Fragments of Bead Production, Luce Sands

This selection of objects come from Luce Sands, and show fragments of a highly polished bangle, and the remains of hollowed out jet beads used in the production of jewellery. This selection also includes shale deposits, raw lumps which have been cored for the creation of cylindirical beads, and are industrial waste from the creation process   Jewellery in the Iron age   Bangles could have been worn around the wrists, but in some parts of northern Europe they were worn as anklets. They could be made out of bronze, but could also be carved out of soft stone such as shale or jet. Rings were also very uncommon, and might be worn on a finger or a toe.   Brooches were often very simple and little more than safety pins for holding clothes together. Glass beads were only made in a few places in Iron Age Britain. Most women would have only worn one or two glass beads, if any at all. These were often not worn around the neck, but as earrings or in the hair.