"Absolute Masterpiece": 9th century gold ring found in Drenthe

A beautifully decorated medieval gold ring inlaid with a gemstone was found at a site of Het Drentse Landschap in the summer of 2020, the Drents Museum announced on Wednesday. “A similar ring with the same decoration from England is dated 10th, early 11th century. But our research showed that this Drenthe ring probably dates from the 9th century,” the museum said, describing the ring as an “absolute masterpiece.”

The ring is 2.6 by 2.3 cm in size, with a hole in the middle, where a pink/red stone - likely a garnet - was mounted. The gemstone was found loose from the ring. The front of the ring is decorated in filigree, attached at some points with gold staples. “The ring is an absolute masterpiece within the range of known medieval jewelry,” the museum said.

The ring will be displayed at the Drents Museum from April 16 to May 28. After that, archaeologists will conduct further research into the ring to determine exactly what kind of ring it is and how it ended up in Drenthe. After that, the ring will experts will restore the ring, including placing the garnet back at the center of the ring, before it receives a prominent place in Drents Museum’s new presentation Labyrinthia.

To prevent people from searching the area, the museum and Het Drentse Landschap decided not to say exactly where the ring was found. The museum also pointed out that Het Drentse Landschap explicitly prohibits the use of metal detectors on its sites to preserve the sites and prevent people from stumbling across potentially dangerous WWII weapons and mines.