Celtic Jewelry
A modern Celtic Engagement ring showing a Celtic knot pattern woven of
miniature golden rope. The diamond is a modern touch. So this ring
symbolizes both old and new worlds.
The History of Celtic
Jewelry
Celtic jewelry created by the master craftsmen of the ancient Celts can
really only be rivaled by the ancient Egyptians. These
craftsmen
took their ideas from nature and produced intricate designs based on
very simple motifs. The materials they used to create these works of
art
were gold, silver and even bronze. Their work was
so marvellously
sophisticated that even today we are still astonished at the detailed
knot work woven
into rings, bracelets, earrings and brooches.
Between 2000 BCE and 500 AD craftsmen used silver to make the
jewelry which they used to trade across the Mediterranean where it was
much in demand due to its beauty.
Even Irish monks left a legacy in later years by crafting items of
jewelry; many of these works of art can be found in museums around the
world today or depicted in books and manuscripts.
The
mystery of Celtic Jewelry
It is not uncommon that people use crafts and language in order to
understand foreign culture, especially ancient culture. One
of
the most enduring forms of crafts left us to study is
jewelry.
The Celts created jewelry as a form in which they expressed their
culture, such as rings, crosses
and knot
work. The claddagh shown below
is probably their most famous piece of jewelry. Here two hands hold the
lover's heart topped by a crown. Made of sterling siver this ring
becomes warm and captivating.
The tradition that lies behind ring making goes back a very
long
way and remains unchanged today. Celts exchanged rings when
they
married. Rings
in Celtic culture
also symbolize
friendship or love
which are depicted in the actual symbols crafted on the ring.
Intertwining knots were exchanged by those considering marriage while
the Claddagh
ring (as shown above) was used to
indicate that a marriage is a union of
strong friendship where love will prevail through any
hardship.
Today Celtic rings are a popular choice for engagement rings
However, the Claddagh ring can also be worn to signify
friendship.
Whereas romantic or married couples wear the heart facing inwards
marking the fact that they are no longer available, those who wear it
in friendship wear it with the heart facing away from them.
The
Torc & Bracelets
The Celtic torc
was a form of neck bracelet that was a popular item
of jewelry and was ornately decorated symbolically. They were
usually crafted from silver or gold. They were designed to
fit
tightly around the necks of warriors, priests and noblewomen and were
considered a status symbol. They were credited with having
the
power to ward off curses, sorcerers and enemies. Warriors
believed they could provide protection and courage during
battle.
Another meaning attributed to them was that they symbolically
represented a Celt's relationship with his community and to the
universe
as a whole.
There exists a famous ancient torque which can be viewed in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. This torque which is fashioned from silver
dates back to the 5th century BCE. It was designed as a
smooth
circle decorated with mysterious designs including filigree work that
suggests that perhaps it was a pre-cursor to the Celtic interlace work
which illustrates just how advanced Celtic metalwork was in those days,
long before the influence of the Roman Empires.
Arm bracelets were considered a sacred adornment which served to anchor
the wearer. Ancient jewelry reveals how skilful ancient
Celtic
metalworkers were and today they are still contemporary enough in
design to appear modern and evocative. Celtic bracelets were
decorated with intricate knot work and interlacing patterns which today
makes their origin instantly recognizable. The organic form
of
Celtic knots which are revealed in Celtic bracelets symbolized the
strong connection they had with nature and the cosmos.
Patterns
and Metals
Celtic jewelry designs are predominantly geometric but spirals,
chevrons, scrolls and fancy knot work also abound all of which make it
uniquely Celtic. Celtic spirals are considered very symbolic
as
the single spiral is thought to signify growth and cosmic energy while
the dual centered spiral is associated with motifs from other cultures
and is not Celtic.
Celtic culture believed that jewelry had powerful elements of
protection and energy, possibly due to the precious metals they were
crafted from as these metals were able to not only mark the status of
the wearer, but were also believed to have magical powers.
Silver for example was associated with the moon and was a metal most
commonly used to craft torques and bracelets while gold was reserved
for the wealthiest, but it was also believed to be the most powerful in
the spiritual sense.