One of the best moments for a metal detectorist is when he is able to return a lost wedding band to the owner. A week ago a young family ambushed me as I was coming off Skaket Beach on Cape Cod, MA. My Excalibur II was on my shoulder after having done its work. I had just found a nice large sterling necklace and was calling it quits for the night. The wife explained that she had lost her wedding band there the evening before. She asked me if I could help and she showed me the exact area where she said she lost it. I gridded the area three times and told her it absolutely was not there and that she must have lost it somewhere else. I advised her to advertise her loss on Craig's List and in the local paper. The family left disappointed.
After getting skunked at another beach the next day, I returned to Skaket Beach for a quick hunt and decided to hunt surrounding areas. I got a very strange almost broken tone and when I scooped up the target I initially thought I had found only a small split ring from a key ring. When I looked at it closer I determined it was a small silver kids ring and tossed it in my find bag. At home upon cleaning I found a 14k stamp inside of it and surmised it was in fact the white gold ring of the lady the evening before. It was the white gold alloy that produced the odd tone.
Unfortunately, we did not exchange names. I looked at Craig's list and she did not follow my advice. I took a long shot and advertised the find on Craig's List myself. Bang....within a half hour she responded and identified the ring perfectly!
The ring/wife reunion was 7/25/2013 as I passed her home by Boston on my way back to Cape Cod.
Oh... did I forget to mention she put a very generous reward in a Thank You Card for Old Ring-A-Day-Dan.
A Win-Win for all! And my Karma is on an upswing to boot.
Ring-A-Day-Dan - West Yarmouth, MA, USA