Gold working in the Bronze Age British Isles refers to the use of gold to produce ornaments and other prestige items in the British Isles during the Bronze Age, between c. 2500 and c. 800 BCE in Britain, and up to about 550 BCE in Ireland. In this period, communities in Britain and Ireland first learned how to work metal, leading to the widespread creation of not only gold but also copper and bronze items as well. Gold artefacts in particular were prestige items used to designate the high status of those individuals who wore, or were buried with them.
A gold lunula, a type of ornament produced in the early Bronze Age British Isles, especially Ireland. This example was found in Blessington, eastern Ireland. British Museum
Rillaton Cup, one of two similar cups found in Britain. British Museum
The Mold Cape is a unique survival from North Wales. British Museum
The Lambourn Hoard, from Lambourn, Berkshire, with three bracelets and two folded twisted torcs (West Berkshire Museum).
Ringlemere Cup
Videos
The Ringlemere Gold Cup is a Bronze Age vessel found in the Ringlemere barrow near Sandwich in the English county of Kent in 2001.
Side view showing rivets and pointillé lip decoration.