Celtic Jewelry For Men

The History of Celtic Jewelrytoday.
Jewelry has always been a way to denote statusCeltic rings are perhaps one of the most ancient
and although wearing a lot of jewelry is deemed tooforms of jewelry and carried with it a rich tradition. In
effeminate for modern man, the ancient Celtic menancient Celtic times a ring was considered to be the
did wear a lot but the type they wore as well as thestrongest symbol of marriage and they were meant
materials they were created from depicted their rankto convey the others never ending love. They were
and standing in the tribe. Jewelry created in the timesalso worn to symbolise the love they had for God
of the ancient Celts was quite diverse and theyand humanity. They consisted of beautifully weaved
focused their designs on continuous patterns.designs commonly known as Celtic Knots, the
The Celts were noted for their skills in the art ofstrands having no beginning and no end. It is
creating jewelry and in fact the quality theycommonly believed that Celtic rings date way back
produced matched and at times even exceeded theas far as the 1st century BC thanks in part to the
quality of jewelry made by the Byzantium people. Itadvent of the Bronze Age.
is hard to understand how these ancient people couldThe Celtic Brooch or Cloak Pin
create such sophisticated works of beauty with theThe Celtic Brooch or Cloak Pin was worn by both
rather primitive tools they had. They were indeedmen and women as the only means they had in
master craftsmen.which to fasten their clothing, in particular the cloaks
Celtic men used jewelry in both a practical andthey so commonly wore. The Celtic Tara brooch is
decorative ways. Brooches or pins were worn inconsidered one of the most important artefacts of
order to fasten their clothing together and theythe ancient Celts in existence. It stands today in the
wore gold, silver or bronze in their hair so that theyNational Museum of Ireland and is a perfect example
could keep it falling into their face. The Celtic amuletof Christian-era Irish Insular art that dates back to
was worn by men as a good luck charm. Charmsabout 700 AD. Men of the day would have worn one
were also worn around their necks or as braceletsthat looked like this, however the symbols decorating
around their wrists. They also sported buckles.it would have changed depending on who crafted it
Whatever they wore was richly decorated andand who wore it. The high quality of this particular
crafted using ancient Celtic symbols as way to depictbrooch and its craftsmanship is indicative of the
their personal characters, social standing or as asuperior skills that existed at the time and the
means to ward off evil influences. The materials theymaterials it incorporates which are gold, silver, amber
crafted from were gold, silver and bronze. Gold wasand glass suggest that it was made for a very high
reserved for the most important or wealthiest ofstanding male and this male would have worn it as a
clansmen.decorative item and not for its practical use. This is
The jewelry crafted by the Celts can be dated inevident from the fact that it was made in the
two ways; one dating goes back to the ancient Celtspseudo-penannular style, meaning that it was not
while the other dates back to after their conversionmeant to hold clothing.
to Christianity.It is interesting to note that many Celtic brooches or
Mens Celtic Ringscloak pins of the time contained neither pagan nor
Men also wore rings. In fact most married menChristian motifs in their design and the Tara brooch is
sported rings much the same as modern men dono different, it bears instead intricate abstract
today but it is unknown whether the ancient weddingdecorations which we know as Celtic Knot Work as
rings included Celtic Knots and themes which combinewell as images of wolves heads and dragons faces.
circles, squares, triangle, spirals or crosses like we see