Ring Finder

Panning for gold – chasing the big payday thrill

April 1, 2023 by Nugget

Panning for gold is an activity that has captured the imagination of many people over the years. From the California Gold Rush of the mid-1800s to modern-day enthusiasts, the thrill of discovering precious gold nuggets in streams and rivers has driven people to spend countless hours searching for the elusive metal.

The process of panning for gold involves using a shallow pan made of metal or plastic to sift through sediment in rivers and streams. The pan is filled with water and swirled around, allowing the water to wash away the lighter sediment while leaving behind the heavier gold particles. With practice and patience, skilled panners can separate the gold from the sediment and extract it from the pan.

One of the advantages of panning for gold is that it is a low-cost and accessible activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Unlike other forms of mining, such as underground mining or large-scale open-pit mining, panning for gold does not require expensive equipment or extensive training. All that is needed is a pan, some basic tools, and a bit of knowledge about the local geology.

However, there are also some risks and challenges associated with panning for gold. Environmental concerns have been raised about the potential impact of amateur gold mining on local ecosystems. Excessive sedimentation and erosion caused by unregulated mining can harm fish habitats and water quality. Additionally, it is important to respect private property rights and to follow all regulations and laws governing gold panning in your area.

Despite these challenges, panning for gold remains a popular pastime for many people around the world. The thrill of discovering gold in the pan is a feeling that cannot be replicated by any other activity. It is a reminder of the power and beauty of nature, and the potential rewards that can be found by those who are willing to put in the effort to search for them.

Rabbit Island Gold

September 30, 2019 by Prospector

A request came in from a lady in distress and her skeptical husband. The next day another hunt for a lost ring was arranged. Their story as it unfolds is continued below.

“Recently my 93-year-old mother visited us from Australia and gave me her wedding and engagement rings as a gift. I put the engagement ring away but wore the wedding ring which seemed to fit quite well.

A couple of Sundays ago, and because the weather was so beautiful, we went for a walk down the beach at Rabbit Island. We sat in the sand up past the high tide mark for a while before deciding to continue our walk. I stood up and dusted the sand off, and the ring flew off my finger and landed somewhere in the sand. We scrabbled around for ages before realising it was a lost cause and that it was gone for good.

Later on that evening I suddenly wondered if there was a metal detector in the Nelson region. Dean (from Mineforgold.co.nz) texted me and we arranged to meet the following day. I was not hopeful that it would be found but he assured me if it was where I said it was, then he would find it. I knew where to look and in less than a minute the ring was found! I am very happy and grateful. Thank you Dean….the Detectorist to the Rescue!”

Picture of the once lost wedding ring found by metal detector — The elusive lost wedding ring is found

Lost Ring Found Nelson

April 7, 2019 by Nugget

Elaine lost her ring in the golden sands of Tahunanui beach Nelson.

The ring was custom made by hand especially for Elaine when she left Scotland 30 odd years ago. A little piece of home to take with her on her travels abroad. For the past 30 years that ring had graced her hand continuously.

As you can imagine, when the ring flew from finger and buried itself in the sand Elaine was more than a little distraught. After some time of standing and staring at the sand Elaine and her friend decided that a more thorough search was going to be required.

A systematic grid search began as they scraped the top layer of sand away. Helpful bystanders offered advice on how to proceed, but as time passed, the search had grown and yet still no ring had been found.

Reluctantly, they gave up and retreated to their rented accommodation to drown their sorrows. Calling on Doctor Google for assistance they happened across the Mine For Gold metal detectors and ring finders website. A damsel in distress request was lodged, still with little hope they would be united with the precious ring.

Fortunately, the local detectorist was quick to respond and was happy for an early morning treasure hunt before Elaine and her friend had to board a plane back to Auckland.

Up at 6am (lucky it had been clocks back an hour for daylight savings that night!) and off to the beach. Arriving a little before the agreed time to meet the ladies, he headed off along the beach according to the directions given over the phone the night before.

Next to the log (unfortunately recent storms had deposited many logs), against the grass, within sight of the big slide (narrowing the options somewhat). Checking likely logs along the way but heading for the one that looked most like a seat two ladies would find an attractive option to pass the time on.

Bleep – a strong signal rings out. Unfortunately, a quick dig reveals a bottle cap rather than a platinum ring.

Bleep – another strong signal. This one sounds better. A quick scoop with the shovel and the target has been shifted, but it is still not obvious. No wonder they didn’t find it. However, the trusty Garrett pinpointer makes short work of locating the elusive ring.

When Elaine and her friend show up at the beach they were very surprised to find that they didn’t need to try and GPS match their spot again as the ring was already found. It is fair to say they were more than a little pleased to be reunited. Hugs and a more than generous reward were exchanged.

Once again the family will be left to fight over Mum’s favourite ring when the estate is divided up, but until then, it has found a new home on a bigger finger and won’t be dislodged again!

Another fabulous result from the Mine For Gold ring finder team of metal detectors for hire.

Metal Detecting Lost Gold

July 23, 2018 by Prospector

A Modern Day Pot ‘o Gold Tale

Let’s call him “Bob.”
Bob contacted me through Mine for Gold asking for help locating a cache of gold coins he’d buried some years ago…and now was unable to remember exactly where!
Oh dear.

After some background checks to ensure it was all legitimate, I met up with Bob and his wife and they showed me a patch of pasture with several excavations. Looking at the scene, I could almost sense the growing panic with the turfs transitioning from neat squares to less organised lumps and becoming more scattered around the holes…

I switched on the detector, tuned it up, and started to work the pre-dug holes to ensure it wasn’t just a case of not going deep enough. As each was cleared I moved further along the line, eliminating a few false hits which turned out to be flakes of scrap. I reached the end of the last excavation and just past the far edge, got that “Dig Me!” solid tone.

Bob went in with the spade and quickly exposed a flash of red plastic – just under the grass! I’m sure everyone’s voices went up a notch as it was progressively unearthed.

Now, the fundamental rule of detecting is to always check the hole and to ensure no coins had been lost from the now damaged jar I stuck the pinpointer into the hole. It twittered away excitedly, so I scraped the soil with the pointer and exposed more plastic!

Turns out there were two containers of lost gold, not just one as first thought.

A successful metal detecting hire and a very happy Mine for Gold treasure hunting customer!

Wedding Ring Lost In Garden

April 17, 2018 by Prospector

Another Mine For Gold ring finder success story.

Philip lost his platinum wedding band while gardening at home in Auckland. He was standing at a raised garden bed when it was raining. He said he shook his hands to rid them of dirt. The next thing he hears is a ping noise behind him, he is 1 metre from the boundary fence.

The ring went through the netting fence into a pile of grass clippings and compost. After an hour and a half crawling around in the mud, rain and humidity it was finally located in the neighbours property. What made it extra challenging was that his property backs on to two other neighbours so I had to dig in 3 different properties!

Ian uses a ctx3030 (The GPS function comes in really handy for big search areas) and an X pointer from Deteknix to successfully find your lost rings.

Lost Ring Finders Christmas Present

December 24, 2017 by Prospector

Ring Finder Christmas Miracle – Dec 21st

I received a call from a very upset lady, the usual story of a slightly-too-large ring and the sea.

Lost Ring Found For Early Christmas Present

The previous day, she had gone for a morning swim, and returned to discover she and her ring had parted company.

Now, I knew the beach in question is very mobile and notorious for ‘swallowing’ rings so time was of the essence!
I cashed in some of my leave at work and headed away in order to catch the next low tide.
An hour and a half and a car ferry later, I arrived on site. Looking at the steep beach angle I could realistically only give her maybe a 50:50 chance of finding it.

After a quick walkthrough of the timeline leading up to the loss, I marked out the area of highest probability and started searching between the tideline and the waist-deep dropoff. Figured I’d do the hotspot first before getting the wetsuit on!

A lot of litter signals from can tabs and so forth caused several stops to listen carefully and determine if it was the ring… all were discounted for one reason or another.

Then, on the third line a clear tone and the scoop went in for a big bite out of the gravel. I checked the hole to make sure I had the target and waded ashore to empty the scoop.

On top of the pile of stones was the ring, and only 12 minutes from switching the machine on (Largely thanks to an extremely accurate start point).

Handed her the lost ring with a smile and a “Happy Christmas!”.
One extremely grateful, and very relieved couple.

Another NZ ring finder success story from the Mine For Gold metal detector team.

Finding Rings In The South

June 24, 2014 by Prospector

Not Lord of the Rings, but definitely Master of Finding Lost Rings.

A ring finding SOS went out to the Mine For Gold ring finding team in the south of NZ and the result …

Having driven for over an hour on a frosty sunny morning through the heart of the Waimea plains, I finally arrived at the home of a woman who had lost two rings while weeding around a tree on her property.

After a warm welcome and a few details about the rings I throw on the gummies and grabbed my Goldbug, knife and spade and we made our way to the tree.

I could see straight away that she had spent a lot of time searching and digging. I moved all the loose dirt into one pile and waved detector over it. Nothing there.

A couple of swings 30cm away from tree and BINGO! solid signal, about 150 mm down first ring, a silver celtic ring, couple swings later and BINGO! the white gold ring only a couple of inches from the first ring.

Picture of rings found with metal detector

Another happy lost ring customer thanks to Coren.

Ring Find Expedition

February 2, 2014 by Nugget

The Mine For Gold ring finder was called to help find a lost ring at the beach. Always keen for a new challenge it was a case of packing up the metal detectors and heading to the location of the lost ring at a time when the tide was favourable.

After several hours of walking up and down the beach in the area indicated there was no sign of the missing ring.

There was a slight interruption during the search when a damsel in distress approached about finding her lost car keys. Unfortunately she thinks she lost them at the edge of the water about 30 minutes earlier, and having a plastic tiki key ring, and incoming tide, they could have ended up anywhere and were not found.

Forced to call it a day when darkness descended upon the beach we had to report back that the lost ring was still lost. However, after talking to the person who actually lost the ring it appears we may have been slightly out in our search area, so another day might turn up the lost ring in question.

Was the day a total loss? Not exactly.

I was able to open the car door of the girl who lost keys, and she had a spare key in the car.

I found $3.90 of lost coins.

And, it turns out, that at least 4 other people had lost their wedding rings on the beach – which I did find. So not the result we were hoping for, but still a successful ring finding day.

Lost Wedding Rings

If you are the owner of one of these lost rings please contact us

Ring Finder Success Story

January 4, 2014 by Nugget

Another Mine For Gold Ring Finder success story.

A damsal in distress lost her ring on the lawn while putting her son in the car. Despite many hours on their hands and knees scouring the area nothing showed up.

Local ring finder Al came to the rescue. Despite a wild Wellington weather day and an area littered with false targets he persisted. In this case persistance equalled reward. The shiney gold engagement ring eventually popped out of the undergrowth making one damsal a very happy girl.

Our knight in shining armour packed up his metal detector and rode off into the rain – ring found, job done!

See if you can spot the ring he uncovered with some skilled detecting work…

Lost Ring Found