Volleyball Anyone??

I'm so proud of this find.....

I have been metal detecting for many years on and off, but have just recently in the last several years been totally engulfed in the hobby. A few years ago, I found the find of a lifetime... a ladies diamond engagement ring, TCW 0.82. I spent the bucks to have it professionally appraised and it came out at an outstanding $2,750. I still have the ring and don't think I will ever let it go.

There are several specific areas I love to hit on a regular basis as they have provided a continuous supply of finds including lots of clad, and on occasion some other nice jewelry finds. One specific morning after getting off from work, I hit a local volleyball court that I've been frequenting on and off, usually about once or twice a week..as I pass by it on the way home from work everyday. Just happened to have my Whites MXT with me...as if I don't always ..... I started working the three courts,starting under the first net, working my way down through all three, then back and forth so as to to cover both sides of all three nets...Didn't make it past the second net, when the audible tone pegged out with a loud and noisy overload. Stuck my plastic scoop into the sand, ran the scoop under the coil, and another big huge overload hit me. I started sifting out the sand, and Eureka....there laid a little oriental zippered pouch.

Well, you can imagine what came to MY mind.... and it wasn't empty either..shook it a bit and heard the clanging of something inside. Well, the anticipation was too great...I looked around to see if anyone was around, but I had the whole place to myself. I unzipped the pouch, looked inside and almost had a heart attack. My heart stopped a few beats as I saw the glimmering of "gold" staring up at me..two rings..not one but TWO !!!! I pulled them out in my hand, one appeared to be a birthstone ring, perhaps a Citrine, don't know, but the other ring was unmistakable....diamonds..diamonds, and more diamonds. After getting home, I cleaned them up a bit with a soft toothbrush and toothpaste. Boy do they shine now. I counted 25 diamonds total on the one ring, and the other ring has two small chips - one on either side of the stone , but they didn't test real. However, the first one did test real. I can just imagine what it would be like for me if I lived close to the coast..but living so far away from the ocean, it's hard to find a good place to hunt by the water, which is my favorite place to hunt. So, I just hunt the parks, look for all the volleyball courts I can find, and hit as many playgrounds as I can find and that's the extent of my detecting. So, for those who don't believe in volleyball courts, you may want to consider the possibilities...I'm a firm believer now for sure. Thanks for looking and Happy Hunting to all !!!

Richard P.