Celtic Jewelry DesignTriskell Designs presents unique handmade beaded jewelry design that celebrates the artistic spirit and creative vision of the ancient Celts. From delicate and subtle to dramatic and breathtaking, our unique jewelry design draws upon the colors and textures of the natural world of earth, water and sky to reflect the essence and spirit of nature’s beauty.
Celtic Bead and Gem Stone Jewelry
It is well known that ancient Celtic metal-smiths produced beautiful torques, bracelets and arm-rings of bronze, silver and gold. Less well known are the highly skilled glassmakers like those who lived and plied their trade in villages and large glassmaking centers like Manching in southern Germany. The limited amount of raw glass that could be produced or imported, the high degree of skill required by the glassmaker to turn it into beads and ornaments, and Celtic women’s fondness for beads and bangles ensured that the village glassmaker was never idle. Because of the scarcity of glass and its resemblance to gemstones, particularly Baltic amber beads, historians believe beaded glass jewelry held special, perhaps even magical, meaning for the Celts.
The Inspiration: Ancient Celtic Art
The ancient Celts were a tremendously energetic people, mentally and physically. They loved colour, texture, ornamentation and decoration, and surrounded themselves with
beautiful objects.
It is not surprising then that ancient Celtic art should be as vibrant as those who created it, full of energy and movement, and often exhibiting a cleverness and whimsy that attest to the quickness and agility of the Celtic mind. Ancient Celtic art is fleeting, abstract, elusive, and enigmatic, portraying the essence and spirit of the natural world rather than striving for realism. The power of ancient Celtic art lies therefore in its line and movement, its intuitive as well as its aesthetic appeal.
The French, descendants of the Gallic Celts, use the expression “je ne sais quoi” (loosely translated as “a certain something”) to describe the elusive qualities of a thing or person whose attractiveness defies explanation or analysis. Ancient Celtic art is the embodiment of “je ne sais quoi”!
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