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History of
Celtic Jewelry
By: Tim O'Malley
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The Celtic people, or Celts for short, dominated mid
and western Europe for a thousand years. Now, many
of the Celts descendants can be found dispersed in
parts of Ireland and the Scottish highlands.
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Traditionally, the Celts transferred knowledge of their
culture through word-of-mouth and it was because of this
that no documentation on their history can be found on these
people who became proud warriors, merchants, and rulers.
Little is known about them prior to their contact with the
Greeks and Romans. While history is not well-documented
during the nomadic times of the Celtic people, the generally
accepted history is that the modern styles of Irish Jewelry
are greatly influenced by the Huns, Druids and Celtic
culture in what is referred to as modern Europe today.
The art of Celtic jewelry making is at its core an
enchanting and magical one because of the mystery and
meanings surrounding its designs. Not only beautiful pieces
of art, many pieces of Celtic jewelry possess excellent
jewelry craftsmanship. Adopting ideas drawn from nature and
applying these simple motifs and knot-work to the overall
design, they produced intricate jewelry designs out of gold,
silver, and bronze. Besides Celtic rings, many of their
designs are found on bracelets, earrings, and pendants.
It was Between 200 BC to 500 AD that precious metals such as
gold and silver were fashioned into items such as gorgets,
sleeve and dress fasteners, discs, bracelets, Lunulae, and
torcs. Many of these beautiful works of jewelry art are now
found in the National Museum of Ireland today. While it was
possible that Celtic art was incorporated into materials
such as wood and textiles, this cannot be confirmed as none
of their works have survived over the years.
The Celtic style of jewelry underwent further refinement
from the Irish monks. Out of their inspired development came
the Celtic cross and the most treasured of ancient
manuscripts, the books of Kells, Lindisfame, and Durrow. Its
beauty and craftsmanship eventually attracted buyers across
the Mediterranean and as a result, Celtic jewelry became one
of the highly sought after items by traders and merchants.
At present, Celtic jewelry is very popular around the world
and excellent pieces of Celtic jewelry can still be found
from those jewelers employing the same traditional jewelry
making techniques of the skilled, ancient Celtic goldsmiths.
Many of the popular designs seen today include artwork
derived from the ancient manuscripts. While the Celtic
people as a clearly identifiable ethnic group are now long
gone, their proud heritage of jewelry making lives on,
especially in places where many of their descendants live
today.
Celtic rings and jewelry can be bought from brick-and-mortar
jewelry stores but for the best selection and craftsmanship,
go online or visit a specialty Irish jewelry store. If you
are particular about quality, be sure to check that the
jewelry originated from Ireland or Scotland. This is
especially so if you are buying it as a wedding ring or
engagement ring. For mass market silver Celtic jewelry,
these can be found in abundance offline and online. |
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