Down amongst the green hills of Devon - something very small is about to set off on a very big journey. In the historic market town of Totnes, the tiniest of community treasures will shortly be on its way to one of the world's most prestigious museums. It's an exquisite gold and painted enamel ring – a star attraction in the Elizabethan House Museum since 1962 – and one of a pair presented in the 17^th century, by town dignitaries, to the daughters of a rich local businessman.

The whereabouts of the other ring has long been a mystery until museum volunteer and freelance journalist Richard Wyatt decided to have a go and see if he could track it down in time for the town museum's 50^th anniversary celebrations next year. He emailed pictures of the Lee Ring – as its become known - to some of our leading institutions and was bowled over to discover the other ring was also on display in a museum. Though – it has to be said - a slightly bigger one! It has been on public view at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London since 1968. One object amongst over 4.5 million in the permanent collection of the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design.

Curator Rachel Church told him his email had been a delightful surprise as the V&A had no idea that their ring was one of a matching pair. Nor were they aware of its social history and the connection with the Devon town. Now, with Totnes Museum closed for the winter, it's been decided to allow the V&A to borrow their band of historical gold. Both rings are being brought together for experts, with international authority, to examine and hopefully discover exactly when and where they were made. Though the pair will not be on public display in the capital, Totnes Museum has made an official loan request and is in discussions that could lead to both rings being on view to the public in Devon next year. Brought together in the town where they were originally presented for the first time in centuries, and forming a centrepiece to next year's anniversary celebrations.

The rings are a superb example of 17^th Century craftsmanship and have already been described as 'priceless'.They were made as a 'thank-you' gesture from the Mayor and Town Corporation of Totnes – then the sixteenth richest town in England - to mark the generosity of a local merchant called Richard Lee. This three-times Mayor of the town had also funded the building of a market exchange for traders like him to do business in. Unusually, around the enamel coating were painted – in exquisite detail - tiny coloured figures of merchants of all nations – an amazing link with the people of this town's past. The rings also bear the initials of the benefactor, Totnes town and Richard Lee's daughters – Katherine and Christian.

This was a time when Totnes enjoyed great wealth - trading with mainland Europe in the export of local woollen products, leather and tin from Dartmoor together with the import of a variety of goods and luxury products. Many of the merchants built fine houses and there are still some sixty houses from the Tudor and Stuart period in the main street. Many hidden by modern shop fronts.

The Totnes ring was bought in the 1930's for £35 by the Town's Antiquarian Society from a London auction. It went on display in the new town museum when it opened in 1962. Meanwhile, the V&A paid a Chichester jewellers £40 in 1968 for the other Lee Ring which has in the jewellery gallery ever since. A visual of the Totnes Ring is enclosed – as is a link to the other ring at the V&A website http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/0118834/ring/