WORCESTER, Mass. - Han Tu lost a gold chain with a jade Buddha and a heart charm on it about 18 years ago up at Old Orchard Beach in Maine. Now it’s back around his neck and he says he still can’t believe the necklace with a lot of sentimental value was found.

“You can't really put into words the magnitude of everything happening and all the pieces that had to align for me to get my chain back," Tu said.

Tu says he’s forever grateful for Dennis Boothby who found this necklace he lost 18 years ago on Old Orchard Beach and got it back.

“I definitely teared up and cried, which I normally don't cry, but I teared up and cried when I got it back because it has a lot of meaning," Tu said. "Especially with the heart being from my friend Brittany that passed away at such a young age.”

“When we were driving down and my wife, Cheryl, and I thought it would be like a lot of the other returns he would be jumping up and down," Boothby said. "‘Yes!’ And when I saw your face turn and you broke into tears like, 'oh, my God, this really meant something to him.' I’m so happy you got it back.”

The gold chain and jade Buddha were a high school graduation present for Tu. The heart charm is from a friend who passed away at the age of 15.

“This necklace had a lot of meaning, but now it has more meaning because when I pass it down to my son, it's going to show him that there's good people like you in the world," Tu said to Boothby. "And if you do good, good will always come back to you. So, you've given me a story to pass down for generations.”

Boothby is known online for running The Ring Finders of Maine. Tu recently messaged Boothby asking if he’d ever seen the necklace. Boothby didn’t remember the heart charm at first, but knew he had found a Buddha chain in 2006. Boothby specializes in reuniting lost jewelry with owners and cracked open a safe to find Tu’s chain once again.

“I provide a free service. I don’t charge for my time or my service. I just charge my transportation fee," Boothby said. "I go down, search three or 4 hours, see if I can find it. If I don't, I go back the next day, depending on the tide; that’s just the way I work.”

“I feel like I'm minuscule in this story where Dennis is the one that's providing like the work and helping people for free," Tu said. "Being able to reconnect people with pieces of jewelry that mean a lot to them.”

Tu said he’s thankful to be one of the many people Boothby has helped and he’ll be sure to follow the metal detectorist’s advice and keep the necklace out of the water.

Han said he’ll be keeping the necklace in a safe place until he passes it down in a few years to his 2-year-old son. He’s planning a trip up to Old Orchard this summer to meet up with Dennis and take a picture of his son wearing the chain where Dennis found it on the beach.