🔴 Four on the Fourth? A July 4th Emergency Call and
💍 A 56-Year Love Story That Lives On
With three recoveries already on July 4th, Cheryl and I thought our day was over. We thought wrong. 🛑
Just prior to 5:00 p.m., I received a call from Margeaux. Her 90-years-young grandmother, Marsha, had just lost a deeply sentimental gold wedding ring in the ocean. 🌊
The ring belonged to Marsha’s late husband. They had been married for 56 years before his passing 12 years ago.
Marsha walks down to the beach in Ocean Park, Maine , most days and takes a swim. WOW!!! JUST AMAZING!!! 🙌
🌊 Lost to the Atlantic Ocean
Today, at high tide, Marsha went into the water and her late husband’s wedding ring slipped off into the cold Atlantic Ocean.
Marsha, Margeaux, and her husband searched in vain as the water receded toward low tide, which was about four hours away.
This left me plenty of time to search the area before the next high tide in 10 hours or so.
I told Margeaux that we would be right down and could be there within a half hour.
She gave me their exact location and said they would still be searching on the beach when we arrived.
There was no way I was going to give up until I found this extremely sentimental ring.
Would we make it four rings today, achieving “Four on the Fourth”? 💍💍💍💍
🪵 A Savvy Clue on the Beach
Cheryl and I arrived, and as we walked onto the beach, Margeaux waved to us. We made a beeline toward the group of three, who were still searching for the ring.
Marsha told me that she always wears her late husband’s wedding ring on her finger.
Recently, however, Marsha had purchased a new ring.
She was wearing that new ring lower down on her finger, with her husband’s wedding ring sitting on top of it, higher up.
Consequently, the wedding ring was looser on her finger than before.
Marsha went for a swim, the water was cold, and she came out of the ocean with just her new ring. Her husband’s wedding ring of 56 years was gone. 💔
Marsha was putting up a brave front, but I could tell this was very upsetting to her. She told me that the ring was gone and didn’t think I would find it.
⏱️ Planning the Grid Search
Because Marsha had gone into the water near high tide, I knew the sentimental ring would be on the slope or just onto the flat, wet sand.
Gold rings won’t move much from where they are dropped in the ocean unless the waves, rip currents, or undertows are active and prevalent—and today they were not.
The water was calm, so I knew we had a very good chance of finding Marsha’s beloved ring. 🎯
Once the group realized the ring was missing, they found a piece of driftwood and pounded it into the sand higher up on the slope.
This marked where Marsha had entered and exited the water. It was a very savvy move that helped me immensely in determining the search area! 🪵
Knowing where she had gone into the ocean, I decided to do a grid search parallel with the receding water.
I used the driftwood stake as the center of my grid, searching approximately 25 to 30 feet on each side of it. If the wedding ring wasn’t found in this gridded area, I would start expanding the search.
✨ A Glint of Gold in the Sand
It was now 6:15 p.m., and I started my grid search at the top of the slope, working my way down toward the water.
It wasn’t a large area, and with my 15-inch coil, I was covering ground quickly. Not many non-ferrous targets were popping up on the slope, so the search progressed fast. ⏱️
Once I finished grid searching the slope, I started on the flat, wet sand. It was the same story as the slope: just a few non-ferrous targets like pull tabs and a coin or two.
I had made two passes of my grid search and was on my third pass when I received a very loud, repeating low tone. This was exactly what I had been hoping for! 🎉
I turned to the group and said, “I can’t guarantee it, but this is a really good signal. I haven’t dug it yet, but it’s the best signal I’ve had so far.”
I turned back toward the target, relocated it, and dug out the first scoop of sand, throwing it up onto the flat, wet sand. I ran my coil over the hole, but the target was still inside.
I started to dig a second scoopful of sand but stopped. As the scoop went into the sand, I saw a glint of gold. ✨
“There it is, right there!” I said, pointing toward the ring. 👆
🥹 “You’re a Hero!”
I turned to the group and said, “I think I got it. I see a little something. You want to see it?”
As I said that, the ring started to disappear into the wet sand and water. I quickly reached down and grabbed it so it wouldn’t disappear from sight!
Margeaux came over, and as I pulled the ring out, she gasped. “You’ve actually found it? Oh my God, you’re a hero. You’re the best!” she said, patting me on the back. ❤️
I turned toward Marsha, who was walking down the slope toward me. She looked stunned and surprised that I was holding her late husband’s wedding ring. 👑
As she approached, she said, “No way, no way,” as I handed it to her. She was completely shocked but was smiling ear to ear as she embraced me in a big hug. 🥹
👉 (You can see the complete video of the entire scene playing out! It was posted yesterday and can be found right here on The Ring Finders of Maine’s Facebook page.) 👈
🌍 The Best Job in the World
It was a truly incredibly beautiful moment that I will never forget. Marcia was just in disbelief that the ring she thought was gone forever was now back on her finger.
Cheryl and I couldn’t have been happier or prouder to help this beautiful woman. Marcia told us that this ring means everything to her and encompasses pretty much her entire life in Ocean Park. She and her husband had become engaged and married right here in Ocean Park, and she and her family have been coming back ever since. Just incredible. 🌲🏖️
Again, Cheryl and I are just so fortunate and proud to have been able to help Marsha. This is exactly why we do this for others. There is no better feeling than seeing the look on someone’s face when they see their ring once again.
We have the best job in the world. We love our job. 🌍❤️
“Remember, If It Matters To You, It Matters To Us!” 🤝
Got a call from Fabiana asking for help in finding her 3 year old daughters earring lost in the sand. I told her id be there as soon as i could to help. She met me at the entrance to the beach club and walked me down to where they were sitting. Seems while enjoying the day with the family, her daughter had a cowboy hat on and her bother yanked it off her head and in doing so caught her earring and it flew into the sand. I asked for the matching earring to test it on the detector and got nothing. I adjusted my settings to where I could hear it but just bearly. After finding a few pieces of trash I finally got another slight signal and figured id better check it and im glad I did. There was her earring. Fabiana was so excited to learn I found it for her daughter. Another Happy ending.
