Story by: anon
A GOLD ring which was found in a field near Sandbach and dates back almost 2,000 years has been officially declared as treasure.
An inquest in Macclesfield declared the ring, which is made of solid gold with a blue nicolo glass setting, probably dates back to the Roman period between AD200 and AD400 and was therefore treasure.
The ring was found by a keen metal detectorist in early May 2013 when searching fields in the Sandbach area with the farmers permission. After entering the field, he switched his detector on and almost immediately got a good clear signal.
The detectorist, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I dug down just a few inches and when I sifted the soil, a glint of gold was seen. In my palm was a beautiful gold ring with a blue stone. Through 20 years of metal detecting I knew it was of some antiquity , but wasnt sure exactly what period it was from”
“I immediately took it for the farmer to see, who was amazed such an artefact had been found on his land. I did check the area where I found the ring, but located nothing else.”
The ring was soon submitted to Manchester Museum, where it was recorded and submitted to the British Museum under the Treasure act 1996. An examination of the ring determined that the gem is of a blue glass, possibly nicolo glass, with chamfered sides and a flat, light-blue upper surface. The gem is plain and not engraved. The gold band of the ring is wide but thin at the shoulders, and thickens and narrows at the back of the hoop. The shoulders are decorated with two engraved swirls on either side.
This was not the first item of gold treasure the finder had found. He said:" In the late 1990’s I found a gold posy ring circa AD1600 in Cheshire and was blown away by its beauty. I feel incredibly lucky to find yet another item of treasure. Its made even better when, according to the Portable Antiquities database, its only the third such gold Roman ring found in Cheshire. That makes me very proud to have made such a contribution to Cheshire's history. This is not the first time I have found gold treasure and I am very impressed with my Whites DFX metal detector which continues to locate great finds and wouldnt change it for the world”
http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/561272
