My first property reunification! (and my first platinum)

kiyote

Sunday in Santa Cruz near the beach I saw some people scrambling around a sand volleyball court looking for a lost platinum wedding band! They were using rakes to try and find it which I knew would be about impossible.

I told the guy I would come back with my metal detector. He waited for me as I drove home and then came back. I spent two hours with the distraught owner trying to find it with no luck. He thanked me for trying and gave me $40 for gas so I figured I should come back and give it one more try.

Success! On my second trip after only a 20 second search on the first signal I found it! I was able to reunite the owner with his ring. He was ecstatic. It was a heavy custom-made platinum wedding band he had made in Oregon 20 years ago.

Being able to reunite someone with property like this just felt awesome!

Timbuk3

Great job, it's reuniting lost items with their owners that makes metal detecting fun !!!

ricko

That is fantastic!! I can see the excitement of the find.....and a nice ring as well...It is really great to reunite property with the owner who lost it....Well done!! Cheers, RickO

Namvet69

That was very nice of you. I've done similar acts of kindness. It's really easy to find an item of jewelry when you know where to look. Peace Roy

CCDAMEEK

OUTSTANDING! The thrill of the find, and the Joy in someone's life who lost something precious to them.
Absolutely nothing like those feelings! A good deed done. Congrats!

Treashunt

congrats on the returned ring.

I was leaving the beach about 10 years ago when a group of teenagers approached me.

One girl was crying. She had lost her silver bracelet with charms earlier in the day and was hoping that someone with a metal detector would be there that night.

I spent about 20 minutes & found it.

She seemed extremely grateful, and all that I asked was for her to e-mail me a picture-- which she promised to do.

Naturally I never heard from her.

metaldetectinghound

Several years ago, one Friday evening, I came home with six rings. Two of them were class rings. One was 1999 and the other was 1945. We had never taken the local newspaper at that time. My wife said when we go out for breakfast the next morning she wanted to buy a newspaper to see if any of the rings were advertised. As we were leaving for breakfast, she almost screamed, when she saw a newspaper on our front porch. I got the paper and looked in the lost & found. Sure enough, the two-class rings were advertised as lost. I called the number and a girl of about 19 years old answered the phone. I asked her to identify the rings, which she did. She was crying so hard I could barely understand her. She said the 1999 ring was hers and the 1945 ring was from her deceased grandmother. It was a great feeling to return them. She told me she had rented a detector but, only found .51 cents. I agree that returning an item to the rightful owner, is one of the rewards of metal detecting. Her mother gave me a $50.00 reward. Ken

Namvet69

Job well done. I too have located lost jewelry for distraught people. A gold French coin necklace on a sand volleyball court, a gold child's pinky ring in a yard. Doing good for others is part of life. Peace Roy

AUandAG

Damn nice! Glad you found it.
I know what it is like to search for a lost ring even when you know approximately where it was lost. My mother lost her diamond ring in her front yard in the grass. I spent more than 1/2 a day looking and did not find it. I did find several coins with my detector but not the ring. Then about 10 years later I was mowing the grass for her and saw a glint of sun sparkle ahead of the mower. Yep, there it was. Undamaged after all that time and still on the surface. It was a "oh my God" moment for sure.
My neighbor lost his hearing aid in the front yard somehow (all rock/gravel) and came over and asked if I could detect (he'd seen me detect my yard when I moved in years ago). I spent hours and did not find it. Then the next morning I went over and just sat on a boulder in his yard to plan my search and just spotted it about 3 feet from me. Same color as the rock yard but the bean shape just stood out for some reason. I then put it back and tried to detect it and could not hear a beep. I guess there is not much metal in them with the battery and all.
Fun to try and help those that lose things.

bob

ricko

It really is great to help people who have lost items..... especially jewelry, since they often have family/sentimental value....When I lived out west, I helped a friend find his money clip at the beach (he was 'resting' on the sand with his girlfriend ). I also helped a neighbor find her engagement ring after planting her new tomato plants...Great feeling to help people. Cheers, RickO

CCDAMEEK

@Treashunt said:
congrats on the returned ring.

I was leaving the beach about 10 years ago when a group of teenagers approached me.

One girl was crying. She had lost her silver bracelet with charms earlier in the day and was hoping that someone with a metal detector would be there that night.

I spent about 20 minutes & found it.

She seemed extremely grateful, and all that I asked was for her to e-mail me a picture-- which she promised to do.

Naturally I never heard from her.

Don't let her failure to follow through taint your good deed. You did a good deed, and I hope you would do it again. That is reward enough. But, lesson learned.... Carry, or have handy, a camera or cell phone at all times metal detecting!

ricko

@CCDAMEEK ... I agree... a camera while MD'ing is important. With the proliferation of smart phones, this should be no problem today. So many things warrant recording when detecting... especially if a find is rare or of great value. Cheers, RickO

SaorAlba

I found a gold wedding band in a coin machine reject slot last week. Still hoping I can find the rightful owner.

LukeMarshall

My first and only gold, a 2013 class ring found at the beach....in 2012!!
I called the high school and left my number and later received a call from the young ladies brother,, I could hear her in the background frantically describing the ring.
I dropped it off with the receptionist and a message that if I found it again I would get to keep it... Lol.
I put the detector away for the last few years but pulled it out again last year for a couple hunts, once it gets cool enough ide like to hit a couple spots I've made mental notes of.
Great stories all, and congrats on the reunion OP

ricko

Finding gold rings is always exciting.... Great fun if they can be traced and returned to the owners. My class ring went missing years ago (long story...not lost by me )....Would be great if some MD'r would find it and return it... would definitely give a reward. Cheers, RickO