metal detector Tag | Page 16 of 49 | The Ring Finders

Lost Ring Found…..but in the most unexpected way!!!

  • from Cochrane (Alberta, Canada)

I talked to Tina. She was desperate to get her ring back. She had lost it while walking on the Crescent Heights ridge overlooking our city’s downtown. What started as a lovely walk ended in panic when she got home and found her necklace was broken and the ring and cross that hung upon it were gone.

The cross was nice, but the ring, it was the last thing her mom gave her a year ago just before she passed. It was the only physical reminder she had of her mom and now it was gone.

Tina and I walked the route she had taken and the one she had already searched. For the most part it was on a hard packed heavily used path or the sidewalk across the street. I pretty well knew that if it fell there, it was already gone/picked up. There was a section in the park and I promised to search it.

She left and I looked. My friend Perry has a metal detector as well and I invited him to join me in the park as he only lived a few blocks away. We searched to no avail. So there ends the story.

Not so. Perry calls me a few days later. His neighbour messaged him and asked if he knows how to tell if a ring is gold or not.  When he finally gets to see the ring it turns out to be the ring lost by Tina.

It took a while but the ring is back in Tina’s hands. A little worse for wear but with a little TLC, it will be back in shape as a constant reminder of her mom’s love.  Just in time for the 1 year remembrance gathering in honour of her mom.  Tears flowed.

PS  We haven’t given up on finding the cross.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tina’s Story

“One afternoon I was walking crescent heights in Calgary with my girls, one of which was a toddler who was on again/ off again getting a piggy back ride from mama. Upon our arrival at home, I felt what I thought was a hair on my neck to only discover my chain had snapped! Well on that chain was a ring left to me by my mother who passed away at the same time last year! I was devastated to say the least, we traveled a pretty vast distance with truly no rhyme or reason to our path. I went into panic mode and contacted the local school, put up posters and walked that area for countless hours- NOTHING!
The next day I posted something on Calgary lost and found to have someone suggest contacting a metal detector group, and from there I met Evan ( angel to say the least) in our chat I discovered he had already begun searching for the ring, not even knowing one another yet! (The school put out a post)
We met the following day, I showed him my route, he seemed doubtful yet optimistic as the distance was vast yet contained if that makes sense…?

This man searched for hours on end, and no ring to be found! Again just devastated. Especially as I was approaching the anniversary of my mother’s passing!

One day closer to the date, I got a message from Evan indicating that someone approached a metal detecting buddy of his and they believed the ring was found!!! My heart was in my throat- honestly.

Evan and his friend rushed to get that ring to me, and although that ring was damaged it was the ring!!! The band was damaged but all stones in place!

Evan went above and beyond to help me find this ring! From his countless hours of search, to holding my hand, and offering encouragement all along, to hand delivering the ring, but days before my mother’s passing anniversary.

In this case the ring finder was so good, the ring found him! I am forever indebted to him, not only for physical efforts but his support! Words can’t express what this man has done for me and if I ever lose anything again (fingers crossed I don’t) he’s the best guy for the case!

On a side note there was a cross on that chain too, and he still continues to search for it! I’m amazed at his devotion ( the thrill of the hunt? 🤔) either way I’m grateful beyond words! “

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Evan!

Lost ring at Coronado found

  • from La Jolla (California, United States)

Stephen and his family were visiting from out of town and spent the day at the beach in Coronado. He had removed his wedding ring before going into the water and left it there were they were sitting in the dry sand. At the end of the day, the belongings were gathered and the ring ended up MIA. I got the call the next day and got the particulars on what type of ring, a photo of the ring, and approximately where they were sitting via a Google map, since they had already gone home a couple of hours north of me and couldn’t show me the exact spot personally. Over a Sunday night and a Monday morning, there usually are several people who detect that beach, but, the area where they were sitting wasn’t right in the most common area, so, there was still a chance it was still there. I headed over after all the crowds had left for the day and took a guess as to where to start. I actually started a bit north of where ground zero was supposed to be and was going to work my way south. When I got the the area, I noticed that the beach grooming machine had gone through the place. Yikes, another strike against a successful search. I turned on my light to take a closer look at the sand, and realized that they just ran the big rake through there, and not the sifter. Good! That made me a bit more confident.  I made about three 20 foot passes and got my 4th solid 14 on my Equinox. The previous 3 were pull tabs, as usual, but, this 4th one was Stephens ring! This search could have taken hours, but, sometimes you just get lucky! I sent a photo of the ring to Stephen and he was overjoyed that it was found and he could actually wear it again. Now it’s up to the USPS to do it’s job getting his ring home safe and sound. Thank you for the reward Stephen.

Lost cross at Pacific Beach found.

  • from La Jolla (California, United States)

Reuben called me saying that he had just lost a cross off his necklace while running on the beach in the wet sand, on the slope and in the shallow water.  It was right around high tide when he called, and I was just about to eat some dinner, so, I asked Reuben if he could hang around down there a while so I could gulp down some groceries and let the tide go out a bit. He agreed, and we met at a spot at the north end of the search area around 9:45pm. He explained to me that he headed south from there and was running in a zigzag pattern from the water’s edge to the top of the slope, kind of dodging the surf as it surged in and out. I then asked how far he ran until he noticed it was gone. Well, he had a selfie that he took, at the spot we were standing, showing that he had the cross at that point. He then said that he started running from there and headed south for a good 5 minutes! Whoa, that was going to be a HUGE search area. After more Q&A we decided the most likely area was toward the other end of his run when he discovered it gone after he had jumped over a pile of kelp, but, frankly, it could be anywhere along the way. Ok, let’s start walking to that spot. I figured I’d go ahead and turn on my detector and sweep a bit while we went. I just picked a straight line on the slope about half way between the water and the top of the slope. We walked, and we walked, and we walked some more. Found a few piles of kelp, search all around them, and continued on. I hadn’t gotten one signal thus far. I asked how much further he ran, and he pointed down the beach some more. I was about to say that this was going to be a waste of time as this search area was now almost 1/4 mile long and approaching the edge of Mission Beach (the next beach south), and that I was going to have to get a lot more help to cover all this sand, when we approached another pile of kelp. Searched all around it and continued on a little ways more, when I got my first signal of the entire way. A nice solid 11 on my Equinox. One scoop and Reuben spotted his gold cross (a family heirloom that he got from his father) in the pile of wet sand I just dumped. Talk about dumb luck! We both should have bought lottery tickets right then and there. I’m not sure who was more amazed, but, we both counted our blessings on this one! That potential search area was the largest one I had ever had and would have taken me over a week to completely cover it by myself. We found it in an incredible 20-25 minutes. A pleasure to meet you Reuben and thank you for the reward.

Lost engagement ring found

  • from Fernandina Beach (Florida, United States)

I actually saw a post on Facebook and called the number.   I explained that I was with ringfinders and I would be happy to come look if they wanted me to.

They couldn’t believe I would drive 2 hours to search for the ring.

I was there for maybe 10 minutes and found a gold ring.   Then a hour later I found her engagement ring.  They did not tell me they had actually lost two rings.    The first ring was hers too.    If I had known that, I would have probably stayed in the water and found the second one close by.   They were shocked when they got the call that the ring had been found.   They were even more shocked when I told her I had found her other ring also.

They were very appreciative and I appreciate the reward.

Hopefully I can get the video of her getting her ring back up so everyone can see her reaction and hear her story.  Here is the link.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9Ey5Qc9hlM&feature=share

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Lost ring at Ocean Beach dog beach found

  • from La Jolla (California, United States)

Bryan just went down to the water to rinse sand off his hands. He returned to where has was camped in the dry sand and when he shook the remaining water off his hands his precious gold ring he got in Dubai flew off into the sand too. He sifted around with his fingers for a while without success. I got the call and told him I’d be right down. After battling the traffic to get there, I arrived just before sunset and walked out to  the search area where Bryan waved me over to where he was. He moved his blanket out of the way, 10 seconds and two swings later, I get a solid 17 signal on my Equinox just out of the area he had searched with his fingers. I asked if he would like to pick up his ring, or, would he like me to do it. I took one scoop and held it up for him to grab. He took a photo of it in the scoop, pulled it out, and put it back on his finger.  A happy Bryan can now head home. A pleasure to meet you and thank you for the reward.

Wedding Ring Lost When Boat Capsized in Surf – Found!

  • from Paihia (New Zealand)

Ring Finder – Ring Recovery Specialist…Lost ring? Lost necklace? Lost keys?… Metal Detector Service – Call ASAP 021 401626

Tim had lent his boat to his mates for a fishing trip out from Matauri Bay in Northland, New Zealand.

Tragically the boat went broadside and suffered a capsize as they were coming back in through the surf and was, shall we say, pummelled.
His gold wedding ring had been in a cupholder onboard and during the subsequent carnage in the waves, was lost.

Spin forward three months.  Tim made contact with me and asked what the chances were… Matauri Bay? Ocean beach, with such a big head start? I wasn’t too optimistic – Until I heard that the guys in the boat had taken note of the approximate location which at least gave me some sort of start point, and I knew there would be other items lost such as fishing gear which would assist me in pinpointing the exact location. The time elapsed was still a real concern though, as we had had a couple of good storms including a 1 in 500yr monster that wrought destruction across the region – with seas to match, and Matauri has no significant shallow hard bedding layer for the ring to settle on.
I let him know the odds were less than great, but would have a look to gauge whether it was worth actively searching or adding it to my ‘cold-case’ book.

I met Tim onsite the following day, and recapped the events of the day with him.

Without having one of the guys actually involved in the capsize there, it was Chinese Whispers over the phone….describing a featureless beach.
You have to start somewhere, and I had already started working a grid when he arrived, initially focussing on locating any concentration of targets.
It was not to be, and an endless stream of light targets of bottle caps, aluminium can tabs and corroded foil told me the sand was now deep over the site. Winding the machine to “redline” gave a few very rusty jigheads from a long way down but they looked too old – and I can guarantee Tims boat wasn’t the first, nor will it be the last to get trashed here.

Despite this false start, I was confident that I could find the debris field – Given time.
Over the course of many 2 and 3am starts, the big tides are never sympathetic to normal business hours, I started to pick up a few lead sinkers. Then a small tackle box and a large knife, both really deep down… Tim confirmed it was his knife and I could finally put a pin in the map! The only problem was the depth of sand and the now common metal detectors carried by holidaymakers at the local motorcamp just 50m away…

More visits and many night starts made for some looong days at my regular job, although bits of fishing kit started to consistently surface. I needed to clear all the jigs, lead, hooks etc in order to be able to hear the ring which would likely be under all this ‘noise’.

The other morning saw another rainy 2am start to catch the big tides. I settled in on the mark and quickly started digging fishing gear right on the low water line, a pair of pliers, knife, hooks – This was promising, very promising as it was obvious some sand had been lost.
I stayed in that same spot, digging target after target…after target. The pouch was starting to slide off my hips I had so much fishing kit in it. But no ring, and after 4 hours, the tide was chasing me out. I knew that if I walked away now I might lose the chance for another few months, or even years. What started out as wet sand was now wading depth with gumboots long since filled with water! I carried on digging oh, so many, many irritating small sinkers as the first light of dawn grew in the sky, and the cutoff to call it off and head off to work drew closer.

Yet another 1oz weight, check the hole, another, check the hole….a soft tone, down deep. There it was again. A half dozen quick deep scoops lifted it out of the hole and a flash of yellow in the scoop.

Tim was on holiday when I sent him the TXT and photo of the finds, asking why he uses solid gold fishing weights!
Two weeks later, this afternoon and after six months apart, the ring finally made its way home.

Three months head start, and another three to locate it – Ringfinding is definitely not for the impatient

Lost engagement ring, Pensacola – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

What better way to transition into fall than one last ring return on a Volleyball court. I had just returned home when I got a call from my buddy Charlie who is out in CA. He had received a call from a friend of his named Joey who had in turn gotten a call from his wife Nicole and she was in a panic. Nicole had been playing Volleyball with her daughter at a local park and looked down to notice that her wedding ring and her engagement ring were no longer on her hand. This is about the time the panic had ensued and I think everyone will agree that it was totally justified. Luckily Charlie is a great guy and rather than telling Joey that he was out of town, he tracked me down and put us in touch. We were running out of daylight so I loaded up as fast as possible and called Joey to tell him that I could help and get an idea where to go. I pulled in the park and although there were lots of people there enjoying the playground equipment I had no doubt who I was looking for. As soon as I pulled my gear out, a big group of ladies and young people started waving me down. I noticed that they all had makeshift seines and colanders and I wondered which one was Nicole. Then I noticed the lady who was crying and I knew I had found her. I immediately introduced myself and told her not to worry that I was totally going to help her. She told me that I didn’t understand, they had searched everywhere that it could be with the strainers and they had even found the wedding band but she feared the engagement ring might be anywhere in the park and she was distraught. I asked her if they had been there the entire time and they said yes. I tried again to reassure her as I explained what I was doing and started my grid pattern. I made about one pass but as I was talking to her I could see she was in agony so I decided to take a different approach. I told her to tell me where she had found the gold band, she told me that they had already looked there and I told her to humor me. She did and I asked her if they changed sides at all and she said no. Lastly, I asked her if she wore her band closest to her heart and she said yes. I took a step towards the way I thought the ring first off her hand would fly and I said, “watch this” with a big smile. I went about two steps and got a good tone. I don’t think she realized I had something until I kneeled down with my pinpointer and then stood up saying, “Does it look like this?”  She broke down in tears and I was reminded why I love doing this so much. Congratulations Nicole and Joey. Thank you very much for trusting me to help you. God Bless!  💍

Lost Ring Found at Boat Launch

  • from Cochrane (Alberta, Canada)

Sometimes the journey is what matters. Shane called me about his wedding ring, lost 8 days after his 10th anniversary. He was loading his boat back on the trailer. While winding the winch, he felt the ring go and he was sure it fell into the murky water. After searching for close to an hour, he was forced to give up as he had his 6 year old twins with him.

While searching for ideas on how to find a lost ring, he came across the ring finders and my bio. We talked for half an hour and came up with an elaborate plan on what we would do when we got there. Starting with the detector and finishing with using a wet vac to suck up the gravel from under the corrugated concrete.

When we arrived at the lau

 

nch after a 90+ minute drive, we hopped out. His first comment was how much lower the water was and how much clearer it was.  He and I walked down the ramp and started to visually look for it. About 1 minute in, Shane bends down and picks up his ring. High fives. He has found his custom made rose and white gold ring..

The next 45 minutes were spent trying to learn how the simple metal detector he had purchased earlier worked. The end result….it doesn’t.

Thanks Shane for the opportunity to make you smile!!

Lost Phone at Ocean Beach found

  • from La Jolla (California, United States)

Keanna spent the day at the dog beach in Ocean Beach with friends, both human and furry. Sometime during her stay, her phone came up missing. She and her friends sifted through the sand trying to find it, but, we know the results of that effort…..nada. After an online search with her friend Kristen’s phone, The Ring Finders website came up and my info. Kristen contacted me on her phone asking for help. Being early afternoon on a Labor Day weekend, trying to make to their location right away would be almost impossible, so, since they planned on being there for a while, I told them I’d come later in the day when people started to leave the beach and I would actually be able to drive to the beach and find a parking spot. I arrived a bit after sunset and met up with Kristen in the parking lot. We trekked over to the area where the phone was lost, and where I met Keanna and the gang. Maybe a minute went by on my search and I get a fairly deep and large signal on my detector. Not wanting to accidentally damage her phone, I used my pin pointer to probe into the sand for the target. I wasn’t surprised to find her phone, as this was the signal I expected, but, I was surprised that it was 8-10 inches deep. We guessed that with the dogs digging and other activities around the camp that it must have ended up in a hole that got covered. The phone was still up and working, so, a happy Keanna and her friends could head home after a long day at the beach. Pleasure meeting you all and thank you for the reward.

Lost Ring, Perdido Beach – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)


Sometimes everything comes together and no matter how lost something is, it’s just bound to be found. That was the case for this young lady on the beach yesterday afternoon who had lost a very important ring. It was already very late after work but I decided to hit the beach anyway. I had already gone to one parking area but after I walked all the way to the water I realized that I left my battery in the car. I walked all the way out and decided that I should head down the beach a bit because of a storm that was on the way. When I got there I decided to turn towards the rain cloud so that if I got caught in the storm, I would have the wind at my back running to the car. All of these things seemed to innocently transpire all to have BrieOcea come running up to me after only about five minutes on the beach. She asked if I was holding a metal detector and she looked hopeful when I told her I was. I asked her if she had lost something and she replied that she had dropped a ring that had been in her family for generations. I told her that I would be glad to take a look and asked her what the ring was made out of and when she lost it. She said it had almost been a week and that she thought it was silver. I think she saw me start to lose some confidence because she quickly assured me that it was a very small area. I asked her a little more about the ring and she said that there was a large black stone with a diamond in it. I made a note to dig everything because while possible, especially on older rings, diamonds are usually not on silver. I started gridding back and forth and it wasn’t long before she came over and said that her boyfriend had called from the condo and told her that we were slightly in the wrong spot. I made the adjustment and went back to the search. I found a coin or two and got my hopes up. Then I got a signal that could be trash but I knew it could also be gold. I went ahead and dug it because of my earlier thoughts about the diamond. I am very glad that I did because I pulled out a beautiful gold ring with a black stone and a diamond in it. When I called her over, she placed it back on her finger and she was just thrilled. She mentioned that she had made up her mind to not worry and let things work themselves out. When I told her the events that led me to her she said God must have sent me her way. Indeed!  I am so very glad that I could help reunite you with such a special ring. 😃