Celtic jewelry, while remaining true to its roots, has evolved magnificently through the generations. Drawing inspiration from our ancestors, the jewelry has constantly developed over the years.
Ireland is an inspirational place and it is interesting to see how Irish jewelry offers a touchstone to the past but has also now been reinterpreted for the future with many contemporary ranges that take the best from the past but blend them with modern design in the best possible ways.
Ireland has always been renowned for its Celtic jewelry and Ireland’s craft industry is still to the fore in communicating this aspect of the story of Ireland and its heritage around the world.
While styles change and evolve, one common theme is the same... Celtic jewelry always has a fascinating story behind each piece and involves layers and layers of tradition and storytelling. Celtic jewelry can be traced back as far as 2,000 BC and this was when craftsmen took ideas from nature and interpreted them in to jewelry using gold, silver and bronze.
In later years, animal motifs, spirals, shapes and crosses were woven in to the patterns as were knots when they were included in rings, bracelets, torcs, earrings, pendants and brooches.
The representation and meanings of the ancient Celtic symbols remain as evocative and indeed as relevant as ever in Ireland and around the world today with the universal themes recognized instantly no matter what the language.
The work of these master metalworkers from the past is defined by curves and spirals and of course the Christian influence around the ninth century resulted in crosses, which are still very popular. While the iconic Celtic Cross is one of the most common themes, Celtic knots are still also a very familiar symbol and are still used very much today in Celtic and Irish jewelry.
Rings from Ireland have been specialists in Celtic jewelry, selling online since 1998 and are in fact one of the oldest online jewelers in Ireland, located in Newgrange in Ireland’s Boyne Valley.
Specialising in Celtic wedding bands, wedding rings, engagement rings, Claddagh rings, Celtic jewelry, earrings, pendants, bracelets and Celtic crosses, the extensive collection of jewelry available means that the Celtic tradition most definitely lives on in Ireland.