Hunting for lost ring---questions

[baylorhall]

I am trying to help a couple find a white gold engagement ring that was lost in their backyard in 2007. I have an ACE 250. Any suggestions? How deep might it be and can my ACE find it?? Would you just hunts pull tabs and down, leaving out pennies on up? Thanks!

 

[calisdad]

You didn't say how big a backyard but if it's even 100 x 100 just go for it. Dig it all maybe go over first time in jewelry mode. You might hit some nails near the house but I can't imagine too much trash. In 4 years I would think you might be 3 to 4 inches depending on soil type.

Go for it! But to help with your time agree ahead of time everything ELSE you find is yours. Your 250 can find it.

 

[baylorhall]

Thanks! He said it was not real big, maybe 30X50. He borrowed a detector in 2007 but the house was new and he said there was a bunch of building supplies. He didn't really know what he was doing. I have read that lots of white gold shows up as a nickel. Will let you know if I find it!

 

[Sandman]

Make sure you can keep other things you may find. If they say no, walk........... I used to charge $50.00 and hour payable in advance just to know I wouldn't be wasting my time and would hunt all day after I returned the money. Many times people just want to watch the nerd waste his time. The ring may still be there or the dog got out of the yard. Crows collect shinny things and place them in their nests.

If the ring isn't heavy it could be just withing the grass roots and I would only probe with a knife to see if it would jam in the ring. Pass up any coin or iron readings. A Sov GT would sound off on the ring with a nail through the center unlike a 250 which would be silent if iron was disc out. Is the ring white, yellow or rose gold? If they have a security fence or system have them turn it off so it won't affect the detector. Keep your cell phone turned off too till you are done. Good Luck.........

White gold can show up in the foil range.

 

[Chug And Red]

When In Doubt Dig It all Sorry I use a whites Not Familiar with the 250 although I met Up with someone using On and Loved the Tones it Made Much easier to hear For Me Even without the Hearing aid!!!

 

[Bum Luck]

Keep your coil up maybe 4 inches the first pass over the yard. I don't think the ring will be all that deep, and you will target a lot of crap if the coil is down.

I've found rings for folks before, and I think it's great fun, gotten small rewards, hugs, and smiles.

It's got to work for you too, though, or you'll feel disappointed. Don't count on other finds, there may not be much.

 

[Monty]

I have found two gold rings with my ACE250 and both times the signal was strong and shallow and bounced from a nickel to a pulltab. if you notch those out, you could miss it. Monty

 

[Tuberale]

It would be highly unusual for a ring to sink 3-4 inches in 4 years, unless the ground was swampy and had been stepped on several times by Angus bulls.

You mention the house is new. Was the ring lost during the construction phase? If so it could be 2-3 inches deep as people probably stepped on it often. But the depth is likely shallower than that.

I spoke with a soils scientist at Oregon State University. He stated that while soils in Oregon "grow" faster than in much of the United States, it still takes over 100 years go "grow" a single inch of soil.

 

[sniffer]

I work in new home construction, typically, they bring in fill dirt as one of the last steps in building the house, to bring it up to "grade" you could easily have 2 ft of soil. however, if the backfill was minimal, I would dig everything that made a good signal.
as was already said gold will ring up as foil

 

[baylorhall]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and help. He knows the dog ate it because both rings went missing at the same time and the wedding band showed up on top of the dog poo! He said he searched all of the backyard "deposits" but never found it. I spent two hours there with no success. Today is their anniversary, so I was really hoping to find it for him!

 

[sniffer]

don't give up. if you have to, set up a grid pattern and scan every grid from both directions

 

[calisdad]

The dog ate it? I don't remember that detail in your original post. Well, have you scanned the dog yet? I'm betting the cat put the one ring where he did to set the dog up.

 

[Monty]

calisdad has a good idea. Roll old Rover over in the clover and go over his intestinal tract. If it had facets like in a diamond or settings it could have got stuck, but wouldn't necessarily make Rover sick because it is gold and don't rust. Pets are always swallowing something and it wouldn't be a bit unusual. My old Tomcat swallowed two pennies that had to be cut out and survived both times. Monty

 

[jadeblackhawk]

Here's a tip: when looking for gold, gold will give a consistent signal most times, ie one tone will sound out rapidly when jiggling (not sweeping) the coil over a shallow ring (0-4 inches). Pull tabs will usually jump around a bit, sometimes even down to iron and back. Being new construction, I doubt you will have to worry about pull tabs. Aluminum trimming from siding, etc would be more probable, and far more annoying.

I would also detect the dog... just in case it never escaped.