A man found a rare thing in a field medieval ring. Now it can be sold at auction for £18 thousand (2 photos)

According to experts, similar rings were worn by bishops in the 12th and 13th centuries.





Amateur treasure hunter and former firefighter Mark Sell, 63, discovered a gold ring with five gemstones — a sapphire in the center and garnets and emeralds around the edges — back in 2019. According to Mark, he combed the area with a metal detector several times, but for a long time he did not find anything of value.

However, late one evening in November 2019, the man suddenly heard a faint beep from his metal detector. Mark dug a hole about 23cm deep and was “astonished” to see a thin strip of gold “in a lump of dirt”. He said that when he cleaned the ring, he found it was in perfect condition.

Mark reported the find to the landowner, and the ring was handed over to the district officer. It was then temporarily displayed at the British Museum to prepare for auction. Laura Smith, a jewellery expert, explained that rings of this shape were worn by bishops in the 12th and 13th centuries.