Alfred Jewel Statement Necklace

A stunning piece of gold jewellery that’s bound to get you noticed, the Alfred Jewel statement necklace is designed exclusively for Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum by famed jewellery design house the Bill Skinner Studio.

Built around a faithful reproduction of one of the museum’s most prized and most recognisable artefacts, the Anglo Saxon Alfred Jewel, this beautiful gold necklace makes the perfect gift for someone who knows and loves history or for a regular visitor to the Ashmolean’s historic halls. Hand enamelled, the central image – thought by experts to represent sight – is here protected by a robust, clear optical acrylic lens. Below the dragon’s head, a faithful copy of that found on the original, this stylish gold pendant is finished with a single genuine freshwater pearl and, finally, a tassel crafted using eye catching blue glass beads.

An unusual gold necklace for women of all ages, the Alfred Jewel statement necklace is designed as a replica of the Alfred Jewel, a landmark Anglo Saxon find discovered in 1693 in a field in North Petherton, Somerset, close to the Athelney Abbey, the location from which King Alfred the Great famously launched his counter attack against the Great Army of the Vikings. A stunning piece of goldsmithing, the filigree Alfred Jewel features an enamelled figure protected by a slice of rock crystal and surrounded with a statement made in gold: ‘AELFRED MEC HEHT GEWYRCAN’, translated from the Anglo Saxon to ‘Alfred ordered me to be made’. It’s this inscription, coupled with the location in which it was discovered, that leads historians to think that the jewel was commissioned by King Alfred (r. 871 – 899) himself, the only British monarch in history to have been named ‘the Great’.

Probably the handle of an aestel, or pointer, used to follow the religious texts that the learned Alfred commissioned to be translated from Latin into Anglo Saxon, the Alfred Jewel is central to the Ashmolean Museum’s famed English archaeological collection.

Hung on a gold-plated chain, the Bill Skinner Studio’s replica Alfred Jewel statement necklace is sure to be a well worn and much loved addition to any jewellery collection. Whether dressing up a simple shirt or plain t-shirt or chosen to complement an evening dress, this stunning necklace will suit any occasion, providing a real talking point for the wearer whether at the local coffee shop or attending a black tie event.

Exclusive to the Ashmolean Museum.