One Man Found a Rare Medieval Wedding Ring Worth $47,000

When David Board set out to search a pasture field near Dorset England with his metal detector in 2019, he wasn’t expecting to find anything special. In the 1970s, Board often combed local beaches, but he never made any exciting discoveries. Once a family friend encouraged him to try his luck again, his expectations were low. Near the end of the day in the pasture, right when he was about to call it quits, Board’s device sent him a signal. After digging five inches underground, he saw the item and thought it was a candy wrapper at first. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a rare ring. “It was once I got home and washed it off that we realized it was a lot better than we thought,” Board tells CNN.

The ring, known as “The Lady Brook Medieval” diamond ring, is worth around $47,000, People reports. Lucy Shipley, the finds liaison officer, took the sparkler to the British Museum and confirmed that it was medieval in date and a one-of-a-kind find, according to Noonans in Mayfair. “This ring is in almost perfect condition and has an inverted diamond set into the raised bezel so that it comes to a point," says Nigel Mills, consultant for coins and antiquities at Noonans. “The hoop is composed of two neatly entwined bands symbolizing the union of the couple. Inside the band is an inscription in French 'ieo vos tien foi tenes le moy' (translated as 'I hold your faith, hold mine'),” he says.

Noonans speculates that wealthy landowner Sir Thomas Brook may have given the gold band to his wife, Lady Joan Brook, for their marriage in 1388 since they owned the pasture during that time. The London-based company auctioned off the ring on November 29, 2022. Board says he will use the money to assist his partner’s daughter with a mortgage.

On November 16, 2022, Noonans auctioned off another interesting find. Andrew Phillips joined a charity group in August of 2006 to detect a field that spans from Wiltshire to Norfolk. Once his metal detector buzzed, he pulled out a silver seal. According to Noonans, the seal has a crowned lion engraved on the piece and an inscription that reads “SECRETUM ALICIE DE T,” which is translated to “the secret seal of Alice Turbeville.” Turbeville was born in Cornwall in 1302 and went on to marry John de la Bere and raise five children. Noonans says silver seal matrices are rare, especially when they can be traced back to an individual.

In October of 2022, a Florida resident found another unique ring. When Joseph Cook was searching Hammock Beach in St. Augustine, Florida with a metal detector, he landed on a diamond rock. “When I first found it, I thought it would just be a nickel, but then, I dug it up, and it was just this big old diamond and platinum ring,” he recounts. Cook took the gemstone to a local jewelry store, where he learned that the item was worth $40,000. “I just said, ‘Oh god, that’s been sitting in my scooter for almost a week,’” Cook tells SWNS. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Since the ring was a valuable item, he was eager to find the owners. He posted about the missing item on social media and spread the news to stores around the area. Finally, a Jacksonville couple contacted Cook about the lost piece of jewelry and revealed themselves as the rightful owners. “They were pretty happy,” he reflects to the outlet. “The wife was on a FaceTime call, and she just said, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe it,’ and then, she just started crying.”