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Three Gold Coin Charms lost in Emeryville Park…Found!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I was contacted by Anna to assist with the location and recovery of three gold coin charms from a park in Emeryville, CA.  Each charm was engraved with the initials of one of the handsome men in her life, the larger one for her husband, and the two smaller for each of her young boys.  These charms were cherished Mother’s Day gifts, so when they fell to the ground and disappeared into the long grass, it was heartbreaking.  When these charms were not located after extensive searching, a quick google search brought Anna to me.

I arranged to meet the family at the park the next evening and requested permission to bring along my three boys.  It was a new and interesting park that I thought they might enjoy and the weather would be much cooler than that further inland.  I met the family and they gave me a quick run down of the who, what, when, and how as well as the exact location.  It didn’t take long to locate the first of three charms, a small one.  A few moments later, the second was recovered, the larger one.  Then for a while…nothing! After a few anxious minutes…beep, beep…We made the Recovery!

Afterward, we talked about the significance of the 3 gold coin charms while the children played in the park.  We took a handful of photos to memorialize the event, and after a while a fun soccer game broke out.  It was a great evening for everyone.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Unique ring lost in backyard garden…Recovered!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I received an email from the Mount Diablo Metal Detecting Club requesting volunteers for a ring recovery in Pleasant Hill, CA.  The ring had been lost several weeks earlier while the gentleman performed backyard gardening work.  I responded that I could be available to assist.

The following day members of the MDMDC and the local chapter of the UPI met at the residence to perform a search.  After a short description of the work being performed when the unique and beautiful ring went missing, we got to work and it did not take long for this All Star Team to Make The Recovery!!!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Discovery Bay Dock Dropped Platinum Ring Recovery!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I have been waiting for this collaboration for some time.  A close friend of mine, Evan is an experienced scuba diver with experience working on dive boats and performing lost item recoveries in deep water.  When I got the call for assistance from Sarah to recover a platinum men’s wedding band from 10′ of water, I originally turned down the opportunity.  After thinking about options for providing direction to Sarah, I made contact with Evan for his thoughts.  To my surprise he agreed to provide his services, along with my help, to give it a shot.  I think Sarah was also surprised when I contacted her saying that I had a diver.

Everyone was excited and motivated to perform the search as soon as possible.  We could not have asked for a better weather window with beautiful bluebird skies, a light delta breeze, and water conditions were not too awful either.  It took some time to get set up at the private backyard dock in Discovery Bay.  Our first search of the dark silty waters was not very productive in that we struggled to keep the diver over the target area, but a small stainless screw gave us all hope that it was possible to recover the platinum ring with the metal detector.

A second search was much more productive in the target area, but at a point Evan returned to the surface…the detector (a underwater rated machine) was water logged and quit working. Admittedly, Sarah and I were thinking that recovery was less likely now than ever.  Evan however was not quitting the cause and returned to the 17 foot depth to perform a hand search.  After several minutes he surfaced once more…We had made the recovery!!!

Evan had earlier noted a canvas boat cover in the general area under the dock.  As a last ditch effort he searched the folds of this and low and behold, by nothing but feel, recovered the missing item.  Sarah and I both shouted in celebration and the smile on Evans face bore nothing but pride.

Only moments earlier, a neighbor on a stand-up paddle board had cruised past and stated that she was praying for us!  Was this coincidence or a little divine intervention…I’ll let you decide, but we were glad for the kind gesture.

Congratulations to Sarah and her family for getting the ring back and to our exquisite diver Evan who took on the murky dark waters of the delta and won!  And, as an added bonus, no metal detectors were harmed in the making of this recovery (after drying out, it appears to be operational).

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

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Check out this beautiful earring recovered from the beach!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

When Betty walk onto Upton Beach, near Stinson Beach, CA a large gust of wind tried to blow her sun hat right off of her head. In the process, the adjustable chin strap caught on her earring and popped it right off.  She did what most people do and sought out to procure a metal detector to locate her prized earring in the dry sand.  She made several attempts at locating it to no avail.

By luck her daughter plays soccer in Marin…remember my earlier post from March, Lost Platinum and Diamond Wedding Band…Recovered from the Soccer Pitch?  As it turns out she plays soccer with the family from this story!  The family gave her my contact information and Betty reached out for assistance.

I scheduled to travel the one and a half hour drive to Upton Beach at my very next availability.  In tow, I brought my beautiful wife and toddler to take advantage of leaving the triple digit weather for the cooler coastal air. We arrived slightly before Betty and made our way to the scene of the mishap.  After a brief chat with her I got under way searching the dry sand near the entrance to the beach.  In less than 3 minutes time and even before she could finish the search contract, the first target, a perfect 6 VDI for the Equinox…We made the recovery!!!

Betty was stunned that it had happened so quickly.  She admitted to having her doubts after searching so many times, but was ecstatic to have the zephyr blown earring back in her possession. I could definitely see why, as it was a stunner!!!

I love this work!! Anyone who performs it knows just how gratifying it really is.  Thank you to Betty for trusting me with the recovery and to Eric for making the referral.  It was a beautiful morning at the beach and a beautiful story for the books.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Platinum Wedding Band Lost on Open Water Swim…Recovered In Alameda!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Mark was having a rough start to his paternity leave.  First a sick little one at home on day 1, but then the unimaginable happened to him.  While getting some exercise on Day 2 by way of an open water swim in the San Francisco Bay, he had at some point lost his Platinum wedding band.  He sent this message to me at a bit past 10pm on Sunday…

“Hi Brendon, I saw TheRingFinders website.  I think I lost my wedding band swimming this morning in Alameda, CA.  If you are available tomorrow, (I) would be willing to meet you out there.”

Unfortunately, I did not see the message until I had arrived at work the next morning. I was quick to respond to Marks request.  After a short call to discuss the ins and outs of the location, time of day, tides, and the likes we determined that the next mornings low time was our first best shot at a search.  He sent me some really cool GPS tracks of his two swims that morning and if we could get them to jive, it would make for a smaller zone to search. We might only searching the paths of travel rather than run a larger scaled grid search.  Mark also mentioned that if I had extra equipment, he would be glad to join in on the action.

I arrived and met Mark just prior to low tide, around 8am.  He was stunned at how little water there was and I was happy to know I wouldn’t necessarily need to get wet to perform this search.  I pulled out my back-up metal detector with an extra scoop and after a 5 minute tutorial on how it worked, Mark was off.  He and I decided to each take one of the paths of travel and divide our efforts into two searches.  I was completing my search efforts of the first track after about an hour.  It resulted in the removal of a minimal amount of trash but no ring.  As I made my way towards joining Marks efforts, I noticed that he was working a hole.  Moments later he shouted, “I found it!!!”.  I could see that he was fully excited as I ran down to congratulate him.  I pulled out my camera and snapped a few quick shots as he triumphantly held up his platinum wedding band. We had made the recovery!!!

Thanks Mark for allowing me to help out with the search and recovery of this ring.  I can only imagine the gratification of locating and recovering your own lost item once you had the right equipment.  You can join me on another recovery anytime!  Best wishes for you and your families future!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost Engagement Ring in Solano County…Found!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

The thing that I enjoy most about doing this work are the stories, and this was a really good one!

Mary and Frank are an elderly couple living in Solano County!  Mary had first contacted me to discuss a very important engagement ring, a yellow gold solitaire ring given to her 23 years earlier.  She had been doing a bit of gardening in the backyard when she thought to herself that it was probably a bad idea to have her wedding and engagement ring on while performing this work.  Like so many others have done, she removed the rings and put them into a pant pocket and went about her work. Later, when she tried to retrieve her rings only the wedding band was found.  She admitted to being so disappointed that she had used a bit of profanity and had been loosing sleep over the entire ordeal.

Mary had been previously married and enjoyed scuba diving. Her outings found her in contact with Frank, a boat Captain.  Frank is a Veteran Naval Aviation Navigator serving 3 tours in Vietnam and a sailing enthusiast who at the time co-owned a 40′ Valiant sailing vessel used to travel as far North as the San Juan Islands and South to Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.  The group enjoyed many trips together and a 30 year friendship. 23 years ago things had changed in their lives and Frank proposed to Mary and they have been married ever since.  To Mary, the ring represented 53 combined years of friendship and love.  I had to find this ring!

Mary led me to a beautifully manicured backyard and told me the story of how and when the ring was lost.  We decided to start with three target areas which included a small lawn area that was searched with no luck.  The second area didn’t reveal much either.  In our third target area between two small shrubs, a 12/13 on the Equinox 800…we made the recovery!!!

As I held up the ring, Mary was overcome with emotion and gave me a long and strong embrace, her nightmare was over. We took some pictures to commemorate the occasion and spent the next 20 minutes talking about travel, life, and family…the important things.  When we went into the couples beautiful home to give Frank the good news he too was excited, gave me a good handshake and made a really funny joke about kissing me!  Thank you kindly for your service to our country Frank!

To Mary and Frank I wish you all the health and happiness in the world.  Your story made me extremely happy and was an inspiration.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost Platinum and Diamond Wedding Band…Recovered from the Soccer Pitch!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I was cooking Saturday morning breakfast for the family when Eric called.  His wife was assisting with setting up soccer goals for an early game and lost her Platinum and Diamond wedding band somewhere amongst the grass.  They looked for quite some time and even enlisted the help of others at the field.  At one point there was a cheap child’s metal detector deployed, but with low batteries and an abundance of “beeps” it produced more frustration than results.

I was keen to the task, but schedules meant the ring would overnight there until the following Morning when I could get an early jump on it.  When I arrived, it was just before sunrise and it was shaping up to be a gorgeous day. The nicely groomed fields were wet from overnight fog which played a nice roll in my grid searches.  I noticed that as I swung from side to side, if I brushed the top of the grass it would change the color and I knew exactly what I had covered and where I had not.

The field was large, but Eric had met me there and showed me the target areas for our search.  It was still a large enough area to take some time and after I cleared one of the target areas we moved off to the next.  The field was trashy with a lot of deeper targets but I did locate a few odds and ends.  Then after 20 minutes or so in the new location…We made the recovery!  Tucked out of sight in the green grass the small wedding band came into view and Eric confirmed it to be our target.  We took a few photos and a video and the mission was happily accomplished.

Thank you Eric for your feedback and in trusting me with your wife’s ring.  I wish you all both the very best and hope you tell the story of the once missing ring far and wide.

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Platinum Wedding Band Lost in Benicia, CA… FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Imagine this if you will… Your anniversary is 11-11-11 and only days away.  You are only hours away from leaving for an amazing out-of-state anniversary trip with the entire family.  In fact, you were supposed to leave earlier this morning. However, flights were canceled and rescheduled due to inclement weather in another state. Plans will have to change.

Now imagine it is a beautiful cool Autumn day.  The sky is blue and the grass is Kelly green.  Crisp and colorful fall leaves are everywhere.  In an attempt to make the best out of your rearranged plans, you pack the truck with bikes, balls, and games and head to the local park.  Upon arrival, the chaos of unloading everything required for a fun time with the family ensues.  Everyone is excited!

In less than an instant, excitement turns to panic when you realize your Platinum wedding band is no longer on your hand and is missing.  Everything stops and a search for the ring becomes the new priority.  Anxiety and stress takes the place of joy and excitement.  Hours into the search and the ring is still at large.  Most of the family have now returned home leaving you to continue the unwavering search.  Eyes glued to the ground you cautiously rake the area inch by inch hoping that the ring turns up. Leaving for your trip seems unfathomable without the object.

At some point, a stranger shows up with a metal detector.  Located on THERINGFINDERS.COM, an international network of elite metal detectors, your wife has requested help.  In less than 30 minutes help has arrived on the site.  You give the dashingly handsome detectorist a quick run down of the events and locations pertinent to his search.  He asks you to complete a search contract while he gets started, and before you can even finish the brief form the platinum wedding band is recovered and the nightmare is over.

To the family…I’m so glad that I was able to assist you and with an overwhelmingly positive outcome.  Happiest of Anniversary wishes and have a safe and amazing trip!

   

                     

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Platinum Wedding Band Lost in Sunnyvale, CA…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

   

I have been requested for a string of esoteric recoveries involving planning, special equipment, and unusual conditions as of lately.  This was NOT one of them!

The most difficult part of this recovery would be the hour commute to the site.  I was requested to search for a lost platinum men’s wedding band on a sand volleyball court in Sunnyvale, CA.  This recovery was completed before the client could even complete the search contract.  Everyone was extremely surprised and happy to have located the ring so quickly!  The couple had only been married 6 months and it was the second time the ring had been lost.  I jokingly told them to keep my number on speed dial!  We made the recovery!

To the family… Thank you for trusting me with your ring recovery!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

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Buried Sewer Clean-out’s…Located By Metal Detector!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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As a member of THE RING FINDERS community, I often get calls for missing items such as; men’s and woman’s rings, earrings, cell phones, and keys.  I even have gotten a number of requests for missing or locating property pins.  I also get to meet a great deal of interesting personalities while on these requests for assistance.  Ken’s story is a little bit different and takes place on a large plot of land.  A few years earlier, he had trenched and ran new sewer lines with a clean-out every 100 feet.  Before burying these lines he capped the clean-outs with a big brass fitting.  The thought was that these large brass caps would be simple to locate with a metal detector should the need arise.

Fast forward to May of this year, Ken purchased a metal detector and fabricated a probe to rediscover his clean-outs.  After several attempts at locating them and hundreds of probes pushed into the ground, I received a request for assistance.

Our First attempts found highly mineralized ground and a lot of debris around our target area.  Usually, I would move to a smaller coil, ground balance, and turn up the target separation on my equinox, however in this application we needed depth to locate what was thought to have been 16″ to 18″ down.  We searched for 2 hours in the hot days sun before concluding our search.  Ken and I had a lot of great conversation but both were disappointed in the result.  I left questioning if I had the depth required to even see our target.

I stewed about the issues we had faced for a couple of days and decided I needed another shot.  I utilized the money I received from our previous search to supplement the purchase of a new larger coil.  I turned my target separation down to 1 to achieve maximum depth and power and on Saturday I returned to the field.  Ken had located some older photos that proved we were indeed in the right area.  We gave it another shot and we found a target and probed…nothing!  Found a target and probed…nothing!  Our third and best target we probed…it was an area we had probed during the previous search…suddenly Ken hit something!  We both smiled, hopeful that the search was indeed over.  We both grabbed a shovel and began to dig and at just about 20″ in depth we located the first brass clean-out cap.  I think we were both equal part excited and equal part relieved.

Afterwards, we marked out 100′ up hill in the direction the sewer pipes traveled and began again.

Thank you Ken!  I enjoyed our conversations and the opportunity to work on a different project than those I typically perform.  I learned some valuable knowledge and procured new equipment to continue helping others.

The first clean-out located at 20″ of depth

15″ coil utilized to locate the target

Our field as seen from above

100′ uphill to the second location

The newly stubbed-up clean-out with marker!

Follow on Instagram for more photos and stories!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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