Lost White Gold Engagement Ring-Found!
I received a text from Leslie on Monday afternoon concerning a lost engagement ring. She had found me with an internet search. As it was late in the day I told her I could come the next day, becase it was about a two hour drive from where I’m located. I got to the site at around 11:00 AM Central Time. The couple had been pulling a boat and pulled off into the parking lot of an old convience store that had been converted into another use. As they got out to adjust the boat straps, (the ring had been placed in the shallow tray under the door handle), the ring somehow went flying. They looked on the pavement and didn’t see it, but there was a grass strip between the pavement and a shallow ditch, then more grass just beyond the ditch. I started my search in the grass strip, then the ditch, then just beyond the ditch. Being this had been a convience store at one time I expected a lot of metal trash in the ground, and I was right. She did have a metal detector that had been her grandfather’s, but was overwhelmed by the abundance of metal trash. I searched slowly and methodically while listening for the white gold tone and looking for the target ID I typically get for white gold rings. After searching the entire area, no ring. Of course I found several pieces of foil. I turned off my CTX detector, and was explaing the process, where I search the most likely area first, then expand the search area if the ring is not found, (a visual scan of the pavement was next). At that time someone from the building, I’ll call him “Tom”, came out and we explained what we were doing, and that a visual scan of the pavement was next. He struck out towards the highway, and in around ten seconds I heard him call out, “is this it?” He had found it around 10-12 feet from the edge of a busy highway! The ring was intact, but had some minor damage where it looked as though it had been run over and stuck in the tire treads before dropping off just before the highway. In a visual search, the more eyes the better. All in all, another successful search!
Phillip called me about midday asking if I would help him locate his wife’s engagement ring. It was lost in the water close to the shore line, ankle to calf deep and they had been searching for it by hand, snorkeling and they purchased a metal detector to no avail. It had been a couple days since lost and it was high tide at the time. He said because of emotional and sentimental reasons, the ring just had to be found. I said I would help and showed up late that same afternoon. This was my first visit and ring recovery at Fort Morgan so I wasn’t familiar with conditions and packed my equipment for all conditions. I searched an areas about 100 foot square with no Luck. There was only one target and when I dug it Phillip thought I had found it only to be disappointed when I pulled up a piece of wire. After performing a second search with no success I decided to first expand the search another 50 ft to the west. Now, remember the ring was lost at high tide and the beach had a gradual slope, for ever 1 foot drop of tide the horizontal distance was probably 15 or more feet. It’s was now low tide so I concentrated on the wet sand with no standing water. Within 10 minutes I got a good but weak signal, dug it and there it was. I felt it was lucky I came right out after called because the sand shifts about quickly around here and I’m afraid in another day or two it may have been buried to deep to detect. Phillip and the family were all smiles and grateful and now they can finish their vacation with no regrets. I am alway glad to help. 
