The One Ring

[sm4him]

Sorry--this is NOT about THAT One Ring. It's about The one ring that I found, that I'd like to get back to its owner.

Last week, I found a woman's ring, out in the parking lot of a store near where I live. Since I have little interest in jewelry, I really couldn't tell if it was a $50 department store ring or something more expensive.

So, last night, I asked some friends at church who wear better jewelry. They couldn't tell either but suggested taking it to a jeweler. D'OH! Why didn't *I* think of that??
It turns out, it is a fairly expensive ring--not thousands of dollars, but hundreds anyway. So, maybe someone's engagement ring or a ring with some other special significance.

I already asked at the store if anyone had called looking for any lost jewelry items; nobody had. The store manager graciously offered to KEEP the ring and contact the authorities, with the promise they'd try to track down the owner--and that, if they couldn't, after 30 days, I could claim ownership. Meh. I don't care about claiming ownership, I care about finding the RIGHT owner--and somehow I doubt the "authorities" would spend much time and effort on that task.
Unless the ring was stolen and then dropped, what would they do to locate the owner? I mean, you don't typically call the police to report things you simply LOST somewhere.

So. Now I have to figure out how to reunite this ring with its owner.
Step 1--Look for any "lost item" listing in the local paper, etc.
Step 2--Maybe post my own "found" listing.
Step 3--Share the information with friends on FB and see if we can spread it enough to find the owner. This is only likely to work IF the owner is someone local--if they were visiting here from Michigan, it's kind of unlikely I'll be able to find them.
I don't intend to share any specifics--not the actual store where I found it (just the area of town), and certainly not what the ring looks like. That'll be the task of those who want to try to lay claim to it, especially the description part.

Any other ideas for how to make this lost ring story have a happy ending?

 

[weepete]

Online would be the way to go I think. Write a wee blurb on instafacechat or whatever social media is common place these days and get freinds and friends of friends to pass it on. Dunno if you have a village hall or church group notice board that you could stick a message up too, also let them know at the local cop shop and that way they can let you know if anyone is in contact with them looking for it. That's what 'd do at least.

 

[Joves]

Put an ad on the CL lost and found section. Not with a description of the right, as you stated, but just the general area where you found it. And ask them to describe it, or ask if they have a photo of it. I look in the CL L&F often because another one of my hobbies is metal detecting.

 

[Derrel]

Step 1--Look for any "lost item" listing in the local paper, etc.
Step 2--Maybe post my own "found" listing.
Step 3--Share the information with friends on FB and see if we can spread it enough to find the owner.

ALL this sounds good, but let me add that years ago, I looked up my state's legal obligations on found property. One step was the turning in of such property to the authorities, so people have a centralized, "official" place to seek out what they have lost, and that found property is consistently turned in to "the authorities". The problem with your three-p;art plan is that it depends on the original owner finding YOUR notices, across a wide area of places, which they might never ever see; that's different than if you turn the found item over to the official authorities.

 

[sm4him]

Derrel, you make a good point. But on the other hand--I don't know ANYone who has lost an item of value who actually DID check with the "authorities" to try to locate the item.
The exception to that is people who have lost pets--they DO usually check with the Humane Society, which would be "authority" in this case. But I've actually been asking people the question, "What steps would take to try to locate an item of substantial value that you know you lost, but don't necessarily know WHERE you lost it?" None of them ever have the thought of checking with the authorities to see if it's been turned in.
Still--I might just call and ask about this. I just imagine that turning it in would simply mean AT LEAST another 30 days that nobody is doing anything about reuniting it with its owner.

 

[Derrel]

Well, every state in the union has its own laws. There is a lawful, declared, known way to handle this. Anecdotal "I don't know anybody who has followed the law and asked the police if my ring was turned in," is a bit weak on the moral end of this argument, in my book.

here is an example, from my state. ORS 98.005 - Rights and duties of finder of money or goods - 2013 Oregon Revised Statutes

"
98.005¹
Rights and duties of finder of money or goods

(1)If any person finds money or goods valued at $250 or more, and if the owner of the money or goods is unknown, such person, within 10 days after the date of the finding, shall give notice of the finding in writing to the county clerk of the county in which the money or goods was found. Within 20 days after the date of the finding, the finder of the money or goods shall cause to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county a notice of the finding once each week for two consecutive weeks. Each such notice shall state the general description of the money or goods found, the name and address of the finder and final date before which such goods may be claimed.

(2)If no person appears and establishes ownership of the money or goods prior to the expiration of three months after the date of the notice to the county clerk under subsection (1) of this section, the finder shall be the owner of the money or goods. [1973 c.642 §1; 1989 c.522 §1; 2013 c.220 §1]
"

 

[Dagwood56]

Does the store where you found the ring have a bulletin board inside? If so, or even at their service desk, put a notice that you found a ring in the parking lot on whatever the day was and how to contact you. State that the owner must be able to describe the ring in detail and or provide proof of ownership - a photo of it on their hand perhaps. Other than that I'd have to say give it to the police and possibly place an ad that you found the ring and it can be found at such and such a police station.

 

[sm4him]

Okay, so, NEW plan. My concern in handing the ring over to "authorities" was mostly about the fact that *I* believe it just means an additional period of time that nobody is doing anything to locate the owner. But it occurs to me that just because I turn the ring in, that doesn't mean I can't STILL pursue the same plan as far as locating the owner--and it would make it even easier to weed out the scammers if I tell them they can reclaim their property at the police department.

I'm going to take some pictures of it first, and then give it to the store so they can contact the police about it. THEN I'll still pursue the other avenues, I just won't have actual possession of the ring at that point.

 

[pixmedic]

Okay, so, NEW plan. My concern in handing the ring over to "authorities" was mostly about the fact that *I* believe it just means an additional period of time that nobody is doing anything to locate the owner. But it occurs to me that just because I turn the ring in, that doesn't mean I can't STILL pursue the same plan as far as locating the owner--and it would make it even easier to weed out the scammers if I tell them they can reclaim their property at the police department.

I'm going to take some pictures of it first, and then give it to the store so they can contact the police about it. THEN I'll still pursue the other avenues, I just won't have actual possession of the ring at that point.

why not bypass the store owner all together and turn it in to the police yourself?

 

[sm4him]

Okay, so, NEW plan. My concern in handing the ring over to "authorities" was mostly about the fact that *I* believe it just means an additional period of time that nobody is doing anything to locate the owner. But it occurs to me that just because I turn the ring in, that doesn't mean I can't STILL pursue the same plan as far as locating the owner--and it would make it even easier to weed out the scammers if I tell them they can reclaim their property at the police department.

I'm going to take some pictures of it first, and then give it to the store so they can contact the police about it. THEN I'll still pursue the other avenues, I just won't have actual possession of the ring at that point.

why not bypass the store owner all together and turn it in to the police yourself?

Actually, I've got a call in to find out exactly what the PD wants me to do in that regard. It'd just be *easier* to get it to the store, because it's 1/2 mile from my house.

 

[sm4him]

UPDATE: NEW new plan--which is basically the OLD plan.
I talked to one of our security officers here (who is an actual police officer, not just a security person) and she said there is NO need to turn it in to the authorities. She said that if I want to find the owner (which I very much do!) that she'd suggest exactly what I had in mind in the first place. AND--if anyone wants to try to lay claim to it, I can have them meet me here at work, where either the person I talked to or another security officer could be on hand.

So, I'm back to my original plan.