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Reprinted with written permission from People's Publishing, Inc. From Nov. 1998 Western & Eastern Treasures magazine, pages 60 - 61
Hunting Rings Around The Rest
We've all read articles about looking for lost rings -- and more than a few of us have written them, too. Usually, somewhere in the narrative there's a paragraph or two about how others had already searched without success. Maybe you were one of those "others" who detected here, there, and everywhere, yet never found what they were seeking. Then along came someone else with a detector, and bingo! What made the difference? Well, I suppose there might be several explanations, but let me tell you about a recent ring hunt of my own...
This story started barely a week before it ended, but it was a good experience all the same. A friend of mine, Paul Neyers, and I have been talking about metal detecting for some time now, but until recently neither of us had thought about searching around his home. So, when he came into work and mentioned that he needed a favor, I didn't realize that it would involve my hobby.
He said that his daughter had been running down a hill at home and lost a ring that her grandmother had given her. Even though he sounded a little desperate that day, I told him that there was no way we could get together until the weekend, and Saturday was the most opportune time. The next day he gave me directions to his home, and we made plans to meet and discuss the events that took place the day the ring was lost.
As I thought about the coming weekend, I decided that it might be a good opportunity to start a new generation of detectorists, so I took along my spare White's Classic III Plus. Since it's lighter than the Eagle Spectrum that I normally use, it would be easier for a youngster to operate.
Saturday arrived, and meeting Paul at his home, I was introduced to his daughter, Alexandra. Right away I had doubts about her being able to swing the coil. My doubts were confirmed when she picked up the detector for the first time. It was just too long and unwieldy for her to handle, so my original plan for her to find her own ring would have to be abandoned. However, her determination and exhilaration encouraged me to instruct Paul, Ryan (Alexandra's brother), and Alex to use the Classic.
I got them started by finding a few fired bullets and, instructing as I went, showed them how to keep the coil low to the ground and swing in overlapping sweeps. I also explained what type of signal to listen for. Finally, I reminded them that the ring would most likely be right on top of the ground, and there would really be no need to dig a target unless they wanted to find what was making the machine act the way it did.
I more or less let them go their own way from that point on, and it wasn't long before they were doing the usual arcing "butterfly" swing, totally forgetting everything I had just told them. After watching for a couple of minutes, I reminded them of the proper techniques. Then I decided it was time for me to get in on the hunt.
Starting an uphill pattern and then reversing to come down, I covered about a 3' wide path in each direction. Meanwhile, I was also keeping an eye on the family and asking questions of Alex, such as, "Where do you think the ring was lost? Was it on your left hand? When did you notice it was gone?" etc. Unfortunately, trying to visualize where the ring might have landed was almost impossible, and the only clues were that the ring had been on her left hand, and she had noticed it was missing by a tree on the hill.
Working the pattern that I had started seemed like the only solution to the puzzle, so I kept at it. After the third or fourth pass, I got a loud signal on the bottom of the hill and, looking down, saw gold. There was no question in my mind of whose ring this was, clearly marked 10k with a pretty heartshaped amethyst. I looked up in time to see Alexandra on the hill, looking disappointed that she couldn't get to help more in the hunt. I asked Paul if she was getting discouraged and gave him the ring.
He couldn't believe that we had found it, but I told him that if you work a patern and take your time, it's surprising what a good detector can do. Moments later, the ring was given to its rightful owner, and I was as happy as the young lady who slipped the ring back on her finger.
We searched a while longer around an old foundation in the vacinity, just to see if there could be any coins nearby, and had more fun with the machines; however, we did not find any good items. When we went back to the house and talked it over, I received a hug from Alex and an offer of a reward from Paul. The hug was accepted, the reward was refused, a family was shown how fascinating the hobby can be, and I received an invitation to come back. Paul will also be asking for permission to detect some nearby farmhouses which look to be 100 years old. Let's hope that's another story with a happy ending.
Finding this ring required working a consistent pattern with patience. Using the hit-or-miss method simply will not work, even if you think that you know where the object is or was lost. Rings tend to bounce and roll, and are often found quite a distance from where they were thought to have been dropped. This one was found approximately 10' from the tree and on the right side of where Alexandra said she realized it was missing. We all knew that the ring was probably lost on the hill somewhere, but the haphazard attempts by Paul and his family to find it proved ineffective. Of course, they are excused because this was the first time that any of them had even held a detector, but it makes me wonder if the same situations are being handled the same way by more "experienced" detectorists. How about you?