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Gold in Irish Hills - Gold Jewellery and Mining in Ireland

Written by Ciaran Vipond on Nov 30, 2018 | 0 Comments

We are delighted to launch a new and exciting collection of Irish Gold Jewellery featuring stunning and contemporary designs crafted with sterling silver and beautiful Irish Gold sourced from rare deposits right here in Ireland.

Ireland's Golden History

This new collection draws on Ireland’s ancient history of designing, producing, and appreciating captivating gold jewellery entirely unique to it’s time and place. As early as 2400 BC, ancient Irish artisans crafted gold jewellery including beautiful lunulae (early necklaces), bracelets, cloak pins, brooches, and rings. You can view some of the surviving Bronze age gold works to this day at the National Museum of Ireland - there are around 500 individual pieces on display.

There has been much debate over the source of the gold for these ancient artworks with many believing it must have been brought into Ireland from elsewhere. But with the discovery of sizable gold deposits in several places around Ireland, the gold for these pieces is now thought to be largely sourced from Irish rivers and streams in the South East and North West of the island. The waterways of the Wicklow mountains, and the Goldmines River just on the doorstep of My Irish Jeweler, in particular is thought to be one likely source.

Gold in Irish hills - The Irish gold rush

Gold fever swept through Ireland's east coast in 1795 after the discovery of a large nugget in a Wicklow stream. Prospectors flocked to the Aughtinavought River and over 6 weeks around 80kg of gold was recovered and the river was renamed the Goldmines River. One large nugget “The Wicklow Nugget” weighing 682 g was melted down to reportedly make a snuff box for King George III. A cast of this nugget is held at The Natural History Museum in London as it is the largest single piece of gold found in Ireland and Britain.

From the initial rush in 1795 between 7000 to 9000 oz was recovered up until 1830 when mining in the area largely petered out. But the original source of the gold for the Irish Gold rush remains undiscovered which has lead many to pan for gold as a hobby in Wicklow streams to this day.

Your own piece of Irish gold

And it is only recently that Irish gold mining has picked up again, giving us the opportunity to use gold from Ireland in our Irish Gold jewellery, and the opportunity for our customers to own their very own piece of Ireland.

The gold for our Irish Gold Jewellery comes from the hills of Co. Tyrone. Here ancient sediments 540 Million years old were transformed by immense pressures and temperatures forming mountains, and in the process, veins of minerals including gold. This rare Irish gold is ethically mined ensuring its quality, purity and 100% Irish provenance.

We have paired this beautiful and rare Irish Gold with stunning sterling silver to create unique designs that showcase iconic Irish symbols like the Tree of Life, Claddagh, Trinity Knot, and Irish Harp. Our Irish Gold Jewellery bears the Irish ”Hibernian” hallmark made by the Irish Assay Office in historic Dublin Castle guaranteeing the purity of the precious metal that has been sourced and designed here in Ireland. You can find out more about gold and other precious metals and the history of their use in Irish jewellery design.

The Legacy of Irish Gold

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Ciaran Vipond

Ciaran Vipond

My Irish Jeweler

Born in Co. Antrim and reared in Dublin, I was fascinated with Gaelic culture from an early age. I suppose it's not surprising given my mother inherited a grá for the Irish language from my grandfather, an Irish school headmaster. And that grá continues! My brother and sister are now Gaelic teachers here in Ireland, my niece is an award winning Irish dancer, and I proudly work to share Irish culture through our Irish and Celtic Jewelry at My Irish Jeweler!

I love researching and reading about the history of Irish design. It's at the core of what we do here at My Irish Jeweler. I find much of it so interesting that I have to share what I find. I hope you enjoy it!

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