Received a call from a woman in Chicago that lost her 18k diamond ring.
I did not have high hopes because she was not sure where she lost it. In the house, yard or trash cans. Nasty search, but I found it in a bag of clay, thanks to my pinpointer.
Chris,
Can you add this to my testimonials.
This is a beyond helpful service, if you've lost something metal don't even waste any time just call Evan! I Found myself facing what would be a tremendous loss, while out on a run my ring fell out of a side bag with a hidden tear that I did
n't notice. I spent two days retracing my steps before I found out about Evan's ring finding service. The search space was going to cover nearly 2 acres so I had agreed to pay an hourly rate, which was very reasonable. And he was committed to a multi day search which is what we both expected. But, at just 1 hour in and against all odds... he found it!! It was in deep and dense grass on a city easement. An area I had thoroughly searched multiple times already. It is shocking just how easily a ring can vanish into some grass but on the other hand at least it is out of sight from any passerby's. Before meeting with Evan I already had "reward" posters up throughout the neighborhood so it was an absolute pleasure to pay out the reward to Evan and have my ring back. Can't thank him enough!
Jesse lost it in the winter and wanted it back. Now its back. Watch the video for the whole story.
If you have lost your wedding ring, a bracelet, golden grill, or a necklace, don’t waste the time or the money buying or renting a metal detector. Instead hire an expert metal detecting professional like Dave The RingFinder! Dave is the “metal detective” and knows how to stack the odds in your favor to get your precious jewelry back. Call or text Dave at 805-290-5009 so he can create a plan to get your ring back!
Last night I got a call from Lori who is the supervisor at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark about a lost ring. Lori is also my boss several days a week as my wife and I work during the various festivals the farm puts on throughout the year. This time it is the Fall festival and a recently married young lady had lost her wedding ring somewhere in front of the produce stand while picking up pumpkins.
I told Lori that I would come in early before my 9am shift and detect the area and determine whether or not the ring was there. I arrived a bit before 8am and the farm was already buzzing with activity. Underwood Family farms is the place to be in SoCal if you are looking for a real and unique farm experience and also if you need 1 or a hundred pumpkins for the fall. I immediately began to work the areas in-between and around the hay and pumpkins in front of the produce stand. Pennies, dimes and nickels were everywhere but a gold ring was not. That is until I got around one of the cashier booths. I got a nice, tight 13 signal on my Manticore that was easily distinguishable between the coins. I turned on my pinpointer and located the target and up came the wedding ring. Even though I had to still go to work at the farm my job that day was finished! Dave The Ringfinder with another wedding ring saved!
Wait — Time Is Critical After a Ring Loss in Ventura or Santa Barbara County
Whether you lost a ring, necklace, bracelet, or other jewelry on a Ventura or Santa Barbara County beach, in shallow surf, in a backyard, at a park, or in an open field — the clock starts the moment it’s gone. Shifting tides, moving sand, and other detectorists can all work against recovery the longer you wait. Skip the metal detector rental and trust the expert — Dave The RingFinder.
Dave The RingFinder proudly serves:
Ventura County: Ventura · Oxnard · Port Hueneme · Camarillo · Thousand Oaks · Moorpark · Simi Valley · Fillmore · Santa Paula · Ojai
Santa Barbara County: Santa Barbara · Carpinteria · Goleta · Montecito · Summerland · Lompoc · Santa Maria · Solvang · Buellton
Notable beaches and recovery locations: Mondo’s Beach · Surfer’s Point · San Buenaventura State Beach · Rincon Beach · Carpinteria State Beach · East Beach Santa Barbara · West Beach Santa Barbara · McGrath State Beach Oxnard · Silver Strand Beach · Mandalay Beach
Dave also occasionally takes on recoveries in nearby Malibu by request — reach out if your loss happened outside the core service area above.
About Dave The RingFinder — Ventura County’s Metal Detecting Specialist
Dave The RingFinder has been recovering lost jewelry with a metal detector since 2011 and has operated full-time as a professional ring and jewelry recovery specialist since 2017. Also known as The Metal Detective, Dave brings professional-grade equipment, deep local knowledge of Ventura and Santa Barbara County beaches and tides, and a genuine passion for reuniting people with their most treasured possessions. Every recovery is personal.
Before you spend an afternoon chasing down a metal detector rental in Ventura or Santa Barbara County, make one call instead. Dave has the equipment, the experience, and the track record — and he works on your behalf from the moment you contact him.
📞 Call or text Dave 24/7: 805-290-5009
🌐 davetheringfinder.com
Lost something? Don’t rent — trust the expert. Dave The RingFinder is here to bring your jewelry home.
Tavis was doing some work on his property when he lost his wedding ring while moving some hoses. He did searches and had search parties to no avail. That’s when I was called in. Watch the video for the details.
Sam was playing in the leaves with his daughters. A few pine cones tossed and his ring disappeared. Six hours of searching yielded nothing. It took me 10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZbOsdd1tso&list=PLMGgxQzflTai4KCTVyBLSe3ahK-XMV1pW
Watch the video for the full story
I received a call from Alex the day before I was headed out of town. He had lost his ring and believed it was in his back yard. Luckily, he was located less than 15 minutes from my work, so we made plans to try and locate it the next morning.
I’ll let Alex tell you the story in his own words!
“Jim is amazing! Not only did he help me find my lost wedding ring, but he showed up to my house at 6:45am because he was heading out of town later that day and wanted to ensure he could help me as quickly as possible. I can’t recommend Jim enough, if you have a lost ring and know the general area it’s in, he WILL find it! Thanks again my friend.” – Alex
On Sunday, October 11, 2026, and just after 12:30 pm I received a text saying, “Hey Jim, this is Marc. I’m currently staging in north Myrtle Beach and lost my wedding ring and class ring at the beach. Are you working today with your detector?” I checked the tide tables in case this would be a water search and then called Marc at the number that was attached to the text. First question I asked was if the rings were lost in the water, and Marc replied “no.” He went on to say that he had placed his rings on a towel and forgot about them until after he left the beach. I told him to send me an address where I could park and told him I’d be there in about 10 minutes.
When I arrived at the rental where Marc and some friends were staying, I met Marc in the driveway. We walked down to the beach, and he pointed out the area where they were sitting and his towel was. I started a north/south grid line from the suspected area to the slope and wasn’t having any luck. I stopped and talked with Marc to make sure I was in the right area. I asked him which way he was facing when he picked up his towel, and he said he was facing towards the dunes. So, I moved a little farther up towards the dunes and continued my grid search. It wasn’t long until I hit a solid 11 on the VDI (visual display indicator), telling me I hit white gold. I dug a few scoops and then saw his wedding band lying embedded in the sand at the bottom of the hole. I reached down and picked it up, cleaned the sand off it and held it up for Marc to see. He confirmed it was his wedding ring. Now I needed to find his UVA class ring. I continued with the grid search and couldn’t find it. I started over and did a cross grid and still no ring. About the only place left to search was the beach access route. As I’m finishing up with that, I noticed a gentleman come up and talk with Marc. As Marc caught up to me, he told me the gentleman told him he had found a UVA ring and turned it into the beach patrol about 11:30 a.m. I called the beach patrol number and gave Marc my phone to leave a voice message. Shortly after I got home, I got a text message from Marc saying, “I just got the second one a bit ago from beach patrol!” Both rings are back where they belong.
Marc – Thank you for calling and trusting me to help find your lost rings. So happy you got them back.
Jim
I received a call from Matt back on October 4th about a wedding band that was lost the day before. I’ll just let him tell you the rest. Thanks for the kind words, Matt!
After you read his testimonial, take a look at the one picture! You can see how easy it would be to overlook it in the grass with the naked eye!
I can’t recommend Jim Wagner highly enough!
My sister got married last weekend, and sometime during the wedding my dad lost his wedding band in a grassy area that had been used for guest parking. He had worn that ring for 52 years without ever losing it, only to have it disappear on the day of his daughter’s wedding. Needless to say, both of my parents were extremely upset.
I spent about an hour searching the area with a flashlight but had no luck. Since the wedding was in a coastal area where metal detecting is fairly common, I started searching online for someone who specialized in finding lost rings and jewelry. Jim was by far one of the most highly recommended people I found, so I left him a voicemail.
Within about 10 minutes, Jim called me back. As luck would have it, he was already driving relatively close to the area on his way home. After I explained what had happened, he asked me a few questions and had me send him a photo of the area where I thought the ring had been lost.
When Jim arrived, his experience immediately showed. Using his equipment and expertise, he was able to locate my dad’s wedding band remarkably quickly. Finding a ring that had been worn for 52 years—and that happened to be lost on such an emotional and important family occasion—was an incredible blessing. We were all so relieved and grateful.
I also really appreciated how fair and straightforward Jim was about his fee. Because the location ended up being a little farther out of the way than originally anticipated, there was a very reasonable $40 call-out fee. Beyond that, there wasn’t a predetermined reward amount. Jim simply suggested considering what you might tip for good service along with the monetary and sentimental value of the item he recovered. I thought that was an exceptionally fair and reasonable approach, especially considering the value of what he helped return to our family.
If you ever lose a ring or another meaningful piece of jewelry in the area, I would absolutely recommend calling Jim before attempting to buy a metal detector and search for it yourself. After watching how quickly he worked, it was obvious that successfully finding lost jewelry involves much more than simply owning the equipment—it takes experience, skill, and knowing how to use it.
Jim clearly has that expertise. He turned what could have been a heartbreaking permanent loss into a wonderful ending to a very special family weekend. We are incredibly thankful, and I would highly recommend Jim Wagner as the person to call if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
Matt
Received a text from Alyssa stating she had lost her memorial diamond ring (diamond is made of ashes of her daughter that passed away 10 yrs ago) Diamond is set in a rose gold ring. WE HAVE TO FIND THIS!