Lost Gold Engagement Ring – FOUND!!! – Orange Beach, AL
I have to say that today was probably my favorite return of the year. It had all the elements of a great day. I got the call late in the afternoon so I didn’t have to take off work, it was a super nice couple, they weren’t sure if it was in the water or the sand, they had dug for it extensively, they had asked a stranger with a metal detector to look in the area and last but not least, there were tons of people around watching that were vested in the return because they had been watching them search all day. When Luke called me saying that Emily had dropped her engagement ring in Orange Beach I knew I had to go and help. They had been throwing a football and when they sat back down Emily’s beautiful gold and diamond engagement ring was nowhere to be found. I got some info from Luke and quickly headed that way from Pensacola. When I got to the condo the security guard told me that there was no guest parking but he would give me one hour before I had to go. I hustled down to the beach and there were still people everywhere. Most of them were closely watching what I did so you could tell that they knew all about the missing ring. Even more than normal I wanted to do my best because I knew I had an audience. After a few questions, I started out on the beach and then headed down the path they had walked to the water. I assumed that it was probably in the water so I then went over a pattern in the breaking waves and moved over the sand drop off in case it had been sucked back into deeper water. When I was coming up the beach, Luke and Emily stopped me and said that they had been discussing it and they thought they were in the very top of the breaking water which would have been higher up the beach earlier in the day. I quickly started swinging up there and was on my second pass when I heard a very faint sound. Throughout the search I had found a few targets that I dug but nothing was a good signal. This time it was a little higher pitched but it was so deep that I was intrigued. I almost ignored it thinking that there was no way it could be that deep with only a half day in the sand. Then I remembered that they had been digging for it so I decided to go ahead and see what was down there. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the gleam of gold in the scoop. Emily and Luke immediately celebrated with me and it was then that I realized just how many people were watching the drama unfold. The whole beach erupted into cheers and applause! 😃. I had to run to the parking lot to convince the security guard not to tow my car and give me a bit longer for pictures but he was very understanding. On the way out the young man and his family who had offered help with their metal detector came running up and told me that their was a lady on the beach who needed my help. When I told them that I had found her ring the young man thought that was the coolest thing in the world. I answered about 100 questions but I’m pretty sure I have hooked him and his father on this hobby for life. I am absolutely thrilled that I could return this beautiful ring to Emily and Luke. Y’all are wonderful people and I had a great time helping you. God Bless! 💍
While visiting with good friends in Springfield, Illinois, I mentioned that I had my metal detector in the car and would be willing to look for anything they might have lost in their yard over the years. They remembered one special ring that was lost 15 years ago during a touch football game. Apparently the youth group from their church would come out and play games, have bonfires and spend the evening on the farm. Our friends kids always enjoyed playing games and their son, Kurt in particular, would set up a small area to play football. The youth group leaders would join the kids as they played and on that fateful day, Crista, felt her rings fly off of her hand as she went to catch the football. Everyone immediately stopped playing and they began searching for her two lost rings in the thick grass. Moments later one of the teens found her engagement ring but the small gold wedding ring was no where to be found. This particular ring was a family heirloom that was handed down to Crista from her grandmother. The lost ring was never found and they gave up hope of ever seeing it again. Over the years the ring slowly sank into the thick grass and damp soil but being made of gold, it never tarnished or corroded. Fifteen years later I was given the opportunity to search for this long lost ring. I set up 4 corner flags and started my grid search pattern. Being as the ring was rather thin, I figured I needed to dig every signal that sounded even close to what a small gold ring would sound like. Three hours later I dug a quiet repeatable signal and there in my pile of dirt I say the glint of gold! And sure enough it was Crista’s lost ring!
While out searching the rough surf for a large gold necklace, I was getting tired and thirsty and decided to take a short break. As I sat there relaxing and enjoying the beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean, a man approached me and explained his dilemma. Two weeks earlier, Teddy had been walking on the beach and towards the end of his walk he noticed a bunch of garbage in an area of the soft sand and decided he would do the noble thing and pick up the trash and deposit it where it belonged…..in the garbage can! Earlier in his walk, he had been fiddling with his ring and for some “unknown” reason he slipped the ring onto his pinkie finger, where it was a tad loose.
Jan. 1st, I received this comment on one of my ring search stories. Rich wrote, “I believe I lost my ring on the beach approximately 50 yards to the right–facing the ocean–from the end of the Oceanview parking lot wooden walkway. It may have slid off my finger when I shook out my wife’s towel. It is a simple gold Florentine wedding band with “Marla love Oli 1974″ engraved on the inside. By some stroke of luck if anyone finds it, please notify me. Thanks, Rich” So I sent Rich an e-mail and asked him my usual questions, like: “What day and what time of the day were you on the beach and shook out your towel?” And “When can you meet me and show me the exact place where you were on the beach?” And, “And it sounds like you are not exactly sure that you lost it on the beach!” Rich’s response was “I am sorry, but I forgot to mention that I am in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area and was vacationing in Florida when I lost my ring.”
Rich was thrilled to hear that I found his ring and I was able to mail it to him the next week. All told, I searched 5 and a half hours and dug 185 targets, while looking for Rich’s ring. And it was so worth it!! Lost your ring? Call ASAP!
