12.2.2012 Golden necklace discovered in a swamp

The gold necklace was found by a prospector with a metal detector in the north of Ireland while searching his property. At first, he didn't know what he'd found, so he put the jewel in a drawer.

Ronnie Johnston found a gold necklace in a bog in County Fermanagh in the north of Ireland in 2009. He went there to search with a metal detector. Three years later, an official declared the find a treasure. He referred to it as an extremely significant discovery.

The necklace dates from between 1300 and 1100 BC. It was made of gold and silver, with the proportion of gold being 87 percent and silver 11 percent. The British Museum was subsequently asked to estimate the value of the jewellery found. Funding for its purchase was to be provided by the Department of Arts and Culture. As is usually the case in such cases, the museum wanted to acquire the treasure to display it for the public.

The finder is also the owner of the land because he bought it. He searched it several times a week with a metal detector. When he found the necklace, he had no idea what it was. He cleaned it and put it in a drawer. But in May, he looked at a treasure hunting magazine with a picture of a gold necklace.

He showed the photo to his brother Charlie Johnston, who contacted Greer Ramsey at Armagh County Museum. "I really can't believe it is such a valuable and ancient item. I had no idea what it was either," said the finder's brother Charlie Johnston.

Ramsey later said that ten gold neckwears have already been found in Ireland and a total of 38 neckwears have been found in the whole of the UK. He said the jewellery dates from a time when Ireland was literally the "Eldorado of Western Europe". The necklace is made from gold bar that has been twisted into a spiral shape. It could be worn as a bracelet or necklace, sometimes around the waist. This would also be the case with the jewelry the prospector found in the swamp.

The coroner in charge, John Leckey, declared the jewel a treasure and said the necklace was exceptionally beautiful and stressed the importance of reporting such finds. "I would consider it scandalous if such an item did not end up on display in a museum in Northern Ireland. It is part of our culture," he said.

The extraordinary find was also brought to the attention of Culture Minister Caral Ni Chuilin. He subsequently stated that this was an important moment in Northern Ireland's history, further underlining the importance of this discovery from County Fermanagh.

Sources: www.bbc.com, www.claddaghdesign.com