How to find a lost ring on Holden Beach NC Tag | The Ring Finders

White Gold Wedding Band Lost On Holden Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Sunday, July 7th, I was driving the 40-minute drive home from a combined 4-hour back-to-back ring searches when I got the following text. “I am at Holden Beach. My adult daughter has lost her wedding ring this afternoon, we think in or around the pool. Can you help? Thomas” Before I turned around and made the 50 plus minute drive to Holden, I had a stop to make. I also planned on stopping by my house and at least saying hello to my wife, who refers to herself as ‘The Ring Finder Widow,’ who I hadn’t seen all day. I called Thomas to let him know my plan and in the course of the conversation I started asking questions. I found out that his daughter was throwing a ball to her son when she noticed the ring gone. I asked if the pool had a drain in the bottom or a filtering system. His response was no drain, and the filtering system was on the top part of a side wall. Next, I asked what was around the pool, concrete or grass. He responded that there were wood slats and that her ring wouldn’t fit between the slates even if he tried pushing it through. Ok, process of elimination, I asked what was beyond the wooden slates. He stated that there was a little bare area and then rocks. Ah ha! I told him I had a couple of stops and would be up there in about an hour and a half. Before we hung up, I told him that when I get there the rocks are going to be the first place I’d look.

When I got back in the car from the first stop, I checked my text. Tom had sent me a text saying “We found it! In the rocks. Your logical approach solved it.” I immediately called him, and he thanked me for my help. I wish all my searches were this easy!

Tom – Thank you for calling and trusting me to help find your daughter’s ring. So happy it all turned out good!

Jim

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`Woman’s Yellow Gold and Diamond Wedding Ring Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Holden Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Thursday, August 24th, I woke up to a text saying, “Good morning. Yesterday I lost my wedding ring at Holden beach to the left of the pier about 100 yards just about the high tide water mark in the soft sand. I posted on Face book, and some posted your contact information. Is this something you are able to help with?” I called the number and talked with Shannon, who had lost the ring. She confirmed that the ring was lost in the soft sand. I got a few more details and we agreed to meet at noon. I got ready to go and invited my wife, Jan to come along. She loves looking for shells and shark’s teeth at Holden Beach.

When we arrived at the pier, Shannon was waiting in the parking lot. As we walked out on the beach, Shannon said that she had been sitting out on the beach the day before and had the ring on. Later that evening, when she was back at the rental, she realized her wedding ring was gone. She was pretty sure her ring came off at the beach where they were sitting. She also mentioned that she did walk the beach for a short distance. Her and her friends set me up in the dry sand where they had been sitting. After I started a grid search, they started wondering if they were a little east or west of the spot in the area I was searching. I asked if they had taken any pictures and thankfully, they had. Shannon showed me one picture that I was able to use to line up directly behind one of the beach houses. I continued my grid search working west in relation to what I saw in the picture. After a few more minutes I hit a solid 15 on the VDI (visual display indicator) but it was showing about 8 inches deep. I had the number I was expecting, but deeper than I was expecting. I took a big scoop of sand and dumped it out on the beach and saw the gold in the sand. I reached down, picked it up and held it up for Shannon to see. She got so excited; she gave me a big hug and big smiles.

Shannon – so glad I could help find your lost treasure and get it back where it belonged. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Jim

   

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2 Rings (Gold Class Ring w/Black Onyx and Gold Ring) Lost at Holden Beach NC – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Lose a special ring or other sentimental piece of jewelry, cellphone, keys or other metal object. Call or Text Jim Wren ASAP at 843-655-5889.

On Tuesday at 6:28 p.m., I received the following text message. “Hi! My name is Leah. I am in Holden Beach until Thursday with some friends on a breach trip! We just graduated college and I lost my class ring in the sand. Was wondering if you were in the area/available to help me search??” I tried calling her and it went to voice mail. So, I responded to her text asking her to call me. When she called, she told me she had lost 3 rings but her and her friends were able to find 2 of them. She knew the area and they were lost in the soft sand. I told her it should be a piece of cake to find it and I could be there in 45 minutes. She agreed and said she’d pin the area and send it to me. So, I grabbed my 2 Equinox 800s (one as backup) and headed out.

When I arrived, I called her and she said she’d be there in about 5 minutes. She told me her rings were a little to the right of the beach access and straight out but not past the drop off (erosion). When she arrived, I was already on the beach doing an east/west grid search. We discussed the area and how she lost her rings. She moved me further to the west and stated that her rings were in a bag that had a hole in it, unbeknownst to her until she realized it later. She had marked the 2 spots where the other two rings were found, which helped. So, I refocused and changed me grid search to a north/south search. Within 4 grid lines I hit a little gold ring. Not what I was looking for, or so I thought. About 2 steps away, I hit another good signal and pulled her Gold Class ring w/black onyx out of the sand. I held it up and asked, “Is this yours?” She came running over with her hands over her mouth and said, “That’s it!” While we were standing there talking, I told her I had found another little gold ring. That’s when she told me she had actually lost 4 rings, but really wasn’t concerned about the 4th ring. She also said she wasn’t sure if it was gold or not. When I got the original signal, the tone and numbers from the machine indicated gold. But nonetheless she was thrilled she had all 4 of her rings back. She also told me she had just gotten her class ring in the mail a few days earlier. She was so happy and excited to get her rings back.

Leah – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasures. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip home. Best of luck to you in your future!

Jim

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Man’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost, Found, and Returned White Lake, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Shortly after starting the lawn mower to get the grass cut, I got a call from William asking if I could help find his lost wedding band. I asked the normal questions and learned he had lost the ring the day before in White Lake. I don’t scuba dive, but have a son-in-law that’s helped me before and does, so I asked him how deep. He explained that he was sitting on the pier/boat dock fiddling with his ring when his son jumped on him. That action sent the ring flying, hitting the dock and disappearing into the water. He told me the water around the dock was about two feet deep, and the clearance under the dock was about an 8-10 inches. I asked a few more questions and asked him to send me the address. I plugged the address in my phone and told him I’d be there about 1 pm (just about an hour and a half drive). I grabbed my detector and headed out.

When I arrived at his house, he was outside waiting and we drove down to the dock. Conditions were as near perfect as they could be, with the exception of the water being a little cold. I made my way out in the water and along the side of the pier. When I got to the suspected area, I started swinging my detector. Being a Man’s Platinum wedding band, I was expecting a 12 on the machine’s VDI (visual display indicator). My first target rang up as an 18, so I made another swing and hit a solid 12. Bingo! I used my beach sand scoop and pulled his ring out of the sandy bottom. I laid the scoop on the dock and asked if it that was his ring inside. When his face lit up, I knew we had it. The responses from returning a lost ring are priceless!

William – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

     

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Wedding Band Lost in the Driveway, Found and Returned Holden Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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About 9:30 p.m. on Friday night I got a text saying “Hi Jim. I found your number online at the Ring Finders. I lost my wedding band today somewhere on the driveway which is covered with gravel. I spent all day trying to find it and I couldn’t. Sadly, today is our last day. We only have until tomorrow before 11 a.m. to find it. We are staying on Holden Beach. I wonder if you would have time to help us find it.” I called the number attached to the text and talked with Angelica and asked for the details. She was right to the point, there was a little spat and she walked out on the balcony and heaved her Wedding and Engagement rings. She said she got sunburned from searching all day and found her engagement ring but couldn’t find the wedding band. I told her I could be there in 45 minutes. She sounded a little hesitate, but I told her with tomorrow being Saturday almost all the tourists are going to be leaving and traffic would be a mess. She agreed, so I grabbed my Equinox 800 and headed out.

I arrived at 10:15 and parked in the driveway of the house next to theirs, which luckily, was vacant. She met me in her driveway and showed me where she found the engagement ring. I tested her wedding band with the Equinox, so I knew what I was looking for. She showed me where she was standing on the balcony, and I started searching the driveway around where she found her engagement ring. After about 20 minutes of searching the driveway, the adjacent strip of grass and part of the next driveway, I wasn’t finding her ring. Then I thought maybe the ring hit either a railroad tie along the driveway or the sidewalk, so I expanded the search. I asked Angelica if she had checked the roadway during her search and she had. I started searching the small stretch of grass between the sidewalk and road and got the signal I was looking for. Angelica was using the flashlight on her cell phone and we both got down on the ground and saw her ring at the same time. BA-Boom!!! There it was, hiding under a clump of grass. Angelica snatched it up and was so happy it was found. Things were patched up with the spat, her rings were back on her fingers, and all was good!

Angelica – Thank you for trusting me and the ring finders to help find your lost treasure! Have a safe trip back home.

Jim

 

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Man’s Yellow Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Ocean Isle, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This ring search started with a phone call from Brock saying he lost his wedding band in the sand on Ocean Isle Beach. He wanted to know if I could help find it. I told him I could be there in 30 minutes. Since it was Sunday, I knew the beach would be crowded with no place to park. I asked him if I could park in his driveway, and he responded yes. I then asked him to text me the address and I was on my way.

When I got to his house, I called him, and he came out to meet me. We walked down to the beach, and he showed me the area where he lost his ring. He had been playing Spikeball and when he reached for the ball, he felt his ring fly off his finger. This is one of those searches you dream about. I turned my Deus II on, literally took 2 steps and got a loud and clear 70 on the VDI (visual display indicator). I took a small scoop of sand, had the target in the scoop and shook the excess sand out and saw his gold ring. I held out the scoop for Brock to retrieve his ring. It took him a couple of seconds to see it amongst some shells but when he did see it, his face lit up.

Brock and Payton – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Jim

 

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25th Wedding Anniversary Vacation Catastrophe Averted – Found and Returned Holden Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Wednesday at 1:24 pm I received a text from Kimberly saying, in part “Hello are you a metal detector service?  My husband’s ring just slipped off his finger in choppy ocean. Not sure if it’s even possible to find, Holden Beach.” I didn’t see the text until an hour later and responded that I was and to please call me. After a while and no response, I called her and she put her husband, Jeff on the phone. Jeff said he was in about waist deep water between 1 and 1:30 pm. Taking a quick look at the tide charts, high tide was going to be close to 3 pm and the next low tide was a little after 10 pm. I told Jeff I’d be there at 8 pm and got the address. As the afternoon progressed, I started thinking about the dropping tide, the time he lost his ring and what time sunset would be. Getting there at 8 would give me less than an hour to search before it was dark. I normally don’t have a problem searching at night, but this year there’s been terrible rip currents along the east coast. I didn’t want to become a statistic hunting at night because I couldn’t keep an eye on the ocean conditions. I also thought that since he lost his ring within 2 hours of high tide, that 4 hours after high tide the ring should be reachable. So, I text Jeff saying I’d be there by 6:45. I showed up on time and met Jeff. As we walked out on the beach is when I learned that he had been throwing a football. My first question was “are you left or right-handed?” He responded right-handed, which meant he didn’t throw the ring off. He said he actually saw the ring come off his finger and sink. He tried diving for it but to no avail. As I’m walking out to the surf I noticed the sea breeze really kicking up the waves – not good! Jeff pointed out the area and I started with a parallel grid search to the surf, and after 4 or 5 lines, I switched to a perpendicular grid search heading out in the ocean. I was having a horrible time trying to keep a straight grid line because of the waves and current. After 2 hours of searching with no luck, losing daylight, and just plain getting beat to death with the waves and current I called it a night. I knew the ring was there, but with the noise and interference I was getting in the headset from the detector, I was sure I walked right over the ring and didn’t hear a tone. I told Jeff I’d be back at 9 the next morning.

The next morning came quick, but I was ready for the task. I showed up a little early and hit the beach. This time I brought my White’s PI, a great machine but it doesn’t give any indication of depth or type target it hits, just a solid tone. So, there’s a lot more digging involved than with the Equinox 800 that I used the day before. I started a perpendicular grid search straight out from the beach as far as I could get out before hitting the last sand bar where the waves break hard. Probably about 35-40 minutes and half way through the search area, I got a solid steady tone. I was pretty sure this had to be Jeff’s ring; normally trash (bottle caps, pull tabs, and other junk) doesn’t make it out as far as I was away from the shoreline. Two scoops of sand and I had the target out of the hole and in the scoop. I shook the sand out in the water, looked in the scoop and BINGO, I had a gold ring in the scoop. I had seen a picture that Jeff’s son had posted on a FB page showing Jeff’s ring and I knew I had his ring. I packed up my stuff from the beach and headed up to their rental house to give Jeff the good news. About half way up the beach I looked up and saw Jeff walking my way, he didn’t say a word. I made the comment that it was starting to get rough, as I reached in my pocket, pulled out his ring and held it up for him to see. No doubt, he was more than excited. I handed him his ring and he turned around towards the house, held it in the air, and yelled “He found it!” His entire family had been watching me and saw when I stopped searching and started digging. Then everyone watched as I walked out of the water, picked up my stuff and started walking their way. My understanding is they thought I might have found it but no one wanted to say it. Within seconds, Kimberly came running down the beach to hug Jeff. There were a couple of tears being wiped away, but they were happy tears. I’m not sure if this was actually their 25th Anniversary vacation with family but they are celebrating 25 years of marriage in Oct.

Jeff/Kimberly – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure. An early Very Happy Anniversary to you both and now you have one more chapter to add to your ring’s story. Best wishes to you both. And Thank You for Everything!

Grandma – Thank you for all your prayers, they helped.

Jim

 

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Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned Carolina Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This ring search started off as a missed call shortly before 3:30 pm on Saturday, Jun 11th. I called back and spoke to Daniel, who wanted to know if I was the Ring Finder who could help him find his wife Kat’s Wedding and Engagement rings. I acknowledged yes and he asked what information I needed from him. I told him I needed the area and whether the rings were lost in the water or dry sand. He said dry sand, and then I asked him if there was a chance the area would be covered in water with the incoming tide. He responded no that they had set up far enough up the beach that the tide wouldn’t be an issue. Then he asked if he needed to be there. I told him yes and that putting me in the right spot raised the percentage of me finding the rings. He then asked the cost and I told him that I do this on a reward or gratuity basis. He was fine with everything, so I told him to send me an address and I’d let him know an ETA. Once he sent the address and I plugged it in the GPS, my ETA was an hour and a half later.

Once I got there, parking became an issue. Finally parked and then stood there with another couple trying to figure out how the pay to park worked. It wasn’t an easy thing, especially when the kiosk wouldn’t recognize the couple’s debit card. That’s about the time Kat called me to let me know they were there. They took care of my parking and then we headed to the beach. Kat walked ahead to find the spot, while I got my equipment. Once in the area, Daniel pointed out the 4 holes their tent made when they set it up. I asked Kat what the rings were made of and she stated White Gold, one engagement ring and the other was the wedding ring. So I knew I was looking for low numbers on the Equinox screen’s for the VDIs. I started a grid search at the back holes. If you ever notice, when people are sitting under tents on the beach, all their stuff is towards the back. In this case, Kat had taken off her rings and put them in her short’s pocket so she could apply suntan lotion and laid the shorts towards the back of the tent. She and Daniel enjoyed the day, and when they got ready to leave she put her shorts back on, packed everything up and left the beach. At some point after leaving the beach, she remembered the rings were in her pocket or so she thought. When she checked her pockets – no rings! Sometime after that is when Daniel did a Google search about finding a lost ring and one of my blogs popped up. So, I’m doing my grid search and on the 3rd line I got a 5 on the VDI. I was fairly certain this was one of her rings, knowing it wouldn’t be deep: I was being extremely careful and couldn’t get the target in the scoop. Finally on my 3rd try I had her engagement ring. I reached in the scoop, pulled it out and held it up for her. She got excited! I figured if one was there, the other one wouldn’t be too far away. Swung my coil and hit a 7 on the VDI, Boom!! I had her wedding band. She was so thankful she had both rings back. I got a big hug from Kat and a firm handshake and thank you from Daniel. I really love being a part of The Ring Finders, there’s no greater feeling than handing back a treasure that they thought was lost forever.

Kat/Daniel – Thank you so much for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip home.

Jim

   

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Teardrops Lost in the Tides Ocean Isle Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Monday, May 30th I got an alert that I had been mentioned on the Ocean Isle NC FB page. When I looked at the site, I saw a posting that stated. “Hi everyone we lost my late husband’s wedding band in the surf 2 days ago between the ocean isle tower and the beach access, at water’s edge. If anyone has found it please let us know. We would greatly appreciate it.“ Knowing that this ring held a great deal of sentimental value, I immediately responded saying “Call me if I can help,” I also sent a link to my blog page on The Ring Finders.com page. As a follow up I sent her a private message with the same information. I got a text message back from her saying, “I will message you in the morning.” This morning she texted me with a little more information and added, “My son handed it to me. I was almost at water’s edge and it dropped and sank immediately, around 2 pm on Sunday.” A follow up text added “We are in town till Sat morning. My Husband passed away unexpectedly in March, meant a lot to my son so I appreciate you helping us.” We did some more texting back and forth and agreed that I’d be there at 12:45 p.m. to work the outgoing tide. Teresa also stated I could park in her driveway which alleviated me having to find a parking spot, which during this time of the year is almost impossible.

When I got there, I met Teresa, her father Richard, and her oldest son Derek. We all hopped in their golf cart and Derek drove us down to the beach. Once on the beach, Teresa led me over to the spot that was directly in line with where the ring was lost. Once there, Teresa explained that when her middle son, Daniel got married he didn’t have a wedding band to wear. His father’s wedding band no longer fit his father, so he passed it down to Daniel. When the ring was lost, Daniel was wearing it and was afraid of losing it while swimming in the ocean. So, in the process of handing the ring to Teresa for safekeeping, the ring hit her hand and quickly disappeared in the wet sand with the incoming tide. It was definitely one of those shear panic moments. Teresa said she looked for the ring for about 2 hours before giving up and then had a gentleman with a detector look the next day for quite a while with no luck.

It was time to find the ring, or at least give it all I had. From Teresa’s explanation of her husband’s 14K Gold Wedding Band, I knew that I was looking for a VDI (visual display indicator) on the Equinox 800 between 13-18, depending on the size of the ring. I started a little outside of the area Teresa showed me with a grid search parallel to the surf line. On my 5th line I got a loud and solid 16 VDI, I was 99% sure I had the ring. Two scoops and I had the target out of the sand and on the beach. I spread out the sand a couple of times with my foot before I saw the little shimmer of the gold ring. BINGO! I washed the ring off and saw that Teresa and Richard were praying to the Big Man upstairs as they were watching me from up near the dunes. As I’m walking their way, I did a little dance and I heard Teresa yell “Did you find it?” I held the ring up and she was literally overwhelmed with emotions, which made my eyes water a little bit. There’s no way to express what it means to find and return someone’s very special treasure. Teresa and I decided we’d surprise Daniel, so she called him saying that I needed to get some information from him. It took at least an hour for Daniel, his wife Ana, older brother Derek, younger brother Kyle and his girlfriend, Raina to show up. When they did, I showed Daniel the area I had searched and asked him if he thought I was in the right spot and anything else he might remember. Meanwhile, Teresa was standing behind us holding the ring up for the “aha” moment. It worked perfectly and was priceless!

Teresa/Daniel – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to find your very special treasure. It was truly my pleasure to get to meet all of you. Best wishes and enjoy the rest of your vacation.

Jim

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Man’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost in the Incoming Tide, Found and Returned Holden Beach, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This adventure started with a post on the Friends of Holden Beach FB page from Erin on Saturday, May 14th. The post read in part, that her husband had lost his tungsten carbide wedding band on the beach. She also gave the house’s addresses that the ring was lost between. I immediately responded to the post saying, “Call me if I can help,” and added the link to my blog page from TheRingFinders.com. I also sent her a private message with the same information, as a follow up and to show this wasn’t a scam. I didn’t get a response from Erin until midafternoon on Sunday. She thanked me for my message but stated the ring was not very valuable so she didn’t think me coming to Holden Beach would be worth my time and travel. Personally, anytime I can help someone attempt to find their lost treasure it’s worth my time and travel.  I know every member of The Ring Finders feels exactly the same way. That’s just what we do and we love it! Anyway, I think, and I may be wrong, but Erin and her husband, Burke thought that the ring was gone forever. She told me that by the time Burke realized his ring was gone, and they went back out to the beach; the tide had come in and the entire area was under water. She also mentioned that they thought Burke might have taken the ring off and had it in his lap. Then when they were ready to go he had forgotten about it, he stood up and it disappeared. I was sure her husband’s ring would be within inches of where it was dropped. Since the ring was a heavy metal, it would quickly sink in the wet sand as the incoming tide covered it with more sand. I told her I had nothing else going on and that it was the sentimental value that’s important. At that point, Erin gave me a general area of where they had been sitting. I sent her a Google earth map, showing 4 squares I had drawn, labeled A,B,C, and D and asked her which area. She responded “Definitely B”, so she was able to narrow the area down a lot. Unfortunately, Erin and Burke were on their way back home and wouldn’t be available the next day to put me on the spot. I got a few more details and was ready to hit the outgoing tide the next afternoon (Monday). The only thing left to figure out was parking. Holden Beach has just eliminated street parking and gone to a pay to park in the few lots they have and there’s no lots available on the west end of the island where I needed to go. Luckily, another response to Erin’s original FB post was a lady named Anne that was two houses down from where I needed to search. I sent her a private message asking if it was possible if I could park in her driveway. Within minutes and without hesitation she responded “Sure.” Problem solved, now all I had to do was find Burke’s ring.

On Monday, May 16th, I arrived on the beach at 12:30 pm to start my search. Knowing the overall area, I started a parallel grid search from the top of the beach working towards the tide line. After about 30 minutes working this grid search, Erin’s father, James, came out on the beach. We introduced ourselves and talked for a few minutes. He then walked me out a little closer to the surf and a little east of where I was and showed me the area they all had been sitting. I extended the 4 sides of this search area so I’d be sure to cover it all. About my 4th line I got an iffy signal, it was within the VDI (visual display indicator) range I was looking for. But it was showing something I’d expect for a crusted penny that’s been buried in the sand for a long time. As I always do, when I’m looking for someone’s treasure, I dig everything I hear. This find proved my point. After 2 scoops of sand, I had the target out of the hole. I shook the sand out of the scoop and heard the clanging of metal. Bingo! I had Burke’s wedding band in the scoop. Thank you James, moving me when you did saved me about 30 minutes of added search. My wife had come with me to look for shells and I had her take a picture that I sent to Erin. I got an immediate response “OH MY GOSH JIM!!! I can’t believe it!!!!”

Anne – Thank you for giving me a place to park for the search. That was a big help!

James – Thank you for everything!!

Erin/Burke – Thank you for trusting in me and The Ring Finders to help find your treasure and get it back where it belongs. I wish you two only the best in life.

Jim

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