Celtic torques - a replica of a gold necklace from Snettisham. A torques, sometimes spelled torc or torque, is a metal neckpiece that was common in many cultures during the European Iron Age. For the Celts, the gold torques had a key meaning - it marked the wearer as a person of high status. Many of the most elaborate works of ancient Celtic art are torques.
The model for this replica was an original torques found in 1950 near Snettisham in the English county of Norfolk. Many other Iron Age artefacts were discovered in the area between 1948 and 1990. A coin stuck between the coils of the torques suggests that the treasure was buried around 75 BC.
The Great Torques of Snettisham is the most famous Iron Age artefact in the UK and is now on display at the British Museum in London. This masterpiece was made with extraordinary precision in the first half of the 1st century BC. It is one of the finest gold objects created in the ancient world. It consists of sixty-four strands of 1.9 mm wide: eight strands were twisted together to create eight separate metal cords, which were then woven together to form the final torques. The ends were cast into moulds and then welded to the ropes.
- A high quality museum quality replica of the original from around 75 BC.
- Material: gold-plated solid brass
- Outer diameter: approx. 23 cm
- Inner diameter: approx. 18 cm
- Weight: approx. 1.25 kg
