$25,000 wedding ring dropped off dock

[Dave_S]

You might not be getting the whole truth, if they just docked in some wind and current, she might have thrown it.

[P3sailor]

If that amount was truly spent on a piece of jewelry I would think that it would have been insured!! The person who lost it most likely felt it wasn't good enough to be secured on her finger and was hoping for a newer more expensive replacement! The replacement should come from inside a CrackerJack box!!

[grantmc]

Use a decent sized magnet on a bit of string. Certainly quickest and fastest way of retrieving keys. At least that's true when you know pretty accurately where the keys were dropped.

Of course success will depend on the ring's composition. Gold is not magnetic, where as platinum is. An expensive ring is more likely to be a platinum alloy.
Alternatively use something like a scallop dredge.

You find all kinds of interesting things in the seabed of a marina. Sadly most is junk and somewhat disgusting.

[Cowpoke]

If she knows the exact spot the ring hit the water, the weighted line method might work well. Drop the weight in the same spot, follow the line down and gently search that area.

[Alita49DS]

If the true owner's insurance company paid out would not title in the ring pass to them?

If that is right then your dollar signs might not be very large. Further, I am sure that you would not want to be other than honest. You know the identity of the original owner and you know that through them you can identify the insurer.

Before spending time and money you might want to think about contacting the insurers and asking them what their position would be were you to find the ring.

You can litmus test this quite easily: if you were to find a valuable ring on the street would not your first step be to hand it in to the police?

[lvictorlucas]

Just to reiterate some of the considerations previously mentioned:
1) 300 feet is a long distance to search.
2) The water is probably cold and will require at least a wet suit if not a dry suit.
3) A ring will probably fall pretty much straight down if there is no current due to its shape.
4) A year is a long time especially if the bottom is silt or fine sand.
5) There might be a lot of lost metallic objects to remove.
6) First I would try a diver friend, since getting certified is probably more than you want to do, and rent a underwater metal detector or buy the pin pointer suggested. If the bottom is clear of metallic objects a standard underwater detector will be much faster.
7) Next try to make a deal with a local diver for a fixed finders fee.
8) You could make a simple air lift dredge and operate it from the dock with a rental under water camera if the water is shallow. Just some PVC pipe, an air compressor and some chicken wire. Just be careful of local ordinances.

[jim King]

While cleaning a wench a few years ago I managed to drop a part overboard in 12' of water just beneath my slip. I rented some scuba gear and went down for it. First I dropped a line where I thought the lost part might have fallen. The visibility next to my boat was about 1' . I almost planted my face mask into the pudding like silt on the sea bed before I could see anything. I searched a 10 square foot area for about 15 minutes before finally finding my errant wench part. The part was about the size of a soup can. If I didn't know exactly where the part had fallen from the boat I could have searched in vain for the next ten years and never found it. It really depends on the clarity of the water on your dock, the current, and knowing where the ring fell in. Within a week it could be a few inches under silt and never seen. I think the ring is now the provenance of Davy Jones.
The metal detector would only work if it could ferret out gold from iron as the bottom in most marinas is littered with lost parts (like mine) as well as fallen debris.
much luck in your search for gold.
cheers,
Jim

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by 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!

I once used a white metal detector and free dove 15 feet deep to find a little girl gold chain and found it in seconds. It was in the bottom and was the size of a green pea. Everyone was amazed to see that the metal detector could detect so small... good luck finding...

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by jim King

While cleaning a wench a few years ago I managed to drop a part overboard in 12' of water just beneath my slip. I rented some scuba gear and went down for it. First I dropped a line where I thought the lost part might have fallen. The visibility next to my boat was about 1' . I almost planted my face mask into the pudding like silt on the sea bed before I could see anything. I searched a 10 square foot area for about 15 minutes before finally finding my errant wench part.

Jim

Wait you were cleaning your wench? Which part? How’d that go.

Well at least we know what autocorrect did there.

[Sailorman Ed]

I was doing some maintenance at the stern at the slip and dropped a 10 mm socket, visibility was inches and I know there must be a foot of silt there. Got out my magnet and had it back in 5 min!
Another time I lost my bronze prop in 4 feet of water, sandy bottom. I searched 3 different times, even put in pvc pipes for a grid, never found it with my feet or dragging a rake.
Third time, I was taking some SS tubes in the dingy in the ICW near Jacksonville Beach. One slid out and I just missed it. Strong current and a deep hole, I did not even try.

[conchaway]

By any chance , is your friend's name Croesus?

[Siberian Sea]

Actually there is a good chance to recover a lost ring if you have a good idea a the location. I know this because not only I’m an avid diver but I own 6 metal detectors, two of which are specially designed for use underwater. Yes, I’m that guy you see often on the beach swinging a metal detector.
There are a number of company’s that manufacture detectors for use in the marine environment. Garrett, Whites, Fisher, Minelab just to name a few. If your a scuba diver already you might even find it with a “Scuba Tector”. It’s a hand held underwater metal detector that works on PI signals so it’s not effected by the high mineral content of sea water. You can get one online new for about $150.00.
Now there is another option for you. This option depends on where your located. But in the USA and UK there are hundreds of even thousands of metal detecting clubs. A quick look online might show one in your area. Suppose you were to contact such club about your lost ring and suppose in this club was someone like me whom for the price of a beer would gladly drag his gear down there to help out and of course the challenge to find your treasure.
Anyway, I wish you luck and once again this ring can be found but first you need to find the right diver for the job.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by jim King

While cleaning a wench...

[El Pinguino]

So, $25,000....

Would you be working on the basis of 'finders keepers' or for a reward.... such as a slab of Boags?

That would be my first question...

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

So, $25,000....

Would you be working on the basis of 'finders keepers' or for a reward.... such as a slab of Boags?

That would be my first question...

You reckon the insurance company would pay in Kimberly currency

Nah, finders keepers is the way to go, the insurers clearly haven't taken any effort to find it (or were unsuccessful) so that should negate their claim of ownership!

Being in the water, does this come under maritime salvage laws .