lost ring detective Tag | The Ring Finders

Lost wedding rings found! Eagle Springs Lake, Eagle, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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July 4th found Manitowoc, Wisconsin residents, Emily Zucchi and her family, enjoying a swim on Eagle Springs Lake, near Eagle, Wisconsin. As she waded out into the water from shore, Emily suddenly realized her wedding rings were missing from her hand! Everyone began searching but, given all the activity, visibility in the churned-up water was minimal.

I received a phone call from Emily asking for help. She found me on the Ring Finders online directory of metal-detecting specialists. Arrangements were made to meet up with Matt, Emily’s brother-in-law, at the public boat launch later that afternoon. After a 20-minute boat ride we arrived at the location. Other family members were waiting.

Water searches can be challenging. This is because it is often difficult to recall where exactly one was in the lake when the loss occurred. In Emily’s case, a log on the shore acted as a reliable reference point.

I set out four marker buoys to establish the initial search area. Being a popular gathering place, the lake bottom was littered with bottle caps, pull tabs and other metallic debris. It would be a challenge to ferret out the white-gold wedding rings from amongst all the other targets.

Being a weekday, hardly any other boats were on the water. Visibility was amazingly clear, clear enough for Emily’s brother-in-law, Billy, to spot a tiny circular structure in the sand, not far from shore. Imagine his surprise when, reaching into the water, he retrieved Emily’s wedding band!

This discovery meant Emily lost her rings very soon after leaving the shore. Forensically, this raised a question. Did Emily lose her engagement ring before or after the wedding band? Most women wear their wedding rings in a traditional order; the wedding band first, followed by the engagement ring. If this was true in Emily’s case, the engagement ring had to have come off her hand closer to the shore, that is unless she happened to be wearing them in reverse order.

I decided to continue checking the marked area with the goal of ruling it out. As it turned out, the engagement ring had indeed come off after the wedding band. A signal some 20’ away in the search zone proved to be Emily’s precious ring. The love tokens were reunited again at last! Since Emily was not present, Matt, her brother-in-law, did the honors in posing for the photo with both rings in hand.

If you or someone you know has lost a piece of jewelry, recently or long ago, on land, in the water or in the snow, don’t let its story end. Call right away. I’d love to add your smile to the growing list of clients who, like Emily, are so glad they did.

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Lost Claddagh Wedding Ring Found! – Juneau, Wisconsin

  • from Menomonee Falls (Wisconsin, United States)
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I received a text message from Elmhurst, Illinois resident, Jim Weppner, asking if I might help to locate his gold Claddagh wedding ring.

The traditional Irish ring was a gift from Cathy, Jim’s wife of nearly 60 years. He received it on the occasion of their 25th anniversary while visiting in Claddagh, Ireland.

According to Wikipedia, Claddagh rings typically have “three primary features: a heart to represent love, a crown to represent loyalty, and two clasped hands which symbolize friendship.” They were first produced in Claddagh in the 17th century.

As our communications progressed, I quickly got a sense of just how special was Jim’s ring. I received a photo of Jim with the love of his life, Cathy, on their happy wedding day in 1964. Sadly, Cathy passed away from A.L.S. a little over a year ago. Clearly, it was more than a ring.

Over a week had passed since the ring went missing. Jim had lost some weight resulting in his ring fitting loosely. He had been cleaning up fallen branches from the lawn behind his lakefront home near Juneau, Wisconsin when it was lost. Had the ring slipped off then?

Jim’s story, together with the deep sadness in his voice, fueled my determination to do all I could to find his precious love token. I offered up a prayer for wisdom and drove up to Juneau the following day. Jim’s sister-in-law, Geri and her husband met me. After surveying the property, I began searching in locations where Jim had been working. A boat dock had since been pulled ashore in anticipation of the winter freeze up. Had the ring been spotted by one of the workers and pocketed, I wondered. The thought was troubling.

A little over an hour into the search, I was scanning the grass underneath the aluminum dock when a signal caught my attention. Crawling beneath, I pinpointed the target and carefully parted the blades of grass. That’s when I caught sight of a gold rim—Jim’s Claddagh wedding band!

I took some photos and texted them to Jim. A few moments later my phone rang. The emotions in that moment made it difficult for him to speak. As for me, I thanked my heavenly Father for the overwhelming comfort extended to Jim through the successful recovery of his priceless ring.

I left the ring with Geri for safekeeping. A few days later Jim sent me a photo with the ring back on his hand.

At time of writing, Jim and I have not yet met in person. But we hope to connect one day soon. And when we do, I’ll be sure to add his smile to this, his heartwarming story.

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, even long ago, don’t let its story end. Contact me. Who knows, we might be able to add another smile to my list of over 138 happy clients who thought their rings were lost forever.

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