The combination of sand, sunscreen, water, and swimming seem to create a perfect storm in which folks frequently lose coins, jewelry, and sunglasses (along with their pop cans, tent stakes, and fishing sinkers, it seems). In some areas, you can also make historic finds on the beach – some detectorists in the southeastern US have found items from Spanish shipwrecks, for example. But the most sought after and potentially lucrative finds on the beach are pieces of jewelry.