HELP! Ring "lost" - any suggestions???

[ecf8503]

Oh boy do I feel stupid - but here goes! I was outside taking pics of my ring (flower shots!) with my new camera. Well, the wind blew, the flower moved, and my ring disappeared down a crack. Not just any crack, but the gap between the front steps of my house and the landing at the front door - the house is a bi-level, so the "crack" it went down is about 4 deep, and I assume it fell all the way to the ground. The stairs are hollow concrete (except for the crack it went down, of course!), and I can't see it with a flashlight.

Any ideas? I'm planning on calling our insurance company in the morning and asking for their input as well, but I'm thinking perhaps I'd call a plumber / sewer company, since they claim to have fiber-optic lines to see into pipes - do you think that may work? Would they have some kind of attachment to retrieve it?

Has anyone ever had anything like this ever happen before?

Thanks for any input -

 

[elle]

Oh no! I am so sorry! I''d just call everyone to ask for help! Explain your situation and hopefully they may be able to come up with something! I hope you get it back!

 

[gemini646]

Oh my goodness!!

Which ring did you "lose"?

 

[ecf8503]

He he he - I "lost" THE ring - the 0.74ct H&A in my avatar..........

 

[strmrdr]

yea there are tools that will retrieve it, fiber scopes with lights and grasping hooks on them.
Where to find one is another issue.

 

[ecf8503]

Hey Storm! You don''t think the sewer / plumbing people would have such attachments?

 

[Dee*Jay]

Oh my! Well, it sounds like the plumber/sewer idea is a good one, and I bet they will have some sort of attachment to get it out. Hang in there and definitely keep us posted.

Just out of curiosity, how *exactly* are you going to explain this to the insurance company... ? "Um, hi, this is (insert your real name here) and I seem to have, um, "lost" my ring. You see, I was taking some pictures of flower/diamond **** and then it got a little windy, and um, well, there was this crack, and um... CLICK. Hello? Hello? Insurance company? Are you still there?"

(Sorry, and I am NOT at all laughing at your expense. Honest to god. I just have this flashback to when I got my upgrade around Christmas and I was taking picture up on our roof deck using this small metal cafe table and then the wind picked up and the table started to skitter across the deck with my ring still on it. Right then and there I had a very similar conversation with MY insurance company in my head!)

I really really do hope you get it back tomorrow and that it's perfectly fine!!!

 

[Kaleigh]

I bet a plumber with the proper tools can retrieve it for you. I''m so sorry, but hang in there, at least you know where it is!!!

 

[Sundial]

Oh my gosh this is like every pricescoper''s worst nightmare! I am so sorry for you and I hope you can find someone who can retrieve your ring for you. I can just imagine myself in the same situation explaining to my husband that I lost my ring while I was trying to take pictures of it - it would NOT be pretty.

 

[ecf8503]

Thanks everybody -

I wasn''t going to post about it at all, but Hubby wanted me to ask you all, thinking I (hopefully) wasn''t the only one out there who had ever done something like this! It was one of those moments that makes you feel really stupid really fast.......... as fast as I tried to move, it all happened in slow motion yet I couldn''t do a thing about it. I never noticed the crack AT ALL until it opened into the Grand Canyon and swallowed my baby!

Ah well. At least I know where it is, and it isn''t going anywhere.............. I just hope somebody out there tomorrow can help me and doesn''t think I''m TOO nuts! The less they know, the better, right? All they need to know is that it is in there!

Anyway - here''s the last pic of it before it was devoured by the The Stairs -

 

[Waited2Long]

At least you know where it is--no reason to not be able to get it back it seems. There is no part of my house I wouldn''t destroy and rebuild to retrieve our e-ring. That said, I also wouldn''t be upset with my fiancee if she lost the ring. These things happen, and we buy insurance to let someone else worry about it.
If you ever wanted an upgrade, now''s your chance! "Honey, this never would have happened if the diamond was 3c!"

 

[kcoursolle]

Well...at least it was a great picture! Don''t worry, you know where you ring is, and I''m sure with the right tools you''ll get it back. This is much better than having absolutely no idea where your ring went. This happened to one of my grandmother''s rings once...but she found it

 

[ndnyhagen]

This may be a case where you may want a dreaded wire hanger.

Any way to make some sort of hook-type contraption from a wire hanger? I know that you can''t see the ring, but maybe fishing for it a bit will draw it up or out. Hangers are used for the darndest things, even opening up car doors! Maybe a hanger and some duck tape at the end will help you "fish" for your pretty, fluorescent beauty. Best of luck and keep us posted!

 

[kcoursolle]

I like that idea! Since you can''t see it though, how about a wire hanger contraption with a magnet at the end of it? Maybe the magnet will attract the ring and stick to it. My FF is a mechanical engineer, I''ll ask him when he gets home tonight for ideas. Godd luck!

 

[lizz]

Oh wow, that is a GREAT picture! Sorry such an awful thing happened trying to take a great pic.

My husband said to go to the hardware store and look for a snake. It has 3 little fingers on the end. You push it to open up and push it to close it. He said you could also take wood wedges to drive it between the steps to make it a bigger crack. DH said to get a pin light to see it. Good luck and let us know when you find it! YOU WILL FIND IT, IT''S THERE.

 

[Waited2Long]

Magnets most often only work on ferrous-based materials, like iron and most types of steel.

 

[kcoursolle]

Oh darn, I thought the magnet thing would work...that snake thing sounds good though.

 

[Mara]

gosh i am sorry to hear this!!!

i had a scare too the other day when i was outside taking pictures in the flowers as well and the ring was too heavy and dropped both rings into god knows where on the concrete, i heard the metal plink on the cement and then poof they were gone, and i was FREAKING OUT trying to find them on the GROUND in the front of our house....i was like OMG where are they, i have so many tangled plants there...etc...what if I can''t find them, I can''t see them...for about 3 minutes I had that sick dropped to the floor stomach feeling...how am i going to explain this to greg...UGH. But thankfully I found them...I am hoping you have similar luck!! That ring is too beautiful not to be retrieved, good luck!

 

[ecf8503]

Thanks for all the ideas - I think I''ll call a plumber in the morning and ask about the fiberoptic pipe cameras they have - being a veterinarian, I know all about endoscopes and the various biopsy and onbject retrieval mechanisms that can be passed through the scope, so I''m hoping someone somewhere has similar "pinchers" for their sewer cameras!

The problem is the stairs are a separate unit from the house, about 4 feet wide, about 8 risers tall or so - and of course the ring went down the gap between the top step and the landing / foundation of the house. The stairs are a pre-cast cement unit, hollow inside. The overlap of the top landing overhangs the step by just enough that I can''t see straight down, if that makes sense. And for all I know the ring has bounced away from the fundation wall and back under the stairs themselves, perhaps by a few feet! There''s just no way to get it myself, unfortunately. So I''ll call some people and see what they say, and if worse comes to worse, we bash a hole in the side of the steps! Eeeeeeeck -

Hubby just doesn''t understand the fascination with taking pics, especially flower pics, of my ring. He knows I feel terrible (and stupid!) but obviously the $$$ issue is his big concern. And I do feel stupid and clumsy - it''s not like I did it on purpose! Maybe it''s just the pregnancy hormones... I got the "dropsies" last time, too!

I''ll let you all know how it all turns out. Thanks for everything! (I feel so naked without it......)

 

[monarch64]

Date: 5/29/2006 10:07:26 PM
Author: ecf8503
Thanks for all the ideas - I think I''ll call a plumber in the morning and ask about the fiberoptic pipe cameras they have - being a veterinarian, I know all about endoscopes and the various biopsy and onbject retrieval mechanisms that can be passed through the scope, so I''m hoping someone somewhere has similar ''pinchers'' for their sewer cameras!

The problem is the stairs are a separate unit from the house, about 4 feet wide, about 8 risers tall or so - and of course the ring went down the gap between the top step and the landing / foundation of the house. The stairs are a pre-cast cement unit, hollow inside. The overlap of the top landing overhangs the step by just enough that I can''t see straight down, if that makes sense. And for all I know the ring has bounced away from the fundation wall and back under the stairs themselves, perhaps by a few feet! There''s just no way to get it myself, unfortunately. So I''ll call some people and see what they say, and if worse comes to worse, we bash a hole in the side of the steps! Eeeeeeeck -

Hubby just doesn''t understand the fascination with taking pics, especially flower pics, of my ring. He knows I feel terrible (and stupid!) but obviously the $$$ issue is his big concern. And I do feel stupid and clumsy - it''s not like I did it on purpose! Maybe it''s just the pregnancy hormones... I got the ''dropsies'' last time, too!

I''ll let you all know how it all turns out. Thanks for everything! (I feel so naked without it......)

Sorry, but what about thread and some chewing gum attached? I know that sounds completely silly, but before you spend the money on calling out plumbers and other professionals, there may be a chance you could snag it yourself. I''m sure you''ve already tried it, but I just thought I''d leave that suggestion...hth.

 

[tawn]

I''m grabbing a sledgehammer and I''ll be right over!!

 

[Lorelei]

Oh ECF....

Ok I am a nut as everone knows, but I wonder if there is any way if you could get a fluorescent light down there as your diamond has strong blue if that might help locate it at least? It might show up beautifully in it's dark dungeon...

Hey grab a Woods Lamp and stick it on a pole and get it down there if you can!

Please keep us posted, I know you will get it!

 

[jetmal]

Any luck ECF?????
crossing fingers for you!

 

[KristyDarling]

I just wanted to say sorry this has happened and please do not feel stupid! Hugs!!! I''m sorry I don''t have any creative ideas for retrieving your sparkly, but it sounds like you''ve already gotten some good suggestions and are headed in the right direction. Good luck and please keep us posted!

 

[snlee]

ecf8503, the picture you posted is beautiful!

any update? I hope you get your baby back soon!

I''ve taken some flower shots too where the ring(s) drop off and fall to the ground. You feel so dumb for risking damaging your diamond to take pretty pics! To lose it is a nightmare! I really do hope you find yours.

 

[ecf8503]

UPDATE -

I GOT IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY FOR MY HUBBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I did call a plumber, and their camera is 1.5 inches in diameter - the hole the ring went down was only 3/4 of an inch, so they''d have to make another hole or enlarge the existing one just to look!

So upon hearing this, Hubby went to the hardware store and bought $6 in masonry bits, drilled a hole in the side of the cement wall, aimed a light into the crack at the top of the stairs (although he says he didn''t need it, as there was enough daylight coming through the crack to illuminate quite well!), and - voila! There it was - right where I thought it would be. So then he took the head off of an old golf club, duct taped a hanger to it, passed it through the hole in the side of the wall, and snagged my ring FIRST TRY!!!!!!!!

It''s a bit dirty, but looks ok (although I have not had a chance to clean it and loupe it, it looks ok so far...).

Anyway - here is a pic of the hole in the wall he made to get it back - now all we have to do is patch the hole... but that''s the EASY part, right? YAY!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jetmal]

ooohhh, YEAH!!!!! I''m so glad for you!!!!!
WOw, hubby sure deserves a "pat on the back", LOL

sooo happy for you!

 

[LizzieC]

Yay for hubby! A true hero!

 

[Lorelei]

HOORAY!!!!!!

Aren''t Hubbies the best?

 

[Dee*Jay]

That''s fantastic!!! Now for those flower shots - LOL!