lostringpalmharbor Tag | The Ring Finders

Platinum and Gold Wedding Band Lost During Hurricane Milton Evacuation…Found with Metal Detector in Seminole, Fl.!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)

Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s Only Lost Until I Find It!

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach including the water or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Don’t waste time and money purchasing your own metal detector to try to find your lost item. Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Melissa and her family evacuated her home in Seminole. Fl. as powerful Hurricane Milton was threatening the area. Included in their preparations was removing the fish from their aquarium and Melissa had remembered removing her wedding ring and placing it in her jacket pocket to do this. Melissa then made a number of trips to place personal items in their cars before leaving the house. She also walked next door to check with her neighbors to see if they might secure their trash cans. It was dark by that time and as she was walking over she kicked something in the driveway that she thought at the time was a rock. It was sometime after Melissa was at her mother’s home where she had evacuated that she realized that her precious ring was no longer in her jacket pocket! After the threat of the storm was over, Melissa searched her home and yard as well as the edge of her neighbor’s yard for the ring but was unable to locate it. She was also concerned of the possibility that the ring in her pocket got hung up in a tissue also in her pocket that she later threw away.

About three months later, Melissa saw the story of my most recent ring recovery on a local social media page and found out about the metal detecting services I offered. She messaged me and we set up a time for me to search. I met Melissa and after she provided me the details of the loss, I began my search of the yard (which was small with a circular driveway) on the side yard and then moved to the front yard beginning with the strip of grass between the sidewalk and grass. I had only dug a few targets including several pieces of scrap metal and a penny. I did not have the husband’s matching wedding ring to provide me with a good target number to look for on my detector display and the ring was a mixture of platinum and gold so I was going to dig every target close to the surface. As I got close to the driveway I detected a solid surface target that rang up 71-72 on my Minelab Equinox 900 detector. Melissa had just stepped inside her home for a minute and as I probed into the grass with my handheld pinpointer, I spotted Melissa’s beautiful ring nestled well down into the grass and about half buried. I went to Melissa’s door and when she opened it I told her that I think I found what we were looking for! We walked over and I pulled the ring out of the grass where it had laid for over three months and handed it to her and Melissa began crying tears of joy. For me, the first “rush” comes with the find and the second one comes when I give the ring back to its owner. This never gets old!

Melissa, thank you for contacting Steve Thomas, Dunedin Ring Finder and trusting me to find your wedding ring!

Lost Wedding Band in Palm Harbor, Fl. Yard…Found With a Metal Detector!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)

Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s Only Lost Until I Find It!

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Don’t waste time and money purchasing your own metal detector to try to find your lost item. Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Phil was playing with his two year old daughter in the backyard of their home in Palm Harbor and in the process of running around with her, his wedding ring flew off of his finger into the thick St. Augustine grass. Phil, who admitted to me later that the ring was loose on his finger, believed the he knew the area where the ring landed in their small back yard so he immediately began a visual search. After he was unable to find his ring, Phil purchased an inexpensive metal detector and searched for his ring but again, was unable to find it. Unfortunately, most people who purchase their own metal detector to find their lost items are unsuccessful because they have never used one previously so they lack the necessary experience.

Phil’s wife Chrissy found me on social media (I share all my recoveries with neighborhood pages) and we arranged a time for me to come to their home to search for the ring. Phil met me when I arrived and directed me to the area where he felt like the ring had fallen. After about a 30 minute search and a few buried targets identified, I was unable to locate the ring so I expanded my search into the opposite direction, sweeping the grass with my detector coil between the vinyl fence and the pool area. After a few minutes more and very close to the pool deck I received a strong and promising surface tone and before I could reach down to probe into the grass with my handheld pinpointer, I saw the ring nestled in the grass! Phil had walked away for just a moment so I called him back over to show him the ring before I picked it up. Needless to say we were both very happy with the discovery!

Phil and Chrissy,  thank you for contacting Steve Thomas, Dunedin Ring Finder and trusting me to find Phil’s wedding ring!

Lost Hearing Aid in Safety Harbor, Fl…Found and Returned!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)

Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s Only Lost Until I Find It!

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Paula was walking down the outside stairs of her second floor condo in Safety Harbor when she fell down the last few steps and landed hard and face first on the sidewalk. She had not been using the handrail with her hands full and was badly injured including bruises and cuts to her face and a possible fractured collarbone. After she was helped back into her home, Paula realized that one of her hearing aids was missing as a result of the fall. After receiving medical treatment and returning to her home, Paula’s good friend Carol and a family member helped search for the hearing aid in the area where Paula landed but they were unable to find it. Carol found me through social media and contacted me the next day to see if I could help Paula find her hearing aid.

I arrived at Paula’s condo and realized that the search area was very small but did include under the stairs and several areas with shrubs including shrubs that bordered the complex’s pool fencing. I scanned Paula’s other hearing aid for a reading on my Minelab Equinox 900 detector so that I would know exactly what to look for and as I expected, the signal was very weak due to the very small amount of metal in the hearing aid. I also tested my hand held pinpointer because I quickly realized that I would have to do most of my search with it as there was very little room for my detector coil. I began my search on my hands and knees with the pinpointer in the area of shrubs near the fence because it was in the direction of Paula’s fall and also shook the branches of the shrubs just in case the hearing aid was hanging from one of them. I then searched the shrubs beside the stairs and the leafy area underneath the stairs by probing with the pinpointer but no luck. After about 15 or 20 minutes, I walked up the last several steps and looked down towards the sidewalk where Paula had landed when I noticed several red spots on the left side opposite from the area where I had searched. As it turns out, these were blood spots from Paula’s cuts where she fallen and then tried to get up. Carol and Paula believed the hearing aid to be on the right side of the steps since it was in Paula’s right ear. I began a visual and pinpointer search under the shrubs on the left side and after only about a minute I saw the hearing aid laying on the leaves. Paula was thrilled to have her relatively new hearing aid back in her ear! Paula requested that I not take a picture of her smiling face due to the cuts and bruises suffered in her fall so you have mine instead.

Paula and Carol, thank you for contacting Steve Thomas, Dunedin Ring Finder and trusting me to find Paula’s hearing aid! It was a pleasure meeting you both!

Gold Wedding Band Lost and Found at Honeymoon Island, Fl…Vacation Saved!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)

Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s Only Lost Until I Find It!

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Honeymoon Island State Park had recently reopened after some hurricane cleanup and visitors were beginning to return. Dave and his wife Tina are snowbirds who live in Dunedin, Florida during the winter and Deadbroke Island, Ontario the remainder of the year. They, along with niece Jenn, her husband Stephen, and nine month old son Nico, as well as niece Emma and her partner Ian were enjoying the beach late one afternoon when Stephen asked Emma to hold onto his wedding ring while he and Ian dug a hole for Nico to play in. Emma put the ring on her finger and later went down to the edge of the water to wash her hands in the surf when the ring slipped off of her finger into the ankle deep water!

After a frantic unsuccessful search by all to locate the ring in the surf, a lady who was sitting near the family mentioned my name to them so Dave googled my contact information and called me. I told Dave I would be at their location in about 45 minutes so I rounded up my gear and headed for Honeymoon. When I arrived, Dave pointed me to the area where the ring dropped in the surf which was now about shin to knee deep with small waves and a 60 degree temperature. The water was cold for this part of Florida especially without a wetsuit and it was only about an hour prior to sunset but I began my search in the wet sand out to almost waist deep, gridding lines the best I could perpendicular to the shoreline. After about 15 minutes, I received a strong surface signal with a mid 30’s number on my Minelab Equinox 900 detector in shin deep water and began to try to scoop the target out of the rolling surf. After about five unsuccessful attempts, I moved away from that promising target thinking that it must be deeper than my reading and I sought other targets close by. After another 15 minutes, I had only dug an old pull tab so I began to work my way back towards the original target. I found the mid 30’s target once more and I was determined to scoop it out the second time. On about the third scoop, I had the target out of the water in a scoop full of small shells and sand and instead of rinsing the sand out in the water, I brought the scoop to shore and dumped it on the beach, hoping that the ring was there for the family to find as they were all very excited! At first as the sand and shells were spread, nothing appeared so I swung my detector coil over the material again and told everyone that what I had dug was in a small lump of sand and shells. As the sand and shells were spread in that area, out pops Stephen’s beautiful gold wedding band with the wedding date of 12/31/23 inscribed inside! Obviously we were all overjoyed and especially Emma!

Dave and family, thank you for trusting Steve Thomas,  Dunedin Ring Finder to find and return Stephen’s ring! Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Lost Texas A&M “Aggie” Class Ring…Found and Returned Four Years Later!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)

 


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s Only Lost Until I Find It!

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

My wife and I recently spent a week in Texas with our daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons. Part of the trip was a three day beach stay in Port Aransas along with other family members on both sides including our son and his wife. Of course, any opportunity I have to do detecting on a beach I try to take advantage of it so I carried along my Minelab Equinox 900 with me.

While detecting on the beach at Port Aransas the first day, my finds had been a handful of coins, a bling ring, a bling earring and an assortment of pull tabs. After a few hours of this, I was about a half mile north of the property where we were staying when I swung my detector over a target in the wet sand about four inches down on mid tide. The number on the display and the tone in my headphones gave me indications that the target was probably a beer cap but when I scooped it out of the wet sand I was pleasantly surprised to find what appeared to be a small gold class ring! After a quick wash of the ring in the salty water, I could see that I had found a Texas A&M class ring from 2021 and the full name of the owner was inscribed inside! For those of you who don’t know how important the achievement of a class ring is to an Aggie grad, you can find out more by searching “Aggie Ring Tradition” and the “Aggie Network”. To say it’s a big deal is a huge understatement.

I returned to where we were staying and began my research. I found two people on Facebook who had the same first and last names as what was inscribed in the ring and who lived in that part of Texas but only one of the two had graduated in 2021. I reached out to her through Facebook messenger (her first name is Amber) but I did not receive a response. The next morning, I decided to post the find on a Facebook page called “Aggie Ring Lost and Found” and it wasn’t long before some of Amber’s family and friends let her know that her ring had been found! Amber then responded to me and of course was shocked that I had found it because she lost it while playing beach volleyball about four years before and had only had it about four months. She had given it up for lost and had purchased a replacement ring. I told her that I was surprised it was still there because of how many people metal detect on beaches now. Amber asked me if I could return the ring to her brother Matthew who was in College Station for his last semester at Texas A&M when my family returned from our stay at Port Aransas and I promised her that I would. The day after our family returned to College Station from Port Aransas, I met Amber’s brother Matthew and returned the ring to him so he could deliver it to Amber who was living and working in San Antonio.

Amber, I was so happy that I could return your precious Aggie ring to you!

 

 

 

Wedding Rings Lost In The Water, Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin, Fl…Recovered and Returned!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Recently I noticed a post on a local Facebook page called Honeymoon Island Lost and Found that said someone named Olivia had lost her two wedding rings at Honeymoon Island State Park. I messaged Olivia and offered my metal detecting services to her and she responded to say that she would very much appreciate my help. Olivia told me that she was at the beach with some of her husband Anthony’s family the evening before and while in the water at about 6pm she felt her beautiful platinum diamond wedding ring and engraved titanium wedding band slip off of her finger. Apparently she had some lotion on her hands before she went into the water and the effect is to make your ring a size larger than what fits snugly fits your finger. Olivia and Anthony were married in May so she only had the rings a few months before they were lost and she feared that they were lost forever. I told Olivia that I had previously had some success recovering rings from the water and not to give up hope. Olivia sent me a photo of the rings and details regarding the loss area including the approximate location pinned on a Google map. I told her that I wanted to begin the search the next morning but Olivia said she could not meet me on location until after work that day. I said that I would begin about 11am using her map and other details because I did not want another metal detectorist to possibly search that area before I had a chance.

I arrived at the loss location about 11am and marked the pinned spot on the beach with my equipment bag. Olivia had told me the she was in knee to waist deep water only about 50 to 100 feet from the shore when the rings slid off. I began the water search with my detector by walking out a little deeper than I thought Olivia might have been and gridding parallel to the beach about 50 yards on either side of where I had laid my bag. Over the course of the next hour or so I moved gradually closer to shore, only targeting a couple of pull tabs and pennies. At that point, my detector moved over a promising target and as I was pinpointing the area to dig with my scoop, I detected another promising target a foot or two away. I scooped the first target from the bottom and when I shook the sand out, I saw the diamond ring at the bottom of the scoop! Of course at that point I had a pretty good idea what the second target was going to be and after a couple of scoop attempts I was also able to recover Olivia’s wedding band from the sandy bottom! Olivia certainly had provided great directions and it only took about an hour to recover both rings. I messaged Olivia when I got back to my car and told her that she had received the miracle she had asked for! About thirty minutes later Olivia messaged me and then called me and was obviously elated that she was getting her rings back. We arranged a time and place for a joyful return later that day.

Olivia and Anthony, thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find and return your precious rings. And thank you for the beautiful thank you note that included a generous recovery reward. God bless and Godspeed to you both. I love my calling!

Lost I Phone Found During Earring Search, Honeymoon Island, Dunedin Fl…Returned!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Recently I received a message from someone who had lost one of her gold earrings while visiting Honeymoon Island with her children. During my second search of the area where she thought she had lost the earring, I detected and dug up a phone in the soft dry sand. This was the second phone I had recovered recently at Honeymoon Island; the first one was in about knee deep water while I was searching for a lost ring.

I was able to charge the phone and unlike the first phone I found, thankfully the owner had his emergency medical contact information on the emergency call screen. I called one of the contacts listed and he in turn contacted the owner whose name was Harry who had lost the phone two days before while visiting Honeymoon Island with several friends. Harry called me on another phone he was using temporarily and later that day came to my home to pick up his phone.

Harry, it was a pleasure meeting you and being able to return your phone. And even though you shouldn’t have, thank you for the generous reward as well!

Lost Gold Necklace, Honeymoon Island State Park, Fl….Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)


Steve Thomas

Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Nico and some friends were at Honeymoon Island State Park at sunset when he realized that his necklace had come off in the rough water. The necklace was a 14k gold chain given to him by his father to wear. Nico and his friend Tyler searched by sight in the water before it got too dark to see and then by feel after dark but were unable to find the necklace.

Nico googled “lost and found Honeymoon Island” and found my Dunedin Ring Finder page. He texted me the next morning to tell me what had happened and asked if I could help him find the necklace. Nico said that he and his friends had to return to Orlando that morning but that he had time to meet me at the loss location if I could. I told Nico how important it was to have him point out the exact location to me on site and also to begin the search as quickly as possible before another metal detectorist might find it. Nico and Tyler met me at the loss location and Nico said that he was swimming in about waist deep water when he felt the necklace come off of his neck. Thankfully the current tide time was about the same as at the time of loss. I placed my detecting bag on the beach as a marker and waded out to begin the search while Nico and Tyler grabbed some food to go from the nearby cafe. I searched for perhaps 30 minutes with just a few rusty coins and a piece of a throw net to show for my efforts. Nico and Tyler returned, I waded out of the water to meet them and then asked Nico to point out to me one more time where he was when he lost the necklace. He moved perhaps 50 feet further north and pointed out to a where a family was in about waist deep water. I moved my marker bag north to that location, wished Nico and Tyler a safe return to Orlando with the promise that if I found the necklace, it would be returned. I searched for about two more hours, working my way closer to shore with very few targets and none near the sand surface where the necklace should have been. At that point, I finally moved my coil over a surface target and although the tone and VDI number were a little lower than I thought the necklace should be, I scooped up Nico’s necklace from the sandy bottom on the second try! As soon as I was able to get back to the dry sand I texted Nico a photo of the recovered necklace and he called me back in a state of disbelief. As it turns out, Nico was only about 30 minutes away on his trip back to Orlando because he had to charge his Tesla so within about 45 minutes the necklace was back on Nico’s neck and he was happily on his way back home. Before he left, Nico asked me to speak to his father on his phone and he thanked me for finding the necklace. I told him that I made Nico promise not to wear it in the water again!

Nico, thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder with the search for your necklace and thank you for the generous reward!

Lost Wedding Ring, Spring Hill, Fl. …Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)


Steve Thomas
Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

While I was in Texas with my wife Jan for the birth of our second grandson Anson and visiting with his brother Tillman and parents Joe and Madison (our daughter), I was contacted by Michelle from the Weeki Wachee/Spring Hill Florida area in early May who told me that she lost her wedding ring while doing yard work. Even though the ring had been lost in a location that could not be searched by anyone without Michelle’s permission, I asked Michelle if she would like to wait until I returned to Florida to search for her or if she prefer that I try to contact another trusted detectorist to search as soon as possible. Michelle told me that she could wait until my return and because we would be driving back from Texas in three weeks and passing within five minutes of her home, I could search for her then.

At the end of May, we headed back to Florida, stopping several places along the way. The day before we were to pass by Michelle’s home, I contacted her and set up a time to meet her. As we got close to the loss location the next day, Michelle texted to say that something had come up and that she would not be able to meet me for the search. I told her that we would set up another time after I returned home.

Michelle and I were able to set up another search time several weeks later and that day I made the hour long drive with my detecting buddy Jim Facinelli who was going to assist in this search as well as another search for a ring in the cool spring water at Crystal River.

We arrived at Michelle’s home and shortly after, we received some more details about the loss and we began our search. Michelle and her husband had been working on their irrigation system in the left side front yard which involved a lot of digging when she realized that her ring was missing from her finger. She had thoroughly searched the area which was more dirt than grass but had been unable to find it. Michelle’s daughter Christalynn had earlier searched with her own beginners metal detector but had been unable to find her mother’s ring. Jim and I scanned the area for about 45 minutes and dug several coins along with various pieces of scrap metal. There was very little grass for a ring to hide in but that area had seen some vehicle traffic in addition to the irrigation work so the ring could have been pushed further under the ground surface. The loss area was not large and Michelle was certain that she had lost her ring in this area so we gridded it several times and dug every target. I dug a possible gold target near a utility pole and out popped Michelle’s wedding ring from about a two inch depth! I held up the ring to show Jim and we both celebrated. As Michelle and her daughter had gone inside the house to take a quick break from the heat, Jim suggested that we have Christalynn come outside with her metal detector and “find” the ring. We reburied the ring and had Michelle and Christalynn come outside to the spot and Christalynn got a signal on her detector and began digging. She dug up a penny near the ring before she found the ring and proudly handed it to her mother! Thanks to Jim for that great idea and his assistance with the search.

Michelle, thank you for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find and return your ring almost two months after you lost it!

Lost Gold and Diamond Wedding Band Honeymoon Island State Park, Fl. …Found!!!

  • from Dunedin (Florida, United States)


Steve Thomas
Dunedin Ring Finder   lostringdunedin.com

“It’s only lost until I find it!”

Lost a ring or other metal valuable at the beach or in a grassy or sandy area? Jewelry slip off of you while working outside, playing with the dog or swimming? Please contact me ASAP at (843) 995-4719 or @dunedinringfinder. I offer a FREE metal detecting service, reward optional but appreciated upon recovery!

Recently I saw a post on a local social media discussion page where a visitor to Honeymoon Island State Park named Jeff had lost his wedding band in the water in the Oasis Beach section.  I also noticed that several people who had responded to Jeff’s post had recommended my services. I reached out to Jeff on the post and he messaged my page with the loss details.  Jeff and his wife Kim live about two hours away in the Villages but he was able to provide me with some details about the loss location including some photos. Jeff explained that he was in the water about 10 to 15 feet right of a dune line tree and felt his ring slip off in waist deep water.

The next day I arrived at the loss location with my wife Jan as my “direction” assistant, fired up my Minelab Equinox 900, and began yet another water search for the “needle in the haystack”. A water search is especially challenging when you don’t have the person who lost the ring with you on site to provide an even more precise location but Jan and I were convinced we were in the right spot. I searched for about three hours, ever expanding out from where I began, using shore markers to try to not go over the same ground twice but because you can’t grid search in the water like you can on land, this is almost impossible. I dug a few trashy targets while I searched because when I’m searching for a gold ring, I dig every target. At almost the three hour mark and slightly north of where I began my search, I hit a promising target. After several sandy scoops, out popped the same white gold and diamond ring in Jeff’s photo! I messaged Jeff a photo and simply said “Found It!”. Obviously Jeff and Kim were thrilled and amazed that I was able to recover Jeff’s ring but to be honest it never ceases to amaze me either because no matter how much time you spend with good equipment, you still have to pass close enough to detect the item you’re looking for. Many call that “luck”; I choose to believe there is a little “divine guidance” involved. We set up a time about two weeks later when Jeff and Kim would back be in the area for the return.

Jeff and Kim, thank you for the generous reward and for trusting the Dunedin Ring Finder to find your ring. I was so blessed to have found it!