Richard Browne has helped put smiles back on many faces - he's returned over 100 rings in 30 years of searching with his metal detector...

Since 1982, Richard Browne has been finding and returning precious belongings to Cape Cod beachgoers.

"They give me a call and I go out anywhere on the Cape and find it for them and return it to them for nothing," Browne told the Cape Cod Times. "Two years ago, I returned 22 rings and this past year, 10."

Browne is a member of the Ring Finders, a world-wide network of metal detector specialists whose mission is to reunite people with their lost items.

Browne's heroics came to the fore recently when Reddit user abuaf shared the below story:

I lost a gold ring with sapphires & diamonds at the beach in Cape Cod. I gave my contact info to neighbors & lifeguards, posted a craigslist ad, but left the beach realizing my ring would be lost forever. Within 3 days I was reunited with my ring thanks to Rick Browne, Metal detector extraordinaire.

Browne told the Cape Cod Times that he has found a couple hundred rings during his 30 year career, and he's returned roughly 100, including one that possibly helped save a marriage.

Several of his success stories are documented on his Ring Finders blog. Check them out here.