keys were missing. As they had spent part of the day digging a massive “moon crater” in the sand, searching for the keys in the fading light became impossible. With no luck finding them, the situation escalated into a stressful evening. They called for an Uber, only to be denied entry at the guard shawl. Leading them to reach out to the park police. Fortunately, the police were helpful, giving them a ride to the guard shack where they could catch a ride home to retrieve spare keys and eventually return to pick up their car.

Arlene called me the next day, hoping I could help her locate the missing keys. I assured her that car keys usually don’t bury themselves too deeply in the sand, so we had a good chance of success. I arrived early at the beach and began searching near a hole I found. When Arlene arrived, she explained that I was in the wrong spot—it was actually further down the beach. She pointed to a few possible locations, but with the beach looking completely different after a day, it was hard for her to pinpoint the exact spot.

We noticed another large area farther from the dune walkover, which seemed like a better candidate for where the moon crater had been. While Arlene reviewed some pictures, I continued my search. Soon, I got a strong signal, and sure enough, her keys were buried over a foot deep in the sand. When I handed them to her, she suddenly remembered that they had been in her pocket, not on the cooler as she originally thought. They must have fallen out when they were filling in the crater, but luckily, they weren’t buried at the bottom of the three-foot-deep hole. If that had been the case, my detector wouldn’t have been able to pick them up, and Arlene would have been stuck with the costly task of replacing the key fob.

In the end, I was thrilled to find the keys for her, especially after the ordeal she had gone through the night before. What started as a stressful situation turned into relief, and it all worked out.

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Pendant lost at Ocean Beach found

  • from La Jolla (California, United States)
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Dylan was playing volleyball at Ocean Beach and lost an important family heirloom pendant in the process. He jumped up against the net and the pendant or necklace snagged on the netting and the necklace broke, sending the pendant somewhere in the soft sand. The game stopped, everyone try to find it, but, all efforts were futile. Dylan called me for help and we arranged to meet later that afternoon. When the time came, I grabbed my gear, stopped to pick up my detecting buddy Dave and headed to the site. The beach and volleyball courts were mobbed, but, we managed to find a parking spot and eventually, Dylan. He had sent me a photo of what it looked like, described it’s size/composition, and explained it’s importance to him. After just a few minutes, my buddy Dave came up with it. A very happy Dylan could now enjoy the rest of his day knowing that the pendant was not lost forever, and was back where it belonged. A pleasure to meet you and thanks for the reward.

 

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How To Find Lost Ring in the Sand, Beach Haven NJ, LBI, recovered by Edward Trapper, NJ Ring Finder

  • from Lavallette (New Jersey, United States)
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Samantha called about her lost ring, which had slipped off and disappeared into the sand. I met her on the beach, and she pointed out the area where she thought it had fallen. I got right to work, and within 10 minutes, the ring was safely in my sand scoop, though Samantha didn’t know it yet.

As I continued scanning the area, a man came over, asking if I could help him find his lost phone. I told him I’d keep an eye out for it while I was working. During our conversation, I mentioned I was currently looking for a ring and described Samantha’s. I looked at him with a smile and said, “I bet it looks just like this,” before reaching into my scoop and pulling out the ring.

Samantha was completely caught off guard—she had no idea I had already found her ring. Her eyes widened in shock, and she almost fell over in disbelief. It was a great moment, and we all shared a good laugh afterward.

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Lost Wedding Ring Found in Lake Geneva, WI

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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Gold in the Lake

 

Another successful recovery!  This story happened three years ago, and there have been many exciting treasures unearthed since then, but I did not take the time to write this one down.  Simply put, David went for an afternoon swim, dove off the pier and his wedding ring slipped off and down to the sandy bottom.  Out of sight, but not out of mind.  

A call to The Ring Finders solved the problem.  I was able to dive with my new Nemo by Blu3 and find David’s ring.  The smiles tell the rest of the story.  What a joy to be part of The Ring Finders network of metal detecting recovery specialists! 

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Lost Wedding Ring Recovered from Lake Geneva, WI

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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Caught in the Storm

August 10, 2025

The weekend of August 8, 9, 10, 2025 saw record flooding in Southeastern Wisconsin.

“The Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee, Menominee and Root rivers all hit record highs over the weekend, with the Milwaukee River going more than 4-feet over flood level.” (PBS News)

  I was camping in the Wisconsin Dells with my ten-year-old daughter and although under a flood watch, my first-world problems consisted only of a leaky tent and a restless night’s sleep.  

Down in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, Brian and his family were caught in a fast approaching storm on Geneva Lake.  Spotting a stranger’s open boat shelter, he took refuge, keeping his family safe (including his infant grandchild) and waited out the storm.  Once the storm cleared, he navigated to the municipal pier and docked.  Crisis averted… that is until his son, Mike, who was tying the boat to the pier piling, experienced that stomach-turning feeling of his wedding ring slipping off into the murky lake.  

Despite being known for clear, clean water, Geneva Lake was a murky mess after the storm. The seaweed, having grown long all summer, further clouded any hopes for a quick dive in to retrieve the ring.

Brian turned to Chat GPT.  It eventually led him to Seth Tost – “Ring Finder and Metal Detector Specialist.”  Among other facts about me, it claimed “has a proven track record recovering lost rings in local beaches and waters.”  It’s important not to believe everything you read in Chat GPT, but I sure did want to maintain the bar AI set for me.

I arrived at 6:15 and after a few questions was in the water.  I popped into the water at 6:22 pm and was photographing the ring at 6:39 pm.  This was by far my fastest recovery and I give a majority of the credit to Brian for pinpointing the location where Mike’s ring decided to go for a swim.    

The ring is a mixture of tantalum and gold.  Tantalum is not a metal I am used to detecting.  It is super resistant to corrosion, so it’s used in surgical implants and electronics.  It holds a charge well and is used in cell phone and computer capacitors.  It’s also used in men’s wedding bands because it’s scratch resistant, durable, and has a gunmetal grey color.

Needless to say, it was a joyous recovery for myself and Brian’s family.  And for now, I’m still doing my part to keep Chat GPT honest.

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