We search more than beaches!

Frank sent me an email asking if I could help him. While doing yard work he lost his platinum wedding band. He has worn it for 14 years. I sent him a message back stating I would help tomorrow morning as I was currently at the Phillies-Padres playoff game. Go Phillies!

Early the next morning I sent Frank an email letting him know to call me when he was available. He called and gave me his address. So I loaded my vehicle and headed over.

I arrived at his house, and the 1st thing I noticed was how nice the yard/grass looks. It was thick and easy to hide a ring. It was also well-decorated for Halloween. Frank was outside waiting for me. He took me to the different areas that he was working on yesterday. The last stop was where he felt his ring come off. He explained that he was throwing some of the yard debris into the woods. When he was done he shook off the dirt from his hands. At that moment he felt his ring come off. He searched for it without success. He even went out and bought an inexpensive metal detector to search. He mimicked the event while holding a quarter to see where it would land. I spotted the quarter while scanning the area with my eyes. 

I grabbed my detector and started. There is a manhole cover in the area and a metal fence. But there were a lot of other metal signals in the area. The developers must have made the woods a dumping ground.  There were sticker bushes and vines all over making it difficult to swing the detector properly. After about 20 minutes and many targets, I get a nice signal. I can’t see anything so I get out my pinpointer. I move the leaves and grass and there is a platinum ring. I would have never been found without a metal detector because it was totally hidden. 

Frank was elated that I found it in the area he searched many times. Hopefully, he can return the detector he bought. Unless you are an experienced detectorist, chances are you won’t be able to find a lost ring unless you are very lucky. You need to know how to set up a detector to find the type of metal or object you are looking for. You need to know what the detector is telling you when it makes a sound. 

Frank found me by doing a Google search for how to find a lost ring. He was so happy that he didn’t give up and reached professional. 

I Love My Hobby!!

In late April, Roy left a message on my phone asking if I could help him locate his lost wedding ring. I called him back about an hour later. He explained that while cleaning up his yard he was throwing sticks into the woods. At some point, his ring must have flown off. I told him I would be there within the hour, hopefully getting there before the sunset. 

I got there with a few minutes to spare as there was still some daylight. He showed me the area he thinks he lost his ring. He explained that he has recently lost a lot of weight and his ring was loose. He said after he called he went out with a leaf blower and tried to find it, creating a large pile of leaves. 

I told him if it is here I will find it. I started searching and got a signal almost immediately. It was deeper than a surface find so I continued. Roy and his wife started walking back to the house. Within the next 2 minutes, I got a very strong signal in the pile of leaves. I kicked them to the side and there was Roy’s wedding ring. 

As I was taking a picture they noticed me on the ground and started to walk back. I picked it up and showed them what I found. They were stunned that I found it so quickly. Roy explained that it has a lot of sentimental value and that his 14th anniversary is in 2 days. 

I handed the ring to his wife, so she could put it back on his finger! The smiles on their faces were well worth the long drive to get there. Roy said he was going to get a ring guard so he wouldn’t have to call me again!

I love my hobby!

Cindy, a grade school classmate of mine, recommended me to a friend of hers. Cindy’s friend’s husband Bryan lost his white gold wedding ring while doing yard work last weekend. 

I was able to meet up with Nichole today to do a search. She showed me the areas he was working last weekend. I started in the small area in the front yard with no luck. I moved to the much larger area in the backyard. A lot of leaves and thick grass made a great hiding spot for a ring. 

I searched just about the whole backyard with no luck. I was going to get my machine with the smaller coil to search the areas closer to metal objects. While walking back to my truck I said to myself I should expand the search area in the front yard. 

3 feet from the area I searched I get a good hit on my detector. I bend down and spread the grass, and there is the missing ring. I was able to surprise Nichole when she answered the door. She was so happy, she said she was going to get the ring resized before Bryan can wear it again. He has lost it a few times recently.

I love my hobby!

Justin called this week asking if I could help find a lost ring. He is pretty sure he lost in his yard while doing yard work. This isn’t the first time I have talked to Justin, he called last year when he lost the same ring, in his house. I told him that I couldn’t use my detector in the house but I will do a visual search. After giving him some tips for a house search he found the ring. 

Our calendars allowed a Halloween search. He showed me the primary area. He was wearing gloves at the time but took them off a few times. He threw stuff into a trash can, but the trash wasn’t taken yet, in case we need to search the debris. The ring is not in the gloves. I checked the bag of grass seed that he was using, no ring. 

I turned on my detector and immediately started getting severe electronic interference. I did a noise-canceling procedure, a few times, and even did ground balancing. No luck. This just made the search a lot more difficult. I searched the whole area with no luck. I went to my truck and retrieved another detector with a much smaller coil. Still receiving the same interference. Maybe this was a testing site for nuclear bombs, or his yard is on top of an iron mine. 

The smaller coil was successful. After about 15 minutes I got a really strong 9 on the detector, pushed back the grass and there was a beautiful family heirloom. No tricks here only treats! This yellow gold ring with 3 diamonds was his father’s ring. Justin was awestruck & speechless. After a few minutes, he said he just texted a good friend saying that he thinks he is not going to see his ring again. 

I gave him some advice, when doing yard work, leave the ring in the house. He told me he was going to clean out the garage after I left, But he will not be wearing his ring. 

I love my hobby!

Jason sent me an email last week, asking if I could search for a ring his mother lost 18 years ago. It is a diamond platinum ring that belonged to his grandmother. His mom lost it while gardening. We made plans for me to drive up to the town of Middlesex today.

I met Jason & his mom, Audrey. She explained that she was gardening in the front yard, and when she went into the house, the ring was missing. She also was in the back yard shed, where she keeps all of her tools.

She is moving to Florida in a couple of weeks and would really like to have her mother’s ring back. When she lost it, it caused a lot of drama between her mom and herself. She said she had another professional detectorist search for it several years ago with no luck. My optimism faded big time.

I searched the garden and found a ton of roofing nails and foil (from potted plants). I searched the front lawn. Someone must have had holes in their pocket because the path to the driveway was loaded with coins. I searched down to the sidewalk.

Jason said, “I guess we should look in the back yard now.” I said, “let me search the strip between the sidewalk and the street.” He didn’t believe it would be there. With about 4 feet left to search in the strip, I get an excellent 8-9 on my detector. I think it is another piece of tin or foil. It is right up against the curb. About 4 inches deep, I see the beautiful ring.

I wanted to surprise them, so I pulled out my cell phone and acted like I am texting someone. But I’m taking pictures. Jason comes running down to me, asking me what I found. So I just told him that I found it. He couldn’t believe that I found it. So he picks it up and shows his mom sitting on the porch. She lets out the loudest blood curtailing scream. Her elderly neighbor 2 doors down came out of the house to make sure everything is ok.

Audrey didn’t care about social distancing. I got a big hard hug. Audrey shed a lot of tears of joy. It looks like 100 pounds of weight has been lifted off of her. I was so happy that I could find a ring that was missing for 18 years, even after another detectorist searched.

I love my Hobby!!

A note from Jason:  I contacted Dave to look for my Grandmothers wedding ring that my mom lost 18 yrs ago. He showed up and is very professional. After 1 hr of nails, screws, and bottle tabs. He was almost done with the front yard and searched a patch of grass right on the edge of the curb. Long behold he found the ring that gave my mom so much heartache for years. Thank You Dave for making her the happiest I have seen her in a long time.

Dean called me, late afternoon on May 24th, asking for help in finding a lost Chai charm, solid gold about the size of a quarter. He was down visiting his parents in Margate. He took his son and some other boys to the beach to play football. During the game, someone grabbed his son and got his gold chain, it snapped, and the charm went flying. He had the general idea of the area. I had to check with the Mrs. because it was 5 pm and we hadn’t had dinner yet.

Paul was doing some yard work in his backyard, pulling up ivy from around a shed and some trees. When he was done, his wedding ring was missing. He emptied the bags of debris he made and searched without finding the ring. His wife suggested to buy a metal detector and search for it. Paul instead searched the internet for a metal detecting guy and found me.

Paul called me today and asked if I could help him find his ring after a brief description of what happened. I told him I would be able to come over after work.

I received an email early in the morning from Mischa. He reports that he lost his wedding ring the day before while adding new mulch to his flower beds. We made arrangements for me to search after work.

I met Mischa and asked him several questions. He showed me the search area. All of the flower beds are up against a chain-link fence. I started to search with the smallest coil I have.

I searched all of the beds with no luck. I moved to another detector to search his travel paths to see if it fell off out of the beds. No luck. Mischa was thanking me for looking. I told him I wasn’t done yet.

Kim called me earlier in the week; She wanted to know if I would be able to find a small gold cross. Her son Quinn was playing football in a schoolyard field. A girl had grabbed his collar and got a hold of his chain with a gold cross on it. They have the chain, but the cross is missing. The cross was given to him from his grandparents for his First Holy Communion, very sentimental.

We met after school on Friday. Quinn showed me the area of the field he believed that he was in when the chain was broken. I didn’t think we would have any luck finding it as there is very little grass on the field. It looks well used. I was fearful that another kid found it and didn’t turn it in. Kim already contacted the janitor of the school and he didn’t find it, and no one turned it in.

I started a grid pattern. I had a lot of little friends following us around. They have hundreds of questions. Every time the detector beeped, they all would ask, “Is that it?” Quinn would get on the ground and say please, please be it. After about an hour, Quinn had to leave for lacrosse practice. I told Kim that I would let her know if I found it.

When they left, the other kids left too. I was by myself. Five to ten minutes later, I got a good tone. I looked down and could see a gold loop. I found the cross. See the 1st picture. I took a few pictures and texted them to Kim.

She called me and decided to keep it a secret. We would meet sometime on Saturday and surprise Quinn. We decided to meet at the Westmont Party Store. We would make it look like a chance meeting. We caught it on video. The look on his face when I finally told him that I found it was priceless!!

Below is a link to the video of Quinn’s reaction when he realizes that I found it:

https://youtu.be/3DQh6AlrLEA

Thomas sent me an email today asking if I could look for his lost wedding ring. He lost it this past Saturday while putting Christmas lights up. I told him I could be there after work today. Westmont is only 5 minutes from my house.

We met, and he showed me 2 areas that his tungsten ring might be. He also said that this is the second time he lost this ring, a replacement since he lost the original. His daughter found it in a river where they were tubing. The original is still missing. He searched the area with no luck. He was fearful that it was hung up in one of the branches in the bushes.

I received a call from Jeff two days ago. While out walking in Lewes Delaware, he lost his wedding ring. He was trying to flick a cigarette, and when he did, his ring went flying. We made arrangements to meet today.

Jeff & Jason took me to the area where the loss occurred. It was a 25-foot by 15-foot area. It was cold, forty degrees and very windy. The area is overgrown with a lot of thorn bushes. Jeff had already searched the area. I fear that the ring may have been stepped on.

This search was not easy. The thorns were big and plentiful. I had to use a small coil on my metal detector. The long grass and vines on the ground kept entangling my detector. After 2 hours, I was discouraged. I recommended Jeff to come back at night with a flashlight and shine it into the 8-foot high sticker bushes. Maybe the ring got caught in one of the branches. Hopefully, the ring will shine in the light.

I gave it one more search in an area that was difficult to search. I got the tone I was waiting to hear. I moved away the thorn branches, long grass, and vines, there it was. It was partially buried in the ground.

We were all amazed that the ring was found. We had all given up hope. Hugs & handshakes were given. Now it was time to get warm! Another happy client!

Jessica called to ask if I could locate her husbands lost wedding ring. He had been playing ball with their dog in the back yard.

I agreed to search a few days after her call. I would be looking for a large silver tungsten ring.

I arrived at the location and was met by Jessica’s daughter. She showed me the back yard and the approximate area that her dad was standing and the direction he threw the ball.

Calvin called on Tuesday asking for help in finding his girlfriends lost Mothers ring. He had given to her a few month ago, 14k white gold with 2 red and 1 yellow stone. She lost it after falling into a lake 2 days prior.

We agreed to meet Friday evening after my class. I beat Calvin to the spot and were met by Jessica’s stepmom and dad. They showed me the area that Jessica fell into the lake.

I started my search. It didn’t take long before I had the ring in my scoop, 10 minutes of detecting is all it took. Calvin wasn’t there yet. I continued to search the lake until Calvin arrived.

Calvin came up to introduce himself and tell me that I was searching in the wrong area. He held out his hand to shake mine. In my hand was Jessica’s ring.

The look on his face was priceless when he realized that the ring was in both of our hands as we shook. He finally said no way! before he took his hand away to look.

He was so happy. He said that Jessica doesn’t know that he called me, and thinks he is working a side job. He wasn’t sure how he was going to give it to her. They had borrowed a detector to search earlier in the week with no luck.

I love my hobby!!

This story starts 47 years ago when a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Nursing program loses her graduation ring in the ocean in Stone Harbor. She has never forgotten that day.

5 months ago her best friend gave her a gold necklace to melt down to make a new ring. The ring was made and worn every day since.

This week the ring was loose on her finger so she put it in her coat pocket. When she got home she shook dog hair from her coat and heard the ring hit the cement. Her yard is yellow with zoysia grass. The yellow gold ring was lost. Her husband spent 2 days on his hands and knees looking through the thick grass with no luck.

He searched the internet and found me. My wife and I went to their house the next day. They told me their story and I went to work. I searched the area that they pointed me to. No luck. I moved to the other side of the sidewalk and bingo.

10 minutes of search time. The ring is back on her finger. She will be going back to the jeweler to have it resized. My wife made a new friend. She did not want her picture taken.