Gold Engagement Ring Lost In The Beach Sand, Found With A Metal Detector In Kennebunkport, Maine
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It was August 1st when the phone rang. On the line was Kaitlin, sounding completely anxious. Her sister, Kelly, had just lost her precious engagement ring somewhere on the beautiful, massive expanse of Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport Maine.
As a detectorist with ππ‘π ππ’π§π π π’π§πππ«π¬ π¨π πππ’π§π, I immediately went into investigative mode. π΅οΈββοΈ I started asking my usual checklist of questions to narrow down the search grid:
* Did she lose it in the water or the dry sand?
* Did she see or feel the ring slide off?
* Was there a specific area where she spent most of her time?
* What kind of metal is the ring made of? (I always bring a matching test ring to calibrate my detector and show the client exactly how it works!)
What Kaitlin told me next was a scenario I won’t soon forget! π€―
Earlier in the day, Kelly had been swimming, which naturally shrinks fingers. Later, while relaxing peacefully in her beach chair, a bee or hornet suddenly landed right on her! πβ
Total panic set in. Kelly jumped up, took off running, and began wildly flailing her arms to swat the stinging threat away. She bolted around her family’s beach setup and ran toward the water until the bee was finally gone. πββοΈπ¨
It was only when she sat back down in her chair that her heart sankβher engagement ring was gone. To make matters worse, her wedding was just two months away in October! ππ
Kelly was fairly certain the ring was somewhere in the dry sand. But with her running in circles and flailing her arms, that ring could have flown off her finger in a 360-degree radius, landing anywhere up to 30 or 40 feet away! The search grid was going to be massive.
Kaitlin mentioned that the whole family was still out on the beach actively searching. I immediately gave her some crucial advice: “Please hold off on disturbing the area as much as possible! Whatever you do, don’t dig any holes.” When helpful searchers dig and refill holes, they can inadvertently bury a shallow ring too deep for a standard detector to scan. πβ³
At that exact moment, Cheryl and I were actually over on Mackworth IslandΒ in Falmouth, Maine. We were in the middle of searching for a lost diamond stud earring. Unfortunately, that specific hunt turned up empty.
As soon as the earring search wrapped up an hour later, we packed up our gear. With all the wild details of the bee-panic engagement ring loss fresh in our minds, there was only one thing left to do: hit the road and get to Kennebunkport Maine as fast as possible! ππ¨
I called Kaitlin back to let her know we were about 45 minutes away. She told me her father would meet us at the beach access path to guide us directly to the spot. Sure enough, the moment Cheryl and I arrived, her dad was right there waiting for us. He escorted us straight down to the scene of the “bee incident.”
That is where we met Kelly. With her wedding coming up fast in October, the stress and anxiety coming from her were palpable. I knew we needed to find this ring, and fast. β€οΈπͺ
Kelly pointed out exactly where her beach chair had been when the bee landed on her. Then, she walked me through her frantic flight path as she tried to escape it. At first glance, it didn’t look like a massive area. But knowing how far a ring can fly when someone is violently flailing their arms, the potential search zone could easily extend 40 feet on either side of that path.
I decided the smartest move was to start scanning the dry sand between their family beach setup and the nearby dune restoration project. As I looked around, two major worries crossed my mind. First, I prayed the ring hadn’t flown into the protected dune grass, which is strictly off-limits. Second, the beach was packed! There were crowds of people with towels, blankets, and beach bags lined up just past the high tide mark. If that ring took flight, it easily could have landed right on someone else’s towel or bounced straight into a stranger’s beach bag. π±π
With the stakes higher than ever, it was time to turn on the detectors and start swinging.
I started with a tight grid search in the area behind their beach setup and right up to the edge of the dune grass. After about 30 minutes of careful sweeping, my detector picked up only a few stray coins and the usual beach trashβbut no engagement ring. πͺποΈ
Next, I moved into their beach canopy. I spent about 10 minutes checking inside, but the metal frame from the canopy makes a thorough search difficult because it interferes with the detector’s signals. It wasn’t a perfect sweep, but I knew I could always come back and try a different approach inside the canopy later in the evening if the primary search areas turned up empty.
Having now cleared the interior of the canopy, the north side, and the west side, it was time to change direction. I shifted my focus to the south side of the canopy and began working my way toward the front, closely tracing the path of her frantic flight to safety. πΊοΈπ€
Almost immediately, my headphones lit up with that beautiful, low tone I was hoping to hear! π§π
I pulled out my handheld pinpointer to narrow down the target, then carefully brushed through the soft sand with my hand. I felt the familiar shape of a ring. Before I even had it pulled completely out of the sand, Kelly and Kaitlin caught sight of it and started jumping up and down in pure joy! πβ¨
Their father and other family members erupted into applause, and the cheering and excitement instantly spread to nearby beachgoers who had been watching the drama unfold. It was an absolutely fantastic moment, seeing so much happiness wash over everyone on that beach! π₯³π
Kelly and Kaitlin immediately rushed over to give me giant hugs, followed by a firm, grateful handshake from their father as the cheers continued. Kelly couldn’t stop thanking me, flashing one of the biggest, best smiles I have ever seen. πβ€οΈ
As Cheryl and I packed up and walked away, I was floating on cloud nine. Helping Kelly recover her engagement ring just weeks before her big October wedding is exactly why we love doing this work. There is no better feeling in the entire world. I truly have the best job, and I love what I do!
“πΉπππππππ, ππ ππ πππππππ ππ πππ, ππ πππππππ ππ ππ.” πβ¨
π¨ ππππ πππππππππ? ππππ ππ ππ πππ πππππππ! π¨
If you or someone you know loses a ring, keys, or jewelry on the beach, ππ πππ ππππ ππ§π ππ πππ πππ!
Β Stop what you are doing and call Dennis at ππ‘π ππ’π§π π π’π§πππ«π¬ π¨π πππ’π§π right away at πππ-πππ-ππππ.Β
The sooner you call, the faster we can get you your own happy ending!
