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Class of 1985 gold college ring…lost, recovered and returned in Collegeville, PA!

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Received a text from Karen today seeking help in finding her boyfriend’s lost college ring. She found me in the Ring Finders directory and I returned her text with a phone call to discuss the lost ring. Karen conveyed to me that(1 year ago!) she was mowing the backyard lawn of her home in the Skippack/Collegeville area of PA while her boyfriend, Eric, was also doing some work in the backyard. As she was mowing she saw a large branch in her way and asked Eric to pick it up and heave it out of the way to the side of the yard. In doing so Eric felt his prized college ring fly off his finger in the same direction of the branch…somewhere in the corner of the yard. They searched for hours and even rented a metal detector to try to find with no luck. As the year passed Karen never forgot about the missing ring and was determined to find and return it to Eric…she finally reached out to a “Ring Finder”.

I arrived to her home around 3:30 pm on the same day she contacted me. We went straight back to the area where the loss occurred. As I always do I took a second to demonstrate my equipment with my own ring….I want people to feel confident that if the ring is there…I’m going to find it! She re-enacted the loss and showed me exactly which direction the branch and ring were thrown. I’ve learned over the years to prioritize the most likely search areas first and then expand outward. I was there about 5 minutes and on my 4th signal I knew I had it before I even bent down. It was a clean and solid gold tone 1 inch beneath the surface. I grabbed my pinpointer an targeted its exact location just under the surface and gently moved a 1/2 inch of dirt and saw the gold shine through. Before digging any further I called Karen over and asked her to take  a look….she was amazed!!! We gently moved a little more dirt and plucked this beauty out of the ground! As a Ring Finder I always tell people how much more fun it is when you are able to come through and find and return the item! Karen and Eric were very happy!!!!

Gold and Diamond Wedding Band Lost in Snow, Found and Returned in Paoli, PA

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Vijay found me via The Ring Finders Directory. He texted me looking for help in locating his lost gold and diamond wedding band. We spoke on the phone and he told me he was on an early morning walk around his neighborhood in Paoli, PA admiring the snow that was really coming down hard. He went to take a picture with his phone and while reaching for the phone he felt his ring fall off his finger straight down into the 8 or more inches of snow at his feet. At the time he didn’t have gloves on so he went home to get gloves so he could dig around and find the ring but by the time he got back…uh oh…the plow came through. I live about 15-20 minutes from Paoli so I was there within 30 minutes. First thing Vijay said to me was that next week is his 1 year wedding anniversary…and he made it clear the ring must be found! We met at the area where he dropped the ring, it was a parking lot of a school, and he showed me exactly where the ring was dropped. It was clear that the ring was definitely swept away by the plow and most likely was in one of the 3-4 foot mounds of snow near where the drop occurred. I had 2 detectors with me…One with a small coil and one with a larger coil. I started searching first with the larger coil but it was tough going and I couldn’t sweep the mound very effectively. I switched to the smaller coil and after each pass without a signal I took my shovel and dug the mound down by a foot or so. The detector depth is only a foot so I was assuming the ring was probably deeper toward bottom of the mound. After 20 minutes and on my 3rd pass I finally got a really good signal(a 22 on my Equinox 800). I called Vijay over and told him I’m liking this signal…we looked together as I dug down in snow. We were both elated to see his bright yellow gold band appear! I tell this to people all the time…being a Ringfinder is a lot “funner” when you are able to come through for the person! I’m so happy that Vijay can celebrate his 1 year anniversary next week with his beautiful band on his finger.

Diamond engagement ring lost in snow, recovered and returned in Bensalem, PA!

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Received an email from Catie on December 17, 2020 looking for help finding a lost diamond engagement ring. I gave her a call and she shared the details of what happened. Here in the Philadelphia area we had a significant snow storm Wednesday night through Thursday morning. Catie was clearing snow off her car in the parking lot of her apartment in Bensalem, PA when she suddenly noticed her relatively new engagement ring was no longer on her finger. She was quite certain it was on her finger prior to her starting to clear the snow off the car. In somewhat of a panic she dug around in the 10 inches of snow with no luck. Prior to calling me she had actually borrowed a metal detector but told me it was of no use and she didn’t know how to work it. After speaking to her I told her I would be there the next day at lunch time….I stressed to her not to touch, move or shovel anymore snow and to make sure no one shovel the snow around the area.

I met Catie at her car at around 130 pm and we re-enacted her movements that led to the lost ring. Based on her description of her movements I guessed it couldn’t be far from her car and most likely in the snow behind the car. I learned over the years to prioritize search areas…start a quick search in the most likely area it fell…even if that area is sort of in the middle of the entire search area. I made a first pass along and behind the tail gate of her car with no luck…the snow was deep! I turned and began making a 2nd pass a little more distant to the rear of the car and BOOM! A surface 8-9 tone on my Equinox 800 detector! Those of you who are detectorists know…if you get a solid surface signal in 10 inches of snow…its going to be a winner. The signal was so clear and obvious I wasn’t surprised when i bent down and wiped away a few inches of snow to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. Total search time – 2 minutes?!

Catie happened to be standing 10-15 feet away….watching with hopeful yet anxious eyes. When I got the signal…even before bending over….I gave her a wink(like babe Ruth calling the homer!). After bending over and picking up her ring I think she was in a bit of shock when she saw it in my hand. Then tears of joy of course! To this day I find the best part of being a Ringfinder is the visceral joy and relief on faces of people when I hold up their lost ring. What can I say…its a rush!

Catie is scheduled to get married September of this year…I certainly wish her the best!

 

 

Platinum wedding band lost, recovered and returned in Berwyn, PA!

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Dan found me via The Ring Finders directory. He was deeply worried about losing his very sentimental platinum wedding band. He said he just celebrated his 1 year wedding anniversary and the ring was so important to him. He told me the previous Saturday he was at his niece’s wedding reception in the backyard of his brother’s house in Berwyn , PA. The reception was a big affair with a DJ and a dance floor set up in the middle of the grassy backyard. He was partying and dancing up a storm when he decided to head in the house to use the bathroom….that’s when he noticed his ring was missing. He was 100% sure it was on his finger before the party started. He and family started searching immediately both at party and next day. He finally contacted me on a Tuesday and and I agreed to start to search on Wednesday. Dan lives in NJ so he put me in touch with his brother since it was his yard I would be searching. I met his brother that afternoon in the backyard of his house…it was a 50 x 5o foot grassy yard with much of the grass compressed and still littered from the big party. In the middle of grass you could clearly see the 20×20 foot square where a wood dance floor was installed and then removed.  As you become more experienced as a Ring Finder you start to get more intuitive on where the lost ring might be when starting a search. You prioritize the most likely areas…not only based off details and circumstances of how it was actually lost but also considering the fact that many people have been looking for it for many days with just their eyes(not a metal detector). Most of the grass in backyard was very short or non-existent…if the ring was there they would have found it themselves. However, there was one area off near the dance floor where the grass was higher…if it fell there it would be difficult to find without a metal detector. Soooooo…..I started there. Bingo…I immediately got a perfect ring signal. I bent down…pushed aside the high grass to reveal Dan’s ring! I immediately texted Dan’s brother who came out and was just amazed how quickly I found it after so many people searched for hours. He, in turn, immediately called Dan to share the good news! It brings me great joy to be able to come through for people with a successful recovery!

Massive platinum wedding band lost, recovered and returned in Chadds Ford, PA!

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Jay found me via The Ring Finders Directory. He told me he was in the front yard of his beautiful Chadds Ford, PA home putting up Christmas lights when he took a break to throw a football with his son. His son threw him a deep high pass and while reaching to catch it he felt(but didn’t see!) his large platinum wedding band fly off his finger. He actually borrowed a metal detector from a neighbor and spent several hours looking for the ring himself prior to contacting me. When talking to him I told him that I have had many people contact me after renting or buying a metal detector themselves…I feel the experience of the operator of these machines is as important as the machine itself when searching for something as important and valuable as a ring. Anyway, I met Jay on a Saturday afternoon and we reenacted the incident. Jay was convinced the ring must have flung off his finger straight back and far toward the side yard. After 20-30 minutes and not finding…we reenacted the incident again and considered other angles and expanded our search. Still nothing! We decided to reenact the incident one more time but this time Jay was going to actually fling a ring sized object to see how far and what direction it might go. He just returned from his garage with the ring sized object in his hand and was preparing to fling it…I was standing next to him in an area he never thought possible his ring could be…but sure enough I got the perfect signal on my detector. I bent down with my pin pointer and sure enough…there was his massive platinum band! The funny thing was Jay had his back to me still about to fling his mock ring….when I tapped him on shoulder and told him to stop! I held up his ring and we both started laughing…he couldn’t believe where I found it. We had the angles all wrong! All’s well that ends well! Jay was very happy to get get his ring back!

 

Lost Platinum Wedding Band Lost, Recovered and Returned in Chadds Ford, PA

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Steve found me in the Ringfinders online directory after losing his platinum wedding band while doing yard work at his home in Chadds Ford, PA. He told me he was familiar with the Ringfinders because he lost this same ring 3 years prior on a beach in California…the local ringfinder saved the day back then. I arrived at his home and he showed me the area where he was working in the yard… it wasn’t a large area and he was quite confident that the ring fell off exactly in area he was working. I scanned it the first time with my Minelab Equinox 800 detector quite quickly. After not finding it on first pass we decided to dump bucket of yard waste he had picked up that day and see if it was mixed in….but no luck there either. I decided to extend my search area beyond the area he had originally pointed out. Sure enough within a minute I received a solid “13” signal on my detector. There, after pushing aside the high grass, was his beautiful platinum wedding band. I was very happy the Ringfinders came through for him again with this same ring!

 

Gold Class Ring Lost, Recovered and Returned in Spring City, PA

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Gabriel contacted me via the RingFinders directory regarding his lost high school graduation ring. Apparently 6 months prior he had been playing with his new puppy in his back yard and while throwing a ball he felt his prized gold class ring fly off his hand. He and his family spent an entire day searching for it on their hands and knees. After an exhaustive search he finally gave up and figured it was a goner. I guess he couldn’t stop thinking about it because he googled for metal detecting help and it led him to the Ringfinders and me! Gabriel was at work the day I arrived to search so I met his father, Hector, in the backyard. He was very familiar with the details of where the loss occurred and pointed me in the right direction. The great thing was that Gabriel is a twin and his father had his twin brother’s identical class ring. I was able to scan the available ring with my Minelab Equinox 800 detector so I could laser focus on just those #s when searching for the lost ring. The available ring rang up as a solid 20-21…so I set my detector to specifically focus on those #s. Well….30 seconds into the search I received a solid 20-21 signal. I bent down with my  pinpointer and sure enough the target is  just poking through the level of the dirt beneath the grass…with a hint of gold. I called Hector over and we dug very gently with our hands and with laughter, joy and surprise we revealed Gabriel’s lost ring! Hector immediately called Gabriel to put him on speaker phone and tell him the good news. Not sure if I ever heard anyone so happy!

 

Valuable lost keys in farm field recovered and returned in Garnett Valley, PA

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Received an email from Patrick from Garnet Valley, PA on Monday, July 6, 2020. He had found me online via the Ring Finders Directory after searching for hours for some lost keys. I called him and he told me that he was about 1/3 through mowing his 5 acre farm field when he noticed the tractor keys were no longer in the ignition. Its an older tractor and it continued to run with out the keys so he had no idea at what point they fell out. Patrick’s biggest concern was not just the tractor key…there were 11-12 other keys on the ring that were quite simply important and irreplaceable to him. Since it was probably a 2-3 acre search area I called my bud and fellow Ring Finder, John Favano, to help in search. We hit it yesterday and when we got there the search area was intimidating in size and scope. We called Patrick to pick his brain about where he noticed them missing and the search area boundaries. John and i detected in a side-by-side counter clockwise formation and about 45 minutes into the search….BINGO! To say Patrick was surprised to get his keys back is an understatement…he was sure they were goners! The relief in his voice upon having his keys returned made my day. 

Beautiful, Sentimental Gold Wedding Band found and returned in Delaware County, PA

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Received and email from Jestine on June 17, 2020 asking for help with a lost ring. Apparently she was holding the beautiful, vintage gold band for a friend while playing Cornhole in her backyard. Turns out the ring was a family heirloom that went back generations. After purchasing a metal detector and trying to find the ring herself over the course of several hours she gave up and consulted the Ring Finders directory. After getting the call and heading in her direction, she lives in Aldan, PA, I gave a call to my bud and fellow Ring Finder, John Favano to see if he wanted to join me for the search. We met there 30 minutes later and met Jestine in her backyard….it was a small backyard with high grass. She walked us through step by step what happened with the lost ring and we got to work. I had barely turned my machine on when I saw a funny smile on John’s face…it took him less then 3 minutes to find the ring! It was a beauty as was Jestine’s reaction when we put it back in her hand.

 

Beautiful, sentimental silver ring recovered and returned in Willow Grove, PA

  • from Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, United States)

Madison found me through the online directory and contacted me on June 10, 2020. She conveyed to me that her young son was playing with her beautiful, David Yurman, silver ring after she had left it on the back patio table. He had it on his finger and was running around her small backyard in Willow Grove, PA when all of a sudden she noticed it was no longer on his little finger. After spending hours on her hands and knees looking for it she decided to contact me for help. I arrived at her house on the afternoon of June 12th and, as always, I asked her to go through exactly what happened step-by-step with a re-enactment of actions leading to the lost ring. I also always do a quick demonstration of how my metal detector works so she could feel confident that if the ring is there I will find it. I turned my machine on and started sweeping where she thought it most likely fell and less then 60 seconds later I got a perfect silver ring tone in my headphones. I bent over and pushed the grass aside and there was her beautiful ring! Besides being extremely happy to see her ring again she was amazed because she was 100% sure she had searched that area on her hands and knees. I was very happy to be able to recover and return such a beautiful ring to its rightful owner!