Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint and the Thumb
A class ring or wedding band lost on a lawn, at a lake beach or on the Huron shore
Detroit, Ann Arbor, Brighton, Flint, Lapeer, Lexington and Fort Gratiot
A lost class ring on a campus lawn in Ann Arbor. A wedding band that came off in a yard in Brighton. A chain dropped on a Lake Huron beach in the Thumb. We ask about the place and the time first.
Ring Seekers is a lost ring and jewelry recovery service that connects people who lost a ring, wedding band, watch, keys or phone in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint and the Thumb with a metal detectorist who can search there. Tell us what happened and where. We find a detectorist who can reach the place, brief them with your map and photos, and tell you honestly if the odds are poor.
The same goes for an engagement ring, an Oura ring, a watch or car keys.
Stand still, mark the spot, then message us
Before you leave, stand where you think it came off and take one photo towards the water or the nearest building, and one back the other way. Drop a pin on your phone map. On a lawn or a campsite, leave a towel or a folding chair on the patch.
Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair and the inland lakes have no real tide, so there is no low water to wait for. What helps a detectorist is how deep you were standing, ankle, knee or waist, and what you lined up with on shore.
Then message us on WhatsApp with the pin, the photos and a description: the school and year on a class ring, the width and metal of a band.
Places we cover in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint and the Thumb
- Detroit
- Belle Isle Park
- Lake St. Clair Metropark, Harrison Township
- Detroit River refuge and Humbug Marsh, Trenton
- Ann Arbor
- The University of Michigan Diag
- Gallup Park and Geddes Pond
- Brighton
- Brighton Recreation Area
- Kensington Metropark and Kent Lake, Milford
- Flint
- Bluebell Beach on Mott Lake
- Lapeer
- Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area
- Lexington
- Lexington beach and state harbor
- Fort Gratiot
- Fort Gratiot County Park
- Lakeport State Park
Eight places, from the Detroit River to the Thumb
A campus, a river island, inland lake beaches and two stretches of Lake Huron sand.
The Diag and Gallup Park in Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan's own tour of the Diag takes in the Hatcher Graduate Library, the Undergraduate Library and Angell Hall. A class ring could slip off during graduation pictures there, or come off with a glove on a cold day, and on a campus lawn the search area is small. At Gallup Park the city describes 69 acres (28 hectares) along the Huron River and Geddes Pond, with a livery renting canoes, kayaks and paddleboards.
Belle Isle, in the river off downtown Detroit
Belle Isle Park is an island of about 980 acres (about 400 hectares) in the Detroit River, with Detroit to the north and Canada to the south. It has a designated swim beach, a fishing pier, the James Scott Memorial Fountain and the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory. A wedding band could come off in the water at the swim beach, or a bracelet could drop during photos by the fountain. On an island this size we need the nearest building or parking lot.
Lake St. Clair Metropark and the Detroit River refuge
Lake St. Clair Metropark in Harrison Township has a 600-foot (about 180 metre) sandy beach, a 1,600-foot (about 490 metre) boardwalk and more than a mile of nature trails past its freshwater marsh. Downriver in Trenton, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge has a 700-foot (about 215 metre) fishing pier, a kayak launch and trails through Humbug Marsh.
Kent Lake and the Brighton lakes
Kensington Metropark at Milford covers 4,481 acres (about 1,813 hectares) around Kent Lake, which is up to 36 feet (11 metres) deep. It has two swimming beaches, Martindale and Maple, and an 8.5 mile (13.7 km) paved trail round the lake. Brighton Recreation Area, in Livingston County, is larger still at 4,947 acres (about 2,000 hectares) with nine lakes, a swim beach and five campgrounds. For a loss on a trail or in a campground, give us the loop or the site number.
Bluebell Beach on Mott Lake, Flint
Fourteen colourful shade kites mark Bluebell Beach, the Genesee County Parks beach on Mott Lake in Flint. It is open from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, weather permitting, with a splash pad, two playgrounds and easy access to the Flint River Bike Path. A ring can slip off with sunscreen on your hands.
Lake Minnawanna, south of Lapeer
Metamora-Hadley Recreation Area lies 8 miles (13 km) south of Lapeer, 723 acres (about 293 hectares) around Lake Minnawanna, with a designated swim area, a fishing pier and a modern campground. At a campsite the ground to cover is small. A ring set down by the fire, or a key fob dropped between the car and the tent, is somewhere within a few paces.
Lexington, a harbor village in the Thumb
Lexington is on southern Lake Huron, and its state harbor, with 108 slips, is approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Port Huron. The waterfront park next to the harbor has a large beach used for swimming and sand volleyball. A ring taken off for volleyball and tucked into a shoe can end up in the sand.
Fort Gratiot County Park on Lake Huron
St. Clair County's park off M-25 on Metcalf Road has 30 acres (12 hectares) and 852 feet (about 260 metres) of Lake Huron shoreline and beach. A boardwalk leads down to the water, and there are two picnic pavilions and a ceremony plaza on the beach. With wedding photos taken on the sand, a band or an earring could go missing there.
How we work with you
One person on WhatsApp
You explain what happened once. The same person replies until the search is finished.
Your map and photos reach the detectorist first
Your pin and photos are passed on before anyone drives out, so the search starts on the right patch.
Plain about poor odds
A ring dropped from a boat out on Kent Lake, which is up to 36 feet (11 metres) deep, is a poor bet. We say so at the start.
Costs first
We explain the costs before any search is booked.
Lawns, lakes without a tide and a winter of ice
Grass, sand and campsite ground
Much of this area is dry ground: campus lawns in Ann Arbor, yards in Brighton and Lapeer, campsites at Metamora-Hadley and Lakeport State Park. On a busy sandy beach such as Lexington or Bluebell, feet and towels can push a lost ring a little deeper through the day, so mark the spot before you leave.
No tide, but the lakes still move
NOAA says the largest Great Lakes tide is under 2 inches (5 centimetres), so the lakes are treated as non-tidal. Wind and air pressure shift the water's edge instead, and can set up a seiche, a back-and-forth wave that NOAA says can be several feet (a metre or more) high. Lake levels also follow a yearly cycle, with a high in late spring and a low in winter. So a photo with a fixed landmark in it is more use to a detectorist than a count of steps from the water.
Ice, snow and a short beach season
Bluebell Beach closes after Labor Day, as does the day-use area at Lakeport State Park. In winter the Metroparks list ice fishing at both Lake St. Clair and Kensington. NOAA says Great Lakes ice normally reaches its yearly peak between mid February and early March. If you lose something on the ice or in snow, tell us while you remember the spot.
Lost something around Detroit, Ann Arbor or the Thumb? Common questions
My class ring came off somewhere on the Diag in Ann Arbor during graduation photos. Is it worth a search?
Yes, if you can narrow it down. A class ring dropped on a campus lawn is lying in the grass, and nothing carries it away. Find the last photo where it is still on your hand, then tell us which lawn and which building you were nearest.
My husband's wedding band slipped off in the water at Fort Gratiot County Park. Will the tide have taken it?
There is no tide to take it. NOAA treats the Great Lakes as non-tidal. Waves can still push sand over a ring, so tell us how deep he was standing and what he lined up with on shore, the boardwalk or one of the pavilions.
We dropped the car keys on Belle Isle, somewhere between the swim beach and the car. Do you look for keys?
Yes. We take enquiries for keys and key fobs, and for phones, watches and Apple Watches, bracelets, chains, necklaces, earrings, metal-framed glasses and hearing aids. Mark the route you walked on a map screenshot, name the parking lot, and ask the park staff whether anything has been handed in.
I lost my ring raking leaves in our yard in Brighton. Should I look into a metal detector rental and try myself first?
You could. Renting a detector can suit a fresh loss on a lawn or on dry sand. A detectorist makes more sense for wet sand, water, a large area or a small item such as an earring or a thin band. Either way, do not throw out the leaf bags yet. The ring may be in one.
I lost an earring at our campsite at Metamora-Hadley, near Lapeer. Is that too small to bother with?
It is not too small, but it needs a tight area. One campsite is a fair search, a whole campground is not. Send the site number, a photo of where the chairs and the tent stood, and a photo of the other earring.
My engagement ring went into the sand during volleyball on the beach at Lexington. How do I mark the spot?
Stand as near the spot as you can judge and take one photo towards the harbor break wall and one towards the park behind you. If the net is still up, tell us which side of the court you were on and roughly how far from the post.
My phone slid off a dock at the Lake St. Clair Metropark marina. Is there any point asking?
Yes, ask. We take enquiries for phones as well as jewelry, and water beside a dock is a job for a detectorist equipped to wade or dive. Tell us which marina, North or South, and which dock.
Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint and the Thumb
Tell us which lawn, lake or stretch of shore
A pin, two photos, the time and what the item looks like.
Plenty of people look up metal detecting Michigan as a hobby. What we arrange is one search for one thing of yours: a lost ring, a watch, a hearing aid or a set of keys. Send us the details on WhatsApp and we will tell you how the odds look and what happens next.