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Finding a lost ring

sonyajm

New Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
7
Hi, I'm not even a newbie to metal detecting. I guess I'm a nobie. I've read some of the forum threads and this does seem like a friendly place. I am looking for information. I lost my gold/platinum/diamond engagement ring ( been married 19 years) this past weekend. I am pretty sure that it came off of my finger when I was getting hay from a tightly packed round hay bale (they are huge). There are a couple of other places it could have happened while dealing with the horses. It was so cold this weekend and we had been at a rodeo all day and I was a little dehydrated. I guess my fingers were smaller than usual.

We have searched and searched without any luck (the proverbial needle in a haystack). I am sick over this and would love to find a way to find my ring. My questions are: 1. Is using a metal detector a reasonable method to use in this situation? 2. What time frame would it take to cover 15 acres (The enclosure where the horses are is 15 acres, I don't think they would eat it, but one never knows)? 3. Any suggestions?

If this is the wrong forum for this post, just let me know and I will gladly post it elsewhere. I did look in the lost and found forum, but it appears to be more about things that have been found.

Thanks.
 
Welcome to the forum!

Yes, I think you should be able to find your ring with a metal detector, however, I am fairly new to this hobby and have no idea how long it my take you to cover 15 acres. :shock:
I sure do hope you find your ring. Good luck in your search!

Tom
 
First off, WELCOME! Yes, you could find it with a detector, but fifteen acres is a lot of area to cover. You may want to see if there is a metal detecting club close to your area, contact them and see if they can help you out. The more coils to the soil, the better chances you have at getting your ring back.
 
Using a metal detector requires some practice - and with some of them, a LOT of practice. Your best bet would be to contact a local metal detecting club and tell them your situation. Most clubs will have a number of members who would love the challenge of a 'needle in the haystack' hunt. They do this fairly often. For most of us, the challenge is in the hunt, not the 'loot'. It's kind of like those bass fishermen who spend $20,000 on a boat to try to catch a fish they may not even keep - in other words, they don't do it to feed the family! ;) Usually giving the item back to the person who lost it is much more rewarding than the monetary value of the item. So give it a shot. By the way ... tell them they can keep all the change and other stuff they find. To find a local metal detecting club, look in the yellow pages for metal detector dealers (not Wal*Mart - local dealers!) They will know what clubs meet in the area and when.
 
Wow, y'all are friendly and fast!! Thanks for the speedy replies. If I can find a metal detecting club that is close enough, they can have the run of the whole 55 acres and keep anything they find. Well, I do want the ring, but they would be welcome to anything else.

I did look in the Yellow Pages and there aren't any listings for metal detectors. I did a web serch for clubs in this area and the closest one listed on the web is about 3 hours away. We live in Valdosta, GA. Of course there may be a club that is just a little more difficult to find. I'll dig a little deeper to see if there is a local club. If there isn't, I will try to become good at it myself. In that case I may have some questions about equipment :?:

Thanks again. Y'all are great!
 
Sonya, check your PM's - just sent you a link that may (fingers crossed) be of help.

You close to Florida? Couldn't quite tell by the (on-line) map I was looking at but if you are, try there also :?:

Like you, no luck on finding MD shops in your area. I used http://www.theultimates.com/ to look around.
 
Hello - Lots of good advice here already. I have found a number of things for people and wanted to say 2 things :
1. The ring is frequently farther away than the person remembers. In your case, this may not apply.
2. I have asked the person exactly where they were standing when they first realized the ring was missing and go from there.
Good luck, Steve in so az
 
Well, Valdosta doesn't seem to be teeming with MD enthusiasts. It looks like I will be learning to do this myself. OZ found an email address for someone in Valdosta, but it was not working. I looked up the name in our phone book and found a person with the same name that was attatched to the invalid email address. When I called that number and asked him if he did any metal detecting, I could tell he thought I was off my rocker.

Any suggestions regarding the best detector for a novice looking for a gold and platinum ring?
 
I', sure as more people see your post, you will find help. Surely someone here lives near you, or has a friend that does. In any case, you'll find help.
 
Ha ha. I know. We have certainly considered the possibility that one of the horses or donkeys thought is was a new treat. But they are pretty picky about what they eat. They are more discriminate than carnivores. Their lips give everything a good feel before it goes down. I've seen them reject sticks in hay before. And any new "food" that you give to them as a treat is always treated with suspicion at first. But we certainly haven't ruled it out. That is why I asked how long it would take to cover 15 acres. That is the apple dropping range they have. :roll:
 
Everyone is right, a club would be the best way to go. Probably the Fernadina Beach Club or the one in Jax.

Try:
Historical Recovery Association of North Florida.

Shelly Simpson, (904) 261-4655 or email: [email protected]

If they can't help you maybe they know the other clubs in the area.

I did look in the lost and found forum, but it appears to be more about things that have been found.

No, the Lost and Found forum is suppose to be for people like you that have lost something and need help to find it. But some forum members like to post what they have found, hoping that someday the owner will happen to come.

Carol K
 
I emailed Shelly Simpson of the Jacksonville Club (Thanks Carol :D). They had just had a meeting of their club, and the secretary lives about 15 miles from Valdosta in Lake Park. How cool is that. Not only that, but Shelly said "He hunts nationwide and is one of the best at finding jewelry there is". It was late by the time I got the information so I haven't spoken with him, but I will tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the great advice. You guys and gals are the best!!

Sonya
 
That's great! Keep us informed. We want to know how this turns out. Take some pics and post them too. I'm sure I speak for all of us by saying "Good luck and Happy Hunting"
 
Glad you found some help! That said, I hope you get out there and watch him work, find out how much fun you're missing out on, and then go get yourself a detector. :D

Best of luck to ya!
 
I spoke with him today. He is a very nice man, like all of the other MD'ers I've had any contact with! He is coming over Saturday morning to see what comes up. I certianly plan to be out there. This whole experience has piqued my interest in the hobby. I'll keep y'all updated on the progress. And if he finds it I'll post a picture of the treasure. I'll even post a picture of any other "treasure" he comes up with :D
 
We found it!!! It was pretty much right where I thought I lost it, and right where we have been looking for the past week. Daniel came over with 2 metal detectors and gave me a quickie lesson after he set the proper settings. We both started sweeping and after about 10 minutes, the detector I was using emited that tone. My husband started looking in that area and there it was!! Wow!! I am really impressed with the power of metal detecting :-}

I will be forever grateful to Daniel, Shelly and the whole metal detecting community on this board. Thank you so much for everything.

I am attatching a photo of the ring. I hope it works.

Thanks again.

Sonya
 

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Congratulations on finding your ring Sonya!

Specially since it was you that found it.
It doesn't get any better than that. ;)

And a beauty of a ring it is. Just in time for
Christmas. :yes:
 
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