A medieval gold ring unearthed by a metal detectorist in a field he had visited many times before has been estimated to fetch up to £8,000 when it is sold at auction.
Richard Girling, 63, said the jewellery was “beautiful” and described it as “one of my best artefact finds”.
The tree surgeon, of Ickburgh in Norfolk, made the find at a site in Merton – around 20 minutes’ drive from his home – in March last year.
Mr Girling said: “I began metal detecting when I was 16 years old as as a child. I was fascinated by gold and silver shops and anything that glistened such as rocks and crystals.
The ring is marked with an inscription on the outer surface (Noonans/PA)
“Then I had a C-scope (a type of metal detector), now I have a Deus 2.
“On the day I found the ring, the ground was very wet, and I was aching from walking all day around the field that I have visited many times.
“I got a signal in one patch of the field; the soil was very black, maybe where a pond used to be, so I dug down three inches and found a gold ring – I didn’t do the dance like some people do but wow, I was very pleased with the ring, it was beautiful.”
The gold posy ring, thought to date from the 13th or 14th Century, is to be auctioned at Noonans Mayfair in London on Wednesday March 26.
It has a pre-sale estimate of £6,000-8,000.
“This is one of my best artefact finds,” Mr Girling said.
“I have found coins in the past, and it is nice to have something in your hand that hasn’t been touched for hundreds of years and imagine what were the people like, why were they there…”
Laura Smith, jewellery expert at Noonans, said: “Romance and jewellery have always been closely entwined and, during the medieval period, it became popular to inscribe a short love message or ‘posy’ on a gold ring to be given to your beloved.
“The intimacy is enhanced by the fact the message is worn right next to the skin and is really just for the wearer to behold.”
She said the ring is inscribed on the exterior in a mixture of Roman and Lombardic forms, reading: “+IO.VVS.AIM.PAR.FEI”.
This translates from Medieval French as “I love you by faith” or “I love you faithfully”.
Ms Smith said: “Merton Hall was built in 1613 on the site of a house which had been in possession of the de Grey/de Gray family since the mid 14th century, and prior to that of their ancestors in the female line, the Baynards, to whom the property was granted at the time of William the Conqueror.
“This ring is in very fine condition, described by the British Museum in the portable antiquities scheme report as ‘unworn, with crisp arrises’.”
The ring has been disclaimed as treasure, and Mr Girling will share the proceeds of the sale with the landowner.