Celtic jewelry
Introduction
Celtic jewelry today is one of the niche jewelry styles that is enjoying a renaissance. The designs are the inspiration for the craftsmen from Ireland and the UK to create modern celtic jewelry. Celtic crosses, pendants, earrings and bracelets are the bread and butter however wedding bands and indeed Celtic engagement rings are now a huge part of a workshops product range.
So who were the Celts and where do the jewelry designs come from?
The Celts evolved from the Urnfield Culture (given that name because of the burial system of cremation and placement of ashes in urns which in turn were buried in fields…) much earlier than the Romanized Celtic world of the late 500-400 BC.
Around 1500-1000BC, the Celts lived in an area which today is mostly in Eastern France. The area stretched from roughly where Luxemburg is today to a bit further south than Geneva and took in parts of modern day West Germany and Switzerland. It was an area a little bigger than the island of Ireland.
The Celts then expanded to cover an area including most of Western and Central Europe. Around 400BC, the Celts lived in what is now called Britain, Ireland, France (i.e. Gaul), Luxemburg, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech and Slovak Republics. Celts also lived in parts of Spain (notable Galicia), northern Italy, The Netherlands, the southern half of Germany, and parts of Poland and Russia (source: “The Story of English”, Faber and Faber; BBC books 1992).
The earliest archaeological evidence associated with the Celts places them in what is now France and western Germany in the late Bronze Age, around 1200BCE. In the early Iron Age, they are associated with the Hallstatt culture (8th to 6th century BCE), named for an archaeological site in what is now Oberösterreich (Upper Austria).
By the time the existence of the Celts was recorded by the Greek writer Ephorus in the fourth century BCE, they were so numerous that he named them as one of the four great barbarian peoples in the world. The other three were the Libians in Africa, the Persians in the East and the Scythes who lived in Europe as well.
In the 4th century BCE, the Celts invaded the Greco-Roman world, conquering northern Italy, Macedonia, and Thessaly. They sacked Delphi in 279, plundered Rome in 390, and penetrated Asia Minor, where they were known as Galatians. The “Cisalpine Gauls” of northern Italy were conquered by the Romans in the 2nd century BCE; Transalpine Gaul (modern France and the Rhineland) was subdued by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BCE, and most of Britain came under Roman rule in the 1st century CE. In the same period, the Celts of central Europe were dominated by the Germanic peoples. They probably began to settle in the British Isles during this period. Between the 5th and 1st centuries BCE, their influence extended from what is now Spain to the shores of the Black Sea. This later Iron Age phase is called La Tène, after a site in Switzerland.
The unity of the Celts was not that of a nation or empire in the Greek or Roman sense, but was more cultural in nature, with no clear central authority. Celtic tribes dominated a huge area, and had their own individual identities, but they shared many common roots including similarities in language, religion, and lifestyle. They probably called themselves something similar to Celts, from which the Greeks got their word for ’stranger’ - keltoi: the name given to these people by Herodotus and other Greek writers. To the Romans, the Continental Celts were known as Galli, or Gauls; those in the British Isles were called Britanni. In medieval and modern times the Celtic tradition and languages survived in Brittany (western France), Wales, the Scottish Highlands, and Ireland.
The Romans brought Christianity to the Celts in the last years of the Empire and it was well established in Celtic Britain by the 4th century CE. After the conversion of the emperor Constantine, missionaries from the new Roman church set out to spread the Christian message to the barbarians of the north and west.
From this christian background it is that the second Golden Age of Celtic art emerges. Unlike in the earlier Pagan period, where weapons and jewellery are dominant, most of the great artefacts of the Christian period are associated with religious worship. Especially important are the manuscripts (mostly copies of the Christian gospels), stone crosses, plates and chalices used for the Holy Communion, and relics which housed the remains of saints. But in common with pre-Christian Celtic art, the artists and scribes of this period made extensive use of knotwork decoration, zoomorph and spiral designs, and other techniques and styles of their Pagan past.
At the same time, Saint Patrick and other British missionaries founded a new church in Ireland, which then became the center of Celtic Christianity. The Irish church developed a distinctive organization in which bishops were subordinate to the abbots of monasteries
Celtic Art
Celtic art is considered the first great contribution to European art made by non-Mediterranean peoples. Celtic art is ornamental, avoiding straight lines and only occasionally using symmetry, without the imitation of nature or ideal of beauty central to the classical tradition, but as far as we can understand it often involves complex symbolism. It includes a variety of styles and often incorporates subtly modified elements from other cultures, an example being the characteristic over-and-under interlacing which only arrived in the 6th century when it was already in use by Germanic artists.
There are three “traditions” of Celtic art, the first being the continental Iron age art mainly associated with La Tena culture which draws on native, classical and (perhaps via the Mediterranean) oriental sources. The second, Iron age art in Britain and Ireland, draws on the continental tradition while adding distinctive regional styles. The third, the Celtic “renaissance” of the early Middle Ages in Ireland and to a lesser extent in parts of Britain, borrows heavily from Roman motifs. This third tradition formed the basis for the relatively recent Celtic revival art.
In Ireland there were several rich periods that have produced many works of art. The Hiberno - Saxon style flourished in the 7th and 8th century producing the Tara Broach, the Ardagh Chalice and the Derrynaflan Chalice.
The tara broach Left: Ardagh Chalice, Right: Derrynaflan Chalice
The introduction of the filigree style, interlace patterns and animal ornamentation resulted in the book of Durrow, the Lindisfarne Gospels and also the Book of Kells.
Image of Christ taken from the book of kells
Silver was popular in the 9th and 10th century producing many fine Celtic brooches and finally sculpture and cross were popular in the 9th and 10th century.
High Cross of Ellen & William burke.
The following Celtic designs and Celtic symbols make up the backbone of Celtic art.
Knotwork, borders and panels.-Interlacing knotwork patterns with their unbroken lines, symbolise mans eternal spirit. Often they were used to interlace limbs and bodies of humans, birds and reptiles.
Spirals-It represents eternal life. The circle may be considered as man’s first step in art.
Key patterns -Key patterns could be described as spirals in straight lines repeated to form a pattern.
Lettering - In ornamented manuscripts the above Celtic design patterns were used to beautifully transform a letter into a piece of art.
Zoomorphics -Zoomorgraphic ornaments are those based upon the forms of animals, birds and reptiles.
Plant and Human forms.
Anthropomorphic ornaments are those based upon the forms of the human body. Plants were also used in some celtic designs and usually figured plant stems and leafs made with celtic symbols growing from a pot. This symbol is called the “tree of life”. It completes the total of created life, the seven created beings of the celtic world, plant, insect, fish, reptile, bird, animal and man.
Ancient Celtic Jewelry
Depending on the period different styles and metals were used to produce celtic jewelry. Bronze, gold, silver and wood were all used to form pieces of jewelry. Torc’s and broaches were very popular, the larger the piece the better it seems.
Bracelet Rings and Fasteners
Cavan Brooch Gold torc
Modern Celtic Jewelry
Today some workshops produce replicas of the original pieces. Other workshops turn to the ancient manuscripts like the book of kells for inspiration on new designs. More innovative workshops try to mix the modern minimal jewelry style with Celtic symbols. The advantage of this is to appeal to a wider audience.
There are a few celtic patterns and symbols in particular that are currently widely used. The trinity knot and eternal knot are two to mention. The trinity knot is a simple knot pattern interlaced 3 times and always coming back on itself. It appears as 3 oval shapes interlaced so that there is no beginning and no end. Its ancient representation was body, mind and sole. Its Christian representation is father, son and Holy Spirit and the more popular modern meaning is never ending love. Celtic crosses are a must have for anyone claiming Celtic descent. Manufacturers are reproducing gold and silver replicas of ancient cross and introducing some gems to enhance its look. Apart from pendants and earrings, Celtic wedding bands and indeed Celtic Engagement Rings are currently highly popular.