About this objectThis gold shoulder clasp from the ship burial at Sutton Hoo in eastern England uses garnets from both South Asia and Bohemia as well as glass to replicate garnets. The various sources can be distinguished by their colour: the ones from India are more purple in hue, while those from Sri Lanka and Europe are more orange. The Indian ones are used here for the largest cells in the bodies of the two boars, with Boheniam and Sri Lankan stones used for the bristles on their back. Glass is used in the blue cells.
Date Madelate 6th-early 7th c.
PeriodAnglo-Saxon
Subject and Association KeywordsDeath and burials
Subject and Association KeywordsGlass
Subject and Association KeywordsBurial bling
Subject and Association DescriptionLearn More: Adams 2010; Bruce-Mitford 1978; Brunning et al 2024; King 2014
