An unusual ring, thought to be hundreds of years old, has been found in a Suffolk field.

A penannular ring dating back to the Bronze Age was found outside Leiston by Andrew Pegg.

“I’d been detecting about 14 months at that time, so I was a little bit of a novice," said Mr Pegg, after coming across the ring in January 2018.

“When I found it, I didn’t actually know what it was until a customer of mine who also detects saw it when I took it into work the next day."

East Anglian Daily Times: The ring was found in a field near LeistonThe ring was found in a field near Leiston (Image: Ron Kiely)

It wasn't the first find for Mr Pegg.

“Me and my friend had already found some Bronze Age tools in the same field," said Mr Pegg.

“That was an altogether different but stunning piece of the Bronze Age to discover.”

Mr Pegg said he knew that his find was likely to be treasure and so handed it over to the liaison officer at Suffolk County Council.

Due to delays as a result of the coronavirus, the final reports on the ring have only just been confirmed.

From Suffolk, the ring was sent to be identified by the British Museum - which confirmed it was a penannular ring.

The ring dates from around 1150-800BC, making it an item from the late Bronze Age.

Similar rings have been found in other areas of the UK.

East Anglian Daily Times: A Bronze Age penannular ring was discovered in SuffolkA Bronze Age penannular ring was discovered in Suffolk (Image: Suffolk County Council)

It is not clear what the ring's exact purpose was but it is believed they were possibly worn on the ears or the nose.

“It’s kind of become my ethos in the metal detecting world I know there are a lot of people out there that are purely in it for the money," said Mr Pegg.

“But to be honest that never interested me. It's all about the story!"

Instead, the ring will head to Aldeburgh Museum to be put on display.

As for Mr Pegg, he is continuing to use his detecting to help enrich local history and has found a good use for his collection so far.

“I am now working with the Leiston Long Shop Museum," said Mr Pegg.

“I’ve got a reasonable collection I’ve made over the few years I’ve been detecting. I’m going to hand most of that over as a display.

“Hopefully that’ll attract a few more people to the museum to do them some good as well.”