The Hunterston Brooch - Of Origin Unknown

The Hunterston Brooch 
 - A brooch is an accessory used to hold clothing in place with a metal pin and clasp. This beautiful example was produced in what was believed to be around c.700 AD. The brooch is made up of gold, amber, and silver. IT is approximately 122 mm in diameter, and 36 mm in height. It was discovered in the 1830's in Scotland, by a man named Hunterston, Ayrshire. Although it is not certain, the broach is said to have most likely been made at a royal site by a very skilled jeweler. Due to the decorative metalwork, they must have been familiar with Anglo-Saxon, Irish, and Irish-Scottish techniques. No one knows who originally, or at any point owned the brooch, however approximately 200 years after it was made, it's current owner added an inscription in Viking Runes onto the back of the brooch. Anyone who wore this brooch was seen to others as undeniably an important and powerful person. The design embedded into the brooch consists of two beats with open mouths and bared sangs. On one of the St Ninian's Isle hoard brooches, there is a similar pair of beast that are also upside down. Between the beats, seemingly about to be devoured are four insects arranged in the shape of a cross. There are so many more complex and tiny designs throughout the diameter of the broach. So many aspects of this brooch are unknown including origin and owner. One thing we know for sure is that it's beauty as a brooch is unparalleled and would have brought a high level of prestige to anyone who owned or wore it. 

                                                                      Works Cited

Scottish History and Archaeology 2 min read. “Hunterston Brooch.” National Museums Scotland, www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/scottish-history-and-archaeology/hunterston-brooch/. 

“Glenmorangie Research Project: the Hunterston Brooch.” National Museums Scotland, blog.nms.ac.uk/2016/03/13/glenmorangie-research-project-the-hunterston-brooch/.