A gold bishop’s ring found in England in 2019 and dated to the late 12th and early 13th centuries is set to reach auction soon.
The ring, up for sale at the Noonans Mayfair auction house on May 26, features an inlaid hexagonal sapphire flanked on two sides by inlaid emeralds and on another two sides by inlaid garnets. It was discovered in Shipdham, Norfolk.
Finder Mark Sell, a metal detector enthusiast, said in a release from the auction house Monday that he had “been detecting for a couple of hours … when just before it started to go dark I got a faint signal and dug down about 9 inches.”
Mr. Sell, 63, said, “I was amazed to see a thin line of gold in the clod of mud that I had dug up, and as I wiped away the mud, I could see the bezel of a medieval gold jewelled ring. I could also see that the ring was complete with all of the original jewels still in place and was in pristine condition.”
Rings featuring one larger inlaid stone and smaller stones surrounding it are associated with medieval bishops, Noonans jewelry expert Laura Smith said.
In this particular case, the ring could be connected to the Bishopric of Ely, which built a manor house in Shipdham during the 13th century, according to the auction house.
Mr. Sell informed the owner of the land where he found the ring, as well as a government Finds Liaison Officer, about his discovery. The ring was also temporarily displayed by the British Museum in London while it was in its care.
The piece of jewelry is expected to fetch between 15,000 and 18,000 pounds ($19,420-$23,304). The proceeds will be split between the landowner, whose name was not disclosed by Noonans, and Mr. Sell.
