Steve&Ryan, Author at The Ring Finders

A Special Ring Lost and Found, Buffalo NY

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Last week, I had the opportunity to help someone in Buffalo, NY recover a ring that meant the world to him. It’s always a great feeling when you can return something that carries not just monetary value, but deep sentimental meaning and this recovery was exactly that.

The story began in a quiet backyard on the outskirts of Buffalo. The homeowner, a kind gentleman, had been out gardening, enjoying the early summer weather. He was pulling weeds, tending to the flower beds, and working with his hands in the dirt when unbeknownst to him his cherished ring slipped off his finger. It wasn’t until later that day, after washing up, that he realized it was gone.

Understandably, panic set in. The ring had sentimental value, and losing it felt like losing a part of his personal story. His wife sprang into action right away. She picked up a metal detector from a local tool store, determined to find the ring herself. Despite her best efforts, and several hours spent scanning the yard, the elusive ring stayed hidden.

Frustrated but not ready to give up, she turned to Google and that’s where she found The Ring Finders, a global directory of metal detecting specialists who help recover lost items. She reached out, and that’s where I came into the picture.

When I arrived at their home, I could see the hope in their eyes mixed with a bit of skepticism. The backyard wasn’t overly large, but there were garden beds, mulch, and grassy patches—plenty of places where a ring could easily disappear from sight.

After getting the details of exactly where he had been working, I started sweeping the area with my detector. It didn’t take long before I heard a promising signal just at the edge of the property near the fence. I carefully checked the thick grass and sure enough, there it was—his ring, nestled just below the surface.

The moment I held it up and saw the relief and joy on his face—that’s the reason I do this. He was speechless for a moment, then simply said, “I didn’t think I’d ever see that again.”

Every ring has a story, and being able to help someone continue theirs is what makes these recoveries so rewarding. If you’ve lost something important, don’t lose hope—sometimes, all it takes is the right tools and a little help from someone .

44 Year old University Ring Lost and Recovered in Nottawasaga River Wasaga Ontario

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

A few days ago, I was contacted by a man who had lost something incredibly meaningful in the Nottawasaga River in Wasaga Beach, Ontario — his late father’s university ring.

It had slipped off his finger during a night swim. In the darkness, there was no hope of finding it. The current, and water visability , and the fact that it was pitch black made it feel like it was gone forever.

But he didn’t give up. He reached out to me, and with the help of an underwater metal detector and some careful diving, I was able to return to the river in the daylight and begin a precise search.

After methodically scanning the riverbed, I got a signal — and there it was, nestled between some stones: his father’s ring, still intact.

Returning it to him was a powerful moment. You could see the weight lift off his shoulders. This wasn’t just a piece of jewelry — it was a symbol of legacy, love, and connection to someone he deeply missed.

I’m grateful to be able to help recover items like this. They’re more than metal — they’re memories.

If you’ve lost something valuable in the water, don’t hesitate to reach out. You’d be surprised what can be recovered with the right tools and persistence.

Lost Ring Found from an Ant-Infested Garden Hamilton

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Late Monday evening, we received a heartfelt text message from Jenny in Hamilton, Ontario. She had been gardening that evening when a bunch of ants forced her to quickly rip off her gloves. In the chaos, she hadn’t noticed right away but later realized her beloved engagement ring was missing.

Jenny’s message was filled with urgency and emotion. The ring wasn’t just a piece of jewelry, it was a deeply sentimental item, representing years of memories and love. Despite searching the area thoroughly, she hadn’t been able to find it. The backyard grass hadn’t been cut, and that made the search even more challenging.

We packed our gear and headed out with our detectors. Within about 30 minutes of careful scanning through the uneven ground and thick blades of grass, the detector gave off a promising signal. Moments later, we saw a glint just below the surface. There it was, her engagement ring, perfectly intact and just slightly buried in the grass.

Jenny was overjoyed and relieved. Watching the tension lift from her face reminded us why we do what we do. Whether it’s a beach, a park, or a backyard garden, every recovery is a chance to return not just an item but a story, a connection, a piece of someone’s heart.

If you’ve lost something valuable or sentimental, don’t lose hope. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of persistence and the right tools to make a happy ending possible.

SCUBA Diving for Lost Watch in Fort Erie Marina

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

It’s not every day you get a chance to reunite someone with a prized possession lost to the depths — especially in the murky waters of a marina. But that’s exactly what happened at Point Abino, on the northern shore of Lake Erie.Last week, an Apple Watch slipped off its owner’s wrist while they were docked at the Point Abino Marina. Like many marinas on Lake Erie, the water there isn’t exactly crystal clear — years of boat traffic and natural sediment have left a thick layer of silt that clouds visibility even a few feet below the surface.The owner jumped in to find the watch but came up empty-handed. Not wanting to give up, they brought in a local diver who gave it a go under the same poor conditions. Unfortunately, the silt made visibility nearly impossible, and after several attempts, the watch seemed gone for good.

That’s when we got the call !

With my Garrett Vortex metal detector , I decided to give it a shot. I’ve only used the new Vortex a couple times but  I trusted its precision — even in silty environments.

After scanning the area around the dock where the watch was last seen, and carefully combing the bottom to

avoid stirring up more sediment, I finally got a strong signal. I gently sifted through the muck with my hand and there it was — the unmistakable curve of an Apple Watch band, caked in silt but intact.

It was a rewarding moment. The look on the owner’s face when I handed it back made all the effort worth it. This recovery was a perfect example of how the right tools, patience, and a bit of experience can make the difference between a lost cause and a success story. The Garrett Vortex performed flawlessly, and despite the poor visibility, the Apple Watch made it back to its owner — still functional after its unexpected dive into Lake Erie.

If you’re ever dealing with a recovery in tough underwater conditions, don’t give up too soon. Sometimes, all it takes is the right gear and a little persistence.

North Toronto Engagement Ring Recovered from Snow

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Wow a 1.5 carat Engagement Ring recovery shocks couple 😄👍

Toronto couple relieved to have 1.5 carat Diamond Engagement Ring back on her hand😍

The ring moments after being found in the snow right beside an electrical transformer box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A young couple who became engaged on Christmas were completely devastated after an evening walk in North Toronto went horribly bad . Snow had accumulated in their neighborhood to about 6 inches buy that evening. The couple explained while brushing snow off with her hand the young bride to be felt her diamond engagement ring fly off and into the surrounding snow banks which were about 1 foot deep. Hours of searching on hand and knee digging through the cold snow was all in vain and they couldn’t find the precious ring. The young lady could not hold back the tears and the couple were devastated knowing they had no insurance on the expensive ring.

A very common thing for newly engaged young couples! I will often encourage them to add these precious items to their home insurance and also have a jeweler inscribe a name and possibly contact info inside the valuable ring. Most jewelers can do this for a very nominal fee and it is well worth the cost if found by someone else.

After a couple of days the husband in desperation started googling lost Rings and of course came across The Ring Finders web site and my contact info.
Once the young man contacted me I immediately made my way there. Just coming off a successful under water ring find in the Niagara region of Ontario I felt time was of the essence for this recovery.

Once a ring has been lost in a public area especially along a city sidewalk, the clock is ticking down and its only a matter of time before someone else eventually finds it .

Unfortunately I have arrived to the same type of scenario where the person who out of desperation posted signs that a ring was lost in the area. I’ve also seen posted signs with a photo of the ring, detailed description of it and where it was lost! The sign had a diagram of almost the precise location to where the ring is laying. Basically advertising to the not so honest among us FREE RING CHECK HERE👇.

Not a good idea at all! Luckily this couple found Ring Finders onliner. Once I arrived we had one big problem, the electrical transformer box and it was not much more than 3 feet away from where the ring came off in the snow. When it comes to any metal detector if you’re too close to electronic interference you will hear it big time on your detector. However a neighborhood transformer is the worst kind of interference possible. Being so close to such a large amount of interference will cause multiple sounds even at the lowest set discrimination on the detector. Truthful the detector sounded like a Las Vegas slot machine hitting the jackpot on New Year’s eve. I was worried!

However myself and many other Ring Finders on this site are highly skilled and trained having experience with this type of situation. A trained ear and knowing the sound of gold amongst all those bad signals on a is key in this type of recovery.
I grid the area quickly and only after a few minutes in between all the chaotic chirps, beeps and tones a familiar tone coming from beneath snow. Jackpot!

The white flakes and tears kept falling for a few minutes after I pulled out the georgous ring. However this time they were tears of joy and the young couple were again reunited with their beautiful diamond ring.

Check out my YouTube channel for some more amazing live Ring Finder returns♥

For those interested check my book called of course “The Ring Finder” available on Amazon.

 

Toronto! Diamond Earring found! “Live Return” video

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

This is definitely one of the best Ring finder “Live Video” returns of the year.

One of the most difficult things to find are lost earrings with metal detectors! It takes a very specific detector and a lot of experience to locate such a finite piece of metal. The following story and amazing “Live Video Return” of the 1.5 Karat, near flawless Diamond earring is truly amazing! Finding this beautiful stone is a great example our commitment, persistence and experience here at Ringfinders!

Please enjoy.

I received a call from a woman who lost a very expensive diamond earring in the woods at a high end golf course just north of Toronto. Apparently while golfing she lost her ball in a small wooded area between 2 Fairways. The area was thick brush with a lot of branches and fall leaves on the ground . After the woman recovered the ball she remembered a branch grazing the side of her face on the way out. Once at her golf cart she noticed that one on the earrings that had been on her ear for over 20 years was gone!

The beautiful diamond was an anniversary gift from her beloved husband. Understandably she became frantic and went back into the woods on her hands and knees but could not find the beautiful stone. She notified the golf course and over a two-week period many of the Golf Course staff searched the wooded area for the earring. Trees were pruned, dead branches were cut and many individuals scoured the area for the earring with no avail!

After sometimes she decided to hire another detectorist to come out and look. Unfortunately after 2 days of thoroughly gridding the area  it was not located. At this point she gave me a call!

Along with having a very extensive repertoire of metal detecting equipment I am fortunate enough to be on the test team for one of the largest metal detecting companies in the world. Being on their test team allows me to have metal detectors that other ring finders and detectorists do not have and in the situation it greatly helped! Along with my extensive knowledge on finding very small pieces of metal and the right machine, I was extremely fortunate that day.

After arriving to the wooded area the woman told me the story. By this time she was completely exhausted and had given up all hope on finding the earring! I had told her this is only a matter of time and patience and I was quite sure that I would be able to find the earring for her. Unfortunately her face did not have as much confidence as I was hoping for and understandably. I started gridding the area with another detector but by this time the area looked literally like a minefield . Unfortunately no luck so I started testing the other ear ring that she still had on with my detectors. I finally found a prototype detector with a very specific setting I made heard it perfectly. At that point I literally walked over to the area where “I ” believed it had fell off and on the second swing got the beautiful signal I was expecting!

The following “Live Return” video shows the entire event and is one of the proudest moments of the year for me.

Hamilton Lost Diamond Rings Found “Live Video”

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

This video shows two great Ring finds in Hamilton Ontario just after Christmas in -30 wind chill weather. The first one was very difficult. A young married couple were out hiking in the woods and decided to have a bit of a snowball fight up on a ridge. The lady noticed that her ring came off after she was going to put back on her mitt. After hiking back on the frozen trail about 30 minutes in -15c temperature the young husband showed me the area. He had been there the day before for 10 hours on his hands and knees looking for the ring. As you can see in the video after extensively gridding the area with my high-end metal detector I find the ring.

The second video is incredible. The ring found is actually a 1.5 karat engagement ring. Originally the ring was thought to have come off her hand in the cold between the back door of her house and her car as she was on her way to her friend’s house across the other side of town. After searching the area I realized it wasn’t there and told her that I suspected it might be in her friend’s driveway. Young lady stated that it was a very small driveway and she highly doubted that it would be in the other driveway but I insisted for us to drive across to check. As you can see from the following video clip the young couple where in utter shock when I discovered the beautiful ring at the side of the driveway in a snowbank.It was very successful Ring Return.
/>

 

Lost Ring Lake Erie

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

This was the hardest Ring find I have done since starting. When I was called by this lovely couple who were frantic about the ring they had lost I thought it would be a sure find. The man had been in Lake Erie swimming a few days earlier and lost  is platinum wedding ring in 3 feet of water. He wasn’t far from the beach and thought he knew exactly where it was. Should be easy right? However when I got there the winds had come up and there was 5 ft waves with zero visibility in the water. I had driven over an hour and a half to get there and when I saw the conditions my stomach sank. I knew this was going to be a hard one but  I have found some pretty difficult rings in the past and knew I needed to at least give it a try. When I went into the water there was also a lot of trash like tin foil which sounds terrible on a metal detector and can drown out the sound of gold. There was lots of pull tabs, pop tops (which by the way sound like gold on a detector) and Nails in the water making it even more difficult to find the ring. However I’ve been in bad conditions before and with the experience of finding over 300 rings I knew I might have a chance so I took my time and persevered.  The Zero visibility water and high waves were throwing me around quite vigorously for the better part of 20 minutes. However amongst all the odds I finally got a signal that I was sure sounded good. The bottom was solid stones  and gravel so I had to reach down a few times and pick up handfuls of the sharp stones until I finally got the target in my hand. When I came up from the water I saw the edge of a beautiful platinum ring amongst all the gravel in my hand. I held it up high and as the couple watched in disbelief I pulled out his lost wedding ring from the cup of my hand. They were amazed & ecstatic😀

Lost Ring Lake Simcoe

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

Lost Platinum Diamond Engagement Ring in Toronto Ontario…Found!

  • from Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

DIAMOND RINGHad a great Toronto Ring Finders call last night from a husband explaining that his wife could not stop crying about her Diamond Platinum Engagement Ring she had just lost. Kim had been out walking the dog along a local path that night and when she got home noticed her beautiful ring was missing off her her hand. She looked throughout the house and finally realized she must have lost it outside along the 1/2 mile walk she was on. The weather in Toronto has been quite cold for April and the cold temperature must have made her hands shrink. With flashlight in hand Kim headed out in the pitch dark and went up and down the snow covered path with no luck. I can’t imagine how devastating this must have felt, the ring was an absolutely beautiful Platinum band with an exquisite Princess cut Diamond. Not to mention the sentimental value of loosing an engagement ring would be the worst feeling……. but they found me on the Ring Finders Toronto page and there was a glimmer of hope. I had told them that last year I returned over 50 rings to people in the same shoes, not to worry and I would be over first thing. I told my wife and 2 adult daughters the story and they were all pretty adamant that I get there first thing before a passer by finds it before me.

When I arrived I met Kim a very nice young Lady and her Dog Georgie an awesome bulldog (my favorite dog) and they took me to the path. OMG she walked 1/2 a mile along the path weaving on and off the trail as the dog did his business. I told Kim that it was a huge area to look and most people have a better idea of where the ring came off within a smaller area like a back yard. This was going to take all my know how and tactics to find this ring…. it literally was a needle in a haystack. Actually that would be easier to find.

Kim left me to do my work and said she was easily available by cell and not far if I needed her, so, I started walking the path up and down which was taking about 30 minutes a pass. The ground still had lots of snow covering it which in my mind, made me think the Ring was somewhat suspended over the solid ground. This is ideal because there are tonnes of metallic targets in the ground that make a detector go off like pull tabs and pop tops. These objects sound just like Rings and if Kim’s rings is a bit higher off the ground it will lessen the other bad signals. With enough experience and the right equipment ( my detector is a Pro series worth $2800.+) you can also identify which are good and bad signals and which ones are close to the coil.  I have found literally hundreds of rings and have one secret technique that helps me find some of the most beautiful rings you’ve ever seen. I have also found very deep old rings with this exceptional detector.Last year I found a Gold Ring dated 1882 on the inside and it made American Digger magazine in the states. However that was last year and here I was on a half mile long haystack and I wasn’t leaving without finding this one for Kim and her husband.

So I started off and had made about 3 passes up and down the 1/2 mile of path, I noticed that the snow was melting fast and there wasn’t time to loose. I remembered she had said she watched her dog poop in this one area and as a responsible dog owner gathered it up in a plastic bag for disposal. Usually you focus on an area like this because the hands are going in and out of pockets more creating a great opportunity for a Ring to pop off. After another hour as I must admit I was getting a little discouraged I heard a low grunting signal. A Very familiar signal! ………  I called Kim and as you can see on the following youtube video the rest is what all of us were waiting for…….

 

 

Diamond Platnium Ring