Dan in Sharpsburg, GA contacted me about a hearing aid he recently lost while doing yard work. Fortunately, he had a good idea of where it came off which greatly helped reduce the search area. It took a few hours, but I finally got my metal detector over it and was able to recover it and return it to him in one piece this morning.
Two Rings Reunited
As I parked my car outside of a lakeside bar in Como, WI, I knew the task ahead would be like none I had encountered before. Could I locate two lost wedding rings from the same couple? It was 2:00 pm on July 20th, 2026 and I would soon meet Shauna and Chris to hear their story in person. Like many of my searches, their story began like so many. Paraphrasing… “I knew my ring fit loosely and it came off in the water. I can’t believe I didn’t think to take it off!”
Shauna was playing with her
three young daughters, sitting in the shallow water, probably keeping her sharp, motherly eyes on each of them. Pushing off the rocky bottom of the lake to stand up, she felt the ring slip, release, and disappear. Carefully padding the lake bottom with a flat hand, only gritty sand and small rocks pushed back. Her ring was gone.
And then the twist…
When I called her back to arrange for the search, she interrupted with… there’s a bit more to the story and she proceeded to tell me that I would be looking for two rings. In the moment of losing a precious ring, an overwhelming mixture of emotions are released. Loss, regret, sadness, anger, hopelessness. I don’t know what Shauna was feeling, but her husband, Chris, stepped in to help bear the burden. He said something like… “these rings belong together…” and took off his ring and threw it into the lake. I listened to their story, paused, and asked, “This is going to sound like a strange question, but are you two fans of [the television show] The Office?” “Yes!” they replied, wondering where I was going with the question, but clearly energetic fans of the series. I pointed to Chris and said, “First, you are the Jim Halpert in this story.”
In season 6 of The Office, Jim and Pam get married.
As with most weddings, something inevitably goes wrong and for Pam she accidentally tears her veil. In the moment, to console her, Jim grabs a pair of scissors and cuts his necktie in half, refocusing Pam that their love is steadfast despite what breaks down around them. Chris reacted in love, and in my book, that gets the Jim Halpert award. Shauna later commented it did help her to get through the moment after losing her ring.
In the end, both rings were found. Shauna’s in shallow water, while Chris’s required some diving to recover it. Both searches were accomplished in an hour and a half because Chris and Shauna put me in the perfect locations. Their sharp memories gave me the best chance to use the tools and knowledge of metal detecting to reunite the rings.
Kevin’s group had just kicked off their vacation week at Emerald Isle, NC, when he headed into the ocean, wading in waist- to chest-deep water. That’s when he felt his wedding band of 10 years slip off his finger. A few days later, a friend told him about detectorists who can search for lost items, and on the second morning after losing the ring, Kevin reached out to me.
I was getting ready for a trip out of state and had little time due to packing and appointments, so I told Kevin I could only spare about two hours to search but would give it my best shot.
Arriving just before low tide, I started in the deepest areas but found nothing at first. After about an hour and more conversation with Kevin, my metal detector suddenly gave off a loud signal. Spotting the ring, I called Kevin over with “a very important question” and asked, “Does it look like this?” Kevin was stunned to see his lost wedding ring.
#thecrystalcoast, #boguebanks, #crystalcoastringfinders, #emeraldislenc
I found this class ring and did the research to try and return it… On 7/15/2026
UPDATE FOUND OWNER OF THE 1973 CLASS RING ON: 7/17/2026
I was able to find the owner of this ring. Turns out the daughter lost it when she was 15 while at a church event. She is 41 now, so it’s been lost for 26 years! We are planning on meeting up next week!!
This was a hard one. There are so many Northeast schools and only two with a Viking mascot. One in FL and one in PA. I had to go to the class of 1973 class page and checked out their class roster and found the only person it could have been. Searched the name on FB. I found a post that had the mom and daughter and I messaged the daughter, after we talked over the phone we confirmed it was the ring she had lost 26 years ago!!!
So glad I was able find it and even more excited that I will be able to return this ring to the family!
UPDATE RETURNED ON: 7/19/2026
I successfully returned the 1973 class ring back to the daughter that lost it 26 years earlier! She is going to surprise her mom with the ring soon.
I loved the research challenge and even more when I found the rightful owner and was able to return it to the family.
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Total ring recoveries since joining “The Ring Finders” 117 total!
Ring count for 2026: 82 (22 – recoveries/1 – return)
GOLD – 23 (18 – recoveries/1 – return)
GOLD/STAINLESS – 1
PLATNIUM – 4 (4-recoveries)
SILVER – 18
TUNGSTEN – 2
JUNK – 34
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“DIG IT ALL, SAVE SOME RINGS, BURY THE DRAMA!”
Received a text today from a gentleman saying his wife lost her engagement ring in the back yard and if I could help. I replied, “of course I can help, just send me the address and I’ll be on my way.
Got the address and headed out! When I arrived he showed me the area she thought it was lost and it turned out to be about 10 feet to the right of that area. It only took me about 10 mins to find it!
Another return and another happy customer!
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Total ring recoveries since joining “The Ring Finders” 116 total!
Ring count for 2026: 82 (21 – recoveries)
GOLD – 23 (17 – recoveries)
GOLD/STAINLESS – 1
PLATNIUM – 4 (4-recoveries)
SILVER – 18
TUNGSTEN – 2
JUNK – 34
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“DIG IT ALL, SAVE SOME RINGS, BURY THE DRAMA!”
Received a text from this ladies husband saying his wife had lost a very sentimental earring in their yard while spreading mulch and asked if I could help.
After getting the location details, I headed out. I arrived, got the story and began my search. I used her other earring as my example in the program I was using but it wasn’t picking it up very well. After about 50 mins I switched coils and settings and used her other earring as my example again. After a few more mins I found it right where I had started! My first settings and coil wasn’t picking it up very well. Sometimes you have to take a step back, adjust and try again.
She had come out crying at one point so I knew I had to find this earring for her! I could tell it meant so much to her and I wasn’t going to give up until it was found! I told her “All hope isn’t lost, I will give it my all and do my best to get it back to you.”
They both were inside when I found it. So I still had the other earring and some nails. I knocked on the door and she answered and I said “I wanted to give you the other earring and these nails!” But I had both earrings in the mix and the surprise on her face was priceless!!!! She was so emotional, thankful and she went and played the same prank on her husband!
This is why I do this. I love these happy endings that makes my day!!!
A couple of weeks ago Stephen contacted me about his wife’s lost ring. He said that it was most likely in their back yard, with very specific spots where it could be. However he mentioned that the only other place it could be was inside their house. So we agreed that I would search the yard at least to hopefully find the lost ring, or at least eliminate the possibility if we were unsuccessful.
I arrived at Stephen’s house the next day and he outlined the most likely locations of where his wife’s ring was lost. I got started and after spending about 30 minutes in those locations we decided to expand the search to some less likely spots where his wife remembered being the night she lost her ring. But further expanding the search area proved fruitless as well.
After checking a couple of very unlikely but possible spots and also double checking the entire perimeter that I had searched, Stephen, his wife, and I discussed the situation again and decided to have them search the inside of their house again. In talking about their prior search of the house his wife described a rattling sound in the couch when they were searching around in the cushions. So I said, “You better search that couch again!” I told them I would be glad to come back if they had any other ideas or wanted more help searching inside their house as well, but that I had a strong suspicion that the ring was in the couch.
Sure enough, 15 minutes later, Stephen texted me that they had found the ring in the couch! I’m glad the process of elimination resulted in honing down their search area to the next most likely location which turned out to be the exact location that it was lost.
Sentimental value cannot be measured. This unfortunate incident was filled with meaning: Ron had been golfing when he put on his father’s ring — a ring given to him by his mother a few years earlier. His father died young and the ring had been tucked away and nearly forgotten until his mother found it and offered it to Ron. He accepted immediately and asked his wife to have their wedding date, along with his parents’ wedding date, engraved inside.
While on the course he slipped the ring into his pocket, later reached for money, and didn’t notice his pocket had turned inside out. Realizing it was missing, Ron retraced his steps, rented a metal detector, and searched the area but found nothing. He called me, and we went to the most likely spot and searched until the ring was recovered.
I feel privileged to have been part of this deeply sentimental recovery. Ron, you are a kind soul — your gratitude meant everything. Thank you for choosing me to find your ring.
Lost Heirloom Engagement Ring Recovered at the Jersey Shore – Just After Sunrise!
Recovery by Edward Trapper – NJ Ring Finder
Serving Long Beach Island & All of New Jersey
I received a call from Sam, who was desperate to find his fiancée Megan’s lost engagement ring. The couple had been spending the holiday weekend at the Jersey Shore with family, enjoying a beautiful beach day.
At some point during the day, Megan removed her engagement ring—a family heirloom—for safekeeping and placed it in a beach bag lying near their towels. Throughout the day, the bag was used frequently, and by the time they returned to the house that evening, the ring was gone.
They rushed back to the beach and searched frantically, but had no luck. That’s when Sam reached out to me for help.
I immediately drove up to the beach and met them at the exact location. The beach was already getting crowded with people gathering for the fireworks show, but they were able to show me where they had been. We searched the area thoroughly. Even some nearby beachgoers moved their setups to give us room—but still no sign of the ring.
I expanded the search all the way to the high tide line and beyond, covering every possible location the bag may have been moved to. After a long, careful search with no success, I told them that if I had the chance, I’d return early the next morning.
On the drive home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the ring was still out there—just waiting to be found.
At 5:00 AM the next morning, I returned to the beach and began searching again. Within minutes, I heard a clear signal—and there it was: a stunning heirloom engagement ring safely in my scoop.
About an hour later, Megan returned my call in total shock. She and Sam hurried back to the beach to be reunited with the ring they had feared was lost forever.
This was a recovery I’ll never forget—one that shows how important it is not to give up. I’m so glad I was able to help bring it back home where it belongs.