#lostringPortOrange Tag | The Ring Finders

Sunday evening, I got a text from Ron. He was working in his backyard and had lost his gold wedding ring.  Since it was on his property, we agreed to meet in the morning to look for it.

I arrived at Ron’s home, where beautiful oak trees, adorned with Spanish moss, dotted the property.  Ron took me to the back of the lot and showed me an area with some planting beds adjacent to a fence and storage area.  He said he felt it fly but searched and raked to no avail.

I fired up the Minelab Manticore and started the search at the East end of the planting beds.  There were lots of targets, so I decide to walk and cover the entire area without investigating any of the hits.  As I got between the West of the planting bed and the storage area…something caught my eye!  I was looking at the twinkling of the gold ring in the sun.

This ring representing twenty-six years of marriage was a sight find!  I gave the ring to the happy owner!  God is good.

Edward Duffey, member, Theringfinders.com

If you’ve lost a ring or other valuable item anywhere in Central Florida, call Detector Ed (https://www.facebook.com/lostringdaytona) at 757-419-0299 for the best chance of having it safely returned to you!  Maybe a class ring lost in your backyard years ago…there still may be hope of finding it…give me a call!

Early Friday morning, I got a text from Clay. He was in town for the Daytona races and had played a round of golf the day before. Sometime between the first and fourth hole, his 14-karat gold wedding ring had slipped out of his pocket and vanished.  Only married three months, he did not tell his new bride Maddie.

I told him that when it comes to lost items, time is of the essence. We agreed to meet up soon after. I grabbed my Minelab Manticore and pinpointer, loaded them into my vehicle, and headed out. As I drove, I silently prayed that God would guide me to Clay’s ring.

We met at the clubhouse and began retracing his steps, methodically checking each spot where he had parked and every tee box where he had played. We even scanned the exact areas where he had taken his shots. But after thoroughly combing through it all…no ring. Not willing to give up, we decided to backtrack from the third hole to the first, making sure to stay clear of the golfers still on the course.

At one point, Clay suggested, do you mind walking from here? I’ll head to the third hole and work my way toward you. That way, we can check along the path my golf cart took, just in case the ring slipped out while I was driving.

I said, sounds like a plan, and we split up.

I had just finished searching near the second tee box and was making my way toward the third hole along the edge of the cart path when my detector gave a strong, promising signal. I bent down, brushed aside the grass, and there it was gleaming in the sunlight, half-hidden but unmistakable. Clay’s beautiful gold wedding ring, waiting to be found.  God is good!

I received a call from Neil after he called theringfinders.com.  He was distraught after losing his white gold diamond wedding ring. As I was leaving the beach in Daytona, I told him I could be at his home in about two hours after a quick stop at mine. I prayed earnestly for guidance to help me find his ring.

When I arrived at Neil’s home in Oviedo, he took me to his front yard and explained that he had been playing with a dog when the ring went missing. He had checked his doorbell camera, which showed the ring at one point, but later, when he noticed it was gone, he was heartbroken—especially after fifteen years of wearing it.

I powered up my Minelab Manticore and began my search, covering the front yard and some hedges near the porch. I found several targets typical for a residential area, despite my efforts, the ring eluded me. After an hour of searching, I decided to switch to a smaller coil to navigate tighter spots and minimize background noise.

Starting at the edge of the grass by the driveway, I made my way to the sidewalk. Suddenly, I got a strong signal right at the sidewalk’s edge! As I set down my pinpointer, it sounded off, and to my amazement, a beautiful diamond ring rolled out from beneath a clump of grass, glimmering in the sunlight.

Neil was checking his phone for footage from the door camera when I held the ring up between us, saying, “I have a few more questions…” He looked up just in time to see the ring shining in my hand. His eyes widened in disbelief, and joy flooded his expression as I handed it back to him.

I contacted Susan about a call about a lost platinum ring.  She said she had lost it a week ago Monday, when staying at a friend’s home in Orlando, during the hurricane.  Since we both live in New Smyrna we decided to ride over together.  On the trip she told me that it was the only item that she has from her grandmother, which made it very dear.

When we arrived, I noticed a boxwood shrub circling the drive.  This is where Susan said the ring was lost as she unloaded her car.  The shrub was about 18 inches high with red rock in front and behind with other rows of higher shrubs behind that.

I spent the next two hours going over the hedge with my Manticore with the small head.  I also covered in front and behind the hedge in the red rocks.  There were lots of targets, but they were deep and not likely the ring.  After a few hours I told Susan that I had covered everything I could think of, and we went home.  Susan was devastated and said at least the ring had a gorgeous place to rest.

The next day I had an appointment to find another ring only 2.5 miles from Susan’s ring.  I found it fast and texted the friend of Susan, to see if I could try again.  I prayed on my way.  I thought of an unconventional way to detect the short shrubs…It worked!  I got a low but solid signal.  Digging past the green, deep into the dead sticks and leaves with my pinpointer, it sounded off.  Nestled in the leaves and sticks was the ring with its brilliant platinum shine!

I text Susan a picture of the ring and she called me.  She was beyond excited.  When I took the ring to my home, I found the engraving L. N. to A. R. S.  9/15/20…the ring was over 100 years old!  Susan came to get the ring the next day…many tears of joy!

I’d like to thank my good friend and Christian brother for trusting me with this call while he was out of town.