Wife lost diamond, search methods???

[Iwantabikesobad]

Hi all, My wife lost a 1 caret diamond from her wedding ring today, Could have been in the flower bed while trimming roses. Or could have been in the house while cleaning.
We do have insurance on the diamond but after 18 years we dont know to what value. We will check tomorrow.
We have had the ring regularly inspected so they might replace it. Lets hope.

So the question is, What are some methods of searching that would have the best chance of finding it.
Yes its a grain of sand on a beach search. She says she will feel a little guilty if she doesnt at least look for it.

I took the P trap apart under the sink, No luck there. We have dark carpet so I have killed the lights and am useing a flash light beam angled down about a foot off the carpet. No luck yet.
Next we are going to sweep and vacuum the house floors and run the dirt through a mesh screen.

If its outside its gone, way to much area to search.
Thanks in advance.

[CoCamper]

Not all, but most diamonds will fluoresce blue under a black light (UV light).

It won't be bright, but if you are looking foot by foot, you should have a good chance of seeing it.

Good luck!

[potatoho]

I usually take a light hollow metal rod and hand sweep briskly across carpet. With the right material just about anything hard will make an audible *tink* sound.

[koncha]

First, remember it isn't the diamond that means anything.

Second, you need to find some childless single women in their late 30s. They seem to be able to seek out diamonds with precision.

[Iwantabikesobad]

So the vacuuming of the carpet turned up nothing.We have a rainbow vacuum that pulls suction through a bowl of water.
All debris stays in the water. Its a real eye opener to take a close look in the bowl. We dumped it through a strainer and picked through that. About a 1/4 pound of wet pet hair and even a toe nail but no diamond.
Kitchen is next.

[Iwantabikesobad]

Only a chip of broken glass in the kitchen.

She just now hinted that if she gets a bigger diamond next time it will be easier to find.
The search continues.

The idea of a half dozen single girls searching my house while on their hands and knees got quite the laugh out of the wife. Thanks for that.

I had never heard of the tube method thats a great idea.

The Black light, I hadn't heard of diamonds glowing. I have wanted a good quality black light for a while. Now I got a reason to get one.

[Beamklamp]

Yea, it's aboot time for the holiday diamond commercials..

[MrBob]

Set up a grid and search in it, this will help you stay organized and not backtrack.

[A-Bone]

Originally Posted by Iwantabikesobad

Only a chip of broken glass in the kitchen.

She just now hinted that if she gets a bigger diamond next time it will be easier to find.
The search continues.

The idea of a half dozen single girls searching my house while on their hands and knees got quite the laugh out of the wife. Thanks for that.

I had never heard of the tube method thats a great idea.

The Black light, I hadn't heard of diamonds glowing. I have wanted a good quality black light for a while. Now I got a reason to get one.

plus they have to be nekid so you know they don't pocket the diamond for themselves...

[NJjeff]

Did the stone unseat from the ring? Or did she loose the whole ring?

I personally know several success stories from people using metal dectectors to locate rings.

One person went to a local hobby store that sold metal detectors. They put her intouch with a metal detecting club. Several members were more than eager to help with a search through the yard and garden.
They did find it.

[Lobby]

Make sure you're dealing with a reputable jeweler who knows about setting diamonds. A strong prong design, while possibly detracting from the beauty of the stone, is preferable to me than thin prongs that can loosen up.

Oh, and tell her not to wear her ring while gardening.

[Boondoggle]

Originally Posted by MrBob

Set up a grid and search in it, this will help you stay organized and not backtrack.

+1. About a dozen years ago we used this method to find a diamond ring in a 1/3 acre backyard. In the dark. Drunk. (we didn't search the whole yard, but there was a roughly 25x50ft area where it was likely to be, and we searched that)

Be a nerd about it- stretch mason's twine on posts and search one square foot at a time.

[darkstarmoto]

I'm sure you've probably already thought of these ideas...

Assuming the ring itself was in good condition and the setting was fairly tight, does she recall at any point getting that hand hung up on something? Does she wear gloves while in garden, I'd be looking inside those if she does.

[skysailor]

Originally Posted by A-Bone

plus they have to be nekid so you know they don't pocket the diamond for themselves...

Ah young grasshopper, they can still "pocket" it!

[PineyMountainRacing]

Originally Posted by Iwantabikesobad

She just now hinted that if she gets a bigger diamond next time it will be easier to find.
The search continues.

My best friend's wife had a diamond ring that disappeared, she swore someone stole it. It was pretty small, they were flat broke when they got married. After 6 months of searching and agonizing, he finally bought her a huge rock. 1 week later the old ring miraculously re-appeared.

just sayin...