Brendon Chapman, Author at The Ring Finders

Unique ring lost in backyard garden…Recovered!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I received an email from the Mount Diablo Metal Detecting Club requesting volunteers for a ring recovery in Pleasant Hill, CA.  The ring had been lost several weeks earlier while the gentleman performed backyard gardening work.  I responded that I could be available to assist.

The following day members of the MDMDC and the local chapter of the UPI met at the residence to perform a search.  After a short description of the work being performed when the unique and beautiful ring went missing, we got to work and it did not take long for this All Star Team to Make The Recovery!!!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Diamond Ring Lost While Swimming…Found!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

On the 18th of June Corrine lost her diamond ring while taking a swim test at a local lake.  She spent plenty of time searching the bottom for the missing ring with no luck.  At some point in the panic of the moment she entered the situation into ChatGPT on her phone.  This resulted in providing a link to THERINGFINDERS.COM and directly to me.

As it happened, I had two constraints to providing immediate support.  First, I was out of town with the family visiting relatives.  The second issue was that my Equinox 800 was still awaiting a new control box after damages accrued while providing support on a dive recovery.  I would also need to reach out to the local parks department for permission to enter the water with a metal detector.

A few days later, these constraints had worked their way out and we scheduled the search.  I would be teaming up with Mark (a member of the MDMDC) and Evan (scuba diver) would be tagging along for support as well.  Members of the parks department would escort our small team to the lake shore to prepare and within minutes of entering the water…We Made The Recovery!!!

The ring was successfully recovered in 3 feet of water in the precise location Corrine said it would be.  It was as easy as they come and all parties were ecstatic for a speedy success.  I can’t thank everyone involved enough for playing their part in getting this diamond ring back to it’s rightful owner.  Thank you very kindly.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Discovery Bay Dock Dropped Platinum Ring Recovery!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I have been waiting for this collaboration for some time.  A close friend of mine, Evan is an experienced scuba diver with experience working on dive boats and performing lost item recoveries in deep water.  When I got the call for assistance from Sarah to recover a platinum men’s wedding band from 10′ of water, I originally turned down the opportunity.  After thinking about options for providing direction to Sarah, I made contact with Evan for his thoughts.  To my surprise he agreed to provide his services, along with my help, to give it a shot.  I think Sarah was also surprised when I contacted her saying that I had a diver.

Everyone was excited and motivated to perform the search as soon as possible.  We could not have asked for a better weather window with beautiful bluebird skies, a light delta breeze, and water conditions were not too awful either.  It took some time to get set up at the private backyard dock in Discovery Bay.  Our first search of the dark silty waters was not very productive in that we struggled to keep the diver over the target area, but a small stainless screw gave us all hope that it was possible to recover the platinum ring with the metal detector.

A second search was much more productive in the target area, but at a point Evan returned to the surface…the detector (a underwater rated machine) was water logged and quit working. Admittedly, Sarah and I were thinking that recovery was less likely now than ever.  Evan however was not quitting the cause and returned to the 17 foot depth to perform a hand search.  After several minutes he surfaced once more…We had made the recovery!!!

Evan had earlier noted a canvas boat cover in the general area under the dock.  As a last ditch effort he searched the folds of this and low and behold, by nothing but feel, recovered the missing item.  Sarah and I both shouted in celebration and the smile on Evans face bore nothing but pride.

Only moments earlier, a neighbor on a stand-up paddle board had cruised past and stated that she was praying for us!  Was this coincidence or a little divine intervention…I’ll let you decide, but we were glad for the kind gesture.

Congratulations to Sarah and her family for getting the ring back and to our exquisite diver Evan who took on the murky dark waters of the delta and won!  And, as an added bonus, no metal detectors were harmed in the making of this recovery (after drying out, it appears to be operational).

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

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Lost cherished earring missing in Pleasant Hill…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Karen was enjoying her nightly walk with her dog.  They had walked for about 55 minutes and the path meandered around surface streets, a small park, a short trail, the college campus, and a parking lot.  Once home she realized that one of her cherished earrings was missing.  It had been a very warm evening and she remembered her sun hat bothering her a bit and had taken it off several times.  She noted that her earring was more loose than usual and may have popped of while adjusting the hat.

The following morning she had walked the path again in an effort to locate the missing object.  Being ever resourceful, when she did not locate it herself, she sought help.  A brief look at The Ring Finders put her in touch with her most local agent.

I was at my boys swim meet in Concord, CA when she contacted me.  I let her know I could be available for a search later that afternoon and so we met around 5:30 pm that evening.  Karen took me for a walk of the route as I asked questions seeking details about the how, when, and where the earring might likely have gone missing.  It was apparent that most of the areas were not going to be metal detectable and that a lost item could be easily identified by the public.  That was until we entered a giant parking lot.  As we walked through I noticed a sparkle…broken glass!  And another…more broken glass!  I almost did not investigate the next sparkle, chalking it up to the myriad of broken bottles and glass throughout the lot.  I was super glad I did because…We made the recovery!!!

Karen did not notice that she had walked me right to the exact spot she lost the earring and that not only did I spot it, but I had picked it up.  She seemed a bit startled when I asked her to stop.  Later she would state that she thought I was going to rob her in the abandoned parking lot! I showed her the item and in disbelief she sought out the other earring thinking I must have somehow taken possession of it.  She was speechless and stunned, still in disbelief that after our long walk together, it was back in her hands.

Well Karen, It was the real deal and I could not have been happier to assist you with locating this beautiful earring.  I rather enjoyed our walk and our conversations.  I hope you never have to go through that again, but in the event you do…I’m here!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Check out this beautiful earring recovered from the beach!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

When Betty walk onto Upton Beach, near Stinson Beach, CA a large gust of wind tried to blow her sun hat right off of her head. In the process, the adjustable chin strap caught on her earring and popped it right off.  She did what most people do and sought out to procure a metal detector to locate her prized earring in the dry sand.  She made several attempts at locating it to no avail.

By luck her daughter plays soccer in Marin…remember my earlier post from March, Lost Platinum and Diamond Wedding Band…Recovered from the Soccer Pitch?  As it turns out she plays soccer with the family from this story!  The family gave her my contact information and Betty reached out for assistance.

I scheduled to travel the one and a half hour drive to Upton Beach at my very next availability.  In tow, I brought my beautiful wife and toddler to take advantage of leaving the triple digit weather for the cooler coastal air. We arrived slightly before Betty and made our way to the scene of the mishap.  After a brief chat with her I got under way searching the dry sand near the entrance to the beach.  In less than 3 minutes time and even before she could finish the search contract, the first target, a perfect 6 VDI for the Equinox…We made the recovery!!!

Betty was stunned that it had happened so quickly.  She admitted to having her doubts after searching so many times, but was ecstatic to have the zephyr blown earring back in her possession. I could definitely see why, as it was a stunner!!!

I love this work!! Anyone who performs it knows just how gratifying it really is.  Thank you to Betty for trusting me with the recovery and to Eric for making the referral.  It was a beautiful morning at the beach and a beautiful story for the books.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Platinum Wedding Band Lost on Open Water Swim…Recovered In Alameda!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Mark was having a rough start to his paternity leave.  First a sick little one at home on day 1, but then the unimaginable happened to him.  While getting some exercise on Day 2 by way of an open water swim in the San Francisco Bay, he had at some point lost his Platinum wedding band.  He sent this message to me at a bit past 10pm on Sunday…

“Hi Brendon, I saw TheRingFinders website.  I think I lost my wedding band swimming this morning in Alameda, CA.  If you are available tomorrow, (I) would be willing to meet you out there.”

Unfortunately, I did not see the message until I had arrived at work the next morning. I was quick to respond to Marks request.  After a short call to discuss the ins and outs of the location, time of day, tides, and the likes we determined that the next mornings low time was our first best shot at a search.  He sent me some really cool GPS tracks of his two swims that morning and if we could get them to jive, it would make for a smaller zone to search. We might only searching the paths of travel rather than run a larger scaled grid search.  Mark also mentioned that if I had extra equipment, he would be glad to join in on the action.

I arrived and met Mark just prior to low tide, around 8am.  He was stunned at how little water there was and I was happy to know I wouldn’t necessarily need to get wet to perform this search.  I pulled out my back-up metal detector with an extra scoop and after a 5 minute tutorial on how it worked, Mark was off.  He and I decided to each take one of the paths of travel and divide our efforts into two searches.  I was completing my search efforts of the first track after about an hour.  It resulted in the removal of a minimal amount of trash but no ring.  As I made my way towards joining Marks efforts, I noticed that he was working a hole.  Moments later he shouted, “I found it!!!”.  I could see that he was fully excited as I ran down to congratulate him.  I pulled out my camera and snapped a few quick shots as he triumphantly held up his platinum wedding band. We had made the recovery!!!

Thanks Mark for allowing me to help out with the search and recovery of this ring.  I can only imagine the gratification of locating and recovering your own lost item once you had the right equipment.  You can join me on another recovery anytime!  Best wishes for you and your families future!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost Engagement Ring in Solano County…Found!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

The thing that I enjoy most about doing this work are the stories, and this was a really good one!

Mary and Frank are an elderly couple living in Solano County!  Mary had first contacted me to discuss a very important engagement ring, a yellow gold solitaire ring given to her 23 years earlier.  She had been doing a bit of gardening in the backyard when she thought to herself that it was probably a bad idea to have her wedding and engagement ring on while performing this work.  Like so many others have done, she removed the rings and put them into a pant pocket and went about her work. Later, when she tried to retrieve her rings only the wedding band was found.  She admitted to being so disappointed that she had used a bit of profanity and had been loosing sleep over the entire ordeal.

Mary had been previously married and enjoyed scuba diving. Her outings found her in contact with Frank, a boat Captain.  Frank is a Veteran Naval Aviation Navigator serving 3 tours in Vietnam and a sailing enthusiast who at the time co-owned a 40′ Valiant sailing vessel used to travel as far North as the San Juan Islands and South to Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.  The group enjoyed many trips together and a 30 year friendship. 23 years ago things had changed in their lives and Frank proposed to Mary and they have been married ever since.  To Mary, the ring represented 53 combined years of friendship and love.  I had to find this ring!

Mary led me to a beautifully manicured backyard and told me the story of how and when the ring was lost.  We decided to start with three target areas which included a small lawn area that was searched with no luck.  The second area didn’t reveal much either.  In our third target area between two small shrubs, a 12/13 on the Equinox 800…we made the recovery!!!

As I held up the ring, Mary was overcome with emotion and gave me a long and strong embrace, her nightmare was over. We took some pictures to commemorate the occasion and spent the next 20 minutes talking about travel, life, and family…the important things.  When we went into the couples beautiful home to give Frank the good news he too was excited, gave me a good handshake and made a really funny joke about kissing me!  Thank you kindly for your service to our country Frank!

To Mary and Frank I wish you all the health and happiness in the world.  Your story made me extremely happy and was an inspiration.

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost Platinum and Diamond Wedding Band…Recovered from the Soccer Pitch!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I was cooking Saturday morning breakfast for the family when Eric called.  His wife was assisting with setting up soccer goals for an early game and lost her Platinum and Diamond wedding band somewhere amongst the grass.  They looked for quite some time and even enlisted the help of others at the field.  At one point there was a cheap child’s metal detector deployed, but with low batteries and an abundance of “beeps” it produced more frustration than results.

I was keen to the task, but schedules meant the ring would overnight there until the following Morning when I could get an early jump on it.  When I arrived, it was just before sunrise and it was shaping up to be a gorgeous day. The nicely groomed fields were wet from overnight fog which played a nice roll in my grid searches.  I noticed that as I swung from side to side, if I brushed the top of the grass it would change the color and I knew exactly what I had covered and where I had not.

The field was large, but Eric had met me there and showed me the target areas for our search.  It was still a large enough area to take some time and after I cleared one of the target areas we moved off to the next.  The field was trashy with a lot of deeper targets but I did locate a few odds and ends.  Then after 20 minutes or so in the new location…We made the recovery!  Tucked out of sight in the green grass the small wedding band came into view and Eric confirmed it to be our target.  We took a few photos and a video and the mission was happily accomplished.

Thank you Eric for your feedback and in trusting me with your wife’s ring.  I wish you all both the very best and hope you tell the story of the once missing ring far and wide.

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Gold Ring lost in Hayward, CA…Recovered!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Our first ring recovery of 2025 came while I was providing First Aid support for a Cub Scout knife safety/whittling class for our Pack.  I had received a call for assistance in Hayward, CA to locate a yellow gold chain ring lost in tall grass along a trail.  I informed them that I was committed for another two hours but would head their direction shortly thereafter.  I had them text me an address and informed them I would let them know when I was on my way and again when I was 10 minutes out.

My two older boys would accompany me to provide assistance and loaded their detector as we made for the location.  It took just under an hour to reach the site and a short 3 minute walk put us in the target area.  I provided some orange soccer cones for them to define the search area as I prepared our detectors. I was excited when my oldest boy got a promising hit on his Vanquish 540.  Upon further inspection it was found to be spectacle frames for a pair of glasses.  Moments later, I got a great signal on the 800 (12-14) and when pinpointed…we had made the recovery!!!

It was a beautiful day and I had almost wished it took a bit longer to locate while spending time with the boys among the tall Kelly green grass of the East Bay hills.

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

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Beautiful Vintage Ring Lost While Gardening…Found!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

It was early in the morning Saturday the 9th when I got a text message about a lost ring in the garden.  I was on my way out the door with two of my three boys to hand out flyers for the BSA’s big annual community service project Scouting for Food.  I text the couple back arranging to meet them for a search after the scouting project was completed.

I arrived at the home around 11:30am and met the sweet couple.  They told me the story of how they had been gardening together in the yard performing a number of different tasks.  The yard was huge and very nice and as we identified areas on interest, I created a kind of priority list in my head.  I explained a number of things about how the metal detector worked and how the search would be performed and we started in. As systematically we checked off site after site in the yard and had not made a recovery I could tell the couple (who wished to remain anonymous) was getting discouraged.  We looked at the very last location on our list when I got a very low blip and honestly if I wasn’t performing a search for them, I might not have bothered investigating it.  It was coming in at a 1 or 2 on the Equinox 800.  As I moved some yard debris I saw the ring and quickly recovered it.

When I revealed the ring to the couple they were both surprised and relieved that…WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!!

Thank you to the couple for trusting me and the process to locate this beautiful lost heirloom!

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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