The ring will now go to auction and Stuart will keep half the profits
A metal detectorist is enjoying a huge windfall after finding a rare gold and diamond ring dating from the late 16th or early 17th Century that is expected to sell for between £15,000 and £20,000 at auction later this month. The diamond cluster ring was unearthed in November 2024 in Wormington, near Evesham, by Stuart Jones, 42, from Solihull. It will be offered for sale by Noonans on 23 June as part of a jewellery auction.
Stuart, a welder fabricator at Jaguar Land Rover, discovered the ring while searching alone in a field he had never previously explored. He said: “I have been metal detecting for several years and am a member of multiple detecting groups. I have always been fascinated by history, archaeology and the possibility of finding treasure. What first inspired me was watching videos of people out in the countryside discovering historical coins, artefacts and relics. Seeing those discoveries made me want to get involved in the hobby myself.”
Describing the day of the discovery, he said: “The location where I found the ring was somewhere I had never detected before. Although there had been a dig there several months earlier, I did not attend that event. On the day I found the ring, I was detecting on my own. I had been detecting, with my Garrett ACE 400i fitted with a Tornado coil, from around 9am until approximately 4pm. The find came during the last hour and a half of the day. The weather was slightly warm but overcast.”
Stuart said he immediately realised the significance of the find. “When I recovered the ring, I was absolutely overwhelmed with joy. I was over the moon. Everyone around me was congratulating me and taking photographs while I held the ring. One of the club administrators suggested that I take home all the soil from around the find spot in the hope of locating the missing diamond, so I carefully collected the surrounding dirt to search through later.
“Without any doubt, the ring is the best find I have ever made. I describe it as my ‘once in a lifetime find’. Like many detectorists, I have always dreamed of finding something truly special, but I never imagined I would discover an item of this significance.”
The ring’s condition presented an additional challenge. One diamond became detached when the ring was recovered and a second stone was missing from its setting. Laura Smith, Jewellery Specialist at Noonans, said: “As Stuart mentioned, one diamond came loose and fell into his hand as he lifted the ring from the earth. It was clear a second setting was also vacant. Mr. Jones had the forethought to collect all the soil around the find site and take it home with him. Having previously attempted gold panning, he had suitable equipment to hand – he washed and sieved the retrieved soil and found the missing diamond.”
Under the terms governing such discoveries, the proceeds from the sale will be shared equally between Stuart and the landowner.
He said: “I have maintained close contact with the landowner throughout the entire process and have personally updated him with every development, from the ring’s examination by the British Museum through to the present day. We are both very excited and looking forward to auction day.”
Stuart said he had no plans to stop metal detecting. “Finding the ring has not made me want to give up. If anything, it has increased my enthusiasm for getting out into the countryside and searching for history. I know I may never find anything that surpasses this discovery, but that is part of what makes it so special.
“Whatever happens at auction, finding the ring has already been an unforgettable experience and a moment that I will treasure for the rest of my life.”
Wormington lies about four miles from Broadway on the historic London-to-Worcester road and was close to several important Tudor and Stuart-era estates. Among them was Snowshill Manor, which was granted by Henry VIII to Catherine Parr following their marriage in 1543. Another nearby estate, Wickhamford Manor, passed through several prominent families after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, including Sir Samuel Sandys, an MP whose family was closely connected to some of the most influential figures of the period.
Auction specialists say the ring reflects the fashion of the early 17th Century, when elaborate diamond jewellery was designed to make a statement. Laura said: “Metal detecting finds always attract a lot of attention when they come up for auction, and in this sale, we have 14 metal detected jewels.”
She added: “Early 17th century baroque taste required grand rings to make an impression from a distance. Fashions in diamond rings moved from solitaires towards groups of small stones arranged in decorative patterns: rosettes, pansies, crosses, fleur-de-lys, etc. This ring has a flowerhead bezel composed of a cluster of eight ‘hogback’ diamonds (which is very rare), although two are loose.
“According to a PMI test on the XRF Analyzer, the gold is testing as 19.2ct. This exact gold standard was set by Edward I in 1300; goldsmiths were forbidden to work gold of less than ‘the Touch of Paris’, being 80% pure gold (or 19.2ct).”
The ring will go under the hammer on 23 June, with auctioneers estimating it could achieve up to £20,000.
