I've had a number of successful jewellery returns but this was one that I can never forget. The story is a bit dated (December 2017) but I felt compelled to share it after reading a few returns on here. It is a very sad but happy event that I still think about often. I received a call from the daughter whose mother lost her ring when she fell in a lake. Her mom and dad were sitting in some chairs behind their house above a retaining wall that dropped down to the lake below. The husband walked away for a couple of minutes and while he was away his wife fainted and fell in. When he arrived back he saw her floating face up. He jumped into the lake to save her. He finally managed to bring her to the opposite bank and they were able to call an ambulance and have her taken to the hospital. Sadly, she passed away while she was there. Fast forward a few months later and the daughter who had called me was going through her mother's jewellery box and she found a note indicating that she wanted her granddaughter to have the ring. The family immediately realized that they didn’t know where it was and knew because she never took the ring off that it was either stolen in the hospital or lost in the water. They contacted the hospital but they didn’t have a record of removing her ring. They then found a diver to help them, and he was only able to find her cell phone in the water but not the ring. Every year the Corp of Engineers lowers the lake level so the family called me about this time hoping that it would help with the search. I wasn't very optimistic, but I had always promised myself to try and help people if I could. We scheduled for me to come by a few days later. The evening before the search I went and purchased a set of chest waders, hoping that they wouldn’t be needed but also hoping that I wasn’t wasting money. Up to this point, I have never used my CTX in the water more than knee deep. Once I arrived I listened to the specifics of their story and started by scanning the opposite bank to include the side of the hill and close to where the ambulance parked. I searched for 30 minutes or so, but I didn't find the ring. I then started wading in the canal which was just barely below my chest waders. It was very difficult with about 6-8 inches of mud at the bottom, swinging a scoop and detector while sinking. Few times I had to stand on my toes to keep water from entering my waders. I worked my way across and then proceeded to go down the retainer wall which was around 60 feet long and just below where the couple had been sitting. I then worked back and forth to around 4 foot deep water. By this time it had been detecting for 3 hours and I had found only a few zinc pennies, fish sinkers and a nickel. I remember the family was looking like they were losing their optimism and I told the husband to stay encouraged (even though I was worried) and that I still had a little ways to search. Few minutes later I was working my way around the boat slip which was a foot deep with rotten leaves. I kept digging up aluminium can pieces and old ketchup packages and foil. I was then around 12-15 feet from the opposite bank from where I first started searching. The grandfather was standing above me on the walk when I received this short, hard hitting aluminium foil signal just below him. I kicked the leaves aside and about 2 inches below that I saw the glint of the lost ring! I reached up and handed him the ring and he looked at it for about 15 seconds and said “This is her ring…..I think she is looking down and smiling”. His daughter and granddaughter were on the other side standing on the retainer wall and he called them to walk around and take a look. As I stood there in the leaves and mud I felt both relieved and happy although I was on the verge of crying, (I believe I may have cried a little). I watched them hug and cry as the granddaughter tried on the ring that her grandmother decided to pass on to her. It was one of the greater moments in my life being able to help them and I was glad to be part of the moment. I have attached a photo of the letter written by the grandmother to her granddaughter and a picture of the daughter who called me and her granddaughter. Three generations brought together by this ring.
John - USA
