GeekyBeach Metal Detecting

GeekyBeach Metal Detecting

Metal Detecting & Lost Item Recovery

Tag: California

Ring Recovery on Stinson Beach in California

This ring was found all thanks to GPS and some photos on the beach. I was contacted after a man lost his wedding ring on the beach. Usually when this…

This ring was found all thanks to GPS and some photos on the beach.

I was contacted after a man lost his wedding ring on the beach. Usually when this happens, the search area is very large (it’s not always easy to know exactly where you were and memories can be deceptive). As a metal detectorist, I do my best to find lost items before they are swallowed by high tides, so I have to narrow down the search as much as possible.

I always ask my search clients if they took photos on their beach day, and fortunately they did! Not only would I be able to use the photo to match up the background and determine where they were sitting, their phone also recorded their GPS coordinates.

After a quick 30-minute search and lining up my vision with the background of their beach photos, I had his 14K gold wedding band back above the sand. It’s just a matter of digging – not only into the sand, but into the details! I use every bit of data to narrow down the search and strike gold.

Photo of the ring after I recovered it from on Stinson Beach.

Photo of the ring after I recovered it from on Stinson Beach.

Story from the Ring’s Owner:
“Me and my wife were visiting Stinson Beach on a sunny afternoon. After enjoying a great snack we walked around then the sun started setting. As we got back to our blanket, it was time to start packing up so I started rubbing the sand off my feet. And just like that I rubbed my wedding ring off my finger. It’s bizarre to experience but I could tell that the ring was off but I had no sense whatsoever about which direction or how far it had flown from where I was sitting. My wife, my friend and I started to comb the sand around us for about an hour. The darkness kicked in, we had to head back despite knowing that the ring was somewhere right there we had to abandon it and head home.

In my devastation and desperation I googled around for professionals who could help and found Laura! I emailed her and we got into a conversation. After a few rounds of emails she had enough information about the location (based on geolocated images) and agreed to do a search…she sent me an email with a picture stating that she found my ring 🙂 What a truly unbelievable but relieving moment that was for me and my wife! We are forever thankful for Laura as my ring and I are now reunited thanks to her mailing to me 🙂

Thank you Laura, you are awesome!”

Photo of the ring owner's hand.

The owner’s ring back on his hand after recovering it from Stinson Beach.

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Diamond Engagement Ring Recovered – Stinson Beach, California

Jillian contacted me about her engagement ring that went missing on the beach over the weekend. She had a great idea of where it might be and was able to…

Jillian contacted me about her engagement ring that went missing on the beach over the weekend. She had a great idea of where it might be and was able to direct me to the probable location.

She also took the initiative to call the lifeguard tower, local beach cafe, and anywhere else she could imagine it may have been lost. Smart!

I hit the road with my trusty Minelab metal detector and created a search grid on the beach. I like to use a “narrowing” approach when the area is fairly large. I marked off a perimeter and did some diagonal crosses and W patterns near the likely spots first. For example, she mentioned sitting fairly close to the dunes, but not on them. The dunes create a natural upward slope “chair” when sitting on the beach, so it would make sense for someone to set down a bag on the slope and have it tip over.

Within about an hour and a half, after pulling up every pop tab and piece of aluminum trash on the planet (at least that’s what it felt like!), I finally found her lovely gold diamond engagement ring! What a dazzler!! The bright sunny day made it sparkle. I let out an audible “YES!” for an audience of no one! But it was still thrilling.

I called her right away so she could breathe a little easier, and we met up later that evening to get it back on her hand where it belongs.

I enjoyed getting to know the happy couple and I wish them well on their upcoming wedding and travels. I’m glad they found The RingFinders and my website Geekybeach.com so I could help, and so happy it turned out positive.

Returning a special item is a great feeling and it’s a big part of what many metal detectorists enjoy about the hobby. Have you ever lost a valuable item? Be sure to contact me if you need help!

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