Saint Christopher lost at sea… Last known location Narragansett Town Beach, RI. The 75-year-old family heirloom bearing the patriarch saint on one side and decades of family added designs on the other suddenly washed off the wearer's neck.
Joe's family member found me through a ring recovery Facebook post from 5 years ago. My contact info was kindly shared with Joe and we were able to set up an evening low tide appointment. Attempting the recovery of his lost gold pendant with a borrowed metal detector, Joe quickly realized the difficulty in searching the ocean for a small gold pendant. After spending 3 – 4 hours in the water searching, Joe was eager and sincere in his call for help which made perfect sense after learning the pendant's significant family history. Using a metal detector in the ocean is a very difficult task and requires specific equipment and a high level of experience, especially when retrieving small gold items. I chose this particular evening as search conditions were forecasted to quickly decline over the next couple of days. Joe and I marked off the most likely search area and I headed out into the rolling surf. I began in chest-deep water and let the incoming tide slowly push me back towards the shore. For the first 45 minutes or so, I almost lost my sunglasses a handful of times which is fewer than normal so I knew the wave action was in my favor for now. I found a few pull tabs, someone else's lost ring and some old metal trash… But still no gold pendant. I was starting to work harder at scouring the seafloor as the sunset and the wave action picked up. Running out of time and digging deep into my bank of experience, I still felt like I was missing something. Expanding the search beyond my comfort level into slightly deeper water was the only chance of finding this lost pendant. I finally heard a promising signal! I had to float up and over each passing wave so it wasn't easy staying on top of the target long enough to dig my scoop in the sand but I eventually got it done. My heart stopped when the sand cleared my scoop and I saw a golden Saint Christopher staring up at me. I flipped it over to quickly verify the family designs Joe mentioned earlier. Oh man, Joe had no idea what was about to happen. I walked up the beach and went straight for my phone so I could give Joe the pendant and take a few photos. But before I could show him the pendant, Joe started telling me of a woman on the beach and how she approached him with a vision of us finding something. As soon as Joe said that, I hit the record button on my phone, held up the pendant, and said "maybe she was right." Joe was overwhelmed with joy the moment he saw the glimmer of gold! Reunited with his lost pendant, at last, he promised to keep it safe and sound until it's time to hand it down to the next generation.
“The pendant was given to me by my father with my favorite thing in the world on it, a car, and the patriarch saint of travel, Saint Christopher. This is also where I got my middle name. I've had the pendant on me until the day I lost it. You found it within an hour and it was easily the best decision I've made. Now I can keep the family tradition alive and hand it down to the next generation… Well, I'll hand it down as soon as they learn not to wear it at the beach. – Joe”
If you've lost a pendant in the ocean, contact a professional detectorist to discuss the next steps. I serve Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and short distances into other surrounding states. If you have a lost pendant or something of value, contact Keith Wille.