Anglo-Saxon Jewelry

The Alfred Jewel bears the inscriptio n "AELFR ED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN&# 34; ('Alfr ed ordered me to be made') and dates from the reign of King Alfred the Great (ruled 871-899). The jewel is made of gold and cloisonne enamel, covered with a transparen t piece of rock crystal.

Photo and descriptio n of a brooch, probably made in Faversham in gold with cells inset with garnets, at the Metropolit an Museum of Art.

A gold rivet passes through the end of the narrow socket which would have held a rod of wood or ivory in place, making this the handle or head of the fitting. It is most probably from a manuscript pointer, an implement used to guide the eye along the lines of text, for instance, in a teaching context.

Here you will find some excellent metal detector finds made over the years.

"To Prepare a Most Honorable Feast" (translated from Maistre Chiquart), "To Make a Feast," "An Islamic Dinner," "A Dinner at Pennsic," "A Jeweler's Bibliography," "Books on Metalworking," and "Period Jewelery You Can Make."

This site has been designed for anyone interested in the various artefacts and coins uncovered through metal detecting and fieldwalking. It is hoped that landowners, detectorists and anyone seeking parallels for finds may find the site both interesting and useful. The galleries contain a selection of personal metal detecting and fieldwalking finds from the United Kingdom which have been photographed and recorded.

An outstandin g feature of the brooch is the extensive use of gold in its decoration , used at a time when it was scarce and highly prized. Plain gold panels enrich a lively pattern of dog-like animals (complete with collars!) deeply carved into the silver to form an openwork effect.

An initiative by members of the metal-detecting community to promote good practice within the hobby. It is an easy-to-use, friendly and supportive online facility for detectorists to record their finds and ensure that the information is preserved for future generations.

Pin sets and single pins, often elaboratel y decorated, came into fashion as clothing styles changed in the middle Saxon period and brooches seem to have become less common.