A RARE Bronze Age decorative ring unearthed on the embankment of a disused railway in North Dorset is to go on public display.

The 2,000-year-old ring has been in the hands of the British Museum since it was officially declared to be treasure trove at an inquest held earlier this year.

Now the relic is to be brought back to the County Museum at Dorchester after bosses there expressed a strong desire to add it to their collection.

Dorset County Council, which owns the Iron Age hill fort Spetisbury Rings, near Bland-ford, where the ring was found, have agreed to loan it to the museum indefinitely as part of its commitment to preserving Dorset's heritage.

Archaeologists believe the ring, which is made from a gold bar and is valued at around £1,500, would originally have been sewn on to clothing or possibly used as a hair decoration, threaded on to dreadlocks.

County archivist Hugh Jaques said: "Whatever these objects were for, they were created with great skill.

"Few examples are known. Most were made by wrapping gold plate around a copper alloy core.

"This is a very much more 'upmarket' example - the technical skill required to create the striped effect would have been considerable."

Mr Jaques added: "This is a significant object that should be in a museum. We are aware of only three or four from Dorset, and all are in private collections.

"This would be an important acquisition for the county museum and a significant addition to archaeological collections in the county."

He said the ring would also lend itself to educational use.