An ornate medieval gold ring set with a luminous blue stone has emerged from beneath the streets of Tønsberg, Norway’s oldest town — an extraordinary discovery that offers a rare glimpse into elite jewelry craftsmanship of the High Middle Ages.
The ring was found this past summer by archaeologist Linda Åsheim of the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) during routine archaeological supervision connected to municipal stormwater and drainage work.
Because the construction zone lies within the automatically protected cultural heritage site known as Tønsberg Medieval Town, municipal work of this kind legally requires archaeological oversight — and is occasionally rewarded with what archaeologists call a “dream find.”
Åsheim was working alone when she uncovered the ring roughly 7 centimeters (about 2.7 inches) below the surface, embedded in a cultivation layer.
“It was completely surreal,” she said in a NIKU press statement, describing the moment as an “out-of-body experience.”
She even asked nearby construction workers if they were playing a trick on her. “Now I just have to quit being an archaeologist,” she joked. “I’ve reached the top.”
Dating evidence from a spruce twig in the layer above the ring places the object between 1167 AD and 1269 AD, firmly within the High Middle Ages. The ring itself features a gold band decorated with delicate filigree — fine twisted wires carefully soldered into spiraling patterns — accented with tiny granulated gold spheres. At its center sits an oval blue gemstone that closely resembles a sapphire.
The stone is most likely glass treated with cobalt. During the High Middle Ages, cobalt-rich minerals were ground and added to molten glass to create deep, desirable blues. In medieval Europe, blue stones carried powerful symbolic meaning. They were believed to embody divine authority, protect against illness, cool “inner heat” and promote chastity — qualities prized by royalty and clergy alike.
The craftsmanship tells a broader story. According to Marianne Vedeler, professor at the University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History, the ring’s decorative elements echo techniques introduced to Scandinavia from the Byzantine world via Carolingian goldsmithing traditions. Such methods were rare and costly, signaling access to continental trade networks and exceptional skill.
The find is particularly significant given its rarity. As of today, only 63 medieval gold rings are registered in Norway’s national artifact database, Unimus. Project manager Hanne Ekstrøm Jordahl of NIKU noted that it has been 15 years since a gold ring of this kind was last discovered in Tønsberg.
The ring’s small size — approximately a modern US size 5.5 — suggests it likely belonged to a woman of high social standing. During the Middle Ages, rings were potent symbols of wealth, power and unbreakable bonds, their circular form believed to offer spiritual protection in addition to material value.
Found in a town once dominated by the royal castle complex Tunsberghus, the ring may have adorned the hand of a noblewoman or high-ranking cleric who lived in or passed through this important medieval center.
Credits: Linda Åsheim image courtesy of NIKU. Excavation photo by Linda Åsheim, NIKU. Ring photo courtesy of NIKU.