Ethical question

Hold on a minute!

You never mentioned how you were certain that the ring you found is the ring he told you about. Invite him over for a beer or glass of iced tea and tell him you would like more info about the ring he told you about. Tell him that you would like to look for it, but you need to know the size and the kind of metal it is made of, the kind and size of stone, etc. Without this info, you won't know how to set your balance, discrimination, notches, etc., and the search would probably take a lot longer.

There is a possibility that the ring you found isn't the ring the ex-wife threw away.

Definitely log it in as a trophy, and give yourself credit for the find.

During your visit with him, make a decision about keeping the ring, giving the ring to him, or selling it for scrap.

It is possible that the stones were from his mother or grandmother's ring and they might mean something to him.

As others have pointed out, there are many aspects to consider in this situation.

At this point, the ring in your possesion is Your ring. Once you establish that the ring is the one he told you about, then you can make a better decision. There is a great feeling when you return something that a person truly wants found. OTOH, some items of value have bad memories attached to them and only bring pain.

Thanks,
John Morton
 
Good Karma needs effort, give him a call and let him know you've found it and are willing to send it to him.

If he takes it back, fine, if he says 'keep it', great!

Either way, you're not really out of pocket and you know you've done good.

Eli

I second this opinion.
 
I'd give him the ring, no way would I feel right keeping it.

No ifs, ands, or buts, give it to him. I don't care if he's your friend or not, or if he's a deadbeat dad or not. If he offers a reward, you can take it with a clear conscience.
 
You said he is a fiend if he is a friend you should return it.
If he says he doesn't want it I'd sell it and give him half.
 
And what about insurrance ? Did they have it insured and then collect ? steve in so az

Ahhh yes, forgot about ring insurance these days. This is true, he might have already gotten insurance for it. I agree with the quote above and would dig deeper into this topic.

There is a possibility that the ring you found isn't the ring the ex-wife threw away.

I also agree with this. The chances are slim that it's another ring on your property, but it's possible. Inquire to this 'friend' and have him describe his ring. For all you know, he could be telling a story about it being HIS ring. Could have been one of his drunken buddies who got into a fight with his lady and she tossed the ring.

Also, the ring brand new was $2k or appraised at that, it is probably not worth that much now. An appraisal is not what you'd get for it when/if you sell it. There is a difference.

If you found the ring and discarded of it before he had mentioned anything to you... what would you be doing now about it? Just something to ponder.
 
Legally, this is your property now. You found the item because an individual told you about it. You may have found it anyway. In this case, the person told you, did not ask you to find it and return it, did not offer a reward or in any way indicate he wanted the ring - it was, after all, his ex-wife's ring, not his. If you are bothered, call him and tell him you have found the ring and then take it from there... he could say great, he could say how about splitting it, you will not know until you talk to him. RickO
 
Say you do tell him you found it, you are opening a whole new bag of worms. I would be PO'ed if he just took it and didn't offer half or at least a reward because obviously he would sell something like this, he might get pissed if you suggest a reward and so on.... Just something to think about. The best route for both you guys is splitting the find 50/50 in 100% agreement, other than that someone is going to be offended by the end result. Also do you know it is his ring? What if he heard the story from someone else, maybe an old neighbor etc. lost the ring and this guy just morphed the story to make it sound like his wife did. For all you know the person who lived in your house prior may have lost it. Do you think he is telling the truth? Because if it had been a ring my wife thrown I would have told you from day one "hey my wife threw a ring on your property it looks like blah blah blah, if you come across it would you please let me know"
 
My conscience would make the decision for me. In this particular case I would give the ring back to the person who originally paid for it.
 
I wasn't going to give it to her, but she has strapped him with so much child support, I'm sure if he sold it, it would help him out, and he is a friend.

I'd give it to him. It would only solidify your friendship, and there's no money out of your pocket.
 
The only thing you need to do is ask yourself
would he return the ring to you if your wife threw it in his yard
real simple treat him like he would treat you
if you dont know the answer that is the answer keep it
and keep your mouth closed
 
Well let's see

I guess you go ahead and use your own judgement. If you do return it, give to the guy who directed you to detect there. BUT If you don't return it i'll understand as it is your first ring. I still have my first gold ring and i know who lost it,HOWEVER, it is my first gold ring.
 
My personal opinion is if my ex threw the ring away, I wouldn't want it back. If it were me, I would tell the person who found it to keep it, sell it, and split the money (if I was in need of the money).

If I were the one that found the ring and the guy was a friend, I'd ask if he wanted the ring back or if he wants to split the money from selling it. If he was just a neighbor that I said hi to every now and then and that was the extent of the friendship, I might be more inclined to just keep quiet about founding it. Until I'm in that situation though, I really don't know what I'd do.
 
The ring must be cast into the flames from whence it was wrought deep in the bowels of Mount Doom in Mordor.
 
The ring must be cast into the flames from whence it was wrought deep in the bowels of Mount Doom in Mordor.

Ha....yes....one ring to rule us all...at least the married ones...
Maybe you could FB him and mention that you are going to look for it this weekend and simply ask him if you found it if he wants it or if he would split the bounty?
 
Many of these replies seem to imply the ring somehow rightfully belongs to this guy. He gave it to his now ex wife , who threw it away. If you just want to help the guy out thats great , its a good thing to do. But there is no need to be worried about the right or wrong of keeping it. Sounds like he has no emotional connection to it , he also has no legal right to it , its water under the bridge. On the question of ethics there really is no right or wrong in this situation no matter what you do. What would you do if you gave it to him and he sold it , only to use the proceeds to buy a hooker and a case of beer ? Would your concience be at ease ? :lol: Him being a friend and all , I think the wisest choice is to ask him " if " you did find the ring , what would he expect you to do with it. If he says he'd like it back then give it to him ( no need to lose a friend over a ring ) , if he says keep it then split it with him for telling you about it in the first place. There is no deception in this.
 
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