A RING once owned by Jane Austen which was sold to US singer Kelly Clarkson is set to be on display for the first time at a Hampshire museum next month.

It comes after the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton, near Alton raised more than £150,000 to buy the ring back after a fundraising appeal.

The ring was previously in the hands of Kelly Clarkson after she brought it at auction last year, but the popular popstar was prevented from taking it out of the UK when it become subject to a temporary export ban.

Now the gold and turquoise ring will be on display at the museum from February 14.

Curator of the Jane Austen House museum, Mary Guyatt, explained the significance of the ring.

She said: “Visitors come from all around the world to see the house where she once lived and we will now take great pleasure in displaying this pretty ring for their appreciation.

“The Government's decision to decline an export licence preventing Kelly Clarkson from taking the ring from the UK reflects how rarely Austen's personal effects turn up in today's art market, and having missed out at auction in 2012 we are thrilled to have had this second chance to bring it home to Chawton.”