Irish Jewelry Online : Traditional Irish Jewelry Handmade In Dublin

For more than four thousand years ago, Irish metalsmiths have been creating celtic jewelry in gold and silver and other precious metals. Decorative Irish jewelry examples date from the Bronze Age, some four thousand years ago. Many of these jewelry pieces were functional in nature and formed decorative features to everyday items such as clothes brooches and fasteners, weapons and eating and cooking utensils. Celtic metalwork formed the basis of much of the artwork from this period.

Up to 400 tonnes of copper was mined in the southwest of Ireland, in County Kerry and Cork then alloyed with tin brought over from Cornwall in England. Many bronze items were exported to the Continent from Ireland during this period. As well as copper, Irish craftsmen developed celtic jewelry items in gold. Many examples of rings, earrings, necklaces can be found in the National museum of Ireland.

Ireland was a relatively rich source of Gold ore which created a cottage industry in Celtic jewelry production. This is evidenced not only by the considerable number of gold ornaments and artifacts, dating back to the Bronze Age, which have been unearthed in Ireland, but also by the variety of Irish gold items have been discovered throughout Europe.

At first, this gold celtic jewelry productio comprised mainly simple shapes (like crescents) as well as disks of gold sheet. Later, Irish goldsmiths introduced the more intricate Celtic knotwork, celtic spirals.

In addition to gold torques, Bronze Age workers in Ireland produced a range of earrings and other gold celtic jewelery. Examples include the great Lunala relics, bracelets, ear ornaments and clasps, balls and Torcs. Pottery was also made, but Bronze age earthenware was Beaker ware - a European style of pottery quite unlike the round-bottom type artifacts of the Neolithic period.

Visit Irish Jewelry Online to view a large selection of Celtic Jewelry. Shipping is free to the US, Canada and the UK. The site has one of the largest ranges of Celtic Jewelry.