Medieval Wedding Ring Unearthed By Man With A Metal Detector

A symbol of love has turned out to have withstood the test of time—more than six centuries, to be exact.

69-year-old David Board had just picked up his metal detector for the first time since a futile maiden attempt in the 1970s. Like before, his search near the English village of Thorncombe in 2019 seemed to be unexceptional. On the second day, just as he was about to give up, his metal detector signaled that something was hidden five inches below the muddy footpath he was on.

Jaded by the attempts before, Board’s first impression was that the object was just a candy wrapper. And even when the relic was in his hand, he dismissed it as “scrap metal.”

He got home and washed off the dirt—only to learn that this “scrap metal” was a precious ring.

A wedding diamond ring, in fact, as the British Museum has verified. The institution dated the piece back to the medieval times, from which few pieces of jewelry have survived.

It’s now known as The Lady Brook Medieval diamond ring, and it will go on sale for an estimated price range of £30,000 to £40,000 (US$35,500 to US$47,500) at auction house Mayfair Auctioneers Noonans on November 29.

Nigel Mills, a consultant for Coins and Antiquities for Noonans, says the gem is in “almost perfect condition.” It sports a golden hoop with two entwined bands, denoting the couple’s union. Atop a raised bezel is an inverted diamond, creating a pointed design.

Inscribed in the ring are the medieval French words, “Ieo vos tien foi tenes le moy,” meaning, “I hold your faith, hold mine.”

Experts have pinpointed its original owner to possibly be Joan Brook, who married her husband Thomas Brook in 1388. Joan was the widow of very wealthy cloth merchant Robert Cheddar, who also served as Mayor of Bristol twice, and her marrying into the Brook family brought great fortune to the Brooks.

Board tells CNN that it’s unlikely another ring like this one will be found, since it’s not like the ones of today, which are mass-produced. Jewelry of the time, of course, was crafted by hand, making each piece unique and personal.

The owner intends to use the earnings from the auction to help pay for his partner’s daughter’s mortgage.

[via CNN and People, images via Noonans Mayfair Auctions]