Irish Gold: Jewellery and Mining in Ireland
Written by Ciaran on Apr 02, 2024 | 0 Comments
Our Irish Gold Jewellery Collection features stunning and contemporary designs carefully crafted with fine sterling silver and beautiful Irish Gold sourced from rare deposits right here in Ireland. What is the history of gold in Ireland? When and where was it mined? What was it used for? And what was it's significance?
Ireland's Golden History
Our Irish Gold Jewellery draws on Ireland’s ancient history of designing, producing, and appreciating captivating gold jewellery.
When was gold first used for decoration in Ireland?
As early as 2400 BC, ancient Irish artisans crafted gold jewellery including beautiful lunulae (early necklaces), torcs, cloak pins, brooches, and rings. A selection of the surviving Bronze age gold works are on display at the National Museum of Ireland - with around 500 individual pieces to check out. It is well worth a visit!
This beautiful example of Irish Gold jewellery, an early bronze age gold lunula and gold discs from the Coggalbeg hoard is currently exhibited at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin.
Photo Credit: National Museum of Ireland
Where was gold sourced in ancient Ireland?
There has been much debate over the source of the gold for these ancient artefacts. Many once believed that the gold must have been brought into Ireland from elsewhere. But with the discovery of sizable gold deposits in several places around Ireland, including the famous Croagh Patrick in the 1980s, the gold for these pieces is now thought to be largely sourced from Ireland.
Irish rivers and streams in the South East and North West of the island are the strongest candidates and 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 for this historical gold.
Gold in Irish hills - The Irish gold rush
This idea in part stems from a much more recent bout of gold fever sweeping through Ireland's east coast in 1795 after the discovery of a large nugget in a Wicklow stream. Prospectors flocked to the Aughtinavought River. Over six frenetic weeks, around 80kg of gold was recovered and the river was aptly renamed the Goldmines River!
It may not look like much but the Goldmines river was the site of a frenzied gold rush in Ireland in 1795.
Photo Credit: Dave Quinn (CC BY-SA 2.0)
One large nugget, “The Wicklow Nugget” weighing 682g was melted down to reportedly make a snuff box for King George III. A replica cast of this nugget is held at The Natural History Museum in London, as it remains the largest single piece of gold found in Ireland and Britain.
Gold panning is a popular pastime in Wicklow rivers and streams but any lucky find can't be sold as it belongs to the Irish state.
Photo Credit: National Museum of Ireland
From the initial rush in 1795, between 7000 to 9000 oz was recovered up until 1830, when mining in the area largely petered out. The original source of the gold for this Irish Gold rush remains undiscovered to this day! This mystery has lead many to try their luck and have a go at panning for gold as a hobby in Wicklow streams over the years.
Your own piece of Irish gold
Happily you don't need to take to the river these days to get your hands on your own piece of Irish gold! Irish gold mining has only recently returned with the discovery of new sources in the north west of the island.
There is gold beneath the rolling green hills of Co. Tyrone!
Photo Credit: Kenneth Allen (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Happily this gives us the opportunity to have gold from Ireland in our Irish Gold jewellery. And the chance for our friends around the globe to own their very own golden 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.
This beautiful and rare Irish Gold is paired 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.
Find out more about gold and other precious metals and the history of their use in Irish jewellery design.
The Legacy of Irish Gold
Invest in a quality, Irish Gold Jewellery for now and the future. Our pieces are vested in history and steeped in meaning.
Get In Touch
Have a question or something you're not entirely sure about when browsing our pieces? Please reach out. You can send us a note or give us a call—the Dublin workshop is here to make sure that you have a perfect experience from start to finish with My Irish Jeweler.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, to see what's new and upcoming. Join our Email list for early offers and special features.
Ciaran
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!
Comments
Ask Gemma
