Wednesday, August 20, 2014:
I received a call at work from my wife Wendy this afternoon at around 1 PM. Apparently the message I left with the Lifeguard at Kaimana Beach Park paid off. Wendy told me that a lady named Lisa had called and left her number concerning a lost ring. So after my lunch break I gave Lisa a call and she said, “The Lifeguard at Kaimana Beach Park gave her my card and said I was the “Detector Guy” that found her daughters ring.” First of all I never show or tell the Lifeguard exactly what I’ve found only that it’s a “Ring” or “Bracelet” etc. I politely asked Lisa to describe the ring her daughter Talia lost and if I had it I would gladly return it to them. The ring in question was so unique it only took a few adjectives of description and I knew the owner would soon be reunited with their lost heirloom ring. The Queen Elizabeth crown ring had been in their family for over 25 years and Talia was heartbroken when she discovered it missing after going for a swim with her father and two brothers. She felt the ring come off and made an immediate dive underwater to retrieve it but as usual the sandy bottom consumed the ring on Tuesday, August 5th. After the swim out to the reef flag and back her father and brothers borrowed goggles from the Lifeguard in hopes of finding the heirloom ring in the shallow water where Talia remembered losing it. Unfortunately, after numerous attempts searching with the googles all hope was lost.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014:
This was a typical evening for me on a metal detecting stroll through Kaimana Beach in chest deep water. One of my favorite spots because the Hawaiian sunset is so spectacular from this beach. About an hour before sundown after finding a few clad coins I get a very loud yet growling tone on my Excalibur thinking to myself it’s another Corona bottle cap. But what in my scoop should appear the most unusual 14 karat gold ring that I’ve ever seen. I almost didn’t dig this ring as the crown shape made it sound like a growling bottle cap. A word to the wise “DIG EVERYTHING”. You’re either removing trash from the environment or uniting a family with a lost heirloom. Both are good deeds. I immediately went to the Lifeguard and asked if anyone had reported losing a ring. He said not today but thought the day before a family that frequents the beach regularly had lost a gold ring but he didn’t remember the details. Since he had my card if any reports were made or the next time he saw the gentleman he would give them my contact information. As many of you know timing is everything especially in this hobby. The story behind this ring is Lisa purchased it from a museum for her mother 25+ years ago on a trip to London England. When Talia was visiting with her grandmother her grandmother noticed Talia liked rings (as she was wearing many on her fingers) so she gave the Queen Elizabeth Crown to her. Talia cherished this ring and was devastated when she lost it. As the story goes and as brothers always do they told their mother she lost it while swimming. Lisa and I arranged to meet in front of Zale’s Jewelry store in Kahala Mall to return the ring to Talia. Mom didn’t tell her why they were going to the mall so as you can see in the photo Talia was surprised and extremely joyful to be reunited with her precious ring. They were so grateful to me and made me feel really good as well. That’s the most rewarding part of this hobby.
