Everyone has had that moment of instant dread that comes when you realise that you've lost something of value.
Worse still, when the item has sentimental value and finding it seems impossible - at best.
So imagine how one Canberra woman felt when Oliver Tester not only responded to her Facebook plea offering to help find the ring she had lost in a dog park but located it after a couple of hours searching with his metal detector.
"When I can see that I can help out somebody, I do," he says.
"Most people are really appreciative that you've gone to that little bit of extra effort to help them out.
"I guess people don't ever expect to get that item back - they're hopeful, but they don't expect it. So when they actually get that item back in their hand, it means a lot to them and it's just another story for that item.
"In the case of the lady on the weekend, she had a ring and it had strong sentimental value because it was part of the story of her family, and having found it again, it adds even more value to that ring for her."
The Holt resident first started metal detecting when he was living in Perth eight years ago - "my family and I used to do it something to get everyone out and about on the weekend, and go and see new and interesting places."
And last weekend's adventure it's not the first time Tester has helped returned items to their owners. Sometimes they don't even realise they're missing anything until he finds it for them.
One of the more memorable items he has found along the way was a 1800s guard badge from the New South Wales Government Railways.
"I was able to use the badge number to be able to track down the family that the badge belonged to and return it," Tester says.
While the capital itself isn't the best for metal detecting due to both its relatively young age and the need for permissions ruling out a lot of possible detecting areas, Canberra's surrounding has proved fruitful.
"There are a lot of country properties and a lot of people are pretty open to people coming to have a look with a metal detector, especially if you're going to give the items back to them to help tell the story of the property that they have," he says.
"But most metals are easy to find. Coins, rings and jewellery are pretty easy because they show up quite well. The harder things are medallions and the older sort of currencies which are more difficult because they are usually buried a lot deeper."
Metal detecting can get a pretty nerdy wrap but that doesn't stop Tester from getting out and about. And with Facebook pages with 18,000 members or more, he's not alone.
"It's really all about getting people outside, seeing new things, meeting new people, getting some exercise and finding out the history around Australia."
