How far would you go to retrieve your missing wedding ring? (1 Viewer)

The following story was in the gossip news the past couple days.  Key passages:

Husband who lost his wedding ring down a drain calls firefighters to pop the lid before delving into handfuls of SEWAGE sludge to finally retrieve it

A determined husband was forced to ask a group of firefighters for help after he lost his wedding ring down a Londondrain - before delving into 30 handfuls of sewage sludge to get it back.

Australian Eammon Ashton-Atkinson, 32, who is a TV reporter for Network 10's 10 News First, and based in Streatham, London, was eating dinner with a friend in Clapham when he lost his wedding ring and it fell into a drain. 

Eammon, who married software engineer John Ashton, 28, in May 2018, tried to fish it out with a crowbar, before appealing to the local council who said they couldn't send someone until the next day.  

However, fearing his ring would soon disappear for good, Eammon refused to give up and travelled to the local fire station, where he asked the firefighters if they would help. 'And what do you know, they said they would help,' the reporter recalled. 

Finally, he retrieved the ring to cheers from the whole restaurant.  

As a steady crowd of onlookers built, Eammon had to start trawling through the sewage.

'I started to scoop through Clapham's finest sludge. It was disgusting,' the Brisbane-native explained. 'The smell was awful. I felt bad for the people near us trying to eat their dinner. 

'After about 30 handfuls, finally I saw a tinge of gold. I found it! The whole restaurant was cheering.

'It was all over my shirt so I had to hail a cab home shirtless. My arm was tingling from the sludge, so I used every household cleaning product we have to get it off.'

This story reminded me of the time that I was running routes with a friend in a snow covered field...

At the end of our route running the guy who was throwing me the football said, “Where’s my wedding ring?” with a panicked look in his eyes.

His ring apparently came off when we were throwing the football and it was now somewhere on a completely snow covered field.  Good luck finding it, buddy.  We retraced his footsteps, but to no avail.

So the next morning I look out my apartment window and see a guy with a metal detector going up and down the snow covered field.  It was my friend.  He woke up at the crack of dawn, drove to an obscure location to rent a metal detector, and was now going to spend his day in freezing cold weather trying to find a needle in a haystack.  Ha!  And at the end of that day — nothing.  He didn’t find the ring.

 So how far would you go to find or retrieve your missing wedding ring?

For our 10-year anniversary I upgraded my wife's wedding ring to a 3-stone ring in a larger setting. I'm pretty sure she'd be OK with me buying a replacement for my own rather than digging through sewage. It's just a piece of metal.

I lost my original wedding band at about year two.  Didn't realize it was gone until a day or two later when the wife asked why I wasn't wearing my ring.  Only thing I figured could have happened was it slipped off while I was bathing our dog in the tub as I never took it off at night or while showering, etc.  I gave it a good look down the drain.  Used a flash light and all.  Couldn't find it so we went to get something to eat. 

Several years later I bought a new band and I'm still wearing it.  She bathes the dogs now.  The end.  

Jayrok said:

I lost my original wedding band at about year two.  Didn't realize it was gone until a day or two later when the wife asked why I wasn't wearing my ring.  Only thing I figured could have happened was it slipped off while I was bathing our dog in the tub as I never took it off at night or while showering, etc.  I gave it a good look down the drain.  Used a flash light and all.  Couldn't find it so we went to get something to eat. 

Several years later I bought a new band and I'm still wearing it.  She bathes the dogs now.  The end.  

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Your dog could have found the ring in the water and swallowed it.  You should have sifted through his stool.

Gary Coal Man said:

Your dog could have found the ring in the water and swallowed it.  You should have sifted through his stool.

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I'd rather shine a flash light down the drain for a minute or two.  This was in a small villa in a small town in Spain.  The bath tubs were small, claw foot type with the drain in the center back as opposed to one end of the tub.  The drain didn't have a mesh cover that might allow drainage but catch some things.  It was a rubber plug.  I had the plug pulled so the tub wouldn't fill up with water where our St. Bernard would splash it all over the place.  Water went on down the drain instead of pooling much in the tub.  I suppose he could have swallowed it but it seemed more likely that it went down the drain.  At any rate, we never found it.  

I'm on RIng 3 so...

The first one I lost golfing.    I  always take it off to golf, put it in my bag.   Couldn't find it after the round, no idea where it is.  I  did walk the course a little and check in the the pro shop.

I felt real bad about losing it.  The next one no idea where it went.   

It also "helps" that I think my 3 rings total cost ~ $250   

I clicked this thread.

Done 

belljr said:

I'm on RIng 3 so...

The first one I lost golfing.    I  always take it off to golf, put it in my bag.   Couldn't find it after the round, no idea where it is.  I  did walk the course a little and check in the the pro shop.

I felt real bad about losing it.  The next one no idea where it went.   

It also "helps" that I think my 3 rings total cost ~ $250   

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I lost $80 Wedding Ring #1 so I replaced it with equally crappy $80 Wedding Ring #2.  I knew it was only a matter of time before I lost Wedding Ring #2 as well because I took my wedding ring off all the time.  I detest wearing jewelry of any sort.  People who claimed I’d get use to wearing a wedding ring blatantly lied.

So I aborted the wedding ring route all together and now have a wedding band tattoo.  My one and only tattoo because I hate tats (on me) almost as much as jewelry on me, but at least you forget a tat is there and it doesn’t impede your physical activities.

You guys obviously don't know the importance of the pater familias.

You's bona fide. 

My brother, on the other hand, has a good story on his wife's lost wedding ring.  She lost it in the surf at the beach a few years ago.  Said she felt it slide off while playing with her daughter in about knee deep water.  They frantically searched and searched for it until dusk to no avail.  She was beside herself as she loved her diamond ring.  

Next morning he went out early with hopes that it found its way up in the sand.  Nothing.  A man came by with a metal detector, which is common in the morning or late afternoon at the beach.  He said he'd help but he couldn't locate it either.  A couple of days went by and they were on the last day of their vacation.  Their home was 4 hours from the beach.  They had settled on the fact that the ring was a goner. 

That afternoon the man came walking up to them as they were in their normal beach spot in front of the hotel.  He held out his hand and asked if this was the ring she lost.  To her delight and my brother's dismay, it was her ring.  The guy had found it that morning (a couple of days after it was lost) while out walking with his detector.  Said it was about a 10th of a mile down the beach from where it was lost and several inches under the sand.  My brother wanted to pay the guy but he wouldn't take any type of reward.  Said it brought him great satisfaction to see the look on my SIL's face if, in fact, it was her ring.  Said he was so glad that it was and he was happy to help.  

There are still good deeds performed in the world and the story had a happy ending.  

Jayrok said:

There are still good deeds performed in the world and the story had a happy ending.  

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At least your SIL was willing to give the guy something since he wouldn’t take money.

Seriously, though, stories like that are nice to read. 

Retrieve it?  I'd consider it a sign. 

I left my wedding ring at my brother's house while visiting him on vacation.  He couldn't find it right away and my wife wanted me to wear a ring.  I ended up going out and buying a new one.  Brother found the old one not long after l got the new one.  It wasn't a total waste at the time as the original ring was slightly on the big side. 

Twenty years later: New one doesn't get over my knuckles anymore, lost the old one (which would fit nicely now).  Neither my wife or I have worn a ring going on 10 years now, so it's no big deal anymore.

Spent about 20 minutes looking for it this morning.  Took it off while rubbing a steak and apparently it fell out of my pocket.

kentric said:

I left my wedding ring at my brother's house while visiting him on vacation.  He couldn't find it right away and my wife wanted me to wear a ring.  I ended up going out and buying a new one.  Brother found the old one not long after l got the new one.  It wasn't a total waste at the time as the original ring was slightly on the big side. 

Twenty years later: New one doesn't get over my knuckles anymore, lost the old one (which would fit nicely now).  Neither my wife or I have worn a ring going on 10 years now, so it's no big deal anymore.

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This been married for 20 plus years and I don't really wear it much anymore.

Pipes said:

This been married for 20 plus years and I don't really wear it much anymore.

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Does it fit? haha

I knew when we got married that I'd be the guy that just leaves it on all the time and never takes it off because as soon as I take it off and put it somewhere I'd forget where.  Figured I'd get a cheap(ish) one because I'd end up damaging it before I'd lose it.  10 years later and I've still got the original.  If I did somehow lose it I'd probably spend a max of about 30 minutes hunting for it, definitely not through sewage or anything though. 

But I'd more than likely buy a replacement on the sly if I wasn't with the wife when I lost it. 

My parents were married for 40 years.  On their 25th anniversary they threw a big party, renewed their vows, went on a trip, etc. and as part of that my Dad bought my Mom a new engagement ring and my Mom picked out the dorkiest wedding bands you've ever seen.  So fast forward to 1994, I asked my wife to marry me and a month later my Dad passed away unfortunately.  We go back home for the funeral, my wife and I are up all night cleaning (can't sleep) and out of nowhere, my Mom said "you are getting married soon, I want you to have my anniversary wedding band."   And, of course, my Mom being my Mom, immediately gave my Dad's anniversary wedding band to my older brother. . . who wasn't even dating at the time. . .and then she gave me one of my Dad's old watches. . . I think it was a Timex. . . I can't make this stuff up.  My brother looked at the wedding band (later when we were alone) and he said "Hey dude, you're getting married and I don't want this f-ing thing do you want it?"  So I traded him the watch for the ring.

Anyway, I really dislike the band, it's uncomfortable, it's corny (they had a really cheesy "I love you" in script around the outside of it and a goofy thing written inside of it) and it digs into my finger but, since it was my Dad's and my Mom picked it out and I've had it for almost 25 years now, I'm sure I would turn the world upside down to get it back if I ever lost it.  I really hate the thing but it has tons of sentimental value and it means the world to me as I always think about my Dad when I look at it as it's sharply digging into my finger.  So, I continue to do my best to try to fill my Dad's shoes while I wear his awful ring.  He was a great Dad and wonderful husband to my Mom.

To the ends of the earth and back again.

 Hi honey!

Mine is all I have left of my grandpa so I'd go pretty far. it's my #1 possession.

My tungsten band costs $9.99 on amazon, and I have 2 spares on my dresser. So... not far.

Don’t wear one so....

Everyone can tell I am married by that exhausted, beaten down look in my eyes. 

Serious answer:

As far as it takes as long as I don't have to miss anything remotely important or exert an excessive amount of energy or ruin any of my clothing.

I lost mine once in 19 years.  Had it in my pocket and it flew out when I pulled out my cell phone while walking across the street at a busy intersection.  It flew out and I heard the pinging sound of it bouncing in the street.  I had no idea which direction and checked along all of the curbs for about 15 minutes.  Went to lunch and then bought a new one online for about $25.

Slapdash said:

Took it off while rubbing a steak

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I've lost 2 separate rings.  One is somewhere in a park in Spokane, Washington where it came off my hand while picking up some snow, and the other is at a B&B in a tiny village in southern France.  

Married but we both  have never worn one.