Lost Jewellery Recovery Worldwide - Independent Metal Detecting Specialists Worldwide

Ian Scott

Joined 04 Sep 2022

Auckland

Metal detecting has been my passion for 15 years. My journey started when I lost my wedding band, I never found it, but I thought what if I could find them for other people…so here we are. You can also find me though my Facebook page New Zealand Ring finder.

I am looking for $1.50/km to help cover fuel and put some money towards more gear for future recoveries plus a reward (if found). This is what it's worth to you to get your lost item back and will be agreed upon before the search commences.

I am based in east Auckland and my boundaries are from Castor Bay down to Pukekohi. If I can’t get to where you are I have a list of locals who can help, but it will be up to you to arrange reimbursements with them.

Success Stories

Found sentimental rings in rock garden

Chris contacted me hoping that I could help him find his wife’s specially made engagement and wedding ring from a rock garden on their property, I am never sure what to expect when I get these requests. Will the garden be overgrown and loaded with metal objects making recovery difficult or impossible, but fortunately today the owner could tell me where they lost it so I had an small search area with a garden free of contaminating metal objects. I used the metal detector on the main part of the garden and then looked along the edge of the house where it was likely to have fallen. Surprisingly there it was right where she had dropped it between the rocks where they had spent considerable time looking for it. Both of them let out a sigh of relief and there were big smiles all round.

Diamond stud found on football pitch

I was contacted by Ceara to find a very sentimental piece of jewellery, it was a job of finding a needle in a haystack. On Monday night she lost a small diamond stud earring on a grass pitch in Auckland New Zealand while out running, she got it caught on her headband taking it off, she managed to find the back close to where she had been standing but could not find the front. The earrings were a gift from her grandmother as a teenager and her husband had them repaired for her before their wedding so they are very special. I thought about not doing it because of the size of the item and the location making it unlikely it would be found. I went anyway and met them at the park, when I touched the pinpointer to the other earring it didn’t register at all and my metal detector didn’t respond either except for it’s gold mode. So I found about 10-15 false targets, that we carefully picked though, me using my headlamp and them using their phone lights. Within around 30 minutes of searching we had located it! Amazing really, I have found others in grass but not grass as tightly clumped.

Sentimental gold earring recovery

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Ivelina who had been working on an engagement photo shoot when the client (Nycole) who had been holding her child pulled her incredibly sentimental 18 carat gold hoop earring from her ear, dropping it in to the dirt below. Everyone spent time scratching around looking for it, but to no avail it lay there for another day before I could go to investigate. The search area is a shelly mudflat beach that backs on to a local marina, it is a favourite place for dog walkers but not really a swimming beach. I knew that it would still be there and that I would not be bothered by beach goers. On the day the weather was fine, I had been told that the earring had fallen into the sand, and that she was posing for a photograph. Seems simple except she was in amongst long grass and succulents which made it difficult to search, I used both my XP Deus 2 metal detector and my Xpointer pro pinpointer. After trying a few different things and switching programs, I also came up empty handed so I texted her to ask exactly where was she standing? Then I happened to look down and there it was, just lying on top of the ground, shining up at me, I didn’t even need the detector. So I sent another text to say it had been found, of course there was relief from me as I wasn’t sure I would find it and disbelief from Ivelina who wasn’t sure it would be recovered. So today I got a text to say thankyou so much from Nycole who had lost it, Great result.

Diamond ring found in garden

Yesterday I received a call from Simon who lives in Sandringham, he said that his wife had lost one of her rings and was I able to help recover it from there garden or under the deck. I suggested that he take some pictures of the area so I could decide whether it was something I could do. On examination of both photos it seemed worth making the trip across Auckland to start a search. I arrived at 1030 only to arrive at the wrong house, but after a quick call I arrived and was escorted to the search area. Simon's wife was getting washing off the line and folding it on the back deck, so during this activity both of her rings slipped off, one being recovered on the grass by the deck and the other nowhere to be seen. Simon had lost his ring once on the beach on Waiheke and it was a kind man with his metal detector that reunited it with him, so they hoped that a detector would find this one. I was prepared to go under the deck but I wasn’t looking forward to it, so I decided to save that till last, I have had mixed results from grass gardens so I decided to scan the grass first. The back lawn was mostly short with deep targets but down the side was more weedy giving a nice gold ring plenty of cover. It was actually on that part of the grass where the long grass in the garden spilled over, once I saw it the ring just stood out, but I could understand why they missed it. As I always do I took a picture of it sitting there, then I went inside and said 'Hey have a look at this…' As you can imagine he was over the moon and on the phone to the wife. Another good result!

4 rings found and returned

The weather has been really nice and sunny over the past couple of days. The beaches have been loaded with people so I decided to get up early to go and see what I could find with the metal detector. I was hunting on Cheltenham beach in Auckland when I stopped to check out a text that arrived on my phone. It was from Naobi who had been Sunbathing at a local beach the previous afternoon where she lost 3 silver rings and her mums wedding ring. She was wondering if it was possible if I could please help her find it? Without thinking I called the number not realising that it was still a bit early. I told her that I was calling so that I could start a search as I was in the area. After getting directions and making my way to the meeting point we walked along the path towards the beach. She said that she had put her rings in her cap to keep them safe while she was swimming, but got distracted when she was talking to some other beach goers, and put her hat back on dropping the rings back into the sand. She and friends had returned to the beach later that evening hoping to scoop them up, but had not found them because by then the sand had covered all but one. For me the search area was small and although there was quite a bit of trash the rings were ringing up high on my Xp Deus 2 metal detector, I was also helped along by my X pointer pro pin-pointer (for the metal detecting enthusiasts) and for everyone else, they were the sounds of rings of some kind which turned out to be hers. One on the top and the others followed with each swirl of the pin pointer. As soon as they were back in her hand we gave her mum a call as she had been really upset about the wedding band. Another successful recovery from Naobi very quickly contacting me which I can’t stress enough about!

Urgent water recovery

I got a call from Kelly who lost her late grandmother’s engagement ring, which slipped off her finger while swimming at Little Bucklands Beach. It was late afternoon with an out going tide, I was immediately concerned as it could be picked up by someone in the evening. I grabbed my gear and drove 25 minutes to the search area which was submerged in chest deep water, she had marked a point of reference on the shore with a stick where a small group gathered in anticipation. After getting in my waders and carrying my gear to the waters edge I gained more of a history, the water was up to her chin 45 minutes ago and she was standing on soft muddy sand when she felt the ring slide off. In the water it quickly became apparent that the tide was not low enough stopping me from getting out to the ring. I walked around the search area just incase it was there, soon after my friends Terry and Gigi turned up to help. After another 40 minutes Terry and Gigi left to get some food, they decided to come back when the tide had gone out. I kept walking back and forth not really getting anything until I got what I think was piece clothing, but about a foot further out I got a target which I hoped was the ring. After digging a big scoop of muddy sand I spotted a gold ring right on the top of it, I walked back to shore and dumped it on the beach and shouted I think it is in here, there is always that chance it could have been someone else’s. No it was the one, the ring is a priceless heirloom and today it made its way home. It was a great relief for me as well.

Sterling silver 13th birthday ring returned

Someone linked me into a Grapevine post asking for a small miracle. Marks daughter lost her signet ring at Bucklands Beach on a hot afternoon while cooling down in the refreshing water, he said ’...so if anyone happens to find a small silver ring with a clear stone...my daughter would be over the moon. She is currently absolutely gutted 😪..’ I didn’t stop to hesitate after all the tide would be almost out by the time I arrived. I had to get to another recovery job in Mangere bridge so had only slotted this one in. Bucklands Beach is a sloping gravel beach and a part of a channel for local ferries, because the ring had been lost the day before the waves from those boats covered the ring from several visual searches by the family. The only foot traffic at that time were fishermen and walkers, so due to the accuracy of directions I had a relatively small search area. For the detecting enthusiasts I was using my XP Deus 2 in beach 3 with bottle cap reject on 3. I started at the waters edge as this is commonly where gold and silver rings are found, on my first run I found a sinker and some aluminium pieces, all high tones which is what a silver ring sounds like. On my next run just in the water I got the number 86 which usually means a $1 or $2 coin which is not unexpected on a swimming beach, but it did pull up a little heart sterling signet ring. Due to the condition it had been dropped recently, so I slipped it in my pocket and headed to the next job. I had for a few days of trouble getting in touch with the owner, but today I was able to return it to a very happy Mark and an even happier daughter.

My first iron sand recovery

I was contacted by Jackson whose fiancé Joleigh lost her engagement ring while swimming in the shallows at Muriwai beach, West Auckland. The ring is an 18crt white gold diamond ring with greenstone. It is a special ring as it was crafted especially for her. Muriwai beach is an iron sand beach that make most metal detectors almost useless, but after advice from another member of our group I was able to get past some of the problems and start a search in the shallows by the rocks. After 10 minutes and only a bottle cap, Jackson and Joleigh arrived and redirected me to a spot further up the beach. I marked out the area to search and as I walked I heard almost nothing. Then I heard a familiar sound so I beckoned them to come over and take look. I dumped a scoop of sand out I bent down and worked my pinpointer through the sand hearing it beep, Jackson pointed and said I think I see it. It was so good to see it for the first time, finding a ring like this on an iron sand beach is quite an accomplishment for me. In two months they can be married and be happy knowing they have their ring. Ian S

Newsletters

Dave Mac Donald

Ventura County Santa Barbara

Joined 1 month ago

Joe kaufman

Martha’s Vineyard

Joined 2 months ago

Jonathan vance

Charleston

Joined 2 months ago

Ian Scott

Ian Scott

Service Cost

Search Location

Success Stories

Found sentimental rings in rock garden

Diamond stud found on football pitch

Sentimental gold earring recovery

Diamond ring found in garden

4 rings found and returned

Urgent water recovery

Sterling silver 13th birthday ring returned

My first iron sand recovery

Newsletters

Dave Mac Donald

Joe kaufman

Jonathan vance