brianc053
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2015
- Messages
- 1,016
- Reaction score
- 3,686
- Golden Thread
- 0
- Location
- Sussex County, DE
- 🏆 Honorable Mentions:
- 3
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Equinox 800
XP Deus 2
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
- #1
Thread Owner
Hi everyone. In my area of Northern NJ there are enough people who know that I metal detect that I'll occasionally get calls / texts from strangers saying, "hey I hear that you are a metal detector (sic). Can you help me find my ring?"
To be honest, during the 1 year that I was part of RingFinders I was only able to help one person, but I failed to find the item (mostly rings, once an earring) about 7 or 8 times, and it was discouraging.
So when I got one of those texts this past week my expectations were low. The gentleman who contacted me had lost his wedding ring at a friend's house. The ring (made of tungsten, not gold) was in his back pocket with his phone, and when he pulled out the phone it apparently fell into some brush. (The ring was not on his finger because apparently he and his wife are going through some issues and are separated - which plays into the story in a bit).
When the gentleman explained that he knew the area where the ring fell my hopes were raised a little, but I also know from experience that people don't always remember events exactly as they occurred. And he did tell me that his friend has a metal detector and they had tried looking for it with no success, although he said the friend didn't know how to use his detector.
So, with all this in mind, I said "sure I can make the 1-hour drive out to where you lost it and give it a try" but I also worried that this would be another failure.
I did a little research on his friend's house and it turns out to be an 1820's farmhouse (which also plays into the story in a moment). I met up with the gentleman there yesterday, and I happened to park my truck right next to the area where he was parked when he pulled his phone & ring out of his pocket. The area was grassy & brushy with leaves, although the guy told me he and his friend blew the leaves away from the area (What?!?!? Why?!?!) to "make it easier to look". (At that point I figured the ring had been blown down a small hill and into thick brush.)
But - I gave it a try anyway. I was disciplined and worked the small 20'x20' area in a grid pattern, and during my first two passes I dug all targets and found the typical pennies, foil, screws and a lineman's inspection plate off of the nearby telephone pole.
The third pass took me into what I called (out loud to the guy) the "Money Zone", and about 5' into that pass I got a perfect 17 near the surface on the Equinox. My excitement grew a little, but as I cleared the surface debris away I didn't see anything and expected another penny or something similar.
I dug in a little with the Lesche and popped the item out, and I was surprised - but not shocked given the "money zone" and the perfect signal - that it was actually his ring. I was a little surprised it was under the surface, but someone probably stepped on it while initially looking for it and their foot probably pushed it into the dirt.
With ring in hand I simply said "Found it!" loud enough for the gentleman to hear. The guy was a little ways off from me, and he came running over.
I need to explain that this gentleman is a rather burly man, probably in his 30s, with a robust beard and wearing a workman's shirt. He looked like he had come from a job that involved manual work, and he also would look very natural as a lumberjack or in one of those manly beard trimming commercials.
As I dropped the ring in his hand the look of amazement on his face was...indescribable. And then I could see that he was quickly getting emotional. He actually turned and walked away from me, and when he came back a few moments later - with the ring already on his finger - I realized he had stepped away to compose himself. I'm not sure he was full-on crying, but the tone of his voice changed and revealed his emotional reaction as he simply said "this is the best thing that has happened to me in weeks. It's been a rough time."
And then, "Can I give you a hug?" which I gladly accepted.
He tried to offer me some money and I flatly refused.
But I did ask for a favor: I asked him to ask his friend if I could metal detect the house's yard.
The gentleman quickly called his friend, and we've made arrangements for me to return in the coming days/weeks to do some detecting for items lost a lot longer ago than that ring!
I felt so good about making a positive impact on this gentleman's life, and maybe...just maybe...I might have saved a marriage.
- Brian
To be honest, during the 1 year that I was part of RingFinders I was only able to help one person, but I failed to find the item (mostly rings, once an earring) about 7 or 8 times, and it was discouraging.
So when I got one of those texts this past week my expectations were low. The gentleman who contacted me had lost his wedding ring at a friend's house. The ring (made of tungsten, not gold) was in his back pocket with his phone, and when he pulled out the phone it apparently fell into some brush. (The ring was not on his finger because apparently he and his wife are going through some issues and are separated - which plays into the story in a bit).
When the gentleman explained that he knew the area where the ring fell my hopes were raised a little, but I also know from experience that people don't always remember events exactly as they occurred. And he did tell me that his friend has a metal detector and they had tried looking for it with no success, although he said the friend didn't know how to use his detector.
So, with all this in mind, I said "sure I can make the 1-hour drive out to where you lost it and give it a try" but I also worried that this would be another failure.
I did a little research on his friend's house and it turns out to be an 1820's farmhouse (which also plays into the story in a moment). I met up with the gentleman there yesterday, and I happened to park my truck right next to the area where he was parked when he pulled his phone & ring out of his pocket. The area was grassy & brushy with leaves, although the guy told me he and his friend blew the leaves away from the area (What?!?!? Why?!?!) to "make it easier to look". (At that point I figured the ring had been blown down a small hill and into thick brush.)
But - I gave it a try anyway. I was disciplined and worked the small 20'x20' area in a grid pattern, and during my first two passes I dug all targets and found the typical pennies, foil, screws and a lineman's inspection plate off of the nearby telephone pole.
The third pass took me into what I called (out loud to the guy) the "Money Zone", and about 5' into that pass I got a perfect 17 near the surface on the Equinox. My excitement grew a little, but as I cleared the surface debris away I didn't see anything and expected another penny or something similar.
I dug in a little with the Lesche and popped the item out, and I was surprised - but not shocked given the "money zone" and the perfect signal - that it was actually his ring. I was a little surprised it was under the surface, but someone probably stepped on it while initially looking for it and their foot probably pushed it into the dirt.
With ring in hand I simply said "Found it!" loud enough for the gentleman to hear. The guy was a little ways off from me, and he came running over.
I need to explain that this gentleman is a rather burly man, probably in his 30s, with a robust beard and wearing a workman's shirt. He looked like he had come from a job that involved manual work, and he also would look very natural as a lumberjack or in one of those manly beard trimming commercials.
As I dropped the ring in his hand the look of amazement on his face was...indescribable. And then I could see that he was quickly getting emotional. He actually turned and walked away from me, and when he came back a few moments later - with the ring already on his finger - I realized he had stepped away to compose himself. I'm not sure he was full-on crying, but the tone of his voice changed and revealed his emotional reaction as he simply said "this is the best thing that has happened to me in weeks. It's been a rough time."
And then, "Can I give you a hug?" which I gladly accepted.
He tried to offer me some money and I flatly refused.
But I did ask for a favor: I asked him to ask his friend if I could metal detect the house's yard.
The gentleman quickly called his friend, and we've made arrangements for me to return in the coming days/weeks to do some detecting for items lost a lot longer ago than that ring!
I felt so good about making a positive impact on this gentleman's life, and maybe...just maybe...I might have saved a marriage.
- Brian
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