How to Find a Lost Ring in the Sand: Expert Tips from NJ Ring Finder Edward Trapper
I was at a family barbecue on a holiday weekend when I received a call from Jodi. She was at a private beach club and had lost a cherished family heirloom ring. The ring was deeply sentimental, and she was understandably distressed. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it out that day due to bad thunderstorms rolling through the area—it’s never safe to be on the beach during lightning. The good thing was the location was private and no detectorists would be there.
I asked Jodi to open Google Maps, take an aerial screenshot of the location, and mark the spot where her chairs had been set up when the ring was lost. After she sent it over, I called her back to clarify a few details. We made arrangements for me to arrive first thing the next morning, Jodi also coordinated with the groundskeeper to ensure I’d have access to the beach.
Early the next morning, I arrived and started heading toward the marked location. As I walked, I noticed a large red cone directly in my path. I thought, That cone looks like it might be near the spot. Sure enough, Jodi had placed it right where she thought the ring had fallen—something she’d forgotten to mention!
Within just a couple of minutes of scanning the area, I got a strong, promising signal. I carefully used my sand scoop, sifting through the soft white sand. And there it was—Jodi’s beautiful ring! I took a few pictures of the find since Jodi hadn’t arrived yet.
When Jodi arrived about 20 minutes later, I handed her the ring. She was amazed and overjoyed. As we talked, she shared the story behind the ring: it was custom-made piece, with three birthstones, representing her three daughters, making it irreplaceably sentimental.
Every recovery has its own unique significance, reflecting how much these items mean to their owners. This was another heartfelt recovery to add to the books.
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I got a text one evening from my old boss, he was asking it if still do recoveries. He explained that he was on the beach and a guy was digging around in the sand looking for something. He couldn’t help but ask what he was doing, and he said looking for my wedding ring. With that he told them about my and exchanged my information. Alex called a few minutes later and we went over what happened. He had decided to jump into the ocean for a swim, but prior to doing so, placed his ring and other stuff he was holding into his pants pocket. I had to head right there due to the fact that beach is heavy detected, and the ring might not last overnight. We walked right out to the surf as the tide was coming on rather quickly. Alex had some things marking the area, and i quickly started searching down low on the hill. He was pretty sure his stuff was up higher but I just wanted to make sure before the water got too far up. I completely covered the area we thought the ring would be, without any sign of the ring. Alex and his wife Carlie were on vacation and has to leave, as some friends were up at the restaurant waiting for them. I wasn’t given up just yet, and continued to search the path they had taken back to the dune walkway. With the very deep/soft white powdery sand the Jersey beaches have, it was no to easy seeing right where they had walked. After walking half way back, I turned around and did another sweep back to the water with no luck again. Spreading out even further to the north I located his ring about 150’ from the high tide line. I quickly called him, hoping to catch them before they left the area, which I did. We met on the boardwalk where I handed his ring back, which made the end of his vacation fantastic.
I was over on LBI checking out the beach when I received a call from Stephen. He had been doing yard work earlier in the day and noticed his wedding ring was not on his finger when he was wrapping it up for the day. Stephen had stated that between raking leaves, trimming some bushes, and a few other odds and ends around the yard, somehow his wedding ring went missing. I asked him if anything was brought to the recycling center, and his response was no, which was a big relief. I told him I could swing by in about 30 min. which worked perfect for the both of us. Once I arrived we went over in detail exactly what he was doing, and then we narrowed it down to the most likely place his ring could have been lost. After a short discussion, we headed over to the area he had been bagging some leaves, and in the same spot he had been loading brush into cans. I made a half dozen passes with my machine, when I received a really nice signal, and BINGO, there was Stephens wedding ring just a few inches under some yard debris. The look on his face was priceless as I handed his lost ring back.
I was at work when I received a call from George inquiring about possibly recovering his family heirloom ring from his lagoon. We went over the details of when and how the ring was lost, and knowing the area quite well, decided it would be best if I swung by prior to committing to do the recovery. A few days later I met George at his house and after going over exactly what he did when the ring flew off into the lagoon, we decided with the 5′ tide swing this had to be done at low tide. The following week worked perfect with our schedules. My first attempt didn’t work out so well, it was blazing hot, the greenhead flies were eating us alive, and the mud on the bottom was black and bottomless. After about 2 hours I threw in the towel but assured him I would be returning for another attempt. I believe at that point George had given up hope of ever seeing his ring again. Over the next week or so our schedules didn’t work with the tide, so he agreed for me to swing by when conditions were right, whether he was home or not. WELL, after some adjustments to my recovery approach, and taking my assistant wife LEE, and good luck charm, the ring was in my scoop within 15 min. I knew this would mean the world to him, so I decided to do a surprise return, and set the whole thing up with his wife and son. I arrived just as they were getting back from fishing, put the ring in my scoop, and headed down the driveway where we met. We all talked a bit, I asked how they did fishing, then told him I did really well, and put my scoop out. He was kinda puzzled, and I said look in the bottom, and when he did, he could not believe his eyes. Then we let him in on the whole plan. I have the video of the return, just need to edit it, stay tuned. That moment right there is what makes doing recoveries so rewarding.
I received a call late one evening from Lisa. She had just arrived back home after a nice weekend at the beach with her family. She was entering the water holding hands with her daughter, and when she bent down to grab a shell, their hands slipped apart, and off the ring slid. With the waves washing up, it immediately disappeared, to who knows where. After looking for quite a bit with no luck, they had to pack up and head home. She knew all the right things to do to mark the location, which she conveyed to me on the phone, and we agreed to give it a shot on the next low tide. Its obvious now she had the spot marked perfectly, because I had the ring within 45 min of starting my search. It was to far for Lisa to travel, so we decided the best thing would be for me to mail them back, so I packed them up, and by the next morning they were back where they belong. 
