A. Buried treasure, coins, jewelry, any metals

A: Yes, I usually do find something, though not always treasure. Good days and not-so-good days.

A: : Oops, should it be ?

A: bottle caps and flip-tops, pure junk such as batteries/toy cars/nails/boat spark plugs/ etc., keys, coins, rings and other jewelry. I have even found watches, sunglasses, cell phones, smart phones, iPhones, nitroglycerin cases and medical bracelets!

A: Depends on how you define “best”. Monetarily, the most valuable is probably any of the diamond wedding rings I have found. Favorite finds include several custom designed rings, unique medallions, religious items and old coins. Most unusual so far is a hummingbird made of stained glass. It was not made as a piece of jewelry so I have no idea how it got into the water. I think it may have been a boat decoration. Or the unexploded AK-47 bullet. I also found a British Infantry button next to a cannon in 6 feet of water. It is from 1790-1810 and was turned over to the Turks & Caicos National Museum (see the photo on the FOUND page). The oldest coin so far is a 1947 British six-pence coin.

A: Excluding costume jewelry, without a doubt it’s men’s wedding rings (20 to 1). My wife and I have theorized that: They see a beautiful woman stroll by, and off comes the ring.
They have just gotten divorced, and tossed it (This did happen with a ring I found – she told me she divorced the SOB and to keep it!)
The reality is, we think, men are not used to wearing jewelry so when they go in the water, the ring slips off and they never realize it until they are having dinner with their spouse, hold hands, and she says …..
The record for a wedding ring lost after the ceremony is seven minutes – while celebrating their first football toss as a married couple. Actually, I have found about 6 men’s rings lost this way!

A: The junk is all removed from the water & properly discarded. The good things are cleaned and polished until they look brand new. All good quality jewelry is kept in the hopes someone will find my website and claim something. I do not sell or pawn anything that appears valuable or is otherwise identifiable. After at least 1 year, generic jewelry may be sold to help offset the costs of maintaining the website, though I have not yet disposed of most items.

A: No-one has asked me to look for one. Seriously, though .. I have the best success when an owner approaches me on the beach and recently lost something – they can usually get me close to the spot they lost it. (Unfortunately, most people think they lost it when they discover the loss.) I do occasionally find something in front of a resort and notify their lost & found department. Some resorts are great and take the trouble to notify the guest who contacts me and can make a positive ID of the lost item. Often, the resort just asks that I “Leave it with us.”, which I will not do. I think people who lose something in the water discover it well after the fact and figure it is hopelessly lost. And even if it should be found, they figure it would never be turned it. So why bother reporting it lost ? That’s why I started the website. The thrill is in the hunt – the jewelry has no monetary value to me. I think it will be much more fun to hold the items until the owners can find my website … a much more interesting story, and a great way to meet people!

A: Depends on if you are male or female … woman seem to know when they lost something the minute the item falls off. Men usually do not realize it until much later. As a result, I have a much better chance of success finding a ladies item than a man’s ! The first thing to do is to understand whether you literally JUST LOST IT (you feel it actually come off) or you JUST DISCOVERED IT’S GONE. Big difference. If the former – note the location. If on the beach, stay put, mark off the spot, and then GENTLY sift the sand through your fingers BRIEFLY. You may get lucky. Do not dig or you risk burying the item deeper & deeper. If unsuccessful and at a resort or hotel call security for assistance. You may also want/need to call the local police to file a report, especially if you need to file an insurance claim.

If lost in the water, NOTE THE LOCATION by identifying at least two lines of site. Note the day, time and depth of the water, any features of the bottom (sandy, some rocks, an oval patch of sea grass, etc) and what you were doing.

If in the Turks & Caicos, have security at the resort call me (649-346-3111). Most of them know me and have my number. Or email me from this site. The above details are the difference between finding and failure.

A great option, regardless of where you lose the item is to contact a local metal detecting shop. The owners or employees may be able to assist you for a finders’ fee. Or if you lost it a while ago, they may have already found it, or know one of their detectorist buddies who bragged about it one day in the shop.

While the odds are not great as time passes, I compare the above “to do’s” to buying a lottery ticket. The odds of one in a hundred million are way better than no odds. If you do not report it, and it IS found by someone honest, you will never get it back if they don’t know how to do so.

PLEASE NOTE the places I have been. If you lost an item anywhere else, I do not have it. But maybe someone in the area does! Make contact!

So please pass the URL along to anyone you care to. And thanks for looking!