Well, it was a typical 4th of July weekend. The first call for help came with a story about the ring tagging along. The easiest way to tell this is to copy the Thank You note for finding and returning James’ claddagh ring.
Rick,
My father bought me this ring 10 years ago. My grandfather had just passed away and had given his ring to my brother, the oldest boy in the family. So, my father took me when getting that one sized to get one of my own.
A few weeks ago, at my brother’s wedding, nobody remembered the wedding bands, not me, my brother, sister-in-law, planner, nobody. So when the priest asked for the rings, I turned my back to the crowd and slipped off my ring and my brother did the same. They used these to bless their marriage. I was devastated to lose mine. I cannot thank you enough.
Received a call from Mike yesterday (7/2/19) afternoon. Mike had lost his wedding band in the surf a few days ago. Needed to wait for low tide which wasn’t until 3:30 am this morning, decided to go for the early am tide as the crowds for the afternoon low were going to be heavy. Took a ride over this morning and picked the ring in a few minutes. It was reunited with its (newly wed) owner this morning. Client unavailable for photo.
Last night was definitely a first for me. I got a call at 8:45 from Kerem telling me that his wife Kara had lost her ring on Pensacola Beach earlier in the afternoon. They are over here from Texas celebrating the week of Independence Day and this was definitely throwing a kink in the festivities. I started asking a few questions and quickly realized that this was not one ring but three separate rings and all they knew was they had been lost somewhere between the parking lot and the water. 😳I almost bowed out but I’m sentimental about wedding rings and when Kerem also explained that one of the rings was a silver and diamond band from Kara’s grandmother, I knew I had to go. An hour later I was at the beach meeting my new friends and listening as they excitedly tried to tell me where to start. I suggested that they let me ask them a few questions and moments later Kerem and I were headed down towards the water while Kara promised to follow after a quickphone call home. Kerem had marked where they had been sitting and based on our talk, I thought that would be the best place to start. When I got to the mark I could see all the digging marks where they had been trying to find them earlier and I started to do a spiral pattern. I didn’t go five feet before I had a strong gold signal in my headphones and scooped up a small solid gold band. Kerem had turned to look at something else and didn’t see me do it in the dark so I got his attention and said, “is it ok to start with this one?” and I opened up my hand to show him the ring. Kerem absolutely freaked out and yelled “You just found my wife’s wedding band!” He literally picked me up hugging me. 😄I quickly got back to it and didn’t even get a full swing in before I got the next signal. Kerem dropped down to his knees to watch as I unearthed a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. All that was left was the silver ring that belonged to Kara’s grandmother. I only had to make a few more passes and about 3 feet away I got another tone. In less than about 3 minutes a very happy Kerem and I were headed back to the parking lot with all 3 rings in my hand. When we got back to Kara we had a little fun with her saying we didn’t want to get started without her and she hurriedly started towards the beach. When I told her that I would save her the walk and opened my hand, the tears and the hugs started immediately. Kara put the rings on and when I told her that I still needed a picture, she took them off and immediately dropped one in the parking lot. I told them both to freeze so they wouldn’t step on it and got down on my knees with my light. I saw the little gold band underneath the car and handed it back to her. She exclaimed that she was still missing one and Kerem told her that she had all three. She quickly told us both that she had lost four and not three rings and Kerem had told me wrong. To make matters worse, it was still the Grandmother’s silver ring that was still missing and Kara promptly burst into tears again. I reassured her that I could find the spot on the beach again and we double-timed it back down to the beach. Luckily once we found the spot, it only took about another minute and I was able to hear a high tone indicating silver. I reached down and sifted through the sand and pulled out a beautiful little ring. In the light of my headlamp I could clearly see the 925 stamp for silver and Kerem and I were able to give back the fourth and final ring to Kara. Even though the actual search time wasn’t that long, I’ve never experienced the emotional roller coaster that this hunt was and I have certainly never found four different rings for someone in a night before. Kara and Kerem, y’all are awesome people and I’m so glad you gave me a call to come help. Keep those rings where they belong.😃💍
Tim and his family were spending the day at Mission Beach on Thursday. He had set up a tent and was soon informed that camping tents were not allowed. In his haste to strike the tent and gather the gear, apparently, his ring came off. When he discovered it missing, naturally, they all looked in the bags, gear, tent, and sand, but. no ring. I get the call on Saturday in the early afternoon. They had returned to the beach at the same location hoping to find the ring. Knowing the traffic and parking nightmare that is Mission Beach on a Saturday afternoon, I was able to convince the wife to come along so she could drop me off and then look for the mythical parking spot. All worked as planned, and after meeting the wife and kids, getting the low down on how the ring was lost, and being shown the search area, I begun my search. Maybe 15 seconds later, I get my first target, a solid 21 on the Equinox, and scooped up his cobalt (only my second one of these) wedding ring. Tim got me right on the spot! Everyone was thrilled and better able to enjoy the rest of the day. My wife hadn’t found that theoretical parking spot yet, so, she circled around, came back, and picked me up. Drive time, over an hour, recovery time less than a minute! A pleasure meeting you all, and thank you for the reward.
I’m late on posting this one but a few weeks ago I got a call from Chris and Heather. They had been enjoying one of our local beaches here in Pensacola looking for shells the day before when Heather’s rings came off of her hand. Unfortunately, this was both her engagement ring and her band together and they fell off somewhere on the beach in all that sand.When Heather told me where they were I immediately headed out because I knew that it was a popular beach and I had to find them quickly. Chris sent me a google pin and when I got there something didn’t look right based on my conversation earlier with Heather. A quick phone call and some telephone detective work got me to where I thought they had been and I started my search. It wasn’t very many passes laying out grid lines until I looked over just a little outside where they thought the rings might be. I remembered them saying that they were looking for shells and I saw a little pile of broken shells. These were the kind that you might pick up and then discard later when you realized they were broken. I decided to walk that way and sure enough, moments later I had the rings in my scoop. I love it when people trust me enough to have me look for their rings even when they can’t be there. When I send them that initial picture and talk to them on the phone you can hear the pure happiness coming through the line. Congratulations Chris and Heather and thank you so much for trusting me to help you out. 😃💍
Neiva decided to play some volleyball and soon discovered that her ring was hurting her finger, so, she removed it. After the game she tried to put the ring back on, but, found her finger had swelled a bit and wouldn’t allow that. The ring was then thought to have been placed in her bag, but, apparently it was left on the blanket. Later when getting ready to leave, Neiva picked up the blanket and gave it a shake to remove the sand. When she searched for her ring, it wasn’t in the bag, and obviously now, wasn’t on the blanket either. She and her friends searched with their fingers sifting through the sand, but, could find the ring. Neiva Googled for help, and my name came up. Being a sunny Sunday afternoon during the summer, I knew the beach traffic and parking was going to be a nightmare, but, headed into the fray anyway. Sure enough, traffic was backed up, and once I got to the beach, dozens of cars were circling the lots waiting for an opening. I finally found a spot and headed to the volleyball court to meet Neiva. She showed me the area where she had her blanket and bag, and I began my search. First target read a nice solid 10 on my Equinox, but, turned out to be part of a pull tab. Next signal was a solid 6 and was her ring. A happy Neiva could now join me in the traffic and head home. A pleasure meeting you and thank you for the reward.
Friday night I got a call from a man named Wes saying that his wife had lost her ring on Pensacola Beach. I talked to him for a bit and got some info. He told me that they had tried to look for it already and said that they might try again. I explained to him that searching for it can usually drive a gold ring deeper into the sand because of the differences in density. I also told him that I was going to be in the area the next morning dropping off my son at Lacrosse practice. Wes asked if I would head across the bridge after and we set a time to meet. When I walked down onto the beach I got a bit concerned because I could see the fresh tracks of the machine that drags the sand to pick up trash, etc.However, when I found Wes and he pointed to the area where the ring was lost, I started to get the feeling that this nice couple was going to be lucky since the tracks stopped about 50 yards away. When Wes told me that they were sitting 37 steps away from a landmark and he had brought a 100ft measuring tape, I knew that there was a great chance of finding his wife’s ring. Sure enough, in less than 10 minutes on my third pass I got a nice tone and gently pulled up her ring in the first scoop. Thanks for calling me Wes and thanks for being so thorough. I’m very glad y’all got your ring back. 👍😃💍
I got a call from a gentleman named Don that said he had received my card from the front desk of Margaritaville on Pensacola Beach. I was excited to hear that they gave him a card because I had dropped some off several months ago and it was great to hear that they were saving them in case someone needed me. Well Don definitely needed me!He had dropped his wedding ring somewhere out in front of the Hotel while staying here in Pensacola Beach. To make matters worse it was his solid Platinum band given to him by his wife to commemorate their 20 year anniversary and he didn’t know whether he lost it in the water or in the sand. Luckily for him, I have detectors that work equally well in both spots. I’d love to tell you amazing stories about finding it but the fact is that once I walked Don through where he was and what he was doing, it was a no brainer to start in an area on the sand. Sure enough, in about 5 minutes I told him that I had a tone that didn’t sound right but it was safer to dig them all. When I pulled it up, he was expecting to see trash when he looked in the scoop. I love watching someone’s face when the realization hits them that their precious ring has actually been found. Don high-fived me and immediately called his wife with the good news. He thanked me about 100 times and I can honestly say that I was thrilled to be able to help. 👍
On May 7th, 2019 I received a call from Vi stating that she lost her ring in a back yard area directly behind her home. She stated she searched for it for hours in the grass/vegetation with no success and even borrowed a friend’s metal detector, but never using a detector before, all she said she heard was a bunch of noise! We immediately made plans to search for it the next afternoon.
Upon my arrival, Vi took me to the area she believed it was in. I could see she did a LOT of searching as the grass/vegetation was very disturbed. I immediately began to search and within 15 minutes…..
Vi could not believe it! She said, “I looked in that area for hours!” The ring is now back where it belongs. Vi kindly asked not to be pictured on my blog, but agreed to the picture of the ring in and on hand and of course I obliged.
If you ever find yourself in need of my service, don’t hesitate to contact me. The quicker you call me out, the better the odds of recovery. As far as doing it yourself and renting/buying a metal detector, keep this in mind. Anyone can buy an airplane if they can afford it, it does not mean they know how to fly it!
My searches don’t just deal with rings, and rings, and more rings! But every so often, I get the special phone call to conduct a search for a lost key or set of keys.
Jennifer is a professional dog sitter in the Washington D.C. area. She checked out a directory online called The Ring Findersand then contacted me early on a Sunday in late March to see if I could search for a key that she lost while taking one of her client’s dogs out for a daily walk in Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia.
This key was not just any key! It belonged to her client’s house who owned the dog that she was taking out that night in which it got lost! Not good! Especially because all of the locks pertaining to this key would have to be replaced if it was not recovered! Expensive indeed! There was also another serious factor. Jennifer mentioned to me the urgency of finding the lost key because there had been a number of auto thefts in recent days and weeks in the neighborhood. If the key fell into the wrong hands, this could put her client’s family at risk for a break-in! Again, not good at all!
So, I immediately made my way into the District in the early evenin hours. Meeting Jennifer and her fiance’ was a real pleasure! They were just as committed to the search as I was about to embark upon. The two of them searched all throughout the evening, the night before, and neither one of them had any luck in retrieving the key. That’s why I was called in to help out.
I explained to the engaged couple that our job was to find the key together and that it didn’t matter who ends up finding it! We just needed to get it back! I find that just my presence and abilities to find lost things, re-motivates the one who lost the item to partner up and make a new determination to get their prized possession back!
As a team, we set off to the park and retraced Jennifer’s steps as best as possible to conduct the search. I probably spent a good 30 minutes metal detecting various parts of the park where Jennifer had walked the dog, before heading down a hill, along a path that took us towards a road at the bottom of that park section. I was pretty confident that the key was definitely not in the areas that we searched.
Jennifer’s fiance’, Edward, carefully looked to the left of the path that started to wind around a bend, while I detected along the right side of the walkway. No more than a couple of minutes had passed, (just as I had been encouraging the couple that the key could turn up in the very spot that they had looked over multiple times) when Edward excitedly announced that HE FOUND THE KEY! We were all elated! I was so happy for the lovely couple!
This story is an example of an item that was found as a result of us all working as a team and not just “handing over the keys” to the metal detectorist to solve the mystery! In this case, they actually said that they wouldn’t have returned down to the lower section of the park (because they had already searched and searched the spot where the key was actually found and to no avail over and over again), had it not been for me having to search in the lower regions of the park path. So, we all played a part! They unnecessarily apologized to me for sending me to the search when it turned out that one of them ended up retrieving the key. I explained to them that I truly meant what I said earlier when I shared that this was to be a team effort! I stood behind my words because it’s not about who finds the lost item, but rather it’s about getting that item back! And in this case, time really was of the essence!
Jennifer contacted her clients with the fabulous news, which brought such relief to their minds, and then we headed back towards our cars at the entrance to the park.
This recovery of the key was a story of team work! It didn’t get any better with the outcome! I even had enough time that evening (it was 8pm by that point), to pick up a pizza, and drive to 2.5 hours to Philadelphia through the night to bring a birthday cake to my son, Danny, who turned twenty-one years old on this 31st of March! I had just celebrated with him on Friday through this Sunday, 1am this morning, because he finally became legal! I didn’t want him to go to bed at the tail end of his birthday without some more cake! (He is in his third year of college at the time that this story is written). It was a fantastic day and night all around!
I told Edward that he was the hero that night in spotting the key! I also told him that this was great practice for him in regards to their future marriage! I said with a smile, “There will be a whole lot more opportunities, Edward! A whole lot more!” We all laughed while Jennifer hugged her best friend and hero of the night!
Check out the video of my search for the key with Jennifer and Edward!
CALL BRIAN RUDOLPH WITH THE RING FINDERS AT (301) 466-8644 AND HE WILL RETURN TO YOU WHAT HAS BEEN LOST!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO BRIAN’S SEARCH VIDEO YOUTUBE CHANNEL TO RECEIVE NOTIFICATIONS WHEN THIS LATEST SEARCH VIDEOIS UPLOADED! BRIAN’S SEARCH VIDEOS ARE FOUND ON HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL – THE RING RETURNER.
