How to find a lost ring in yard debris, Princeton NJ, recovered by Edward Trapper, NJ Ring Finder
I noticed a post on one of the lost jewelry pages about a missing wedding ring, lost somewhere in the backyard within a pile of yard debris. Someone had tagged me on the post, and later, Cheryl gave me a call. She explained that her husband, John, had been doing yard work, moving logs, branches, and leaves when he realized later that day his wedding ring was missing.
John was 99% sure the ring was in the yard and had a pretty good idea of where it might be. He believed he had felt it pull off his hand when he threw some debris. I asked Cheryl to send me a short video to make sure Id be able to swing my metal detector in the dense thicket where the ring might have landed. From the video, everything looked manageable, so we arranged to meet the following morning.
When I arrived, John and Cheryl came outside to greet me. I grabbed my equipment, and we walked out to the backyard. I had John recount exactly what happened a few times to make sure I had all the details. His story on the phone matched what he told me in the backyard, which gave me confidence that the ring was out there.
I got to work right away. After quickly scanning some larger areas and checking along the back fence, I only picked up a few signals, none consistent with a platinum ring. But then, I spotted a large pile of leaves and small sticks about three feet from the back fence. It looked promising, especially since John had mentioned pulling debris with his bare hands in that spot.
I scanned over the pile and picked up a strong, steady signal. It could have been the ring, though there was a chance it was just a pull tab. I cleared an area where the signal was strongest, digging down about two feet. Sure enough, at the very bottom of the pile, I found John’s ring.
Meanwhile, John and Cheryl were chatting by the pool about yard work. I cleaned the ring off a bit, stood up, and held it high to show them. Cheryls eyes widened, and she immediately said, I can’t believe you found it already! Where was it?
They both hurried over, and I showed them the cleared area in the middle of the leaf pile. They were absolutely stunned at how quickly I had found the ring.
I explained that preparation and listening carefully to the customer are key to a successful search. Narrowing down the possible locations allows me to focus on the most likely spots first, which saves a lot of time and effort.
Finding lost items isn’t just about luck it’s about methodical searching and trusting the process.
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When Mitch texted me on a Saturday with the hopes of recovering his Google Pixel 3 from the muddy depths of Whitewater Lake, I was leaving to dive Geneva Lake to help find a lost ring (see Bigfoot Beach Rescue). Getting to Whitewater, WI before nightfall was not going to happen. 
The day before, he was cooling off about 10-15 feet from the shoreline when his watch slipped off. He attempted to retrieve it himself, but like many of the dam-created lakes in Wisconsin, the water is murky and the bottom soft and muddy. These types of lakes make recovering lost items especially difficult due to low visibility and the tendency for items to submerge into the mud.
Needless to say, Christina and Kegan were relieved and grateful to have the ring returned. It felt great to return yet another precious item, and I’m thankful for the humbling lesson of knowing clearly what to be looking for ahead of time. 
