Minelab Equinox 800 Tag | The Ring Finders

Women’s Lost Gold Ring…FOUND by Ring Finder in Muscle Shoals, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for northern Alabama and southern/middle Tennessee…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On Tuesday (February, 22nd, 2022), I received a text message from Amy stating that she had lost a very important family ring on her farm in Muscle Shoals, AL.  Amy had been filling a tractor with diesel fuel.  She got some of the fuel on her hand and it caused her ring to slide around.  She took her ring off and put it in her pocket.  Amy then used the tractor to move some dirt and debris around from point A to point B and C.  After she finished the yard work, her ring was no longer in her pocket.

Amy mentioned that she had actually lost her ring around the beginning of December.  She thoroughly searched the area she was working and even bought a metal detector, but was unable to find her ring.  After a couple of months had passed, Amy thought that she might never see her ring again, but she then she came across The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service!  Amy was reading a book that told a story of how a ring was lost during a wedding ceremony.  Someone mentioned that they should call a “Ring Finder”.  This prompted Amy to go on Google and was soon led to The Ring Finders website and discovered that I was listed nearby.  We scheduled a search for Sunday, February 27th, when we were both off from our regular day jobs.

I met Amy at her farm in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, early on Sunday morning.  Amy proceeded to show me where she was working and exactly what she was doing at each location.  I told Amy that she could go inside and warm up while I conducted my grid search of the area.  It had been raining almost nonstop for the past week.  Thankfully, the rain held up long enough for me to conduct a search.

I started my grid search with my Minelab Equinox 800 in front of the shed where Amy had been refueling her tractor.  Just a few minutes in and I received a solid tone in the women’s gold range.  As I moved my coil to the side, my eyes locked onto the gleam of a ring just barely sticking out from the grass.  What a beautiful sight!  I didn’t move the ring, because I wanted to show Amy just how easily rings hide.  Our eyes play tricks on us and it’s almost impossible to find a ring with just eyesight alone.  I snapped a few pictures and went to knock on the door and tell Amy the good news.

Amy couldn’t believe how fast I found the ring!  I took her to the spot and gave her the honor of picking up her gorgeous 10k gold ring from where it’s been hiding these past few months.  Amy was so happy and thankful that she had her ring back!  She gave me a big hug and I could feel the stress melt away.  These returns are really one of the best feelings in the world and one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done!  I thank God for another successful ring recovery!

After the search, Amy and I were chatting for a while.  She told me that she enjoyed reading my blog posts about my prior recoveries.  Amy then said that she really hoped that her story would turn out the same way…a happy ending.  Well, it sure did!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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FOUND…Men’s Tungsten Wedding Band Lost While Throwing Acorns Houston, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for North Alabama and surrounding areas…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

On Sunday afternoon (November 21st, 2021), I received a call from Drew regarding his lost Tungsten wedding band.  Drew had just gotten married 8 days prior and was on his honeymoon at a lake house in Houston, Alabama.  Not used to wearing a ring, Drew was fidgeting with the wedding band and moved it over to his pinky finger.  He was throwing some acorns when the ring flew off his finger into the leaves next to the walkway leading down to the lake.  Drew spent a good amount of time looking through the leaves, but was unable to locate his ring.  Realizing that he would need a metal detector to find it, he went online to rent or buy one.  That’s when Drew came across The Ring Finders, a metal detecting service that he didn’t know existed.

When I received Drew’s call, I was actually in the process of wrapping up a metal detecting hunt I was on with some friends.  I had a quick bite to eat and was on my way for the 1.5-hour trip out to Smith Lake in Houston, AL.  I met with Drew and his wife, Sidney, at the lake house.  They took me down to the area where Drew was tossing the acorns.  The walkway was fairly steep, so we were hoping that the ring didn’t land further down the hill or in the water.

I began my search with my Minelab Equinox 800 at the spot they thought his ring had landed.  Within a matter of minutes, I had located Drew’s missing Tungsten wedding band!  It was a quick search to find his ring; however, it was nearly impossible to locate it without the help of a metal detector.  I was wearing black detecting gloves and we couldn’t see the black colored ring in my hand when I first picked it up with some leaves.

Drew and Sidney were actually leaving the lake house the following day heading home to Columbus, Mississippi.  If Drew’s wedding band wasn’t found that Sunday when he called me, then he’d have to make a trip back out to find it.  Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary.  I give thanks to the Lord for another safe trip and successful ring recovery!  I look forward to the next adventure…

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Missing…Men’s White and Yellow Gold Wedding Band…Found in Lake Tuscaloosa, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Christina McCree – Ring Finder for North Alabama and surrounding areas…call or text ASAP, anytime 24/7…610-504-6135

I received a phone call from Devin on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 stating that he lost his white and yellow gold wedding band the day prior.  He had taken the ring off and put it in the pocket of his swim trunks while applying sunscreen.  Devin forgot about it and went swimming in Lake Tuscaloosa with his kids.  He didn’t remember that the ring was in his pocket until after he was back in the lake house.  Unfortunately, the wedding band was no longer in the pocket.  Devin searched in the house and his path from the lake, but no ring.  My next day off from work was on Saturday, so we arranged for a search that day.  Lake Tuscaloosa is about a 2.5 hour drive one-way from me, but I definitely don’t mind traveling to help someone find their lost item.

On a very warm and beautiful September Saturday morning, my husband (Lindell), our nephew (Sean), and I headed on our way to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the ring search.  We arrived just before noon and met up with Devin and his wife, Sarah.  I had Devin and Sarah show us exactly where Devin was in the lake and how far out he went.  Devin thought that the area he was in ranged from about 3-6 feet deep and was a fairly large area.  The water actually stayed shallow for a long way out.  Devin said that there was a sandbar feature where he went upside down under the water playing around trying to scare his kids.  We thought that this was the most likely spot that the wedding band fell out of his pocket.  I began my grid search there.

I had my Blu3 Nemo dive system and Minelab Equinox 800 metal detector with the 15 inch coil.  I made it out to the sandbar feature and began grid searching, slowly working my way in towards the shoreline.  It was only about 3-4 feet deep there.  Thankfully, there weren’t a lot of signals out there.  On about my fourth gridline, I received a shallow and loud 14 on the Nox.  I knew that this was more than likely Devin’s ring.  Diving down with the Nemo, I fanned away some sand and caught a glimpse of a ring.  There it was—Devin’s missing white and yellow gold wedding band!!!  What an amazing sight!

I surfaced and immediately yelled out the good news.  As I was making my way back to the shoreline, everyone began coming down from the lake house for the big reveal.  I presented Devin’s missing wedding band to Devin and Sarah.  Such joy, happiness, and relief!  It’s really such a blessing being able to help others.

A couple of important notes.  Devin and his family are actually from Louisiana.  They were staying at this lake house for safety while Hurricane Ida was making landfall near their home in Louisiana.  Devin and Sarah will be celebrating their 8-year wedding anniversary next month.  Their wedding rings were custom made with yellow gold from Sarah’s parent’s rings.  Their rings have an intertwined design on the outside of the band to symbolize how Devin and Sarah met.  Sentimental and irreplaceable!  I’m so happy that this wedding band will be going back with Devin and Sarah to Louisiana instead of being lost forever.  Its story now gets to continue on…

I give all glory to God and thank Him for another successful ring recovery.  I pray that I can continue helping others for many years to come.  Proud to be a member of The Ring Finders!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

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Men’s Palladium Wedding Band Lost for 6 Years at Public Dog Park…FOUND Madison, Alabama!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
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Key takeaway of this story – NEVER LOSE HOPE!  If you’ve ever lost a ring, piece of jewelry, or other sentimental item, there’s still a chance of getting it back.  Recovering a lost item from a public area may seem hopeless (especially if it’s been many years), but a Good Samaritan may have found it and will try to return it, or it may just actually still be there…

I received an email from Ed on December 14th, 2019 (yes, this was over a year ago) for two lost men’s wedding bands.  Ed stated that he lost his first wedding band at a public Dog Park near the Research Park area many years ago.  He figured it was long gone due to the maintenance and foot traffic.  He got a replacement band and unfortunately, he lost that one as well.  He felt fairly certain that he lost the second ring in his backyard and he would like for me to come out and conduct a search.  I sent an email back that I’d be more than happy to help look for both rings and asked when a good time was.  I didn’t receive a response.  About a week later, I sent another email, but still no response.  Ed didn’t leave his phone number, so I assumed that he just changed his mind.  I put the details in my notes and forgot about it.

The end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, I was dealing with the unfortunate issue of cluster headaches.  They were getting worse, so I was trying to figure out the root cause.  Long story short, I had an MRI and discovered that I had a Meningioma/benign tumor in my head.  I had a craniotomy on May 26th, 2020 to remove it.  The surgery went well and the tumor was removed!  By the end of 2020, I was all healed up, headache free, and feeling better than ever!  I could now go out metal detecting as much as I wanted (work schedule and weather permitting lol)!

I was looking back at past inquiries I received as a Ring Finder.  Ed’s email about his 2 lost wedding bands stuck out to me.  I figured a search at the Dog Park would be fun, plus there was the possibility that a lost ring was still there.  A quick Google search and I was fairly certain Ed lost his ring at Creekwood Dog Park in Madison, Alabama.  I emailed Ed on January 13th, 2021 to confirm and get details on the specific area he was in.  A few days later he replied back and confirmed it was at Creekwood, and he even provided a Google Map image with a line he drew of the entire path he walked from the parking lot and back (photo on left side below).  He also said that he last remembered having the Palladium ring when he was sitting at the picnic table on the right side of the fenced in play area (green roof structure on photo on right side below).  Further, Ed told me that he found his replacement wedding in a sock drawer!  Only one ring left to find!

I went out to Creekwood the following day, January 18th, 2021 for the search.  Before I started, I prayed to God and asked Him for a safe and successful search.  I also asked Him to guide me and put me in the location where Ed’s ring was.  Armed with my Minelab Equinox 800 and 15 inch coil, I decided to start at the picnic table and conduct an east/west style grid walking towards the middle fence that separated the two large dog play areas.  I had a lot of ground to cover, but I remained optimistic.

I finished my second grid line and noticed that there were some dog hurdles further down the fence line, so I stayed and searched some more along the fence area.  About 30 minutes into my search and 5 feet from the fence and second gate separating the two play areas, I get a loud and solid 17 on my Equinox.  About an inch down, I uncover a man’s wedding ring (red “X” on photo on right side below)!  Wiping away the dirt, I can see a unique basketweave style design on the outside of the ring.  I tried wiping the dirt off from the inside to check for a marking of what type of metal the ring was.  However, there’s a grove on the inside that I wouldn’t be able to clean off until I got home.  But, I was pretty positive that this was Ed’s ring!

I got the ring home and cleaned it off.  I then saw a PD 950 (Palladium) stamp on the inside of the ring…this was indeed Ed’s lost wedding band!  Wow, against all odds!!!  I thanked the Lord for this miraculous recovery!

Details that I learned when I returned the ring to Ed a few days later:  This ring was lost in 2015, so it’s been sitting in a public park for 6 years!!!  Ed didn’t actually have the ring on his finger.  It was looped through some paracord and tied around his neck.  Ed bought a cheap metal detector and tried searching multiple times and spent numerous hours looking.  He even took a large magnet on wheels that is used to pick up nails in hopes that the ring had some magnetic properties to it, but after all the attempts, still no ring.  He then put up lost ring posters at the park, but never heard anything.  Ed assumed that someone must’ve have found it and that was the end of this ring’s story.  So, when I sent him a photo of the ring, he was shocked to say the least!  He told me that he never thought he would see this ring again and he was very disappointed when he lost it.  I’m happy to say that this ring’s story now gets to continue!  Athena, Ed’s dog that was with him the day he lost his ring at the park is sitting in the front seat of his truck smiling along with Ed in the photo below!

It’s really a blessing that I get to use my hobby of metal detecting to help others!  It’s honestly one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done and get to do!  Huge shoutout to Chris Turner and The Ring Finders Directory!  Without it, none of this would be possible.

Christina McCree – Lost Item Recovery Specialist…Call or Text ASAP, Anytime 24/7…610-504-6135!

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University of Alabama College Ring Lost for Almost 20 YEARS…Recovered from Pond in Somerville, AL!

  • from Huntsville (Alabama, United States)
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Bama fans, you’ll be very proud of this ring recovery!

I received an email from Joel on October 6th, 2019 asking for my help with finding his ring.  Joel explained that several years prior he was tossing a decoy duck into a pond on his family’s property, when his ring slipped off his finger and landed in the water.  This wasn’t just any ring; this was a University of Alabama college ring that Joel had purchased in 1993 to commemorate him earning his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) Degree!  Based on current conditions at the time, Joel wasn’t sure if he should pursue his master’s degree, but decided to push through anyway and persevere.  You can only imagine how much sentimental value this ring held to not only Joel, but the rest of his family as well.  They were devastated by the loss!  Additionally, Joel told me that ArtCarved had made his class ring and it had a stadium style design, which they no longer make.  Based on all these factors, I knew I had to find his ring!

The pond was on their property in Somerville Alabama, therefore private, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone else trying to find the ring.  Joel and his wife, Melody, knew the general area of where it landed in the pond, but they just couldn’t get to it due to the water.  Joel had initially purchased a metal detector, wrapped it in a garbage bag, and tried to find the ring, but to no avail.  He searched on Google every few years or so for a metal detecting service, until he eventually discovered The Ring Finders directory.

Attempt #1.  We arranged for me to come out the following Sunday, October 13th, 2019 to conduct a search.  The water was about 3-5 feet deep.  However, the two main factors I had going against me were the mud/sludge on the bottom and the temperature.  The sludge was about a foot deep, and the weather had just turned cooler about a week prior.  Armed with my AT Pro and long handled sand scoop, I conducted a wading type grid search for as long as I could in the cold water.  I had a wetsuit on, but I could only manage to search for about 1.5 hours before I had to call it.  It was difficult to effectively pull a scoop of that deep mud, as it acted as almost a suction.  I was able to dig a few signals, which were the usual pulls tabs, foil, and other trash targets.  I told Joel that I would be back out in the summertime when the water was warm.  I apologized to him, because he would have to wait an additional 9-10 months for the next search attempt.

Attempt #2.  We scheduled the next search for Sunday, August 2nd, 2020.  Unfortunately, Alabama was having an unseasonably rainy summer.  The pond was deeper than it was in October.  My husband, Lindell, and I searched for about 2 hours, but had to call it due to the depth of the water.

Attempt #3.  The third time’s the charm!  This search was scheduled for Sunday, August 16th, 2020.  Lindell and I had planned to obtain our Open Water SCUBA dive certifications this year, but that got pushed back until next year due to a surgery I needed.  We had completed the basic dive certification on our honeymoon in 2010.  So, we decided to buy a hookah dive system made by HookaMax.  This is a surface supplied air compressor that always you to dive with a regulator and dive hose to a max depth of about 20-30 feet.  We also constructed a PVC grid that would sink to the bottom, so that we could keep a tight gridline.  Huge shoutout to my good Ring Finder buddies, Brian Rudolph from Washington D.C., and Jeff Morgan from Seattle!!!  Brian helped us with the purchase of the hookah system and Jeff helped with the construction of our PVC grid (grid system was passed on by Ring Finder, John Volek from Houston).

Armed with new capabilities to overcome the depth, temperature, and sludge; Lindell and I went out to Somerville!  We decided it was best that only I conduct a search, so that Lindell could monitor the situation topside.  I had my Equinox 800 with the 15” coil to cover maximum depth and area.  I conducted another wade type grid search, but was able to dive down with the hookah system to check targets with my pin pointer.  It was near zero visibility, but I could easily feel for the target with my gloved hand and pin pointer.  After about 2-3 hours of searching and only finding trash targets, I asked Joel to tell me again the general area of loss.  I went back over that area even though I had already covered it.  But as we know, if you miss it by an inch then you miss it by a mile!  After a few gridlines and checking some targets, I check another.  I have the item in hand under the water and started feeling the shape of a class ring.  With my non-gloved hand, I could feel the smoothness of the band.  I quickly shook off the muck and saw that glimmer of a crimson/red stone!  It was Joel’s 10k yellow gold UA ring!!!  What a beautiful sight!  We had found it after almost 20 years of it sitting at the bottom of this pond!  Such a great feeling!  It was getting later in the day, so I was relieved that we were able to pull it this time!  The ring wasn’t too deep for the detector to pick it up!

I surface with a big old smile and yell with excitement, “we got it”!!!  I walk it over to Joel and open-up my fist to reveal what he’s been waiting so long to see.  This was one incredible looking ring!!!  There was absolutely no tarnish or corrosion on it.  It looked the same as the day it went in the pond!  Both Joel and his mother-in-law were so grateful and in shock!  It’s hard to put their reaction into words.  The ring was now back on Joel’s finger where it belongs!  As always, I thanked the Lord for a safe and successful recovery!  Huge thanks to Lindell for assisting me with these searches!

I’m coming up on my 2-year anniversary with The Ring Finders.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people, hear their stories, and help them find what may have been lost forever!  What a blessing it has been!  I give all glory to God and pray that I’m able to continue His work and help many more!

If you or someone you know has lost a ring, jewelry, or other metal item, please contact a member of The Ring Finders.

 

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