PHOTO: Ania & Tyler Stalman
Proof that the Internet can truly solve all of your problems: There exists a website that will find your lost wedding ring, engagement ring, or any type of jewelry, really, for you. And they'll do it fast and cheap.
Behold TheRingFinders.com, an international online directory of stealthy "metal detecting specialists" who will, for a nominal fee, go out and hunt for your [insert lost piece of jewelry here] for you. They're often successful, too, even with the most dire of cases: They've made 2,998 recoveries—worth more than $5.2 million.
It all started with Vancouver-based Chris Turner, who purchased his first metal detector at the age of 13 in 1973. At the time, his neighbor asked him to help hunt for her wedding ring—which she had lost while gardening 10 years ago. "I went out and I found it for her," Turner told the podcast Reply All. "I got apple pie for a year." The feeling of helping others reunite with their precious pieces stuck with him, and he's since made 500 recoveries on his own. The experience also led him to create The Ring Finders some 21 years ago.
How it works is people like Turner—who are adept at hunting for small objects with their metal detectors—pay dues to belong to the Ring Finders directory. If you've lost a piece of jewelry, all you have to do is visit the site, see if there is a Ring Finder in your area, and give them a call. There are currently 374 Ring Finders in 25 countries.
Reply All shared the success story of Tim, who got married less than six months ago—and watched his wedding ring come flying off while swimming in the ocean in South Carolina. Unaware of the Ring Finders, he and his wife posted a listing on Craigslist in case it washed ashore and someone found it later. That listing connected them with a Ring Finder, who met them at the beach and simply said, "I'll call you when I find it." Ten minutes later, his wife's cell phone rang: He had the ring.
So the next time you find yourself praying desperately to St. Anthony, maybe give the Ring Finders a call instead.
Source: http://www.glamour.com/story/find-lost-wedding-ring
No comments: