looking for lost ring, need advice.....

[John Madill]

the other night on a Lake Michigan beach i struck up a conversation with a coupe from Indiana. They said they had lost an heirloom diamond ring in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant. said it was dropped in the snow two years ago and they could not find it.
Next morning they drove by and saw the parking lot had been plowed to the righthand side of the lot. they wondered if it would be possible for me to take a look.

the ring was so important they had a duplicate of it made and showed it to me. offered a $500 reward for a recovery. i did not have my wits about me so i did not run the duplicate ring over my coil.

Today i stopped at the restaurant and got permission to search the area. Waitress said she knows the couple as they frequent the place when they visit.

The area isn't very big. maybe 30' x 30'. Some is a bit overgrown so i will bring a weedwhacker and go during non business hours tomorrow.

Here is my question: My wife has a couple of rings about the same size. The smaller of the two rang up at 49 on the XP Deus. The slightly larger one rang up at 55.

what can i safely ignore? I'm thinking of investigating numbers between 40 and 60 with the sensitivity pretty low as it should not be too deep in two years. found a three year missing ring a year ago and it was perhaps only two inches deep.

Advice is appreciated!

 

[Playground Pirate]

dig everything 30 minute job/

 

[cellrdwellr]

If it was lost in a parking lot over 2 years ago its likely long gone... good luck in your search though!

 

[Martin_V3i]

dig everything 30 minute job/

Just get the duplicate ring and get an exact VDI number. Anyone offering $500 as a reward should produce the duplicate to test. That test would be premier, and is not hardly ever available. You are lucky. Gold rings are really tricky depending on the way that are made. Solid rings are one thing but perforated decorative rings can read like pure iron.

 

[Diga]

I wouldn't go by VDI because orientation can change the VDI. Plus, the replica may have a very different VDI unless they are precisely the same and with the same metal composition.

The area is only 30' x 30' and the ring is either going to be on the surface or just below the surface. Start by using a very low sensitivity and digging all the nonferrous targets that show minimum on the depth meter.

 

[John Madill]

If it was lost in a parking lot over 2 years ago its likely long gone... good luck in your search though!

the parking lot had a couple of inches of snow when lost. the lot was plowed overnight and it is possible it could have been in the big pile the plow left at the end of the lot.

 

[John Madill]

Just get the duplicate ring and get an exact VDI number. Anyone offering $500 as a reward should produce the duplicate to test. That test would be premier, and is not hardly ever available. You are lucky. Gold rings are really tricky depending on the way that are made. Solid rings are one thing but perforated decorative rings can read like pure iron.

they had the duplicate with them and showed it to me. so i know just what i am looking for. kicking myself for not ringing up the duplicate.

 

[Diga]

Another reason I wouldn't go by VDI, is because the ring could be very well be in the proximity of various trash, which will change the VDI.

 

[Saker]

I'd dig every signal, especially if there's not a lot. If the site is polluted then I'd start with the consistent signals, then start with the iffy signals if you hadn't found it yet. I'd also check any cracks/gaps in the pavement or along the curb.

 

[John Madill]

Tried yesterday. Overwhelming. So many bottle caps, foil, etc.
Next to dumpster. Much of it visible on the surface. I actually think I would be better off attacking it by small sections and simply using a pinpointers.

 

[Linesider]

Garden rake an area. Take couple inches off the top with all that trash.