LONDON: A British treasure hunter claims to have discovered a 11th century gold ring with a rare black diamond set inside it.

Black diamonds are rare today and would have been even rarer nearly 1,000 years ago, having come from Africa.

According to John Stevens, who unearthed the ring in a muddy field in Leicestershire, the lettering on it indicated that it was from the early medieval period, possibly the 11th century, the Daily Mail reported.

Though the ring has not yet been valued but is thought it could be worth tens of thousands of pounds.

"It is boldly inscribed with lettering that certainly looks very early medieval to my untrained eye. I don't know yet what the letters spell out, but if they indicate a royal owner it might be worth tens of thousand of pounds," he said.

Added antiquities specialist Brett Hammond: "It was an important item of treasure. It's gold ring possibly containing rare black diamond. It's a beautiful early medieval inscribed finger ring that would have been owned by a wealthy person.

"Common people in that era were not even allowed to own gold, so it must have been owned by a powerful person. The ring has gone to Coroner pending an inquest and if tests show what we think it is a museum will almost certainly be interesting in acquiring it."
Source : MMD English