Celtic Jewelry - The Beautiful Mystery Unraveled - Guest Article

By Victor Epand

Mysteries and mystical objects always have the power to hold humans in awe. Celtic jewelry has a rich history that flaunts a proud tradition and the jewelry comes in intricate designs and serves as a reminder of the traditions and rituals followed by the Celts.

Celtic jewelry is popularly known as Claddagh jewelry and is appreciated for its intricacy and traditional exquisiteness. Jewelers use numerous Celtic patterns like the cross and spiral to create mysterious jewelry pieces. Celtic spirals symbolize eternity and are abundantly used in Celtic jewelry. Celtic cross pre-dates the Christian cross for about two centuries and according to legend, St Patrick created the cross by drawing a circle over the Latin cross.

Celtic cross: Catholics believe that the Celtic cross denotes eternity and endless love for the Almighty. It also represents the halo of Christ. Celtic cross is thought to represent superior knowledge, fortitude, and understanding to handle all trials and tribulations of life as compared to the Christian cross that protects the wearer from harm. Some say that the Celtic cross represents the four directions of the compass and some feel that it is the representation of human existence like mind, soul, body and heart.

Celtic Knots: Celtic knots are the most distinguishing features of Celtic jewelry, with intricate designs and patterns. Numerous ancient designs had some significance and every symbol's meaning changed within every tribe and location. A celtic knot denotes eternity and interconnectedness and yet, you will not find any definitive guide that explains the Celtic knots.

Celtic rings and bracelets are the most popular Celtic jewelry items and usually complete the symbolism. Before buying wedding bands, you must understand the meaning behind the knots to enjoy the illusive feel of the Celtic wedding bands. Many ancient motifs are generally embedded into mysterious cultures that are part of Celtic history and some knots are as ancient as 20,000 years.

Knot works are synonymous with Celtic style thus making the rings more sacred and highly sought after. Celtic music and poetry is known to bring love and the soul together. Celtic wedding band knots express two different paths as in souls intermingling with each other to project interconnections that can be viewed as tapestry. Celtic rings and bracelets can be given to friends as a gesture of love and loyalty.

Celtic necklaces are also integral parts of Celtic jewelry and it entirely depends on the wearer's preference. Pendants usually depict the image of Celtic figures like the ever-popular knot, spiral, serpent, Celtic cross and dragon. Such symbols have deep spiritual and religious meaning.

Celtic jewelry enhances all dresses and adds a spiritual meaning to any occasion. You do not have to be Irish or Scottish to appreciate and wear Celtic jewelry. Whether you receive this classy set as a gift or as a personal keepsake, these unique and intricately designed pieces can be enjoyed to enhance your beauty.

Journey of Celtic Jewelry

Earlier Celtic people were found throughout the European countries as well as the British Islets where the earliest Celtic Jewelry originated. Celts were later influenced by the emergence of the Roman Empire and thus were forced to abandon their homes and relocate in the remote lands of Scotland, Cornwall, Wales, and Ireland etc. Despite all these hardships the Celts endured and thrived and continued producing the Celtic jewelry.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about jewelry including celtic jewelry. When looking for jewelry, we recommend you shop only at the best online jewelry stores for celtic jewelry, loose diamonds, diamond rings, celtic jewelry, fashion earrings, fashion pendants, engagement rings, wedding rings, and wedding bands.

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The Celtic Crown Bracelet

The Celtic Crown bracelet is one of our exclusive designs. It is one of the items that always receives a lot of attention when we do shows. We put one in each of our cases for this reason. There are so many styles of Celtic jewelry in our displays, that we don't want anyone to miss this stunning bracelet.

It weighs about 17.7 grams of sterling silver, and is 6 1/2" from end to end. It should fit anyone's wrist with a circumference of 6 1/2" to 8 1/2". The silver is soft enough to bend gently to fit.

We call it the Celtic Crown, because the Celtic interlace design comes to a point, that can point up the arm of down, depending on your preference. (much like a Claddagh ring)

Even the band of the bracelet has intricate Celtic knot designs, which is one of the reasons this Celtic bracelet is so unique.

Please check out our Celtic pendants, and Celtic Tiaras as well.

Wicked Tinkers Tribal Celtic Band

We see these guys at many of the Celtic Fests and Scottish Games we do, including this year's Sonora Celtic Faire. If you get a chance, check them out.

Pioneers of the growing Tribal Celtic movement, Wicked Tinkers have been playing haunting, heart-pounding bagpipes and irresistable, tribal drums as a professional band since 1995 and for many years before that at parties, renaissance faires and on various street corners. With the addition several years back of the mesmerizing drone of the australian didgeridoo and bronze-age Irish horn the magic was complete. Sit back and be transported to an earlier time in Scotland and Ireland when battle cries filled the air and strange, unheard-of creatures roamed the night. Or better yet, get on your feet and let your body move to ancient rhythms and forgotten sounds. Don’t think that this is dry, dusty music for museum shelves- the boys in the band merge the best of modern, almost rock and roll energy with the hypnotic, insistent grooves of their gaelic ancestors. Rare is the bystander who comes away without feeling a surprising, sometimes bewildering connection with long-forgotten, primal emotions and half- memories of ages past and experiences unknown and yet somehow familiar. This is music to set your jaw, put a fire in your belly, a glint in your eye and a dance in your feet.

The WICKED TINKERS bring their vitality and humor to stages across America. They were on national television: THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON. Touring the U.S. for most of the year, they have made friends and fans from all over the world at some of the largest Highland Games, including: Pleasanton in California; the Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games in Enumclaw, Washington; the Texas Highland Games in Arlington, Texas; festivals in Estes Park, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada; as far east as the Oklahoma Highland Games; the Kentucky Scottish Weekend; the Rhode Island Celtic Festival; and the Mid-Winter Scottish-Irish Festival and Fair in Pennsylvania.

Jewelry Insider

If you are interested in info, news and tips about the jewelry business, check out the Jewelry Insider blog. There are useful articles on marketing jewelry, making jewelry, selling jewelry, and many other aspects of the jewelry business.

Also there is more information at the Jewelry Insider site, and more will be forthcoming on a regular basis.

Also check out some great inspirational nature photography at vitalygeyman.com

Unique Celtic Jewelry

The Clannade with Drusy

Valentines Day is approaching quickly, and nothing makes quite the statement that a stunning Celtic necklace does.

Our Clannade necklace features drusy, which is an agate based crystaline structure usually found in Brazil. Ours is treated with titanium to bring our the rich blue - purple color.

Along with the drusy stone at the tip we have two amethysts and a beautiful lab created Tanzanite marquise gem at the bottom. (We chose the tanzanite for its color. In this price range you won't get a mined tanzanite gem, but the color on these are amazing.

This design is a contemporary Celtic knot design, with a unique bar and link chain. We place toggles at 16" 18" and 20" so it can be worn with almost any neckline.

Check it out at Unique Celtic Jewelry!

Wedding Tiaras and Circlets & Celtic Wedding Jewelry

It is the time of year when many are thinking ahead to spring and summer weddings. We thought we should get some thoughts down for those of you who are considering a wedding tiara or circlet.

Often, when we do shows, someone will come up and look at our tiaras, and say, "I wish I knew about these BEFORE my wedding!"

We're doing our best to become easier to find on the web, so here's hoping those who are looking for our particular kind of tiara will find it in time. (By the way, you can subsitute circlet for tiara every time it's mentioned in this blog entry, our design qualifies as either.) Click here to read a short piece on crowns, tiaras and circlets.

We have written an article on weddings and tiaras, so feel free to check it out for helpful hints on how to wear one.

As weddings get more and more creative, tiaras and circlets become more common as adornment for the bride, and even at times the groom. Our Celtic heart tiara is bold enough to be worn by either a woman or a man. Adorning the bride's head with a tiara, in addition to a veil, is a way to create a distinctive look, while maintaining tradition.

We have also seen a rise in the demand for Celtic jewelry for the bride, groom, and others in the wedding party. Because of the Celtic knot theme in many Celtic jewelry designs, the bride can wear one style, the groom another, and the bridesmaids a third, with all of the unique Celtic jewelry designs complementing each other.

Another style of adornment we've seen, is to take a Celtic pendant, and sew or pin it onto the front of the veil so that is rests on the upper forehead of the bride. the silver and gem color adds a stunning bit of bling to the whole ensemble.

We also have made a new online friend that we'd like to introduce here. We are a featured jewelry designer at herecomestheguide.com, and they have a wealth of information and resources for every part of the wedding, including, planning, location, entertainment, and almost anything else you can think of. Thanks to Sharon for passing our info along after seeing us at the KVMR Celtic Festival, in Grass Valley, California the past few years. They have an informative and very entertaining blog as well.

We expect to get more helpful information up here on the topic of weddings and Celtic jewelry and head adornment, so check back. If you have any pictures of yourself in one of our tiaras, send it by email and we'll include it in a future post.

Unique Celtic Jewelry Free Drawing

We're having a Free drawing for the Phoenix Celtic Pendant with Carnelian shown to the left. Just fill in a little information so we can contact you if you win, and you're good to go.

Every so often we have a drawing for a jewelry item. We do this because we get some satisfaction out of all the responses from our faithful customers, and also because it keeps those of you on our email list on your toes.

Our new site at uniquecelticjewelry.com is growing as we add more photograph and add more items all the time. We're also putting up articles about Celtic symbol meanings, wedding tiaras and other historical and mythological stories and texts.

If you haven't visited our new site yet, please drop on by. In case you haven't heard, we are cutting back our travel schedule drastically this year, due to rising costs for gas, etc. We're putting more energy into the online store, so you don't have to wait to see us at a Celtic festival or Scottish Games to pick up find sterling silver Celtic Jewelry.

We are expanding our line of Celtic jewelry, including much more Claddagh jewelry, Celtic knots, Triquetra and Triskele jewelry, and many more styles in our very unique Celtic jewelry line of hand carved woolly mammoth tusk jewelry.

By the way, Gaelyn has put many of her fine art pieces up in her web site at artservingspirit.com. Please drop by and take a look.

For those who want some info on tiaras, here's a link to Wikipedia.

Unique Celtic Jewelry at the Sonora Celtic Faire

We just got approved for this year's Sonora Celtic Faire, being held March 8th & 9th at the Sonora County Fairgrounds, in California. This is the 22nd annual event, and being the first event of the year in Northern California, it is well attended, and a great time is had by all.

Primarily a music festival, the Sonora Celtic Faire has a great line-up of musical talent.

It can be a bit chilly, depending on the weather this year, so here's a chance to wear those bulky costumes that can be oppressive during the summer months.

We'll have our Celtic jewelry, Celtic tiaras & circlets, some new Celtic Mammoth jewelry, and all of our usual line of unique Celtic jewelry.

Sign up for our Discount Club and receive an email before the show with a secret password to say for instant discounts on anything in the booth.


Best wishes,

Bram

The History and Meaning of the Triskele Celtic Symbol

The triskele, also called the spiral of life, the triple spiral and the triple goddess, is three equal spirals radiating from a common center. It is an ancient symbol with versions that have been found in a number of cultures around the world, including Greece, pre-Columbian central america, and also the Hopi people of the south west United States.

The Celtic Triskele was found in the remnants of an ancient temple from the Bronze Age in Ireland. It is believed that it evolved from the triskellian, a symbol which looks like three legs
running.

The triskele came to be associated with the Triple Goddess (maiden, mother, crone) in pre-Christian times and has been found in illuminated manuscripts created by monks transcribing early Christian texts.

Also, the Celts believed that the most important things in life came in threes: birth, death, rebirth; body, mind, spirit; earth, water, sky; past, present, future; father, son, holy ghost; and the triskele is believed to represents these tripartite meanings. Some of the more current interpretations of the triskele are that it is a symbol for the cycles of life, personal growth, human development, and spiritual expansion.

Because, at times, it is drawn in one continuous line, the triskele represents a continuous movement of time. It is probably this unending quality of the spiral that attracts us so greatly, and has contributed to it remaining on of the most popular Celtic symbols.

Triskele pendants
Triskele earrings

Find Triskele jewelry, and other Celtic jewelry at our web site uniquecelticjewelry.com.

Until next time, best wishes...

The History and Meaning of the Triquetra, or Celtic Trinity Knot

The triquetra is an ancient symbol made up of three half circles connecting at the tips. This Celtic symbol is also known as the Celtic trinity knot or Celtic triangle. It origins have been attributed to the early Celtic people, various pagan groups and later to Christianity.

The triquetra has been found in northern Europe on large stones dating back to around 1,000 AD. The triquetra symbol has also been found in the Christian illustrated manuscript, the Book of Kells from the time period 800 AD. Earlier findings of the triquetra were on ancient rune stones in northern Europe, and on coins from early Germanic origins.

Celtic Symbol Meanings:

For Pagans, the triquetra represents the threefold nature of reality in its various forms. The Divine Feminine - maiden, mother & crone; life, death and rebirth, and the three forces of nature represented as water, air and earth.

For Christians, the triquetra has always been believed to symbolize the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because the three arcs of the circles are equal, it represents the equality of the three.

The triquetra has taken on a bit of pop symbolism, due to its use on the television show "Charmed." The symbol represented the Power of Three, much as it does in early traditions.

Today the triquetra symbol is one of the most popular Celtic symbols, and versions of it are made into Celtic pendants, Celtic earrings, Celtic necklaces and many other Celtic designs including stained glass, soap, etched glass and more.

Visit: Unique Celtic Jewelry for a greater selection of unique Celtic jewelry of all kinds.