Those of you who run a lost jewelry detection service, I have a question

zeusophobia

Greenie
Jun 29, 2015
10
3
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
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Sandman

Gold Member
Aug 6, 2005
13,398
3,992
In Michigan now.
Detector(s) used
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
It is hard to come up with a success rate as a lot depends if its lost in water, snow slopes, or where ever. Many times ppl report a lost item when they miss placed it in their home. Sometimes it isn't lost at all. They just wanna see the nerd looking for it. Reason why I used to charge a fee upfront. The detector too depends on location.
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,171
14,457
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sandman pretty much said it all. In my case, if the person calls me right from their blanket in the dry sand at the beach, I'm currently 100% on those. Yard searches, about 85%. Lost a month ago in the surf, it's less than 25%. So much depends on the circumstances, how long the item has been lost, Private or public search area, and most importantly, whether there is more than one possible area where it could have been lost. In many cases, they don't know that. They remember having it at one point and later discover it's gone. They may have been in many places and done all kinds of activities in the interim. Some of these areas just aren't searchable with a metal detector, such as shopping malls, inside a store, or many other paved areas. Other than adding another set of eyes to search, having a metal detector is no extra help. The equipment needed is based on the item and search area. I currently have 13 detectors. Some are better at certain searches. A small gold earring stud and I use my Goldmaster Vsat, out in the surf and the Excalibur gets the call. Dry sand and yards, the E-trac is my first choice. Coil selection is another factor. A junky park you might need a small coil. A huge soccer field and a huge coil can save you from a long and hard day of searching. You need to start with a good detailed discussion with the person who lost the item. Narrowing down the search area and getting valuable details of how it was lost can significantly increase your success rate.
 

flgliderpilot

Bronze Member
Apr 28, 2015
1,504
1,427
Saint Augustine, FL
Detector(s) used
CZ-21, Minelab Equinox, Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
What do people pay for something like this? I find it hard to believe people would pay up front for someone to search an area ... but then again who knows. I have no interest in providing this service btw just surprised :D
 

cudamark

Gold Member
Top Banner Poster
Mar 16, 2011
13,171
14,457
San Diego
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
3
Detector(s) used
XP Deus 2, Equinox 800/900, Fisher Impulse AQ, E-Trac, 3 Excal 1000's, White's TM808, VibraProbe, 15" NEL Attack, Mi6, Steath 920ix and 720i scoops, TRX, etc....
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
The only time I charge an up front fee is if I have to travel any distance or incur any extra costs, such as tolls, parking fees, scuba dive costs, etc. The amount would depend on how much it will cost me to do the hunt. People who have lost their wedding ring or a family heirloom don't seem to have any problem with those charges.
 

Fletch88

Silver Member
Mar 7, 2013
4,841
2,367
Valdosta, GA
Detector(s) used
Garrett ATPro- 8.5x11, 5x8, CORS Fotune 5.5x9.5
Tesoro Silver microMax- 8 donut, 8x11 RSD, 3x18 Cleansweep
Minelab Excalibur ll- 10" Tornado
Minelab CTX 3030
Minelab Xterra 305
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I've only found 1 of 2 attempts. One was in a yard and a breeze with the cleansweep coil on my Silver uMax. The owner tried to give me $100 but I refused it, since he lived in the same town.

The other was in a black water pond under a dock in Ponte Vedre in 50 degree water with 10-15" of muck and I was unsuccessful. I did find a few pieces of clad but that was it. When water and ocean currents are involved it gets much more difficult to locate lost items.
 

Last edited:

airscapes

Hero Member
Nov 13, 2013
973
555
Philadelphia PA
Detector(s) used
DFX 950, U13,6"Exc & 4x6 Coils, Coinmaster GT 4x6 & NEL Hunter coil, TRX Pin Pointer, CZE-T200 FM Transmitter, Sangean DT-400W and ER6i in-ears.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
lost my stuff

I belong to this group Lost My Stuff Group - Home
we don't charge to search it is all volunteer. However, on the one and only search I did, (Car Keys) I spent about 20 minutes in the leaves and under brush and found them. The woman was so happy she gave me $80, as a replacement key from the dealer would have cost here several hundred and half a day of time. It was very rewarding even without the tip but very much appreciated.
 

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