Stay where you are. Look before you walk. Going back over the ground tramples the one patch that matters.
Mark the spot. A bottle, a shoe, a stick, a bag: something that stays put and that you can still see later.
Don't dig and don't scuff. In grass and sand, digging presses the ring deeper. Don't sift with your fingers either.
Note landmarks. Three things that don't move: a tree, a fence, a tower, the corner of a house. Where are you in relation to them?
Take a photo with something fixed behind the spot. A building, a hill or a buoy in the background. A photo of bare ground helps nobody.
Check pockets, bag and car. Jacket, shoes, towel, the car seat. Sometimes a ring that feels lost never went outside at all.
Ask around. Who was with you? Ask the lifeguard, the groundskeeper, the bar, the hotel desk. Rings do get handed in.
Write down when you last felt it on your finger. Time, place, what you were doing. The search starts there, not where you suspect.
Post a request. The sooner it goes up, the smaller the area. Say where as exactly as you can. People with metal detectors nearby can see it, and anyone with time can get in touch with you.
On a beach
In sand a ring slowly works its way down, and where the waves reach, the sand above it keeps moving. Mark the spot before the water gets to it and write down the time. More: How deep does a ring sink in sand?
At a lake
In shallow water a ring drops almost straight down. Remember where you stood, not where you walked afterwards, and fix it with two landmarks on the shore. Don't stir the bottom with your feet.
In the garden
Don't mow and don't rake. Grass often holds a ring in the thatch; a mower throws it. Put a stick in the ground and leave the lawn alone. More: Lost a ring in the garden?
In the snow
Don't pack it down and don't shovel. The ring stays where it fell until the thaw. Stand a ski pole or a stick on the spot. More: Lost a ring in the snow?
Honestly
Nobody can promise you a find. Some rings are gone: carried off by water, too deep in sand, lost over an area too large to search. What you control is how small the area is and how soon someone looks. That is the first hour.
Where Retrievly comes in
We don't search ourselves. Your request is visible to people nearby who own a metal detector, and anyone with time can get in touch with you.
Post it with a pin and your photos while you still remember the spot exactly.
Your exact spot stays yours
Searchers see a rough circle. Your exact pin goes only to the one you choose.
It costs you nothing
No money passes through Retrievly. A thank-you, if you want to give one, you agree directly with the searcher.
What decides most searches is how soon the request goes up and how tightly the spot is marked. Retrievly does not vet anyone: look at the profile and meet somewhere public.
No account needed, not even to post. We ask for your email at the very end, nothing else.
Common questions
What should I do first when I lose a ring?
Stay where you are, mark the spot and don't dig. Take a photo with a fixed landmark behind the spot and check pockets, bag and car. Then post a request, the sooner the better.
How long do I have to find a lost ring?
There is no fixed deadline. On grass little changes in a few days. On a beach or in water the ring sinks and shifts, so there the first hour counts for more than the first day.
Should I search the area myself first?
Look with your eyes only, without digging or pacing. Walking circles for an hour makes the area bigger.
Will a metal detector definitely find my ring?
No. Gold and silver are easy for a detector to pick up, but a ring that is too deep, has drifted off in water or lies in heavily mineralised ground can be missed even by a good searcher. Nobody can promise it.
What does it cost on Retrievly?
Money does not go through Retrievly. Any reward is something you agree directly with the person who searches for you.
Who writes this
Kenny built Retrievly. He has snorkelled the Danube for years and keeps bringing up things that belong to other people: wallets with the ID still in them, phones, keys. That is where Retrievly came from.