Brendon Chapman, Author at The Ring Finders

Recovering a lost gold wedding band at an Alameda beach!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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Bay Area Ring Finders: Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Three successful recoveries in 24 hours!!!

When Abel contacted me about a lost gold wedding band at a beach in Alameda, I had just sat down to dinner after performing two other recoveries within the East Bay.  It would be dark soon and I elected to perform the search the following day.

I met he and his wonderful wife on the beach on the kind of day California dreams are made of.  He gave me a brief run down on how he had lost the ring in the dry sand and was able to recover it, but when he took it to the waters edge to wash the sand away, the ring again disappeared into the sand.  Abel had apparently purchased a cheaper detector to search, but was unsuccessful.

I had little doubt that if the ring was there, I would have it quickly.  He was so absolute on where he had lost it that I knew something was wrong when after 15 minutes it had not revealed itself.  To my surprise, Abel moved me fifty feet further up the beach and there I swung over a perfect sounding 20 VDI on the Manticore.  Before I even took the scoop, I informed the two of them that we had found it!  With one large scoop with the CKG Pro Titanium…We had made the recovery!!!

Abel and his wife were stunned and admitted they didn’t think it was likely to be found.  I on the other hand, never had any doubt, and just like that…#78.  It was a pleasure to meet you both and I have nothing but the best wishes for your future.  Thank you.

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

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Lost Gold Ring in Berkeley Hills Garden…Recovered!

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

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

I truly have the best job in the world when it comes to lost item recovery.  I get to meet really interesting people, all of which are supportive and grateful for my efforts.  There is always a sense of adventure, not unlike any great treasure hunt.  And don’t get me started on the precious metals and gemstones! However, I think that all of us who perform these searches will agree, the greatest part about successfully recovering someones item are the reactions.

Danica contacted me after getting my information from fellow Ring Finder Laura Peters (Shout out to Laura…Thank you and I can’t wait to hunt together).  Danica had requested help recovering her beautiful gold wedding ring from a mishap in the garden.  We set a date for the following day and I reassured her that we would be successful in our endeavor.

The following day was wonderful and I was brimming with confidence after a successful recovery in Danville before heading to a beautiful home in the Berkeley Hills to meet Danica.  She showed me areas of interest and we made efforts to clear them as we walked. At one location, Danica informed me that the garden had “Gopher Wire” beneath the soil rendering the Manticore useless.  I switched tactics and knew that my best bet was to utilize my Garret Pinpointer and tune the sensitivity while searching the dirt beneath each plant.

Less than 20 minutes had past and score…We Made The Recovery!  A wave of shock and excitement shown on Danica’s face, an almost childhood giddiness ensued.  I spent a few minutes taking the obligatory pictures for my profile and chatting with her.  It has a joyous moment for us both.

Thank you Danica for entrusting me with your search and recovery!  It was a pleasure to serve you!

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

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Missing Ring in Danville, Recovered from the Trash!

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

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

When I tell people that almost all the rings I recover within a home come from the trash, they look doubtful.  Here is another instance that proves my point.

Mia contacted me about a missing ring inside a home.  She goes on to tell me a story that, when it ends, I make one request… do not take out the trash.

It would be a week before I could get to this search due to my volunteer work with the BSA and taking several youth scouts to camp.  However, upon my return, I contacted Mia to schedule our search effort.

There were four large trash bags laid side by side when I arrived.  We separated the trash and scanned each object with a pin-pointer as we went through the refuse.  On the second of the four bags, a clue…a chip bag that Mia had admitted to have been munching on the night the ring went missing.  Moments later, I was handing Mia her beautiful Platinum and Diamond ring,  We had made the recovery!!!

Less than 20 minutes into our search, we celebrated another success and another missing ring from within a home, located in the trash bin.

Thank you Mia for entrusting me with the location and recovery of this beautiful piece of jewelry.  I wish you the best for your future!

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

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Titanium Wedding Band lost In the Delta…Recovered!

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

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

After an exciting baby shower the day prior, Nina and her family spent the day on a little beach on Sherman Island in the delta.  The day was beautiful and the weather perfect.  That was, until Nina’s husband Chris lost his titanium wedding band when playing with his nephews in the water.  He was extremely disappointed to say the least and a dark cloud loomed over an otherwise perfect weekend.

I was made aware of the incident and agreed to perform a search the following day.  Water recoveries in the summer are always a welcome escape from warm inland temperatures, but this day was very windy and the water was choppy, not ideal for searching.

None the less, my boys and I made our way out into the water and started the process of locating the missing ring.  A number of objects in the water meant that this area most likely had never seen a detector.  Bottle caps, pull tabs (some very old), lead weights all made for a noisy and busy search.  I could tell with every piece of trash we pulled and minutes passing that Nina was losing hope.

When I recovered the ring I knew that Nina and her sister had not noticed.  I gave it to my oldest boy to take to the beach like all the other trash we recovered, but this time he asked, “did the ring look like this?”  Confused the two looked at the ring then all at once realized… We had Made The Recovery!

A celebration ensued and I even allowed myself to have a celebratory White Claw with my new friends.  I learned all about the two’s courtship, marriage, and the new special package about to bless their lives.  It was a joyous time and I was glad I got to take part in their story, however small my part was. It was a pleasure to meet you Nina and we wish you the very best!

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

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A botanist lost her keys at Tilden Park and we helped to recover them!

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

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

I have fallen victim to misplacing my car keys just at my home, panic set’s in quickly once you realize…. I can’t imagine how hopeless it would feel to loose them out in nature while on a hike.

Meet Cody, a botanist who spends a lot of time working outdoors. Recently, while working at one of our local regional parks, she did just that.  Her vehicle parked merely feet away from her task, locked out from access and unable to move off of the trail.  Her work had her bushwhacking amongst the park flora investigating if rare species existed around a 100′ circumference of a work point.  Think tall grass, twisting berry vines and poison oak, thick brush and tree’s.  To make matters worse thick duff and leaves and remnants of old building materials litter the ground.  At some point her keys slipped from her possession lost to the wild.

Lucky for Cody, a spare set of keys could be driven from her home not to far from the site and she would not be forced to abandon her vehicle at the location.  She spent a healthy amount of time searching the area before deciding she might need additional help in order to recover the lost keys.

I was away on a camping trip with the local cub scout pack when I received her request for help, but she graciously waited a full week for our schedule to align.  We met early the following Saturday and headed out on the trail to the location.  I might have been a little overwhelmed when I saw the search zone, but we quickly got to work bushwhacking our way through the overgrowth.  We did find some oddities along the way and trash definitely made the metal detector chatty.  I found a neatly made bird nest nestled on the ground with four little eggs.  It was not the item we were looking for, but it was a treasure non-the-less.

We were under a grove of tree’s searching and as we moved off, there on the ground were the keys we were looking for…We made the recovery!

Cody and I celebrated that we had located them and that we would not be trudging along the overgrown hillside any longer.  All that remained were a few quick photos and a short walk back to the trailhead.

Thank you Cody for taking me on an early morning adventure in the hills.  I won’t soon forget our time on that search.

 

 

 

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

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Engagement Ring Lost in Tall Grass in Antioch…Found!!!

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

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

As we all know, there are multiple ways a ring can go missing; none of them feel good. Gabriela reached out to me with just such an issue.

On Monday, I received her text message and a few short hours later we found ourselves wading waist deep in tall grass on a hillside behind her home.  The ring went lost the previous day and a search ensued.  The ring was not found and the situation felt futile, but for an experienced detectorist with a “can do” attitude and the right equipment, we made the recovery!  It didn’t take long to locate the ring with the information Gabriela was able to provide, and a bummer situation was turned into a joyous moment of triumph.

Thank you Gabriela for allowing me to help you with the situation and trusting in me to get the job done.  I wish you all the best in your life’s journey and I hope you will tell the tale of that ring far and wide.

Also, for the geeks like me…this ring was found on an Equinox 800 with an 8-9 VDI.

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

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Two sentimental rings lost in Berkeley park…Found!!!

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

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

It’s nice to know that people care.  When Lydia lost two very sentimental rings given to her by her sister, she told me that at least 10 individuals assisted her in trying to locate them.  The rings were loose fitting and came off when she softly tossed a ball in the park, surely they shouldn’t have traveled far.  At last, the search was called off and Lydia was focused on an alternative solution.

She set out to rent or buy a metal detector, but couldn’t find a local source for quick deployment.  That’s when she stumbled upon my information in association with THERINGFINDERS.  The following morning I received a text message asking if I had availability to come to Berkeley to locate a missing ring.  I quickly called to let her know I could be available anytime after 3:30pm and would gladly come recover the ring.  That’s when I learned it was actually 2 missing rings. She let me know that the search area would be small and she knew pretty well where she was when they came off.  She would be right!

I arrived a bit after 4pm ready for a hunt. Lydia was waiting in the park along with her infant son, a young nephew, her mother, and a dog (or two).  She showed me the area and even performed a sample toss of the ball.  As I got underway, the first thing I noticed was that the park was noisy, that is, there was an abundance of metallic objects in the ground.  Then, boom…a perfect gold signal!  The problem was, the beautiful heavy gold earring that was recovered did not belong to Lydia (someone didn’t find THERINGFINDERS). A few minutes later, another really great signal!  This time I knew without a doubt it was the first of two rings and the second would be close at hand. Meer moments later, I was handing both rings back to a very relieved and grateful owner.  We had made the recovery!

Remembering what I said above, it’s nice to know that people care… As I collected my equipment ready to leave, an older gentleman walked up with an very vintage Bounty Hunter Coin Master detector.  Lydia seemed to know him and he may have been in the park helping the day before.  He commented about my Equinox and congratulated us on the recovery of the two rings.  He then set off to explore the area with his machine.  I assisted with a Garrett Pin-pointer and he produced a penny that we provided to Lydia’s nephew as “buried treasure.”  I was glad to have met Lydia and to have played a roll in the story of these two sentimental rings.

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

 

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Family friend looses silver skull ring and we recover it!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

It was St. Patrick’s Day and I had just finished smoking a corned beef for several hours and was finishing up cooking sides for our dinner.  The phone rang; a family friend we met through our community scouting pack.  Sarah explains that her son wore his fathers silver skull ring to baseball practice at the downtown Waterfront Park and at the end of practice it was missing.

I let her know that I would make the five minute drive to the park as soon as our dinner was finished. When I arrived, I was overwelled by the size of the grassy area of the outfield.  Sarah informed me that Odin had pitched and played first base, all areas that did not include grass.  He did however, walk to the warm up mound at the rear of the outfield and so we began our search there.  As the field lights when out our task got just that much harder, but it wouldn’t take long searching the grass between the dugout and the right field fence that we would “Make the Recovery!”

This would mark the very first recovery I performed in my home town of Martinez, CA and I was happy that I got to perform this service for a family that we know and enjoy.  Thank you Sarah, Odin, Amon, and Freya for your friendship.

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

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White Gold Wedding Set lost at the beach…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

I was on a short holiday on the island of Kauai when I received a text message from Kimberly.  She had lost her white gold wedding set on the beach and contacted my good friend Jes Muse (also of The Ring Finders and creator of The Bay Area Bleepers YouTube channel).  Jes had provided my contact information to her since I am usually ready and available for all rings in the East Bay.

I sent a text back to Kimberly explaining that I was in Hawaii and would be flying back that day. I informed her that I wouldn’t be available until the following day but would be glad to assist. Additionally, I let her know that I would reach out to schedule a time to meet up for the search.

The following day was frustratingly filled with meetings, emails, and project issues, not the day one should have after a relaxing trip.  I ended up working late to get caught up and I had to let Kimberly know that the search would need to wait an extra day (not something I am accustom to doing).

Excited to get out and search, I took my kit with me to work so that I could travel direct to the beach in Alameda for the search.  I knew that the tides would be at their lowest just after quitting time and that’s when I would have the best search area.

I met Kimberly and her adorable children on the beach and she explained the situation.  I gave her and each child a cone to place where they thought the ring could be (a little fun and healthy competition). At this time, I had little doubts that I would find these two rings quickly.

I was humbled a bit, when after about 45 minutes of grid search in two directions I still had not uncovered the mystery.  With a little adjustment closer towards the water, I was on my fourth or fifth line, when I hit a sweet signal.  A perfect 7 in all directions, I was able to recover the diamond engagement ring without alerting Kimberly or the kids.  I swung over the hole again and a second perfect 7.

I called Kimberly over and informed her “I think there might be a ring underneath the sand here and it might be the match to this one…” as I held out the diamond ring for her inspection.  She was floored and had the absolute best look of disbelief, joy, and relief on her face.  Then with one last scoop…We Made The Recovery!!!

Both rings were safely extracted from the sand and as for the competition…turns out the little boy was closest.

Thank you Kimberly for taking me on this adventure with you and the children.  The look on your face when you realized I had found your engagement ring will forever be burned into my memory.

 

 

 

 

 

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

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Lost 2 day old gold/diamond ring….Found in Manteca!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Chet was performing work on his quarter acre property in Manteca, CA.  He was moving around old tractors and a trailer full of steel beams.  At the end of the day, he made the discovery that the ring he had just received two days earlier for Valentine’s Day was now missing somewhere on the property.  He did a fair amount of searching for himself and even borrowed a metal detector from a friend with no luck.

When he contacted me through theringfinders.com he admitted to have not been able to sleep and even called himself a “desperate man”.  He felt awful when he had to come clean about the lost ring, but after talking to me, he was looking forward to a brighter day.

Well, that day came.  I performed a hasty search of the target area.  It was loud and there was trash everywhere. After 45 minutes, I decided to set up my grids and put on the tiny coil for purpose of better target separation.  I was in my second “swim lane” when I got a booming double beeper.  A perfect 13 in every direction.  We had made the recovery!!!

Just barely under the surface and very near our first search area I moved some tree clippings to reveal this gold and diamond beauty.  It was then that I turned it over to a very thankful Chet before taking some celebratory photos and cleaning up my grid.

It was a joyous afternoon for us both and I thank Chet for his good conversation and fantastic fruit he provided.

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

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