Forum: lifehacks.stackexchange.com
Tags: <efficiency><search>
Title: Finding a gold ring lost in the lawn
Question: How do I find my gold ring which is lost inside the grass in my garden?

Please tell me an easy way to find my ring quickly.

Answers:
sents: text: If you have 5-10 year old sons, daughter, nieces and nephews (basically kids you trust with a ring), get a group of them together and tell them that whoever finds the ring in the grass will get $20 (or some other appropriate, parent-approved prize).
text: Also have cake & ice cream for those who didn't find it.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/4198/BrettFromLA
score: 60
sents: text: Go outside that night with a very strong flashlight or preferably a higher-intensity floodlight.
text: With any luck, the glint of any metal object will stand out considerably compared to anything else you might find among the grass.
text: Work systematically.
text: Search the lawn one square at a time.
text: You are much more likely to find something searching one square meter at a time rather than wandering aimlessly.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/80/Robert Cartaino
score: 34
sents: text: Obvious but expensive answer: wave a metal detector over your lawn.
text: Maybe a friend has one you could borrow?
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/4198/BrettFromLA
score: 34
sents: text: First of all, do not assume it is in the garden unless you are absolutely certain.
text: If there is any possibility it is somewhere else, then those other places must be systematically searched.
text: Do not use a rake.
text: Do not walk around on, or otherwise disturb in any way the search area.
text: Randomly casting around for the object is a bad idea.
text: The way to find the ring is to systematically search the search area.
text: To do this with a plot of ground, like a backyard, what you should do is string it with a grid.
text: Drive in wooden stakes around the perimeter of the area.
text: Make sure the stakes are well outside anywhere the ring could have dropped.
text: Next, pull twine around the stakes making a lattice pattern.
text: Tie a heavy object to the twine and throw it across
text: so you do not have to walk in the search area.
text: When you are done you should have the yard divided into a grid, each cell being about 16 inches square.
text: Once you have divided the search area into a grid, begin searching it cell by cell, marking each cell after you finish it.
text: If your ring is in the search area, it is likely you will find it as long as you thoroughly search each cell.
text: Also, check all branches and twigs in each cell; sometimes an object will catch on a twig.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/5292/Tyler Durden
score: 18
sents: text: Crows here in the Pacific Northwest find everything.
text: I threw a loaf of bread squares onto my lawn one morning, trying to remember where I put my single car key.
text: Voila, a crow buggered around and flipped the key so I could see it.
text: Luckily he didn't use it for his nest.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/5299/Angus Blackwylde
score: 5
sents: text: You could try raking the grass, with any luck the ring might hook onto one of the many tines on the rake and thus be retrieved.
text: If it doesn't hook on, it should be easy to hear the metal on metal 'ding' noise once you've scraped over it.
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/2089/MrPhooky
score: 4
sents: text: You could also try the old vacuum panty hose trick.
text: Your neighbors might think you are crazy, if they see you vacuuming the lawn :)
answer_details: author: lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/2340/RobAu
score: 3

Summary of the answers:
There are a few ways you can find a gold ring lost on the lawn. If you have young children, you could offer a reward for whoever finds it. Otherwise, you could try going out at night with a strong flashlight to catch any reflections, and work systematically, one square at a time. If you know someone with a metal detector, this could also be very useful.
The options include getting a group of children to search, look at night with a flashlight, use a metal detector, make a string grid and go over it systematically or try the old vacuum panty hose trick.