Medieval ring found by Mark Sell in Norfolk (Image: Noonans Mayfair)
A medieval ring that belonged to a bishop who lived between the late 12th century and the early 13th century is expected to sell for £18,000 at an auction in London later this month after it was discovered by detectorist and retired firefighter Mark Sell in . The gold ring features a central hexagonal cabochon sapphire with two emeralds and two garnets. The ring was discovered on King Row in the village of Shipdham in November 2019 and was reported to the landowner by Sell.
The was then deposited with the local Finds Liaison Officer and the treasure process was undertaken by the British Museum and Norwich Castle Museum. The ring was put on temporary display when it was under the care of , giving the general public a chance to see it. It will not go on sale at an auction in London by Noonans Mayfair on March 26. The proceeds from the sale of the ring will be split between Sell and the owner of the property where it was found.
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Speaking about his discovery, Sell revealed: “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.”
“I had been on the field a couple of times before but had not found anything of importance and had been detecting for a couple of hours with a friend, using my XP Deus , when just before it started to go dark I got a faint signal and dug down about nine inches to find what has to be the best item I have found so far,” he added.
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Meanwhile, jewellery expert at Noonans Mayfair Laura Smith commented: “The village of Shipdham was well established by the time of the Norman Conquest, extensively detailed in the Domesday Book of 1086, and at that time recorded as being within the largest 20% of settlements in England.
“This form of Medieval ring, with a principal cabochon stone – usually a sapphire – surrounded by smaller collet set satellite stones (garnets or rubies, and emeralds), can be securely dated to the late 12th or early 13th Century, and is associated with the bishopric.”