$25,000 wedding ring dropped off dock

[Knuckledragger1]

Last night my friend’s wife mentioned she lost her $25,000 diamond wedding ring about one year ago. She thinks it dropped off her finger while walking along the dock to her boat. As soon as I heard this I immediately wondered how I could find it! Is there an underwater metal detector that would pick this up? Any advise greatly appreciated as I have dollar signs in my eyes right now! Oh, they have already made it clear they don’t want it back as insurance was contacted and ring was replaced!

[boatman61]

Google is your friend...

https://www.amazon.de/Metalldetektor...gateway&sr=8-7

[Knuckledragger1]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Google is your friend...

https://www.amazon.de/Metalldetektor...gateway&sr=8-7

Ha! That is right in my price range too! Wonder what a year underwater would do to platinum and diamonds?

[jrau18]

As the reply above me pointed out, metal detectors like this exist and are easy to find with a google search.

What makes this tough, though, is that usually the bottom under docks is peppered with huge numbers of small metal objects. Bolts, keys, cutlery, brackets, coins, etc will be everywhere unless it is a brand new dock or a private dock with only one or two boats on it.

If you're imagining yourself going out there and scanning until you find one single "hit" and pulling up a $25,000 ring, that seems unlikely. More likely, you'll find hundreds or even thousands of small bits of junk. Among that junk might be a few other items worth keeping, though, maybe a pocket knife and some spare change, for example.

If you knew for sure that the ring was dropped at this dock and knew within a dozen feet where it was dropped, it is possible, but a challenge. If you only know it was somewhere along 300 feet of dock, its really unlikely you'll find it unless you're willing to spend weeks under water sifting through iunk. Not sure where you are, but unless you're in a well flushed marina in the tropics, it will probably be terrible visibility as well.

[Calif.Ted]

Diamonds shouldn't take any hurt but you are likely to find tons of stuff before something as small as a ring.

https://www.danapointtimes.com/dana-...anup/undefined

[masonc]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Google is your friend...

https://www.amazon.de/Metalldetektor...gateway&sr=8-7

I'm SO buying one of those. Imagine all the lost anchors I can find in a busy mooring bay! That's my next toy...

[JPA Cate]

Knuckledragger, it sounds like a fun project, but with very limited hope of success. Good luck if you found it of getting anything like what it's worth was, no title will make a prospective buyer not offer much. One factor no one mentioned yet is that often there are currents swirling around in marinas. I once lost my eyeglasses when I fell in the water, never did find them, searched all around, spent a number of air tanks on the effort, but the point is they didn't go straight down.

You'll probably find something, but marina silt is very fine, so heavy stuff like car keys and pocket knives and screw drivers often go deep into the silt.

If it's just for play, sure, why not, if the marina will let you or at least not stop you.

Ann

[Knuckledragger1]

Good points! This is in S California and the visibility here is about 12 inches. There is silt so for every alert I would have to scoop and sift. The dock is about 100 feet long and she does not know for sure where it may have fallen off. Fools errand?

[Pete7]

You are going to need a suction dredge and a sieve.


Pete

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co1yxm04rLg

[Knuckledragger1]

Ha, that may be a bit more involved than I want to get!

[RaymondR]

For 25 grand it's worth rigging up an air lift and having a go. You could get by with a piece of 2" plastic suction hose and an electric compressor on the dock.

[taxwizz]

Where did you say that dock was?
Just wondering..........

[Greg Mason]

That's funny. About 2 weeks ago my wife emptied the coffee basket over the edge at the marina, along with the basket. I waited until lowest tide, 8', got my mask on and could see the basket. Wired 2 boat poles together and tied a kitchen pot on the end and was able to scoop it up. Any amount of tide change and silt likely would have covered it over sooner than later. Reminded me of cruising Mexico, my cat jumped off te boat, but was leashed, so he managed to hook all the grills from my Sea B Que drying, and on off they went sailing through the water. Dropped a weight on a line for guidance, and over 3 days was able to retrieve all 4, by braille. In both cases, I knew exactly where they were. Ring hunting? Bueno suerte!

[Cpt Mark]

Well. In So Cal the water's at least warm. Odds of you finding it are somewhere around zero. This is one of the things I used to do for money.

Last summer a buddy dropped his new Saturday phone over the side. His water depth below his dock was 60' with 2 feet of ugly muck on the bottom. I dropped a weighted line where it went off the boat. Something like a ring or phone is going straight to the bottom. I brought a net with me and just waved it around the muck in the area. Eventually I found it. Parts had some value apparently. Phone was toast.

[tstano]

They found the Titanic, go for it.