Metal Detector Rental North Myrtle Beach SC Tag | The Ring Finders

Daughters Tattoos Symbolizes Ring Recovery and Return Number 220

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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As Ring Finders, we’ve all received those frantic calls asking for help to locate a lost “very” sentimental item (ring, necklace, bracelet, etc.). We’ve also experienced the happy returns with handshakes, big bear hugs, and laughs. And more times than not, we’ve watched those big tears running down cheeks, including our own sometimes. We also have those returns, for one reason or another that we’ll never forget.

This return happened in August 2023 when I found and returned my 220th item, which happened to be a lady’s wedding band. It started with a mother and her two daughters having a girl’s vacation at the beach. The mother was in the ocean and was knocked over by a wave. Knowing what that ring meant to their mother, the daughters contacted me. I was fortunate enough to find it and get it back on the finger it belonged on in pretty quick fashion. And oh yes, there was all the excitement, scream, hugs and tears with the return. It was a moment to remember!

Yesterday, just shy of 3 months I got a text saying, “Jim, I’m super sorry to bother you. But a couple months ago you found my mom’s wedding ring in the sand. My sister and I were so happy. I think you told my sister that we were number 220 of finds for you. We are going to get a tattoo and I just want to verify that our number is in fact 220. Is that something you are able to do for me?” I verified it for her, and she thanked me. I also asked her for a picture of her tattoo, and she agreed. Today I got the picture. I asked her what it meant to her, her sister and their mother to get the ring back. Here’s her response – “Let’s see what finding that ring meant to my family…. everything. Memories of a lifetime. From my parents dating and living the “easy” life to a marriage of 42 years! From the fights to the hugs, from the late nights out to the late nights up with kids. It’s a symbol of strength and promise. A promise that your life will not go unseen because I’ll be by your side through it all. So, to some it may be a ring, but it is so much more of family life wrapped in that ring.”

This is one of my returns I will never forget!

Jim

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White Gold Band Lost in the dry sand, Found and Returned in North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a somewhat frantic call from Sherri saying that someone had referred me to help find her lost ring. She said that she had taken her ring off and put it in the cup holder of her beach chair to apply sun screen. When she packed up to leave, she forgot about the ring until the chair had been folded. I confirmed she was in the dry sand when it happened and she said she was. I told her I’d be there in 15 minutes, grabbed my Equinox 800 and hit the road.

When I got to the hotel she was staying out, I called her as I was walking across the board walk to the beach. I saw her at the same time I spotted another detectionist searching the area. Not good, but I understand people are more interested in having their lost item found and not who finds it. When I got to the spot, I recognized JR who is a local beach guy that detects a lot. JR said he hadn’t been able to find it and was getting ready to expand the search area. He also said he had gotten an iffy signal in the sand but nothing solid. I saw the area where he had dug with his small shovel. I asked Sherri for the details and she pointed out the small area she thought she lost her white gold ring in. White gold should ring up around 11 VDI (visual display indicator). I turned my machine on and JR asked me to check the area he had the iffy signal. Two steps and I hit a solid, loud 11, just what I expected. Got the target in the scoop and shook out the sand. BAM!! Sherri’s ring was in the scoop.  I held the ring up for Sherri and she was holding back some tears. JR asked if he could run his detector (Equinox 600) over the ring to see what he got as a signal. His machine sounded a very weak signal and he said he had walked away from it thinking it wasn’t the ring.  Nevertheless, Sherri had her very sentimental ring back.

Sherri, Thank you for trusting me in helping you find your lost treasure. My prayers are with you on your journey over the next few months, I wish you only the very best.

Jim

 

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White Gold Wedding Set Goes Flying in the Ocean While Playing Volleyball, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Just before 9 p.m. on the 4th of July,  I got a message from Carol stating “Good evening! I lost my ring today and just found out that you might be able to help me. Please let me know if this is possible.” I immediately replied saying “Call me” with my phone number. I didn’t hear anything from her and got to thinking maybe she was leery of calling some guy she didn’t know. So, I followed up with another message saying “I can help, need details and it’s easier if we talk than text.” I immediately got a call from her husband Steven. Low tide was at 11 p.m. so I figured if I had a good shot at finding it, now would be the time to go. Steven told me Carol lost her white gold wedding set this morning between 11-12 a.m. while playing volleyball around low tide. He also said that they were in the water between ankle and shin deep. Oh-oh, I was hoping she lost it closer to mid afternoon during high tide. Ok, a minor setback but no big deal. I asked Steven if he could meet me to show me the right spot. Then I remembered this was July 4th and the beaches would be packed with tourist watching fireworks and parking would be non-existent.  A minor setback #2. With the instructions he gave me, I knew exactly where to go except I didn’t know how far north of the beach access to go. On my way there he sent me a Google earth map with the area circled which was perfect. When I got to the beach, as I expected, there was no where to park. I finally found a spot to park about a block away, grabbed my gear and headed to the beach. As I’m walking out on the beach, in the pitch black, people were 3 to 4 rows deep sitting in the sand or on beach chairs. I made my way to the water’s edge and started a perpendicular grid search. Then the fireworks started!!!  I thought I was in a war zone and right in the line of fire, as everything was being shot off towards the ocean.

Ok, I focused on the mission at hand, which was to find Carol’s wedding set. What was ankle to shin deep water this morning for them was now a huge pool of water that was waist deep. The water was deep enough that I kept my headlamp off so I wouldn’t attract the baitfish, which in turn would attract bigger fish. Thankfully, the fireworks gave me enough light to see where I was going. I was probably a little more than an hour and a half into the search and about half way through the area Steven had circled when I got a great signal on the Nox 800. The VDI number was 13 and a little higher than what I thought it might be for a white gold set. I was waist deep and carefully dug the target out of the hole. I checked the hole and made sure it was clear. I then walked back up to the wet sand before I emptied the sand out of the scoop so I wouldn’t accidently shake the target out in the ocean. When I dumped the sand out on the beach, I turned on my headlamp and could see a little glimmer of something shiny. I reached down and picked up a beautiful lady’s wedding set. I didn’t have a complete description of Carol’s rings so I called Steven. He started explaining it and then said “here’s Carol, she can explain it better.” As she’s identifying the ring I’m holding to perfection, I took a picture and text it to her. I told her to check her text messages and I hear, with a lot of enthusiasm “Oh my gosh, you found my ring!” What a feeling finding someone’s treasure that they never thought they’d see again. With no way of knowing what the ocean, tides, and tons of sand will do between tide cycles, I’m not real sure her rings wouldn’t have been buried below a metal detectors capabilities by low tide the next morning.

Carol and Steven – Thank you so much for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe drive back home to Ohio!

Jim

     

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18k Clemson Ring Lost Throwing a Football at the High Tide Line, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Brent, who was referred by Joe Denton, asking if I could help find a lost Clemson Ring. He said his friend, Ed, whose daughter Natalie’s friend Britta had lost her ring within the last 10 minutes Knowing it was high tide, I asked him how deep in the water Britta was, and he replied she was just getting her feet wet. I got the location and told him I’d be there in 10-15 minutes. This being a Saturday and 4th of July weekend the traffic was very busy.

I called Brent when I got close and he was waiting at the beach access for me. As we walked out on the beach he directed me to where Natalie and Britta were standing. I introduced myself to both of them and then got more of the story. Britta showed me about where she was standing when she threw the football, and Natalie showed me about where she was standing to catch it. Thankfully, neither one was in the ocean, but Natalie had been standing close to a buried storm drain pipe. The search area was no more than 20 yards long. Someone had mentioned the Clemson ring was 18k gold, so I knew what number I was looking for on the Equinox 800. I started my grid search parallel to the beach. My fourth line I hit it, a booming 9 VDI. I just looked up at Britta and smiled, I don’t think she realized what the look was for. I took a scoop of sand and dumped it on the beach, moved the sand with my foot and saw the ring. Somebody else in her group saw it about the same time and reached down and snatched it up and handed it to me. Big smiles, a few hugs, maybe a couple of tears, and Britta had her college treasure back on her finger.

Thanks to all for trusting me to help find Britta’s ring.

Britta – I wish you all the best on your future endeavors.

Jim

      

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Lady’s Black Onyx Silver Ring – Lost, Found, and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Tuesday afternoon I received a FB text from Crystal saying, “I lost my ring at Beach Cove Resort: 4800 South Ocean Blvd. I know the area right where it is but haven’t found it yet! I’ve been trying to find someone with a metal detector but we leave Thursday, and they are few and far between”. I replied saying call me with my number. When she called, I got a little more detail and told her I’d be there in 15 minutes.

When I got there, I called her from the lobby. Shortly after, she walked off the elevator and we introduced ourselves. On the way out to the beach, she told me she had lost the ring the day before.  I was a little nervous, and hopeful the beach cleaning truck or a person with a metal detector hadn’t already found it. She said the ring was a black onyx silver ring, and showed me the small area, maybe 10’X10’, where she had been sitting. I turned the Equinox 800 on and started a grid search. On my second pass, I got a strong 25 on the VDI (visual display indicator) and I knew I had a solid silver target. I looked down and could clearly see the ring sitting on the sand; Crystal saw it about the same time. She said they had been looking off and on for the last 2 days for it.

Crystal, Thanks for call me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip back home to Virginia.

Jim

    

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Car Keys Lost and Found in North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Joe Denton, the mine lab distributor in North Myrtle, called me asking if I wanted a search for some car keys. Sure, I’m always up for a search. Joe sent me the contact information, and I called Ben. Ben explained that his friend had lost his keys the night before on the beach. I told him I’d be there in 30-40 minutes.

As I’m driving to the beach, it starts pouring down rain; I’m good as long as there’s no lightening. When I arrived, Tristan met me at the beach access and explained that he and his buddies were out sitting on the beach. He said he was sitting in one of the low back beach chairs and figures the keys fell out of his pocket. He set me up in the area, and I started a normal grid search. I knew the keys would stand out loud and clear when I waved the coil over them. An hour and a half later, and moving my grid lines out farther and farther both north and south, there were no keys. Tristan had mentioned that he and some other fire fighters were down here for some R&R from Virginia. I asked him if these were the keys to the car that was going to get them back home, they were! He said he had contacted a lock smith who wanted $400.00 dollars to make a new car key. Tristan had also been in contact with his parents to overnight a spare key so the group could get home.

Tristan finally walked over to me, with a couple of his buddies and let me know that they weren’t over as far as I was searching, and really appreciated me trying. This was one of those special serendipity moments. As we were walking off the beach, I noticed the life guard setting up for the day. I walked over and asked him if someone had turned in a set of keys, as I’m asking him, the beach patrol was driving up in their beach cart. The life guard said no, so I asked the beach patrol. She said as a matter of fact, someone had. As she pulls the keys out of the glove box, I saw Tristan’s face light up. Right place, right time, right person and Tristan had his keys back. Sometimes things just happen, and this was one of them.

Tristan, you and your buddies stay safe, and have a safe trip home.

Jim

    

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Lady’s Yellow Gold Engagement Ring Lost in North Myrtle Beach SC, Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I received an e-mail from Summer, saying she had lost her ring the previous evening around 6 p.m. in ankle deep water. We went back and forth with e-mails, and I finally asked her to call me, so I could make sure I was going to the right area of the beach. Her fiancé, Nick, called me and gave me the exact location and said they’d be there waiting. I told him I’d be there in 10 minutes, grabbed my detector, and was on my way.

I got to the beach and walked out towards the ocean, holding my detector straight up in the air. I called Summer to let her know I was there and to look for me. She spotted me and pointed me in her direction. Once we found each other, I got more details. She pointed out one location and Nick pointed out a different area. Ok, double the area I thought it’d be, but one I could handle. Her losing it at 6 p.m. the night before meant she lost it roughly an hour after high tide, which was good because I got there right at low tide. I started doing a parallel grid at the low tide line, planning on working the incoming tide up to the high tide line. As I’m walking the grid, I look up and see an older gentleman detecting about the mid tide line. I walked over to him to let him know what I was doing; his response was that he was looking for the same ring. So, evidently Summer and Nick had seen him detecting and asked him to help without letting me know, or letting him know I was looking also. There were a couple of times we got in each other’s way, but I maintained my parallel grid. Summer and Nick came up and said they had to leave; I assured them I’d call them when I found it. They also let me know that they had originally come on the beach a little further down from where we were. Ok, I’m thinking now that I may have to come back during the night time low tide. With the distance I had covered already, the tide was catching up to me. I was pretty confident that I hadn’t gotten to the area she lost her ring, but I wanted to make sure I got the low tide area before it was under water. I kept my search going, extending it out further to cover the new area while making my way to the high tide line. Shortly after Summer and Nick left, the older gentlemen came up to me. We introduced ourselves, his name was Jim as well and we compared notes. Summer had told me, she lost the ring around 6 pm in ankle deep water. At some point, she had told Jim she lost it around 7 pm close to knee deep, which was no big deal. Jim said he was going to quit for now and come back out at the low tide tonight. I told him I was going to keep working my way up to the high tide line. About 2 more grid lines and I got a banging 22-23 VDI on my detector. I knew I was looking for yellow gold, but I was expecting something in the 17 VDI range. One scoop and I had the target out of the sand; I spread the sand out with my foot and saw the faint glimmer of gold. I had to look at the picture Summer sent me and the ring I was holding to make sure I had the right one. Bingo, it was a perfect match. I took a picture of the ring and sent it to Summer, with a text saying “Look familiar?” She immediately texted back saying “You found it!!! Oh my goodness thank you” Meanwhile, I caught back up with Jim to let him know I found it. Shortly after, Summer and I met up in the parking lot where she got her treasure back.

Summer/Nick – thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

       

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Engagement Ring Found by Owner

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Not all ring finder stories end with a happy ending. As hard as the members of The Ring Finders try, some treasures just aren’t found and returned. Then there are the stories that have a very happy ending that members had nothing to do with. This is one of those stories.

I received a referral off of a Face Book group that I responded to. Jessica had lost her engagement ring while her and her fiancé, Oscar, were on a 6 mile bike ride. I contacted Jessica and offered to help. I had a couple of appointments the next day, so I told her I could come by at 4 pm to start a search of part of the route. She explained that she and Oscar were leaving to go back home at 4 the next day and wanted to know if I could come earlier. So we set it up that I’d be there at 9 am and we’d take a golf cart ride along the same route as their bike ride, so I could get a feel for the search area.

Everything went as planned and I was there at 9. We jumped on the golf cart and started the adventure. During the route, Jessica was showing me where they were riding in the streets, going with the flow of traffic, or on the sidewalks. I confirmed Jessica was wearing the ring on her left hand. Jessica told me she had put suntan lotion on before they started their bike ride. She also said that towards the end of the route, she had shaken her hands a few times to get the circulation back after grasping the handlebars for so long. We both came to the conclusion that if the ring was anywhere, it would be in the last half of the route. We also concluded the ring should be in the middle of the street, because they only rode on the sidewalk in two places and that was only for a block or two. Jessica and Oscar had retraced the entire route on foot and golf cart, searching the street area as soon as they got home and Jessica realized the ring was gone. So, I’m thinking the ring flew off her finger when she shook her hand, bounced and rolled across the road and ended up on the side of the road or in the grass areas. By 9:30, I started my search and covered about 2 miles of the route working both sides of the street before I had to leave for my appointments. I made it back at 3 pm and covered another 2 miles, again working both sides of the street. Right around 5 pm, I called it a day, planning on being back early the next morning and finish up the whole back half of the route.

At 9:08 pm, I received a text from Jessica, “Jim I can’t believe it but I just found my ring!!! It was inside my laptop?!! I don’t know how it got in there!!!! I was going through everything again and I noticed my laptop wasn’t closed all the way and I opened it and there it was!! I’m so relieved.” I immediately responded telling her how happy I was for her, and I truly was.

It’s completely and totally irrelevant how the ring got back to where it belongs, and as I said, I had nothing to do with it. The important thing is, her ring is back where it belongs. She is one very excited, happy young lady with a huge smile on her face making for a very happy ending!

Jessica and Oscar – Congratulations!!! Thank you for the beautiful card. Take care of each other, and I wish you two only the best in life.

Jim

   

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Lady’s Yellow Gold Band Lost in Myrtle Beach – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Joe Denton, NMB Minelab distributor, about a lady who had lost her Gold band in the dry sand in North Myrtle Beach. He gave me her number and I called her. I introduced myself and learned her name was Elizabeth and she had lost a yellow gold band. She told me she was in North Myrtle on 21st Ave North, right next to a life guard stand. No problem, I grabbed my Equinox 800 and headed out for the 10 minute drive to the beach. After finding a place to park on a busy Sunday, I made my way out to the beach. When I got out there, I called Elizabeth saying I was there and holding my detector up in the air so she could see me. She didn’t, I gave her a couple of landmarks like the banana boat ride. She didn’t see it. Ok, I must be in the wrong spot. I asked her again about being in North Myrtle Beach. She said she’d ask the life guard, and I asked to talk to her. The life guard said they were about 10 blocks up from the sky wheel on 21st Ave North. Ok, she wasn’t in North Myrtle Beach, she was in Myrtle Beach. This happens all the time with visitors; both Myrtle and North Myrtle have exactly the same street numbers. I explained that since she was in Myrtle, I needed to call the TRF for Myrtle, Matt Fry. I tried his number a couple of time, with no answer, so I called his wife. I explained the situation and she gave me permission to take the call. Matt and I have a great working relationship, so if one of us gets the other one’s call we’ll work it out.

I called Elizabeth back, told her I’d be there in about 25 minutes, and headed south. Once I got there, I went through the same routine of calling her and holding up my detector. This time she found me. She led me over to the spot and explained that the ring was dropped in the sand right off the blanket that was spread out. She told me the ring was yellow gold, but in my head I’m thinking white gold. So I’m looking for a VDI (visual display identifier) numbers between 8-10. I immediately got a VDI of 17, and passed over it. Took another step, it was like dah; I confirmed yellow gold, turned around and took out 2 scoops of sand. Bingo, I had it in the scoop. As I’m showing it to Elizabeth, another young lady was walking towards us and Elizabeth said “he found it.” This young lady’s name was Jessica and the actual owner of the ring. Jessica said she had taken her rings off so Elizabeth could put them in her bag, and this one was dropped in the sand. Elizabeth felt horrible, so both ladies started digging through the sand with no luck. Elizabeth had originally called Joe to rent a detector, and Joe sent her my way. All’s well that ends well!

Elizabeth/Jessica – so glad I could help find the lost treasure.

Joe – thanks for the referral!

Jim

   

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Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Matt Fry’s (TRF Myrtle Beach) wife, Sunny saying that Matt and she were on the highway and Matt just got a lost ring call. She asked if I could take it for him. I asked her to text me the man’s phone number. Shortly after getting the number, I called Randy to get the details. Randy told me his wife had lost her rings and wondered if I could help. I told him I’d be there in an hour.

When I arrived at their location and was walking out on the beach, I text Randy saying I’m here. As I walked on the beach I saw Randy waving his hand, so I made my way over to them. I introduced myself and asked what happened. Randy’s wife, Lesa, said the rings were within about a 6 ft radius and she had taken them off and put them on the towel, forgot them until she shook out the towel. I asked if the rings were separate or soldered together, she said they were separate and both rings were yellow gold. I turned my Equinox on and took 6 steps. First signal was a VDI of 16 so I knew I had one of the rings. Took a few scoops to get it, but as I lifted up the scoop I saw the small wedding band. I turned around and handed it to Lesa, who was trying hard to hold her emotions. A couple more swings and I got another signal, 12 on the VDI, scooped it up and had her beautiful engagement ring. As I handed her the second ring there was no more holding the emotions, a few tears fell, but they were happy ones! Total search time was about 30 seconds.

Lesa and Randy, thanks for calling The Ring Finders and so glad we could help. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Matt, thanks for the call, happy I could help.

Jim

   

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