NEED HELP, found $5500 diamond ring!!!!

[ericwt]

You see, this is what gets me on this site.

This person posted about the diamond ring because he was worried it can be traced. He is just thinking about covering his own ass. No thought to the owner or trying to do what is right.

Finders keepers is NOT the law for lost items.

But if he went to a national park at night and recovered a trove that no one knew about this post would be deleted and the member could be banned.

You can not have 2 standards folks. The ring legally belongs to the person who lost it. There is right and wrong.

I mean I really don't care because I am not a coin shooter and only hunt on private property with permission.

But there seems to be a double standard here.

I will shut up now.

End rant

 

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[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

I noticed a lot of people say "do the right thing" and try to find the owner , But why on earth would I want to do that?

I agree, I spend way to much time and way to much money to give my finds back. I just have to much invested, if I find something like that its mine. Now if I am hunting a school and find a class ring or I am hunting an old couples house and they have a wedding band they lost I of course will return it. If I am in the park or at a beach or other public property, sorry but finders keepers.

Sell it on Ebay, who's going to track you down or know you found it? If someone says its theirs they have to prove it. Possession is 9/10 of the law I'll sell it on Ebay for you I get 10%

Keep @ it and HH!!

 

[xd]

What all you sell it sell it people are failing to see here is that when it is bought an insured by the next owner this guy is going to be screwed. The number will be run the real owner will be found an the person who bought it will be asking for his money back, or worse it was reported as stolen as opposed to lost to the original and insurance company. And bam you just got pooped for selling stolen property. Just have it traced if it comes up clean sell it if it does not return it. It's a lot easier to just return it the defend your self in court. Think this wont happen? I worked for one of the largest jewelery store chains in the country. Every ring taken to any of their stores with a number is recored and archived. Those records are entered into the db once a month and run for stolen/ lost insurance reports.
And I don't think the whole "I found it knew it was marked, but didn't make an attempt to find the owner" defense will work.If you are that petty to try and make a buck off it pop the diamond out put it in the trash and sell the gold for scrap.
If you do not get the point of this post it is. Sell the ring to anyone and you will be screwed eventually

 

[Jeffro]

As has already been pointed out, with the GIA number its traceable. Limits your options right there. Either wear it or trace the owner seems to be your only options at this point. Selling it anywhere would be dumb.

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

I'm sorry, but there is no way in hell I would give that back. Simply because someone in a 1 in 200,000 chance happened to recover/find it does not entitle them to have it back. Personally, if they wanted it back, they would have to pay me my time for the recovery, and I'd charge $1000 an hour for it. As far as I'm concerned, they could've hired 10 metal detectorists to scan where they think they might've lost it, paid many times more and more than likely never found it. I don't consider myself a dishonest person, and I don't see this as an exception. I'm sure there are laws contrary to this opinion, and so be it. If anything, there should be laws in favor of the person who found it, as there are for entities who recover treasures in the sea, etc. Those guys don't go out there to find lost and sunken bars of gold to walk away with nothing. Laws obviously entitle them to a share. Hunting illegaly and finding an item during an illegal hunt where you are trespassing etc is one thing, hunting while legit and finding something that would've otherwise remained in the ground for an eternity in my opinion entitles the finder to it. This is not a $20 bill left on the table and someone walks away from it and you find it a minute later. This is something that would've never been recovered otherwise, and at the very least, the person who recovered it deserves a profit. There is a difference between a find..........this is not a find. This is an intentional recovery. Obviously, the object could not be found. It took equipment, time and skill. Are the jewelry insurance agents out there sweating and swinging? I think not. That's why I'll charge $1000 an hour for my work if they want it back.

 

[ronald99]

Well i posted my answer already about this ring having a traceable ID. I would like to watch certain people loose something with there name on it then tell tell them i charge 1000 dollars a hour,or so why you should not have lost it.Find there wallet and throw away there ID,
Or locate there stolen Metal Detector that they paid alot of money for,and just scratch out there name,or whatever they scribed in case it was lost or stolen. But my Metal detector had my name on it"" so what

This post started out with""Need Help----What a joke !!!

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Some interesting reading here on lost property laws.


http://www.animallaw.info/articles/ovuslostdogpropertystatutes.htm

 

[cryptodave]

Your all wrong on whos property it is. If the person had insurance on it, than it is the property of the insurance company because they have already paid the original owner for the loss.
Now I can tell you for a fact the insurance companies don't screw around when it comes to getting what is theirs... If they have the GIA number, you can damn well be sure they are keeping track of all transactions with jewelry stores.
So here is where the karma is going to bite this knucklehead in the butt... He is going to sell the stone and the gold and blow it all.... One day an insurance company investigator is going to show up with local law enforcement and request the money that was earned from selling insurance company property. All the money is gone, and he will go to court and possible jail.

Think I'm full of it? Look at what happened with the SS Republic. Insurance companies keep records and keep track of all transactions and THEY WANT THEIR MONEY.

 

[Jeffro]

Well, Oregon has something unique I just found- How it works here is you (as the finder) have to report the find to the county clerk, and publish it in the paper for 2 weeks. If the owner does not claim it in 90 days, its yours. So far so good. If the owner DOES make a claim, here is the subsection that applies-

98.025 Rights of owner. If an owner of money or goods found by another person appears and establishes a claim to such money or goods within the time period prescribed by ORS 98.005 or 98.015, whichever applies, the owner shall have restitution of such money or goods or their value upon payment of all costs and charges incurred in the finding, giving of notice, care and custody of such money or goods. [1973 c.642 §3]

So in other words, the owner making a claim has the responsibility of repaying the finder for costs incurred. I imagine the state would use the term "reasonable" however, and I think the 1000 dollar per hour figure would be tossed right out.

20 or 30 bucks an hour may not be, as well as your gas, batteries, costs for filing with the clerk, and running the ad. Don't forget your hourly wage when doing the legwork AFTER the find!


At least here, you'll get something out of it. Better than jail time, and puts food on the table.

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

Jeffro, good research.............and buddy, in that event, I'd go out and get me a Minelab Explorer SE, keep the receipt and tell them it cost me that detector I purchased to find that sucker, in addition to the lunch and gas money. I'd tell them that it was about 4 inches down and without the help of that fine Australian machine, I would not have been able to make the recovery. My 250 would be in the house hiding out in the closet......j/k, but in a way. Bottom line is, regardless of the use of the detector that found it, it cost me whatever my detector costs to make the find, so that is a cost incurred in the find itself. See, without the detector, I would've had to go about digging random holes and possibly not found the ring, but after spending $230 to make finding this ring easier, I was able to find it. So it cost me at least my detectors worth to find your ring, plus of course the already mentioned gas, lunch money........and battery money, and cigarette money.......how else can I be relaxed as I look for your ring right?

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

Here is the procedure if you call the police. Hello I found a ring and would like to turn it in. Response...ok, we will send someone out to make a report.

The officer arrives on the scene, fills out a lost/found property report. The ring? It is inventoried as lost/found property, if it is not claimed there are police auctions! This is not debatable....This is what happens.... So keep that in mind....people coming up with that 30 day rule,,,,might be thinking about a hotel, bar or business lost and found. A police department does not say ok here it is and give it back! Believe me....this is my line of work!

So you can keep it, try to find the owner, have a jeweler rip you off....it is up to you, but don't think you are going to get anywhere near retail value! Melt value is nothing for a ring, the stone There will be a pirate jeweler waiting for you drooling!

I would not tell you what to do! I think you have your mind made up but this did make for a good conversation! But tracking the owner may be a good idea! You may get a handsome reward, also i am starting to agree that well at least i know do bust my butt digging! I have the blisters to prove it! I have dug enough holes this year and think you deserve something! I am tired of reading stories about a happy smile is enough! That might be nice for some young couple that borrowed to get the ring. But some people have a lot of money and a finders fee should be based on the situation! If they are rich why not have a finders fee document for them to sign basing a percentage of the value of the item. Like I said if they cannot afford it that is different! But we have a lot of wealthy people in this country and like someone said...some of us are out there busting are butts trying to find something good! I think you at least deserve a finders fee, but tracing back to the owner might end up being the best way! I don't believe in karma, jinxes, any of that crap! You have it make the call!

 

[beavis]

Relic/Treasure hunters need this like they need a hole in the head

 

[watercolor]

The more I think about this, the more I think your treasure hunt has just begun. . . why not accept this as a personal challenge (or should I say opportunity) in tracing it's rightful owner (great PR for ALL of us MD'ers). A smile and a hand-shake may not put food on your table but, it beats the alternative (just ask Paris).

As a side note, if you do find the owner, there is always the remote possibility that it was thrown it away on purpose during a lover's quarrel and the owner could give a rat's a$$ if it was EVER returned. In that case, you're not looking over your shoulder or wondering who's knocking at your door AND, you'll be $5,500 richer.

 

[Spitfire Reddie]

Ask the Jeweler if He knows how to Trace it.
It may be too old,
or there may be a reward.

My Personal Opinion, Leave the Police out of it.
Or you'll never see it again.

I agree with Jeff on this one leave the police out of it or you will end up never seeing the ring again.......

 

[Jeffro]

Ask the Jeweler if He knows how to Trace it.
It may be too old,
or there may be a reward.

My Personal Opinion, Leave the Police out of it.
Or you'll never see it again.

I agree with Jeff on this one leave the police out of it or you will end up never seeing the ring again.......

Yep, our laws here say that if its not claimed the county can sell it and use the proceeds for day to day operations costs.

There is nothing in the statutes that says you as finder have to turn it over to the police or county. So don't. And if they try and make me, thats the last time I'll ever file a report!

Check your state statutes regarding lost property. According to the link above, there are 20 states with laws like ours.

 

[Sphinx]

I wrote an email to the GIA website (www.gia.edu/), explaining the situation that I found a ring with their numbers on it. They said that the numbers only correspond to the diamond its self, its weight, size, clarity etc, and it has no information on the owner. Only the Jeweler that sold the ring and a insurance company (if it was ever insured) would have the numbers corresponding with the owners info. They sell it to the jewelers with the matching GIA cert card and thats all. After they are sold to the jewelers they don't know who buys them or where they go after that. It is up to the owner to insure them and correspond the number to there policy. Which would allow it to be traced. So, trying to find the jewelers/insurance company that sold the piece will be practically imposable, for all I know that ring could have been sold in Japan and a tourist lost it. So, I dunno what to do next.

I also went here and did a search..http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/
Only the diamond's specs came up, no owner information.

 

[jeff of pa]

Cool Deal

Looks like it's Yours.

Being it could have been lost 20 years ago by a Tourist
Odds are nobody is watching lost adds anymore.

and those Numbers could Corrispond to Hundreds of
Like Diamonds.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I would say you have tried then.

My wifes jewelry is insured on our home owners, but only by the name and the value of the piece. (Example-Diamond wedding ring $3000, Earings $1500).

Good Hunting.

 

[Ramapirate]

The best thing you could have done is kept your mouth shut about the diamond ring to start with. You might as well spend as much money as you can afford finding the poor, elderly, blind, cripple, minority, lame, leper, orphan, nunn that lost the ring and DO THE RIGHT THING. Any of you folks ever hear of keeping your piehole SHUT! Sphinx, it ain't really your fault, but this is tiring me out. You never (or rarely) get the answer you want on here. Sour grapes plays a part, jealousy, whatever.
I'm one of the most honest people you will ever meet in your life, but I'd throw the dang ring in the ocean before I'd loose sleep over hunting down the owner. Jeez Louise, how many hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of diamond rings have sparkled on these pages just over the last couple of years with narry a word said more than "WTG!" What is the big deal with this one? Is it because ya'll didn't find it
Take it and fling it and let someone else find it, I believe it's cursed!

Ramapirate

 

[DFX-SE Gregg]

Relic/Treasure hunters need this like they need a hole in the head

I would look at it this way this is not a relic and it is not a real treasure! It is a ring that someone lost! Apparently the owner can be contacted. Maybe through local newspapers, research who knows Apparently this person despite what is being said is not quite sure what to do! Everyone seems to be coming down on him but....I have a feeling he posted because he wanted to know what everyone else would do not necessarily what he would do. Obviously if we are talking right and wrong....the owner should be contacted andwhat would be right for the owner? I don't think a smile and a thank you is an appropriate reward for finding a ring of this value (not a treasure/ not a relic) in this case again unless the owner cannot truly afford a finders fee.

Sometimes right and wrong is not always taken into consideration, hopefully it will be here. But I think the point may end up being what is fair when you find an item of real value when the owner can be located? I am not talking about a $50 gold ring....we are talking about a $5500 ring. What is fair Is a smile enough Not sure everyone would agree Especially some might feel they have been handed enough smiles