A 20 karat gold ring found by a metal detectorist near the grounds of Beverley Minster parish church in Yorkshire has sold for £7,100 ($10,129) at auction.

The piece is believed to date to between 1450 and 1550 and probably belonged to a bishop or some other top church official.

Detectorist Adam Day with the ring he discovered near Beverley Minster

The ring features superbly detailed flower engravings, along with depictions of St George and St Catherine.

Adam Staples of auctioneer Hansons, said: “It is a superb example of the craftsmanship of the time. Only high-ranking figures such as bishops or nobility would have been able to afford a ring of such high quality featuring fine decorative engraving and faceting.

“It may well have belonged to a bishop from Beverley Minster and would have been commissioned.”

Beverley Minster is one of the oldest churches in the UK.

There’s been a monastery at the site since AD 700.

Metal detecting is a hobby that, for most, yields little more than pennies and bottle caps.

Finder Adam Day revealed how it feels to strike gold: “I was shaking when I found it. It was quite close to the surface, not buried deep in the ground...

"You can see Beverley Minster from the field where I found the ring.”

Mr Day is splitting the proceeds from the sale with the landowner and two friends who were with him when he made the find.

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