A metal detectorist from Solihull has unearthed a 16th-century ring set with eight diamonds after a full day searching fields near the Gloucestershire village of Wormington, with the Stuart Jones diamond ring find now set to go under the hammer on 23 June. The ring is expected to attract bids of between $18,750 and $25,000, according to WICZ, with all proceeds to be shared equally between Jones and the landowner.
Jones, who is 42 years old, described the moment of discovery as unlike anything else in his years of searching. ‘When I recovered the ring, I was absolutely overwhelmed with joy. I was over the moon,’ he said. ‘Everyone around me was congratulating me and taking photographs. Without any doubt, the ring is the best find I have ever made.’
The Stuart Jones Diamond Ring Find: What Came Out of the Ground
The recovery was not without its anxious moments. As Jones lifted the ring from the soil, one diamond came loose and fell directly into his hand. A second stone was also missing, but he gathered the surrounding dirt and sifted through it carefully, eventually locating the lost jewel. Both stones are now accounted for.
The ring has been examined by the British Museum and will be offered at auction by Noonans of Mayfair. According to Noonans Mayfair, Jones is a detectorist from Solihull. The discovery was made in November 2024, the BBC reported, though it has only recently come to wider attention ahead of the sale.
Noonans specialist Laura Smith provided context on why the ring’s design is so unusual. ‘Early 17th century baroque tastes required grand rings to make an impression from a distance,’ she said. ‘Groups of 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. The gold is testing as 19.2-carat, 80% pure gold.’
The hogback cut, characterised by a faceted, ridge-backed profile, was a distinctly Renaissance form. Rings with a full cluster of eight such stones arranged in a flowerhead pattern are rarely encountered in this condition, which explains both the British Museum’s interest and the auction estimate.
Years of Searching, One Day in a Gloucestershire Field
For Jones, the find carries a weight that goes beyond its monetary value. ‘Like many detectorists, I have always dreamed of finding something truly special, but I never imagined I would discover an item of this significance,’ he said. ‘I know I may never find anything that surpasses this discovery, but that is part of what makes it so special.’
That kind of candour is worth taking seriously. Detectorists spend years, sometimes decades, covering ground with little more than the occasional coin or buckle to show for it. Most never find anything that reaches a museum’s attention, let alone an international auction house. The Wormington site apparently gave no obvious indication that it would yield anything of this period or quality.
‘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,’ Jones said.
The auction is being conducted by Noonans of Mayfair and is scheduled for 23 June. Under the Treasure Act, the proceeds are split equally between Jones and the landowner on whose ground the ring was found. The British Museum’s examination confirmed the ring’s age and character, lending institutional weight to what was, at the moment of discovery, a muddy glint in a man’s palm on a November afternoon in Gloucestershire.
