JEWELLERY

The ancient Egyptians shared their environment with many different animals. These animals would appear on many objects, including jewellery. The Scarab was a powerful amulet signifying regeneration and was used a great deal by the Egyptians in their...

The Vikings were people in touch with the Earth and the many forces that coexisted with them. They brought with them the art of rune carving - a simple alphabet usually carved in wood, bone or stone with an axe head or blade. Since ancient times, runes...

The Vikings left behind a great number of documents in stone, wood and metal, all written in mysterious symbols known as runes. They relied on these symbols not only for writing but also to tell fortunes, cast spells and provide protection. The rune...

Torcs were worn around the neck, the upper arm or the wrist during Roman times. This torc is the equivalent of our modern bangle. The image on the front of this card is of Actaeon and is part of the Four Seasons mosaic from the 1st century pavement...

The parrot is one of a large family of colourful birds. Most kinds of parrots live in tropical rainforests, but some live in lowland plains or mountain forests. There are about 340 species of parrot found in the world, mainly in the southern hemisphere...

The name monkey is given to small lively mammals that are among the most intelligent animals. There are about 200 species of monkeys. Most of them live in tropical regions in Central and South America, Africa and Asia. Most monkeys live in forests but...

Queen Victoria was born in 1819 at Kensington Palace. By the time she came to the throne in 1837 the whole mood of jewellery had changed. Many styles were never out of fashion while others were tasteless and did not last a season. This Cameo Pendant is...

During Medieval times most coins were made by hand. An iron punch called a die was used to stamp out a pattern on one side of the coin. Two dies were needed for each coin, one showing the 'heads side' and one showing the 'tails'. A piece of silver or...

The coins reproduced for these earrings are taken from an original Edward III quarter-noble, a gold coin struck shortly after 1344. During Medieval times coins were made by hand using an iron punch called a die. Two dies were needed for each coin, one...

Celtic artists worked with stone, wood, metal and paint in a style characterized by its abstract nature, balance of form, delicacy, brightness of colour and most of all by its spirals and interlacing. Prior to the advent of Christianity in Britain this...

The horse is a sizeable mammal and is one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. It has long played an important role in transport, whether ridden or used for pulling a chariot, carriage, horse-drawn boat, stagecoach, tram or plough. They have...

This shield shaped pendant is decorated with three heraldic lions. It is a replica of a medieval pendant that would have been gilded and enameled. These pendants were worn on the harnesses of horses as decoration. In the Middle Ages, great war horses...