A rare ring buried in the Kent soil for 600 years has been sold at auction for £10,000.

The 15th century gold iconographic ring was found by a metal detector in Stanford, and sold today at Bonhams in London.

The price paid smashed the pre-sale estimate of £4,000 to £6,000 - but it would never have come to auction if the lucky metal detector hadn't stumbled across it buried below layers of soil.

The surface includes three slightly concave rectangular panels, depicting the Holy Trinity and the Annunciation. The design continues to the twisted shoulders engraved with rays of light, flowers and the inscription 'En Bon Foie' (In Good Faith).

Iconographic rings incorporating devotional images with inscriptions were popular throughout the 15th century and found only in England and Scotland.

Such rings, representing scenes such as the Trinity, Christ, the Virgin and favourite saints with their attributes, are believed to have been given as gifts at weddings and at New Year.