A ring lost in a New York lake in 1998 was found with a metal detector 28 years later

A school ring lost in Great Sacandaga Lake in New York State in 1998 was returned to its owner 28 years later. The piece of jewelry was found by two metal-detecting enthusiasts when the reservoir’s water level fell and exposed part of the lakebed.

The ring belongs to Kim Rasbeck, a 1988 graduate of Red Creek School. She lost it while spending time with friends at Great Sacandaga Lake and for many years thought it was impossible to find.

Michael Siegl and Dylan Laporte, who share a passion for metal detecting, discovered the jewelry. “We heard the detector signal, then simply turned over a rock — and the ring was lying there,” Laporte said.

The men initially posted a photo of the find on social media, but received no responses. Laporte then called Red Creek School directly: the secretary immediately recognized whose ring it was — she had once played on the same soccer team as Rasbeck.

The owner, who now lives in Rochester, offered to pay the finders, but they refused. “That’s why we go out: to find rings and return them. Everything else is just a bonus,” Siegl explained.

Stories like this happen less often than the news might suggest. Great Sacandaga Lake is a reservoir with seasonal water-level fluctuations, and finds on the exposed lakebed are possible only during certain periods. In addition, an item can usually be returned to its owner only when it bears an engraving: a school name, graduation year or initials.