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http://www.wfts.com/stories/2003/10/031024ringfound.shtml
<STRONG>If you can't see the site here's the article:</STRONG>
Man with metal detector finds wedding ring on Siesta Key beach
an Associated Press report 10/24/03
SIESTA KEY - A man with a metal detector saved a honeymoon.
Mike Brzozowski had been married all of six days when his wedding ring slipped off his finger and into the waters off Siesta Key's beach.
For 45 minutes, he dove in the water and sifted through the sand, frantically looking for the platinum band. No luck.
That's when a Sarasota man, who had been chatting nearby with some friends and showing off his waterproof metal detector, came to the man's aid.
In about 20 minutes, Gene Gafford, treasure hunter, and his metal-finder pinpointed the ring in 10 inches of sand.
"We gave it up for lost, and he saved the day," said Brzozowski, a Michigan resident who was honeymooning last week with his wife, Melanie, and 2-year-old daughter at his parents' Osprey home.
Gafford, a 70-year-old U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector, said he often spends eight-hour days looking for metal objects in the water. He's even part of a treasure hunting club that meets in Bradenton. He's found a 3.7 carat diamond ring, a razor-sharp dagger and countless other objects with the $1,300 device.
When he can't find the owners, he gives his finds to his family.
Gafford says he's happy to help.
"Believe me," Gafford said "the look on their face was reward enough."
Scot Ruberg, a lifeguard on Siesta Key, said the metal detector owners usually just want to help people.
"They're not about finding treasure," Ruberg said. "They do it for the thank-yous."
And the Brzozowskis had plenty of those for Gafford.
<STRONG>If you can't see the site here's the article:</STRONG>
Man with metal detector finds wedding ring on Siesta Key beach
an Associated Press report 10/24/03
SIESTA KEY - A man with a metal detector saved a honeymoon.
Mike Brzozowski had been married all of six days when his wedding ring slipped off his finger and into the waters off Siesta Key's beach.
For 45 minutes, he dove in the water and sifted through the sand, frantically looking for the platinum band. No luck.
That's when a Sarasota man, who had been chatting nearby with some friends and showing off his waterproof metal detector, came to the man's aid.
In about 20 minutes, Gene Gafford, treasure hunter, and his metal-finder pinpointed the ring in 10 inches of sand.
"We gave it up for lost, and he saved the day," said Brzozowski, a Michigan resident who was honeymooning last week with his wife, Melanie, and 2-year-old daughter at his parents' Osprey home.
Gafford, a 70-year-old U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector, said he often spends eight-hour days looking for metal objects in the water. He's even part of a treasure hunting club that meets in Bradenton. He's found a 3.7 carat diamond ring, a razor-sharp dagger and countless other objects with the $1,300 device.
When he can't find the owners, he gives his finds to his family.
Gafford says he's happy to help.
"Believe me," Gafford said "the look on their face was reward enough."
Scot Ruberg, a lifeguard on Siesta Key, said the metal detector owners usually just want to help people.
"They're not about finding treasure," Ruberg said. "They do it for the thank-yous."
And the Brzozowskis had plenty of those for Gafford.