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The Celts came from an ancient Greek word Keltoi describing a group of barbarians living in cenral Europe principally Hungary. The Celts were not race but a broad linguistic group, and there was no one place that the Celts lived, and they were never
governed by one government.
Jewellery was important to both Celtic men and women and there were many highly skilled Celtic artisans who refined and crafted gold. Celtic gold was often fashioned into crosses and then decorated with filigree, and lapis lazuri from Afghanistan.
The carvings on Celtic jewellery were very intricate animal decorations were also very popular. One of the reasons that their gold jewellery was intertwined was to ward off the evil eye.
Many Celts wore huge woollen cloaks and they were attached at the right shoulder with Celtic gold crosses. Torcs were worn in battle and they typically had design metal bands twisted and this intertwining was believed to protect the wearer. Generally
they did not wear any protective clothing in battle so it was not for physical protection but for good luck. The design is still in use today but is more likely to be found on a gold bracelet or a gold bangle.
In Britain the main Celtic centres are Wales, Scotland and Ireland. In the nineteenth Century two archaeological discoveries illustrated just how advanced were the techniques of the Celtic goldsmiths. The Ardagh Chalice, uses gold, silver and bronze
and has techniques generally far ahead of the seventh Century and they include, engraving, casting, enamelling and filigree.
Today pure Celtic gold from Wales is the most expensive metal in the world, because of its scarcity. The last of the gold was washed away in freak floods in 2001. Although most of us will never catch so much as a glimpse at it is has a unique hallmark
"Aur Cymru" literally that translates as "gold Wales".
Today Celtic gold designs are still used een if the gold is not from Wales. Celtic weeding bands are still a popular design for those that wish to attest to their ancestral legacy or even their personal beliefs in the sense of a connection to each
other because of the creativity and symbolism of the designs. Celtic marriage bands represent the two lives joining together and interweaving into one new whole. It symbolises eternal unity because the pattern is always continuous with no break.
Often they have a type of knot on the ring and the thicker the band the more complex this design.
However there are different types of knots, but they do not have a specific meaning. Each couple chooses the Celtic gold knot that they think best epitomises the essence of their relationship. Some are simple and smooth with flowing lines and braids
whilst others are more angular. Today modern Celtic wedding rings often incorporate two metals to represent a contrast of two people joining as one. Gold is often mixed with silver, platinum or white gold.
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