#Kennebunkport Maine Metal Detector Rental Tag | The Ring Finders

Gold Heirloom Ring Lost In The Windham, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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At approximately 6:30pm, on Tuesday December 10th, 2024, I received a call from Chris. Chris told me that he had just lost his wedding ring and wanted to know if I could come up and find it. I then asked Chris, if he could tell me what happened and where did he lose it.

Chris explained that he had been cleaning his wife’s car off and his hands were cold and wet. So, before getting into the car, Chris shook the snow off his hands and once inside the vehicle, he noticed his wedding ring was missing. I asked Chris if he had felt or seen the ring come off. He hadn’t! But, he knew where he was standing when he shook his hands and had been searching the snow, in that area, but it was fruitless. No wedding ring was found.

His wife, Erin, then put a Facebook post out, on a local Windham, Maine community page, .

Once Erin had done that, she started getting many referrals, to call me. It was at this point, that Chris called me. Chris wanted to know if I could come search tonight. I suggested I could do it the next day, but then remembered that I was having a crown put on, a broken tooth. I also remembered that tomorrow’s weather was going to be heavy rain and very high winds. I wouldn’t be able to search tomorrow. The day after that, I was already booked, in Auburn, Maine and Friday I was taking my mother to her Dr’s appointments and then my wife and I needed to be in Portland, for 5:00pm. Saturday, I have tentatively scheduled a search, in NH. This means if I didn’t go tonight, I probably wouldn’t be able to search for Chris’s ring until Sunday. So I told Chris that I would search tonight but just need to load my equipment up and drive the approximately 40 minutes or so, to Windham.

I left Saco at 6:50 pm and arrived at Chris’s home at 7:30pm. I then asked Chris to show me the area that he had been cleaning the car and where he had shaken his hands. Chris showed me and I could see the disturbed and packed down snow, of where he had unsuccessfully searched. I would search this area first and if I wasn’t able to locate the ring, I would start expanding the search area.

I started searching, at the road and worked my way, onto the lawn, approximately 10’ deep. No ring but lots of high conductivity metals, where gold is considered a low conductor. So, I turned around, took a 1/2 step, to my left and headed towards the road. Still no ring. Turned around and headed back onto the lawn and still nothing. Turned around, heading back to the road and almost immediately received a very loud target. The VDI was reading higher than normal for gold but it was such a great sounding target. I slowly put my pinpointer into the snow and located the target. I started gently pushing the top layer of snow, off the target, when I caught a glimpse of something yellow and metallic, under the bright lights of my headlamp, that I was wearing. I looked up at Chris and said, “I found your ring”. Chris was almost in disbelief, “Really”, he asked. I then had Chris come over and I showed him the very small piece of yellow, showing in the snow. Chris was now smiling ear to ear and couldn’t believe I had found his ring, approximately 5’ from where he thought it was and where he was searching. Chris kept thanking me for coming so far to help him and he also told me that the wedding ring, was his deceased father’s ring p, that had been passed down to him. WOW, another Heirloom Ring recovered and returned. I am so happy to have been able to help Chris and Erin, in their time of need. As I always say, every ring has a story and Chris’s ring now has another story, to go with its history. I get to add another smile, to my “Book of Smiles”.

 

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

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I had just returned home from a successful Heirloom Ring recovery and return, in Acton, Maine, when I received the following text

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

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

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

Tim replied

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

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

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

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Four Generation Gold Diamond Heirloom Ring, Lost In The Snow, In Acton, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Thursday afternoon, I was driving home, from Norway Maine, after recovering a lost ring. I stopped to fill the car up with gas and that there was a Facebook PM. The PM stated, the following

“I lost a very special white gold and multi diamond ring on a trail behind my house this morning. I have walked the trail 3-4 times and borrowed a friends metal detector with no luck. At this point, I think I should wait till the 2″ of snow melts first before trying again. the only thing that goes on this trail besides me are turkeys and wildlife. would you recommend a different approach?”

I replied to Gail and asked where she was located and if I would be able to call in approximately a 1/2 hour, when I arrived home. Gail replied that she lived in Acton, Maine and I could definitely call her, once I arrived home.
Once arriving at home, I called Gail and she told me the previous evening, she had taken off a very sentimental ring, going back 4 generations. She then placed the ring in a small pocket, on the backside of her phone and intended to put the ring back on, the next morning. The ring was a little tight, on her finger and she didn’t want to wear it to bed, that night.

The ring was White Gold and contained the diamonds of not just her Engagement Ring, but the diamonds and rings, of her Mother’s, Grandmother’s and Great Grandmothers. WOW!!! What a ring. Gail also sent me a photo of the ring and also told me the gold from all 4 generational rings were melted down and that gold was used to make the current ring and setting, that the diamonds were placed in. I could hear the anguish, in Gail’s voice and told her that I could search for the lost Diamond Ring, the next morning, after rescheduling a search, due to the snow banks, along a road, I am to search. I told Gail that I would be at her home, in Acton, at approximately 8:00am. I also told Gail that I would be bringing a friend and fellow Metal Detectorist, with me, to search such a large area, Gary Hill. Gail had told me the search area would consist, of an area, of her driveway, yard and also a trail, through the woods, for approximately a 1/2 mile. Gail had stopped numerous times, in the yard and the trail, to retrieve her phone, to answer calls and text messages, along with taking photos, of the freshly fallen snow. Gail was certain that the ring would be in her gravel driveway where she was talking, on the phone, or one of the multiple places she stopped at, on the wooded trail and had taken the phone, out of her pocket .
Gary and I arrived at her home at approximately 8:15am. We would have made it on time but my GPS took me past her home and down an extremely long and steep mountainous road. Once at the bottom of this mountain road, all packed snow and ice, I could not get back up the mountainous road. My tires were spinning so much, we could smell the burning rubber. Gary’s face was going ashen, with concern. I backed down the hill, since I couldn’t go up and called Gail. She said, “ You didn’t go down that hill, did you?” Yup, too late, that’s where I am. She told me to get a good start and gun it up that hill. I did just that and after 15 minutes, I was about 1/2 way up the hill. I told Gary to walk, to the top of the hill and see if Gail had any sand, we could throw on the road. After Gary left the vehicle, I continued to burn rubber, going up the hill, inch by inch. I was approaching the 3/4 mark, up the hill, when Gary and Gail came to the rescue. Once they threw some sand down, I made it to the top of the mountainous road. Just another adventure story, in our Ring Finding. Now, we need to get down to business and find a lost ring.

With temperatures in the mid to high teens, winds at 15 to 18mph and gusting up to 25-30mph, the feels like temperature was near ZERO, BRRRRRRR🥶🥶🥶. Gail showed us the area, in her yard, she thinks the ring may have been lost in. I took out my White Gold setup and test ring, so Gary and I could properly calibrate our detectors. Once we were both good to go, it was decided that I would search the property near the house and Gary would follow Gail, into the woods and search the trail, behind her home. This is truly going to be a “Needle in a haystack” search.

I saw Gary and Gail, enter the woods and out of sight and I continued to search the snowy driveway area. I was getting lots of low conductors targets but once I removed the snow, the targets were all below the frozen ground. After approximately 35 minutes, I was almost done, in the driveway area, when I could hear some loud screaming, coming from deep in the woods. I kept my eyes, on the area where Gary and Gail entered the woods but couldn’t see them. I could still hear the loud excited voices and only one of two things were happening. 1) Gary found the ring, 2) Gary fell on the snowy trail and broke his hip😉. A few minutes later I see Gail and Gary walk out of the woods, so I knew Gary hadn’t broken his hip. Gary was carrying his metal detector and not searching, when I see Gail raise her hand and yell down to me, that Gary had found the ring. AWESOME JOB GARY!!! When they arrived at the driveway, they told me that the ring was found at the last spot Gail had been at, before turning around, on the trail and returning home. She had taken her phone out, at that spot and had taken a photo of the wooded wintery scene. The ring was out of sight, buried in the snow and as they were brushing back the latest snow fall, the ring appeared, standing straight up, with the beautiful diamonds pointing towards the sky.
Gail was very emotional and I could see her keep wiping tears away. It’s such a great feeling for Gary and I to have been able to reunite Gail with this amazing sentimental heirloom ring. Gail kept thanking us and was just so pleased with the outcome and so were we.
There is no better feeling that to be able to help people like Gail, in their time of need. Thinking her extremely sentimental heirloom ring was lost forever and then to see her tears of happiness and smile, makes this such a rewarding experience. A true blessing, for Gary and I to help. Tonight, Gail will be sleeping well, knowing her ring is back on her finger, where it belongs.
I would also like to give Gary a BIG SHOUT OUT, for helping me search such a large area and for finding Gail’s ring, deep in the snowy woods. Thank you so much Gary❤️🙏

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

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

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

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

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

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

I did hear back from Karla Ann and she replied

“Hi Dennis,

Thank you for your reply.

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

We went back to look for it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Missing Sprinkler Head Lost And Found In Wells, Maine, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Not all recoveries are precious and sentimental jewelry. A surprise recovery of a sprinkler head that I wasn’t even aware was missing.

On Tuesday November 5th, I received a call from Linda. The previous Tuesday, Linda was doing yard work, specifically , using a leaf blower to blow the leaves, into a pile, towards the back of their property, in Wells, Maine. As she was taking the leaf blower off, of her back, she felt it hit her ear and snag something. She immediately thought of her Diamond Stud Earring and slowly walked into the house, to check the situation out. When she got into the house she heard something land on the floor and she then saw the backing, to the Diamond Earring. Linda then started checking her clothing and couldn’t find the earring, on any of her clothing. Linda searched the floor and surrounding area, where the backing had been found. Nothing. She also checked the leaf blower harness, still no luck. Linda continued searching, day and night, using a flashlight, outside, in the dark to see if she could catch a glimmer of the light, hitting the diamond. Nothing found. She then had a friend come over and search with his metal detector. Still nothing. This is when Linda called me. We agreed I would come to her home and search on Thursday, November 7th.
When I arrived! I was promptly met by Linda. She took me to the area, she thought the earring, may be at, in her backyard. Linda still had the other Diamond stud earring and I set the Minelab Manticore Metal Detector up, with the other earring. I was able to set the machine up and was receiving nice loud low tones, every single time. As I gridded the area, Linda and I would check out every non-ferrous target , in the low conductor range. After a couple hours and checking dozens of targets, I received a nice low tone, in the Gold Range. This one sounded different and seemed like a fairly big item. As we were investigating the target, we didn’t see anything, on top of the ground. All of a sudden, Linda says, the target may be a long lost sprinkler head, they had been searching for. As we dug deeper, we discovered the missing sprinkler head. Linda told me the sprinkler head had gone missing and her flowers weren’t getting the water they needed. Linda and her husband had been looking for it and they were going to have the Irrigation service person, search for it in the spring. Well, now he doesn’t have to, saving Linda and her husband a service call.
So, the earring has not been found and I am going back next week and search the remaining lawn, as I only covered approximately 40% of the lawn, today. Linda will continue to search inside the house and will be using a small swifter on the floors, in the area the backing came off. It is so tough because the earring may have been lost at any point while she was in the backyard. The earring may have been blown out of the area, Linda thought it should be in and into a totally different area. At least one more search will be needed, to cover the entire backyard. I will definitely update you all, if the earring is found.
As you see, it’s not always jewelry that is found. In the past, I have found Property Markers and Water Shut Off Valves, for clients. Now I can add a Sprinkler Head to the list.

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Tungsten Wedding Ring, Lost In Leaves and Grass Clippings, In Biddeford, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday October 4th, 2024! Cheryl and I were on our way, to Franconia Notch State Park, in the White Mountains, of New Hampshire. We intended to hike the Artists Bluff Trail Loop, on Bald Mountain . On our way we stopped to see the Parsonsfield – Porter Covered Bridge, in Parsonsfield, Maine. While visiting the bridge, my phone rang at 8:28am. The caller identified himself as Tim and Tim had lost his Wedding Ring, 3 days earlier, on the job, in Biddeford, Maine.

Now, Tim is the owner operator of a local Landscaping business, T.A.P. Lawn & Landscape, out of Saco, Maine. On Tuesday, as he was dumping mowed grass and raked up leaves, just inside a wooded area, Tim saw his ring slip off his finger and into the pile of leaves and grass clippings. Tim told me that in the last 3 days he and his wife were really anxious, to get his ring back. Tim had spent 1 1/2 hours, on his hands and knees, going through the pile, with absolutely no luck. Tim also rented a metal detector and even though he had one target, he still couldn’t find the object, in all the leaves and grass clippings. Tim then knew he needed help and a friend of his recommended me.
I then told Tim that I should be home, in Saco, at approximately 5:00pm and I could search , at that time. Tim said that would work because he had clients to tend to and he could meet me there, after 5:00pm. I told Tim, I would call him , when I arrived home and we could meet up then. Since the ring was lost on private property, there was no concern that someone would find the ring.
Tim and I ended up meeting, at 5:30pm, at his client’s property and we immediately walked to the pile of leaves and grass clippings. The pile wasn’t very large and my first thought, to myself was that this lost ring, should be found and fairly quickly. Tim pointed out the location, on the pile, that he had seen his wedding ring fall into. You could actually see where he had been searching, in the pile.
I walked back to my vehicle and grabbed my Minelab Manticore, with the 15 inch coil. I also grabbed my Garrett Handheld Pinpointer, which I just knew would be invaluable, in this search. As always, I asked Tim what the metal content of his wedding ring is. He answered that the ring was a Tungsten Carbide ring. I then took a Tungsten Carbide ring out of my bag of test rings and threw it on the ground. I then proceeded to run the coil of my metal detector, over the Tungsten Ring, so Tim could see and hear the Tungsten Ring being detected. My clients seem to like knowing what the sound/tone, of their ring, will sound like. Once I finished showing Tim, how the detector works, I immediately started searching the pile of leaves and grass clippings. Within a minute or so, I received a signal and it was an extremely low conductor, of a target. An extremely low tone and the reading, on my VDI screen, was a 07/08. Being such a low conductor, I didn’t think this would be a tungsten ring. Once I located the target, in the leaves, with my pinpointer, I ended up pulling a used packet of ketchup, out of the pile. I immediately started searching again, It took another minute or so, before I received another non ferrous target. This time the target was nice and loud and was reading on the VDI screen was 55. I told Tim that this very could be his Tungsten Wedding Ring. I located the target, once again with my pinpointer and slowly removed a few leaves from atop the target. Still couldn’t see the target. Removed some more leaves and still couldn’t see the target. Pinpointer still locked in on it and I didn’t want to move the target, further down, into the pile and that is why, I was being so careful, removing the leaves. A third time, removing some leaves, proved to be the winner. I could see just a small area of the ring and Tim could see it also. He was just overjoyed and couldn’t wait to get the ring back, on his finger, where it belongs. Tim texted his wife, told her the good news and she was also overjoyed, with Tim relaying her thank you , to me. Tim said he was going to sleep well tonight and that he also learned a lesson and will no longer wear his wedding ring, while performing his landscaping services m to his clients.
Another smile, or three and I just love being able to help people like Tim, in their time of need.

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14K Gold Wedding Ring, Lost in a Saco, Maine Backyard, Found Visually, While Searching With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I had just returned home, after picking up my granddaughter, at Fairfield School, in Saco, Maine and walking home. I wasn’t home 5 minutes, when I received the following text, from Christina

“Hey! Found your number on ring finders. We think my husband lost his ring in our back yard and can’t seem to find it. Would you be able to help? Thank you”

I immediately replied and I asked some questions

“So sorry to hear this. Where are you located?

A few questions

1) How long ago, was the ring lost?

2) What makes you think it was lost, in the backyard? Did he see or feel the ring coming off?

3) How large is the yard and what type of terrain? So, is it woodland, grass, bushes, etc? This will let me know size coils to bring.”

Christina replied

“ Saco, off of 112. Ring was lost today but we do not know exactly when. I took a picture of his wearing it around 9am and he noticed it was missing around noon. I have checked all our sinks and shower if it may have come off there.

My husband was tinkering with the power washer that he could not get to work about 5 feet from the back of our house.

Back yard is mostly grass where we think it may be. I would estimate the total back yard as 100 feet by 40feet. I am happy to provide a picture if that helps.”

Christina did send me a few pictures and I told her I would be there, by 3:30pm. It was now 2:50pm and I just needed to change and get my equipment, into the car. I arrived at their home at 3:15pm and was promptly met by Christina’s husband. He introduced himself as Justin and told me he was the one, that lost the ring. Justin explained that he was working on the pressure washer, out back, when a bunch of hornets came at him, from under the back deck. Justin was getting away from the area,as fast as he could, as he swatted the hornets away. Once inside the house, Justin cleaned up and was ready to head to Lowe’s, to purchase a new pressure washer. As he was getting ready to leave, Justin noticed that his wedding ring was not on his finger.

Justin and Christina searched inside and out the house, particularly in the area he had been working. When their search didn’t result in finding the ring, Corina contacted me.

Once Justin showed me the areas, he thought the ring would be in, I showed and explained to Justin how my detector works and threw 3 different test rings, into the grass, so he could see and hear, the detector find the rings. This seems to soothe or calm my clients some. I then come up with a game plan, so to speak and told Justin, I would start searching on the side of the house , where he had been walking. I would then grid the back yard, going approximately 1/2 down the yard, turn around and head back towards the house. I would continue doing this, while Justin visually searched, for his wedding ring. I find that my clients like to be involved, whether it is using, one of my detectors or visually searching. Once I am onsite, it’s all hands on deck and a group effort.

My first pass , on the side of the house and halfway down the backyard, resulted in nothing but a few deep coins, that I didn’t dig. I took a 1/2 step to my left, explaining to Justin that by only taking a 1/2 step, to the side, this allows me to overlap my swinging of the coil, so I don’t miss any area of the yard. As I made my way, back towards the house and about 10 feet, from the house, I heard Justin say something. I looked up and Justin reached down and picked up his wedding ring, in the crushed rock, along the house. I could see his big smile and was so happy, for another successful recovery. I had Justin put the ring, back on the crushed rocks and swung my detector over the ring and it came back a nice and loud, repeating low tone.

So when I arrive on the scene, or a search, we all work together, as a team, to get the best results. I often bring extra detectors and let my clients search also. I have actually had 3 successful recoveries while doing this. I don’t care who actually finds the ring, as long as the ring is found. After a few photos of Justin and his ring, I left with a big smile. Maybe not as big as Justin’s, but big. I just love being able to leave, on a moments notice, to go and help people like Justin & Christiana.

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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)
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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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Heirloom Japanese White Gold Wedding Ring Lost, In The Ogunquit Beach, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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As my wife and I were walking through Laurel Hill Cemetery Association today, 9/15/24, on a 5 mile walk, my phone rang. The caller identified himself as George and someone in his group, had just lost a White Gold Wedding Ring, with three small diamonds in it. George asked if I could come and search for it. I asked him where he was located and when the ring was lost. George stated the ring had been lost an hour ago and they were on Ogunquit Beach, in front of the Norseman Resort. I told George that I could absolutely help him out, I just needed to walk back home, first. I would leave to search for the ring, without even changing out of my sweaty workout clothing. After all, time is of the essence when an item is lost in a public place. The sooner I can get there, the better chance of a recovery.

So, Cheryl and I went straight home, put my beach flops on and headed to Ogunquit, Maine. Since I had been on a search and recovery yesterday, in Eliot, Maine, all my equipment was still in my car. I wasn’t sure about the traffic on route one, since we are now in mid September. The summer traffic is horrendous when trying to drive route one in Wells and Ogunquit. The traffic turned out to be better than I thought and only added about 15 minutes to the drive, from our home, in Saco, Maine. Weekend summer traffic may add anywhere from 30-45 minutes, trying to get through the route one coastal traffic.
Once we arrived, I called George and let him know that we were there. George told me his son would be there in one minute and bring me back, to where the ring was lost. Once George’s son brought us to the area, there were a group of people and a young woman stepped right up and said that it was her ring, that was lost and her name is Sophia. Sophia told me that the ring is a heirloom wedding ring and is part of a set, that goes with a matching engagement ring. She then tells me the wedding and engagement rings were originally her late Grandmother’s and was just heartbroken that she had lost it in the very fine, soft sand. Sophia also told us the she and her mother were visiting Maine, from Japan. Wow, the pressure was on now, to find the ring. I couldn’t let Sophia go home to Japan, without her heirloom ring.
I asked Sophia to walk me through what happened, when the ring was lost. Sophia told me that after arriving at the location, on the beach, she proceeded to take off her footwear and socks. As she was taking her socks off, her grandmothers wedding ring, came off and flew into the sand and out of sight. The entire group had a good idea, of where the ring had landed and proceeded to visually and manually screen the sand. They would run their fingers through the sand and push the sand around, in the hopes of finding the ring. Once they realized this was not going to be fruitless, Sophia did a very smart thing. She took a beach blanket and laid it over the area she thought the ring had landed and that they had searched. The blanket provided protection, from people walking through the area, on this extremely busy beach day. Now, no one would step on the ring, pushing it deeper into the sand or even moving the ring out of the area.
Once Sophia removed the beach blanket, she gave me her grandmother’s engagement ring and I place it on top of the sand, ran my coil over it, so everyone in the group could see and hear how I find rings. It also helps me knowing what a matching ring will sound like and what I am looking for, on my detectors VDI screen. The engagement ring rang up with a very low sounding tone and a solid repeating 12-02 on the screen. I then threw a .925 Silver ring into the sand, so that the group could hear the different sound that the different metals make. They were impressed with how different the gold and silver ring sounded and I always like to show my clients, just how a metal detector works. It’s a win, win.
So, once the demonstration of the rings were concluded, I started the search for Sophia’s heirloom wedding ring. I had brought my CTX-3030 metal detector, with the 17” coil. This large coil covers a lot of beach and helps reduce the time needed to find the target. I started the search with my back to the dunes and I was facing the water. I started swinging my coil, side to side and not even 30 seconds had passed, when I received a beautiful sounding low tone, in my headphones. The VDI screen was reading 12-02, exactly as Sophia’s grandmother’s engagement ring. WOW, Same tone and VDI reading, to a matching ring, within 30 seconds, in the area the ring was lost. I turned to the group and told them “I think this is the ring”. I was that confident. I submerged my pin pointer into the sand and moved it around the area that my coil had detected the target. Once located, with the pin pointer, I grabbed a handful of sand, nothing. Grabbed another handful of sand and I felt a ring, held it up for everyone to see and all kinds of applause and clapping broke out, even from surrounding people, who didn’t even know Sophia or me. Sophia had a few tears running down her face and she was hugging her mother. She so emotionally relieved to have her grandmother’s ring back that I could see her trembling a little. Just a few moments earlier, Sophia wasn’t even sure if she would be going home to Japan, with the ring and now she has it back on her finger. It is so gratifying, to be able, to help such wonderful people like Sophia and her family reclaim such a precious piece of heirloom jewelry. No better feeling, in the world. Smiles on Cloud Nine, once again. 😁

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Gold Engagement and Wedding Rings Lost In The Leaves, Found With A Metal Detector, In Eliot, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday night, September 13, 2024, I received the following text,

“Hi Dennis, found you on the Ring Finders website. Would you be willing to travel to Eliot, ME for a service? About 45 minutes south of Saco”

I replied, “Hello, Yes I have and will travel to Elliot. What is the search for”?

She replied, “My wedding and engagement ring went into an area off the side of my house last night. It’s the edge of the property so it’s where the grass becomes a little woodsy, But I can pinpoint the general area”.

I replied, “Ok, I can certainly come and search for you. Is tomorrow morning a good time? I can be there around 8:00am”

She then replied that would be great and sent me her name, Bonnie, and her address, in Eliot, Maine. I then asked Bonnie a bunch of questions, so I could be prepared, for the search, first thing in the morning.

Bonnie then told me that her rings were White Gold and she had lost them, the night before, at approximately 6:00pm. Bonnie had been doing a little yard work and that included throwing many pine cones and downed branches, over the fence, into woodsy, marshy area. That is when they “went flying “, off her finger and into the above mentioned area. I had also asked if any mowing or mulching, had taken place, since she lost them and told her that I have seen rings, damaged by mowers, in the past. Bonnie replied

“There shouldn’t be any damage, the most difficult part is they landed in an area that is a little woodsy and has a lot of old marshy leaf buildup. Luckily the area is dry now and I can tell you the exact direction to look”.

This morning, I left for Bonnie’s house, at approximately 7:00am, arriving just before 8:00am. Bonnie immediately came out to greet me and proceeded to take me to the search area. The first thing I noticed was a metal fence, around the property. This dog fence may be a problem. It is very difficult to search, up against a metal fence. The detector could potentially go off, whenever it comes within 4-5 inches of the fence. If the rings were against the fence, the fence could “mask” the gold tone and I would never hear the ring, being detected. Thankfully, not knowing the exact terrain, I would need to search, I brought 3 of my detectors, with 3 different size coils. I brought my Minelab Manticore with an 8 inch coil, my Minelab E-Trac, with an 11 inch coil and my Minelab CTX-3030, with a 17 inch coil. Better to have them all and not need them, than need them and not have them.

Bonnie pointed out the area she thought, one of the rings had landed, as she saw them go flying towards the fence and woodsy area. One ring went to the left and the other ring broke, to the right.  I would search for the one, that broke to the left, first. After searching for that one, I would search for the one that broke to the right. I decided to start with the 8” coil and get as close to the fence as possible. Even with my small coil, the fence was just to overwhelming and I didn’t hear anything, but the fence. I performed a grid of approximately 30’, along the fence, turned around and headed back to my starting point, after taking a 1/2 step over, towards the lawn. After a couple more back and forth’s and 1/2 steps, further onto the lawn, no ring was found. I decided to try my 11” coil, in the same area, starting out, on the lawn, working my way, to the fence. This way, I would have covered the area twice, with two different coils. I was now against the fence again and about 1/2 way down the fence, I heard just a slight “fluttering “ low tone, against the fence. I then swung the coil, over the area again and this time, a leaf moved and I could see a small sliver of silver. I moved the leaf, off of the target and saw Bonnie’s wedding ring. Phew, One ring down and one to go. I was now approaching 1 hour of searching and felt the Engagement Ring was in the area. Another sweep of the area, found nothing new. Just the same trash targets, I had found, with the 8” coil.

I then asked Bonnie if she had a rake, so we could rake all the leaves, away from the fence, and towards the lawn, where the metal fence wouldn’t interfere. Bonnie raked the leaves and I went on the other side of the fence and started searching the area, that Bonnie thought the engagement ring would be in. There were many more branches and limbs on that side of the fence and I started removing them and throwing them deeper, into the woods. I then took the rake from Bonnie and started raking the leaves, away from the fence, on the woodsy side. Another hour had passed and still nothing. I came back on the house side of the fence and searched the leaves that Bonnie had raked, away from the fence and still nothing.

I then asked Bonnie to go over the event of the losing the rings again. Bonnie said she saw one go towards the left and one went to the right. As I was talking to her, I decided to go back on the woodsy and marshy side of the fence. The ring certainly wasn’t on the house side of the fence, imho. I was also thinking that “What If”, the first ring I found was actually the ring that had broken, off to the right, and it wasn’t the ring Bonnie thought had broken to the left. That would mean the engagement ring may be much further to the left, than Bonnie thought. I went up into the area and again started throwing branches and larger tree limbs, aside. As I followed the metal fence about 25 feet, to the left of the found wedding ring, I was still unable to find it. I then took a 1/2 step, to my right and headed back to the area, where the first ring was found. I had gone maybe 10 feet when I received a solid 12-02 on my E-Trac. That is an extremely low conductive reading and certainly in the gold range, but it could also be aluminum foil or some other low conductive metal. After receiving the tone, I looked around the coil and couldn’t see anything. I then took the coil, located the target, under some leaves and moved the leaves, with my coil. THERE IT WAS, BONNIE’S ENGAGEMENT RING. I immediately looked over to Bonnie, on the other side of the fence and yelled “SUCCESS “. Bonnie came right over and I asked her if she could see the ring. She couldn’t, because I had covered it back up. I then ran my coil of the leaves and Bonnie could hear the target but couldn’t see it. I then removed the leaves and there it was for Bonnie to see. This ring, never would have been found visually. With more and more leaves dropping, it would only have been buried deeper, under the leaves.

So after 2 1/2 hours of searching Bonnie was just so happy to have her Wedding and Engagement Ring, back on her finger, where they belong. The many thank you’s, smiles and hug, I received from Bonnie just had me beaming 😁. Bonnie told me she was “forever grateful” and always will be, for me coming down asap, to find her rings. I also, will always be “forever grateful”, for being able to help people like Bonnie.

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