It’s a feeling almost everyone has known at least once. Something feels just a little bit off, and panic sets in when it dawns on you your ring is gone.
It’s a scenario Chris Turner has dedicated his later life to rectifying, wherever he can. The North Vancouver resident founded Ring Finders, a global network of metal detector enthusiasts that has landed many thousands of rings back on the fingers where they belong.
At the age of 12, Turner got a job at a chicken farm to pay for his first metal detector. In the 50 years since, he’s had careers as a goalkeeper in professional and international soccer, and in TV and film production. But no job has given him the same rush that comes from handing someone back a treasured item they thought was gone for good.
“I was asked to help people. I saw how much joy it brought to people when I was able to recover what they lost,” he said. “The best thing I’ve ever done in my life is what I’m doing now.”
Losers, weepers
Rings go missing at different times of year for different reasons. In the fall, raking leaves with wet hands is often the culprit. In wintertime, it’s throwing a snowball. In the summer months, the story of the lost ring often starts with someone putting on sunblock or going for a swim.
“The other one is people getting mad at their spouse and throwing them,” he said. “That happens a lot too.”
Even if a lost ring is covered by insurance, no new ring will ever be an adequate replacement, Turner has found, because the new one doesn’t come imbued with the same personal history.
“Every single ring has a beautiful story. Every one does,” he said. “I’ve found that it’s one of the single most important things we own – that ring that was given to us by a loved one – and I just love being able to reconnect people with these stories.”
Finders, keepers
For there to be any chance of finding a lost ring, there needs to be good intel to go on followed by some detective work. A lot of times, it’s Turner’s seasoned advice over the phone that leads to the ring turning up, no need for a metal detector at all.
“You’ve got to listen to the story. You’ve got to ask a lot of questions,” he said. “If they’re certain they’ve lost it in a certain area, I will find it. And it doesn’t matter if it’s lost for a week or 30 years. If it’s on your property, it’s still going to be there.”
When a ring really can’t be found, Turner said he finds his clients at least come away with a feeling of closure, no longer agonizing over the possibility that it may be nearby but eluding them, just out of reach.
When it comes to compensation, Turner charges a gas fee for travelling but apart from that, it’s whatever reward the client wants to offer.
“I’ve done it for a homemade loaf of banana bread. I’ve made as much as $2,000 for a reward. It’s just whatever people feel it’s worth to them and what they can afford. Everybody’s different,” he said. “Most people are generous.”
Earlier this year, Turner notched his 500th find since he launched Ring Finders. It’s hard to pick a favourite story among them, he said.
In October 2020, Hollywood actor John Cryer lost his wedding ring while on the Stanley Park seawall. While making a post on Craigslist’s lost-and-found page, he came upon the Ring Finder’s ad and called in Turner for help. It looked like it might be one of those “closure” cases, but Turner located the ring amid a clump of grass and mud.
Another case that sticks out in his mind is searching a property in Port Moody for an engineering ring that had belonged to a man who was killed in a motor vehicle collision. The man’s fiancée badly wanted to have that piece of him back.
“I still think about that and get goosebumps, knowing what that meant to her, to be able to hold that and give it back to her,” he said.
Rings of power
About 15 years ago, Turner got word from a stranger on the internet who’d heard of his work and they agreed to build a worldwide directory of metal detector enthusiasts who’d be willing to help others. Turner said it was his dream for everyone who loses a ring to have access to someone nearby who can help.
Today, the Ring Finders group has about 280 members in 18 countries, and they’ve logged more than 13,800 confirmed finds. It’s what makes Turner most proud now.
At some point in the journey, Turner began recording the reactions of his clients when he broke the news that he’d found their ring. With his background in showbiz, Turner said he knows what makes good TV when he sees it, and so he’s working with Ring Finders members to gather footage that can be the basis for a reality show that captures the drama of the search and, more importantly, the tearful reunions people have with their treasured items.
“Just to see the relief on people’s face. I’ve seen grown men break down and cry. Women just lose it,” he said. “I want people to know if they’ve lost something, they can have a second chance of finding it.”
