Lost Phone Tag | The Ring Finders

Wedding Band Lost on the North Shore is Found!

  • from Honolulu (Hawaii, United States)

It was just after noon on a Saturday afternoon when I got a call from Theresa who was sounding a little desperate.  Her fiance’s (Glenn) ring had been dropped and lost in the soft sands of a North Shore beach.  She had been trying desperately to get in touch with a RingFinder knowing that the longer the ring remains missing the harder it would be to find.  I explained that I live on the complete opposite side of the island and it would take at least 90 minutes to drive to the location and wouldn’t she prefer someone closer?  After some back and forth about time where to meet it became clear that if I didn’t find that ring today no one was going to help out this lady.  So I bit the bullet, so to speak, and headed to the North Shore of Oahu.  Almost two hours later do to extreme traffic on the North Shore we met up at the entrance to this secluded beach.  Truthfully I would have never known it was there unless Theresa and Glenn showed me where is was.  Theresa showed me the areas they had been sitting and I began gridding the area.  There was a  lot of trash in these sands and it took a while to search the area and dig up all the targets to make sure we’re not missing the grand prize.  After about 40 minutes searching a small area with no luck Theresa suggested that I should try the area near the entrance to the beach.  Two minutes in a got a strong signal on the Equinox a solid 17, which I usually associate with a bottle cap I dug the target and there bouncing in the scoop was a heavy beautiful Men’s wedding band with a Koa Wood inlay.  I don’t think I’ve seen two happier and relived people.

I wish the two of them happyness and prosperity in their upcoming wedding.   Aloha

 

Sweet 17 Ring Recovered at Waimanalo Beach

  • from Honolulu (Hawaii, United States)

I got a text on mid-day Sunday from a lady named Martha.  She explained that on Friday the family was at the beach having a picnic and celebrating her 17 years old daughter’s birthday.  The main birthday gift her daughter received was a Hawaiian style gold ring.  While playing volleyball the gold ring flew off her finger and landed some where on the beach.  They had searched the rest of Friday evening and Saturday as well but came up with nothing.  Martha then let me know that she had texted several metal detectorists but had not heard back from any of them.  I was the first to respond and I told her I would grab my gear and be at the beach in twenty minutes.  It was a beautiful beach day, the sun shining bright and not a cloud in the sky.  It was also hot!  Africa hot!  but that kind of weather on a weekend in Hawaii means the beaches were going to be crowded which can complicate things.  Upon arriving the first challenge is finding parking and that took a few minutes and a distant walk to the part of the beach where the ring was lost.  They explained where the ring was thought to be lost which delineated an area of 30 yards of beach.  OK, I’ve searched bigger so I got to work scanning in a grid pattern from the water line to the back of the beach.  About ten minutes in a did get a hit, dug it up, and scored a tiny silver ring.  A nice find but not what I was looking for.  I continued to scan in that grid pattern and was quickly running out of beach that the family thought was the area that the ring was lost.  I got another strong signal but in an area on my detector which suggested was a bottle cap.  This is a ring search and on those we dig up everything.  One quick scoop and bingo! there bouncing in the scoop was a beautiful Hawaiian style gold ring.  Her 17 year-old daughter was all smiled getting her birthday present back on her finger.  But the adventure wasn’t over just yet.  Two more young ladies who had watched the activities asked if I could find a ring a family member had lost the day before.  Same beach but a different area.  They would have her come out the next day and show me the area.  No good deed….

3 Rings Lost in Apt Yard in Dallas, Texas

  • from Dallas (Texas, United States)
Contact:

We got a call today from a gentleman who was inquiring about our services, said he lost 3 rings in his apartment complex common area.  Something did not sound right about his story so I inquired further, letting him know that 50% of our business is from people who throw their rings, primarily women.  Letting him know I was not here to judge anyone, but that we just needed the facts so we could find the rings.

I arrived within the hour and met the young man, he ask me not to discuss the thrown rings with his wife as she was embarressed. I assured him that I would be very discrete.  I began my search by scanning the open areas between the bushes where an extreme amount of sticker vines intertwined in the bushes.  Having cleared the open areas I scanned the bushes themselves going all around the bushes.  But still no luck.  I have to then begin pushing my ATPro Detector into the bushes as far down as possible.  I then began removing all the major surface trash(tons of it).  Finally, I spotted a glint of gold between the hard stalks of the bushes… so the first of 3 rings were found.

Continuing on, I was on my knees (thank God for good Knee Pads), using my Garrett Pinpointer, and began searching by hand,  pushing my pinpointer into the bushes.  My arms were severely scratched up and bleeding (looked a lot worst than it really was), Then I found the Diamond Ring… only one more to go.  I searched and searched, it was 102 degrees and the customers were watching my every move.

I was nearly ready to quit but the client had rented an ACE250 and he began searching as well, so I continued.  There was a 4-5 ft drop-off down to a grassy area next to a sidewalk, then more grass and a pond.  The customer drop down to the lower grassy area to check there, based on the small stature of the lady who threw the rings,  I did not really think she could throw a thin band gold ring that far.  When all of a sudden her husband hollers “I found it”,  it was actually his ring which was much heavier and had flown down to the grassy area.

We never care who finds the rings, we just want them to get them found.

So the lesson here is to ask for pictures of the missing rings before your search…

But another Successful Find for the Dallas Ring Finders”

Don & Ellen Wilson

Lost IPhone 13 in Dimond Lake…FOUND!!

  • from Spokane (Washington, United States)

Andrew was tying up his family’s pontoon boat, when he bent over to grab the rope, his iPhone 13 slipped out of his shirt pocket and dove into the water. Andrew tried to dive down and find the phone without any success. Andrew turned to the computer and started researching metal detectors. After becoming overwhelmed with the idea, he decided to look up underwater metal detector rentals in his area . The Ring Finders website popped up with the answer he needed. So I got a text from Andrew today about his lost phone. We spoke on the phone and made arrangements for me to show up later that day. After arriving and putting on all my snorkeling gear I quickly made my way to where he said he bent over to grab the rope. Scanning around with my Equinox 800 I had very few targets and I knew that his phone would sing to me if I went over it. After about two minutes of detecting I got a symphony of sound in my headphones. I dove down two different times and the second, I came up with his iPhone 13. I’m completely thrilled with the reward you gave me Andrew and I really hope after drying your phone it turns on. Those iPhones are amazing when it comes to being waterproof.

Apple iPhone10 found at Smuggler’s Beach Cape Cod, MA and returned.

  • from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, United States)

July 7, 2022
The 4th of July passed without anyone calling for help in finding a lost item. Tuesday was a day for a walk in the ocean keeping up with exercise and keeping the old body moving. It was after three coins in the first hour before I heard a big target. My first scoop missed it, the second was taken with a bit more care not to mar the object which turned out to be an Apple iPhone 10. I continued on detecting with Leighton who was finding just a very few finds also.

Back at the car, the iPhone powered up but was locked and had almost no charge. We turned it off and went on to detect in a few freshwater ponds. At home I put the iPhone on the charger and after about a half an hour of charging I tried to power it up again. This time I saw a message on the screen that the phone had been reported as LOST. The best was the last sentence “Please call 508-xxx-xxxx”, which I did. Luckily the group had only started their way off Cape Cod heading home. They had been in traffic for about an hour, turned around and in less than a half hour they arrived at my home to retrieve the phone. A few quick pictures, a grateful hug and they were off on the trip back home again.

Justin, the owner of the phone that had been bought with his mother’s help had all of Justin’s photos and personal information which he was more than thrilled to have back. He had been on the beach, but not in the water and believes the phone fell out of his pocket. The tides over the 5 days it was in the salt water must have pulled the phone into about 3 feet of water where I found it. Had Justin’s friend, Colby, not put up the notice on the phone there would have been no way for me to unlock and retrieve any information that might have been used to return the phone. We all agreed that everyone should have this type of information on the startup screen or on an I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency) screen, just in case…

Wedding Ring Recovered: Waikiki Tag Team

  • from Honolulu (Hawaii, United States)

A couple of days ago I was again metal detecting one of my favorite beaches when a gentleman came up to me and asked “I’ve lost my wedding ring can you help me find it”?  He indicated that the ring was in waist deep water and was in a quiet area of the lagoon.  I was using one of my old detectors and didn’t want to take a chance on getting it wet.  I informed him i could do the shallower area but I also knew the just down the beach was another metal dectorist by the name of Brian.  I asked that while I looking for his ring if he could ask Brian to help.  Sure enough within a few minutes he was Brian were back and we began to search.  Five minutes later Brian called out and he had found the ring!  Working together to provide a positive conclusion and a happy customer is the whole point.

Wedding Ring Save at Lanikai Beach

  • from Honolulu (Hawaii, United States)

I was running errands when my phone rang.  It was Chris and Lisa asking if I could do them a huge favor and find Chris’ lost wedding ring at Lanikai beach.  I let them know it would be about 90 minutes before I could get there as I was on the opposite side of the island and still had to grab my gear from home. They said they would grab a bite to eat and meet me at the entrance to the beach.

Lanikai beach is very popular beach in a residential neighborhood with extremely limited parking.  When I arrived Chris offered to move his vehicle and let me take the parking space while Lisa and I headed to the beach.  Upon arrival with our toes in the sand Lisa marked off the area they had been sitting and by this time the tide had come in and the section of beach was awash.  Lisa let me know that I was looking for a chunky silver wedding band.  I immediately got to work scanning the area in a spiral pattern working outward from where they had been sitting.  It didn’t take long and after 5 minutes got a screaming signal of BIG silver.  One deep scoop later Chris was reunited with his ring and the nearby beach-go-ers who had been observing were all cheers.

Lost Jewelry – Waimea Beach – 2Rings and a Bracelet

  • from Honolulu (Hawaii, United States)

I woke up that morning and like a lot of us checked my phone.  I had a text from Allison asking if I still work with the Ringer Finders.  I let her know that I was a proud member and asked her about how I might.  She told me the story of how she had gone to the beach with friends and before going in the water she had taken her two rings and gold bracelet off and put them on her towel.  When she exited the water she grabbed her towel without thinking.  Instant recognition of whet she had just done as the jewelry went flying!  She described how she and her friends searched the sand but were unable to find anything.

I asked what beach this took place at and she told me Waimea beach.  Waimea is famous for its big wave (30 ft or more) surfing but what a lot of people don’t know it that is has very deep and very soft sand and that anything dropped in to that sand can vanish instantly.  I told her I would meet her at the beach but that it would take me close to 90 minutes to drive there as I lived on the opposite side of the island.  After meeting her at Waimea she took me to the area the jewelry was lost and I began detecting.  We drew a crowd but they were merely curious and rooting for Allison to get her stuff back.  After a few minutes out into the scoop popped one ring.  The a couple minutes later came the second ring and finally the gold bracelet to the cheers of the small crowd looking on!  I’ve never see a smile like the one Allison had on her face when she had all her stuff back.

Car Keys Found! Sherwood’s Beach

  • from Honolulu (Hawaii, United States)

I got a call from Josh who was directed to me after contacting another Ringfinder.  Josh and his family were visiting from the Massachsuetts. In the process of unloading all the necessary beach paraphenalia they had lost the car keys to their rental car.  He called the rental company and they informed him there would be a $500 replacement cost to get new keys to Josh.  That’s when Josh decided to try the better option to call RingFinders.  After he called I told him it would only take 20 minutes and I headed out to meet him.

Once there Josh pointed out the area they thought the keys were and we went to work.  I gridded off the path from the car to the beach chairs and began detecting the area.  After 15 minutes and collecting pop tops and bottle caps so I got a trashy but strong signal.  Scooped the target and sure enough in the scoop were the Key FOB to the rental car.  Catastophy averted.

How to find a Lost ring in Calgary

  • from Cochrane (Alberta, Canada)

 

Sometimes I get called to search for an item that “might” have been lost somewhere. When I become that last resort, I conduct a closure search, hoping to find the item but knowing that there is a good chance it won’t be found. In cases like this, I usually ask for a flat rate fee.  Recently I was called up about a lost ring in a parking lot. She was pretty sure she had the ring before she arrived and after running a couple of errands at a couple of locations, she realized it was gone. There was no certainty but she asked me to check the locations where she had parked. I did without success. Later I met with her and searched her vehicle using my endoscope (tiny camera). She had searched the car already but I was able to check all the nooks and crannies. Still not found. When I left, I told her that her ring was not in the locations where I had searched. There were two possibilities. Someone may have picked it up (I left notes at the businesses where we searched) or she may have lost it elsewhere.  Two days later, I received a text with a picture of her ring. She had found it behind some bins in a closet.  Turns out that after my search had eliminated what she believed may have happened, she began to rethink the events surrounding the loss and was able to focus her own search elsewhere. This led to the eventual recovery of her ring.  Just another example of how a recovery specialist can help you.

If you are in the Calgary area, please contact me or if you are further abroad, visit www.theringfinders.com