Rare treasure found on farmland

The gold ring contains a rare stone (photo: time-lines.co.uk)

Two rare and valuable treasures have been unearthed in the East Midlands in the past few weeks.

A jewel-encrusted gold ring from the 14th or 15th Century was found on a Leicestershire farm by John Stevens, a businessman from Hinckley.

Earlier this month, an Anglo-Saxon gold cross from the 7th Century was found by another treasure hunter on a farm in Nottinghamshire.

An antiquities expert described the finds as "rare" and "very important".

Mr Stevens, 42, discovered the ring while searching a local farm with his metal detector.

The ring contains a valuable black stone and is also inscribed.

The cross dates back to the 7th Century (photo: time-lines.co.uk)

Brett Hammond, an antiquities expert supplier from TimeLine Originals, said: "It is quite unusual for a ring, after all this time, to still have the original stone in it.

"It is an important piece and would have been owned by someone quite wealthy in the church or even royalty."

Earlier in August, another treasure hunter had approached him with the pure gold Anglo-Saxon Cross, an unusual and valuable item.

Mr Hammond said both artefacts were of "high quality" .

The cross is now in the process of being declared a treasure, and is in the possession of British Museum, he said.

The ring will soon go through the same process.