Ring and Jewelry Recovery Service Oak Island NC Tag | The Ring Finders

Man’s Wedding Band Lost, Found, and Returned on Oak Island, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Ring and Jewelry Metal Detecting Recovery Service. Call Jim ASAP!  843-655-5889

On Friday, March 12th, I was out doing some metal detecting on the beach after a long spell of being stuck in the house due to COVID-19. After finishing up, and with little to show for my efforts, I checked my cell phone for any calls or text messages. I had a text from Travis that said in part, “Jim – have a silver ring Lola red somewhere in an azalea bush on Oak Island at my in-laws house. Let’s touch base and see what your availability is when you have a moment. Thanks!”  This was my first lost ring call for 2021 and I was ready. I called Travis and asked what the situation was. He stated that he had lost his ring almost a year ago in some azalea bushes. I told him I had nothing going on and could be there in a couple of hours. He said he’d text his mother-in-law and let her know I was coming. In the meantime, I did a quick Google search to get an idea on what type ring I was looking for and get an idea of what numbers on the detector to look for.

When I got to his in-laws house, I knocked on the door and met Travis’ father-in-law, Bill. We introduced ourselves and he showed me the bushes where the ring was supposed to be. I asked how the ring ended up in the bushes. Bill said that Travis had been cleaning out a bucket and when Travis threw the water from the bucket into the bushes, the ring went with the water. Bill also stated that he had used a metal detector himself but wasn’t able to find the ring. I grabbed my Equinox 800 and pin pointer out of the car and went to work. The back of the bushes were accessible so I was able to work the detector in and around the low hanging branches and over some roots. Within just a couple of minutes, I hit a target showing a solid 14 on the 800 VDI (visual display indicator). I wasn’t positive I had Travis’ ring because with the description I got from him and my Google search, I expected a higher VDI number. I learned a long time ago that with all the different metals and percentages of metals being used to make rings and other jewelry, things don’t ring up on a metal detector like you’re expecting. Also, if I’m looking for someone’s lost treasure; every signal I get needs to be checked. Because of all the low branches, I wasn’t able to get to the target from where I was. I marked the spot with a stick and made my way to the front of the bushes. I was able to crawl far enough under the bush that I could use the pin pointer to find the target. I moved some dead leaves and Bingo! I took a quick picture and sent it to Travis asking “is this it?” Within seconds he texted me back saying “That is it!”

I called him and asked if he wanted me to mail his ring home or leave it with his father-in-law, he told me to leave the ring with his father-in-law and he’d pick it up the following week.

Travis – Thanks for trusting The Ring Finders and me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

   

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Lady’s Family Heirloom Platinum Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean on Oak Island, NC. – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I received a call at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Father’s Day, from Julie saying she had lost her platinum wedding band in the ocean sometime between 1 – 4 pm. She also said that during that time she had ridden a boogie board, and played some football. I asked how deep she thought she was and she stated from ankle to about 4 ½ feet. A quick check of the tide tables and it didn’t look good. Low tide was right around 2 p.m. and the hour drive would get me there almost at high tide, I didn’t have a chance. I told Julie I’d be there the next afternoon before low tide at 2:55 p.m.

I had a lost ring search in a back yard set for the next morning, but was able to reschedule. I texted Julie and told her I’d be there close to noon. I figured I could start at the high tide line and work my way out to the low tide line and beyond. When I arrived the next day, Julie met me in the driveway of their rental and led me around to the beach access and out to meet her husband, Lonny. This is about when Julie shared that the center stone in the ring belonged to Lonny’s grandmother, and that they were here on vacation to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. I felt the pressure!! Standing on the beach, I asked Julie to tell me how she lost the ring again, what she was doing and where she was at. She showed me the area of a sand bar that she had been boogie boarding around and thought that it may have been where she lost it. I then asked Lonny what he remembered. He thought she probably lost it in the area where they were playing football, because that’s where they had been rough housing, too. I found it helps when I get everybody’s story and piece it together, what one forgets the other remembers – sometimes!

I had brought a couple of detectors, and PVC pipes to mark the areas. The pipe was to help me keep a better grid line. I had Julie and Lonny show me where they thought were the outside bounders for the area. I started at the high tide line and worked my way out pass the low tide line, grid searching both parallel and perpendicular to the shoreline. I made it out to the sand bar and did a good grid with nothing. I knew if the ring was lost on the ocean side of the sand bar, I had little chance of finding it in the washing machine action it’d go through. After what I felt was a very thorough search with no luck, I took a short break and came up with plan B. I asked Julie when she noticed that she didn’t have the ring on and she said it was after getting cleaned up and in the house. So now I’m thinking the soft sand may have to be searched just to rule it out. I asked Julie and Lonny if they wanted to help search, which they agreed to, and showed them how to use my White’s PI. Shortly after, I saw Julie pass the detector off to Lonny, it’s a pretty heavy machine, and he made his way back out towards the sand bar. He was struggling, and without a scoop, if he did get a target he had nothing to dig it with. At some point I decided I’d expand the search area, both on the east and west sides. I knew the platinum ring would show a VDI on the equinox 800 somewhere between 6 and 9, depending on the weight. Lonny’s thinner platinum wedding band rang up as a 3. After about a 3 hour search, and running out of real estate.  Just outside the original search area, I got a solid target showing a 9 on the VDI. Bingo!!! Two scoops and I had the target out of the hole. I gently washed the sand out in the surf and heard the special “twang” you get when there’s metal in the scoop. I looked in the scoop and there it was. Lonny was close, so I called him over. I told him don’t get excited but is this Julie’s ring. He wasn’t positive, because he’d never seen it off her finger, but thought so. I told Lonny, let’s surprise Julie, but I had to get my camera. When we got back up to where I had my gear, I made it sound like I was getting a drink. Lonny put on a great performance telling Julie I had another question. The video tells it all!!! Her response is why I love being a Ring Finder.

Julie and Lonny – thank you so much for trusting me to find your lost treasure. It was great to meet you both.

Jim

   

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Man’s Rolex Watch Lost and Found in the Lockwoods Folly River, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a text message from Mark on Thursday, Aug 29th saying that he had lost his Rolex watch, while fishing, in the Lockwoods Folly River and wondered if I could help. At some point, Mark told me that his wife, Joanna, had gotten him the watch as a present and it had a great deal of sentimental value attached. He knew the watch, itself, could be replaced, but not the memories.

I was concerned about the depth of the water and what the bottom of the river was. He said the depth was about 5 feet at low tide, which is pushing my limit, and didn’t know about the bottom. A lot of the marsh bottom in North and South Carolina has what’s called “Pluff Mud.” In earlier century’s it was called “Plough Mud,” because it was used to fertilize cotton fields that were depleted of nutrients. Anyway, it is nasty, it’s made up of dead grasses, fish, crabs, shrimp, and anything else that dies and decays in the water, it stinks, literally! When you step in it, it sucks you down, and what was at your ankles is now at your knees or thighs. So I was real anxious about searching in those kinds of conditions, but agreed to meet him on Saturday. I talked to my son-in-law, Donnie, who is a certified diver, about it and was thinking of him taking this call, but decided I’d give it a shot. Donnie has helped me on a number of searches, and I knew he’d jump at the chance of this search.

On Saturday, Mark and Joanna picked me up at one of the boat docks in Holden Beach, NC and we took a 20-25 minute boat ride to get the search area. Matt told me that the evening he lost his watch that he was having problems with his outboard motor so he was getting his trolling motor ready to use to get him back home. At some point in the process, he hit the trolling motor with his watch making the clasp come apart sending his watch in the water. When we got to the search area, Mark beached his boat and told me the search area was within 15 feet of the stern of the boat. We were bucking a strong current, but managed to search the area for a couple of hours or so. After searching what I could, I knew I was in over my head, and I’d need Donnie and his scuba diving abilities to help. While we were waiting for the tide to come back in, because we were now high and dry, and grounded on the beach; I called Donnie. I let him and Mark work out the details on the date and times both were available.

Fast forward to Monday, Donnie and Mark met at the same boat dock and headed out around 6:30am. I got a text from Donnie about 11:30 saying “No luck” but he was going to get lunch, fill up his air tanks and go back out with Mark and try again. At 6:22pm Donnie texted: “found it!” I got a few details from Donnie about his search, and the picture and video of him and Mark.

Donnie – thanks so much for your help and your “awesome” scuba skills and “fantastic” underwater metal detecting services.

Mark and Joanna – so happy and excited for you that Donnie was able to find and recover your lost treasure!

Jim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=LAk1V40FH2Q&app=desktop

     

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14K Gold Family Heirloom Wedding Band Lost at Oak Island, NC, Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got an email around 9:30 pm Sunday night from George saying that he had lost his gold wedding ring that had originally belonged to his grandfather. His email also stated that he had placed the ring into a zipped pocket of a beach bag on Friday, but didn’t discover the ring was missing until he and his wife, Jen, started packing up to leave on Monday morning. As Jen was packing the beach bag, George remembered his ring was in there and told Jen. Jen checked the bag, didn’t find the ring but did discover a hole in the pocket the ring was suppose to be in. He was wondering if I could meet them tomorrow, before they left to see if I could find it. Unfortunately, I’ve got to go out of town the next morning for a day trip so I wouldn’t be able to make it. I called him, letting him know I couldn’t make it tomorrow, but I could make it tonight. He agreed, gave me the rental house address and I hit the road for the hour drive to Oak Island.

When I arrived, both Jen and George were sitting on the front stoop of the house waiting for me. I got a few more details from Jen and George, and George and I crossed the street to the beach access. Once there, George pointed out the area they had been sitting at over the course of the last 3 days. I started doing a grid line parallel to the surf. I was on my 6th or 7th line when I got a strong signal showing up as a VDI of 18 and I knew it had to be his gold ring. Dug a scoop of sand, dumped it on the beach, and spread it out with my foot. Ran the coil over the sand and saw the outline of his ring at the same time my Equinox rang out. I reached down and picked up his ring, turned towards George and held my arm out. I had my headlamp on and saw the expression on his face like, there is no way he’s holding my ring. He seemed hesitant to come see what I was holding and when I handed him his ring he was completely overwhelmed. Think we both dropped a tear or two. We left the beach and were going to surprise Jen, but George couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. At some point after we found his ring, he made a comment that he was sure it was lost forever.

George and Jen, Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. I’m sure the ring has a very long history and story attached to it, and now that story can continue with just a little added anxiety thrown in.

Jim

      

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Lady’s Yellow Gold Engagement Ring Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Oak Island NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I, my wife, and youngest daughter were on our way to dinner when Brandon called wanting to know if I could help find his wife, Marli’s, ring. He explained that she had taken her rings off to apply sunblock to their young baby. He continued saying that she placed both the engagement ring and wedding band in her shirt. A little while later she saw her wedding band laying on the towel she had been sitting on, but no engagement ring. I told him I could be there around 8 p.m., about an hour and a half later. He told me he would check with his wife and call me back. As soon as I hung up, both my wife and daughter, almost in unison said, “You have got to go find her ring.” So I turned the car around and headed back home to drop them off and pick up my detector. I called him back and told him I was on my way and to text me the address.

After the 45 minute drive, I arrived at the beach at 7:30 p.m. I met Marli and Brandon, and we walked to the area in the dry sand where the ring was lost. Marli pointed out the area she had been sitting on the towel and applying the sunblock to her baby. I tested her wedding band with the Equinox 800 and got a VDI of 11, so I knew what I was looking for. On my fourth grid line, I got a strong tone and a VDI of 12 so I knew I had her engagement ring. I looked up and smiled at her and Brandon, and took a small scoop of sand. Her small size 4 or 4 ½ engagement ring was still hidden in the sand, so I lightly shook the sand out of the scoop and saw her ring peeking up through the small amount of sand left. Bingo! I took the ring out of the scoop and handed it to her. Big Smiles all the way around. She told me that she thought the ring was gone for good. Another chapter to add to their ring story.

Marli and Brandon, thank you for trusting in me to help find your lost treasure. Best of luck to you both, and your baby.

Jim

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Prescription Glasses Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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It had been a great weekend with family in town and sadly as they all left, I wanted to do a little metal detecting. I had just received my new quest scoopal sand scoop in the mail and attached an old wooden handle and was ready to go. There were plenty of people on the beach; the problem was, there weren’t any places to park. After driving to three different spots, I finally found a parking spot and hit the beach. I had my new scoop in one hand and my new Equinox 800, third time out with it, in the other hand.

I hit my first target, stuck my new scoop in the sand, and wouldn’t you know it, my handle broke. I then remembered why the handle wasn’t attached to my T-Rex scoop, I had cracked the base of the handle and changed it out last year. Luckily, I still had my T-Rex in the trunk and headed back to the car. On my way off the beach, Betty approached me wanting to know if I had found a pair of kid’s prescription glasses. I hadn’t, so I got the description of the glasses and found out they had been lost within the last 10 minutes. I told her I needed to change scoops and that I’d be right back and see what I could do. There’s usually very little chance of finding freshly dropped glasses. Glasses are so light; they get pushed and pulled by the surf until the metal frames finally settle in the sand and get buried. Also, as they’re getting pushed and pulled, the lenses get scratched up rubbing against the sand.

 When I got back to the site, I started doing a grid search in the surf, hoping to visually spot the glasses. After a pretty extensive visual search, I told Betty that I’d be there for a while, working the outgoing tide, and if I found the glasses, I’d leave them with the lifeguard. As I’m working the tide line, I walked north of the lost area and spotted the glasses laying on top of the wet sand about 20-30 yards away from the original area. I picked up the glasses, verified they were the right ones, checked for damage, and headed back to find Betty. Betty and I spotted each other about the same time, and I held up the glasses. She and Annie, the mother of the girl that lost the glasses, both came running towards me. Both were very excited and called Kamila to come down from the hotel and get her glasses. While we were waiting, I found out they were on vacation from Illinois and were originally from Poland. I didn’t learn the relationship between Betty, Annie, and Kamila, but it didn’t matter. Once Kamila showed up, she identified the glasses and checked them for damage, everything was okay. Found out from Annie that she had called her husband who was going to overnight a spare set of glasses the next day.

Kamila, so happy I was able to help get your glasses back where they belong.

Jim

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Man’s White Gold Wedding Band Lost, Recovered and Returned at Oak Island, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Sunday night I got an e-mail from Daniel G. telling me he had lost his wedding band on the beach at Oak Island, NC the previous Friday. In the e-mail he asked if I would be willing to drive to Oak Island and see if I could find it. I responded saying yes that it’d be no problem and then asked the normal questions – where on the beach, the time he lost it and the ring description.

The next morning Daniel had followed up with his responses as well as calling me. He knew exactly where he had been, what time it was and even down to the number of paces it was from the soft sand into the high tide line. Looking at the current tide tables, I saw I had about 4 hours before high tide so I headed out for the hour drive up there. Once I got to the beach I followed his directions and he couldn’t have been more exact on where it was. On my third grid line, in ankle deep water I got the signal. Two scoops and I had his wedding band in my hand. I took a picture of his ring and sent it to him with a text saying “Bingo”. While I’m standing on the beach waiting for his response, I noticed two ladies walking towards me. They walked up to me and introduced themselves as Daniel’s mother and his Aunt and informed me that Daniel had called them that morning letting them know I was going to be looking for it. They thought they’d come down and watch. I told them I had already found it and had sent Daniel a picture and text and was waiting for his response. Neither one of them could believe I had found it and were really surprised and excited for Daniel. Shortly after Daniel called and was very excited about his ring. He told me to go ahead and give it to his mother, which was good so it didn’t have to be mailed. A great ending to another lost ring story.

Daniel – Thank you for trusting me to find your lost treasure.

Jim

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