I first noticed the craig's list ad on Oct 10. The referenced location (across from Beach Bodies gym) is about 4 miles from my home but it's a small beach access with no dedicated parking so I had to park in a nearby shopping center and cross A1A with my equipment. It's not a beach location that I have visited before. On my first trip to the beach I made my best estimate where the gym was in relation to the beach and found nothing. On my second visit about 2 days later I went to the same spot and expanded my search area a little. I found nothing but noticed a couple with a Bounty Hunter detector walking about a block north of me and closer to the beach access. As I approached them walking to the access point they asked me if I had found a ring and they described it exactly as it was in the craig's list ad. I said Oh you're looking for the craig's list ring, so am I. Then they told me they were the couple who lost the ring. So I told them my name and said tell me exactly where you were when you think you lost it.They said they just bought this detector and weren't sure what they were doing with it. They led me to the spot about a block and a half north of where I was looking. They said Oct 3rd was a big surf day and it was high tide when they lost the ring. I got a reference point from then as it applied to a condominium building there. I told them I had been successful finding 2 other rings and returning them to their owners so I'll try. I came back the next day and I brought my White's MX5 with a Detech 13 coil and I was going to do a big box on the dry sand and cover every inch. I thought it might be high on the beach. I found a lot of trash and cleaned that beach. I did that for about 2 more days expanding the box going north and south and even into the dunes thinking it may have gotten thrown. Charise had told me she had the ring enlarged when she was on medication that swelled her fingers. After the medication ended her fingers shrunk and she never had the ring resized. So it was loose and i thought it could have got thrown. After a couple of more attempts I even used my old Minelab Sovereign XS with a SEF 10 x 12 coil, thinking the ring may be deeper under more sand. Still no luck. By this time I was convinced it wasn't on the dry sand. Good low tides were starting to come and on Oct 20 I went to the spot and did the wet sand slope with my modded Excal 1000 with a SEF 12 x 15 coil, homemade straight shaft and pin point mod. I found about a dozen old quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies in that scalloped area. I didn't go back until Thursday Oct 22 and I went back to that same scalloped area to see if I left any coins behind. I didn't find any so I moved to the next scalloped area to the south. Starting at the top of the slope I got a hit and it turned out to be a piece of a charm that said "2 peas in a pod", I put it in my pocket. I then moved to the north end of the scallop and worked down the slope about 2 feet and found an old quarter. I then continued on that curve to the southeast and in about 5-6 feet I found a nickel, I continued down and in about 10 feet I found a dime. All discolored. I continued to the water and found nothing else in that line. I went back to where I found the quarter and dropped down about 2-3 feet and followed a parallel curve line. After about 5-6 feet I got the crow's caw sound as I hunt in pinpoint mode. I switched to discrimate and I got a low grunt, flatulent duck sound. I wasn't sure what it was. I pinpointed the best I could and drove my scoop (15 inch length) straight down and pulled it out. I checked the hole and got no sound. I walked up to the dry sand and dumped my scoop. I checked the pile and got the sound. I separated the pile with my foot and got down on my knee and started feeling thru the pile. I felt something small and heavy and my first thought was a lug nut, than it felt round and my finger touched the center diamond. I said to myself, holy shit. I turned my hand up and brushed the sand off the object with my thumb and saw the ring. I immediately stood up and put the ring in my pocket, sand and all. I turned off the detector and picked up my scoop and started walking to the staircase. I saw a guy who I recognised as the fisherman who had been there most of the days I was detecting and he kept telling me I was wasting my time. When I got to the staircase he said are you still looking for that ring? I said no I'm not looking for that ring anymore. Than I slipped it on my pinkie and pulled it out of my pocket and put it about 2 inches from his face and said because I just found it. I went home and called Charise and told her I found her ring and it was perfect. I sent her a photo and she was crying. She came and picked it up that day Thursday Oct 22. The ring was lost for 19 days. On Saturday her husband Anthony came to the beach and I told them the whole story. I gave Charise the ring the piece of charm and the quarter, nickel and dime and said these are your lucky pieces. These led me to the ring. Anthony and Charise are competitive body builders and they almost crushed me. When the news crew came to film the story the fisherman showed up on the beach. I yelled to Anthony that's the fisherman. Anthony yelled to him I want to talk to you. Anthony is about 300 pounds of muscle. The TV reporter Matt with the microphone said I want to talk to the naysayer and he started to run toward him. I laughed like crazy. Warren Dennison

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