Description: A silver 'slip-knot' ring made of square-section wire; diameter, 17.5mm; weight, 0.61g. The ring is made from a single length of wire forming the band, with another length of wire joined to create a double band which is knotted; one larger knot in the centre flanked by two smaller ones. This double-banded section is 15.2mm long and 5.3mm wide.

Scientific analysis: Non-destructive analysis of the corroded surface of the ring at the british Museum indicated a silver content of approximately 94-95%, the rest being copper, with no other elements detectable. This suggests the metal is modern refined silver. The surface analysis is slightly higher than the Sterling standard of 92.5% silver but this is likely to be the result of corrosion loss of copper from the surface during burial. (Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, British Museum, File No. 7506 41, 26^th March 2013).

Discussion: Rings of knotted wire similar to this find were popular in both the Early Medieval and Modern periods, and can be difficult to distinguish by eye alone, although the former are usually of round-section wire. The scientific analysis of the metal suggests that the example from Cliffe belongs to the modern series. It does not therefore qualify as Treasure under the stipulations of the Treasure Act 1996.