Historic Jewellery Reproduction are, the only and first company in the world, authorised to mould the original pieces of museum jewellery exhibits. This is because of the history of jewellery making within the family run company itself. Today’s owner, Mike Shorer is the seventh generation in his family employed in the art of goldsmithing and metalworking. This rich family heritage, along with his own personal qualifications, work experience and training, has enabled him to master the art of historic jewellery reproduction, including those from Viking origin. Mike Shorer’s own father worked in the British Museum in antiquities, in the form on jewellery restoration and replication for museum exhibition. In 1949 he patented a special mould enabling him to recreate and replicate the original pieces.
Over the years this remarkable company has reproduced items of jewellery using traditional and ancient methods of metalworking to replicate jewellery as bespoke commissioned pieces for The Royal Family, film productions, museum displays and much more.
The Viking people were Norse people, who originally came from Scandinavia and traversed the seas from their homelands. From there they spread, and their culture and diverse traditions travelled with them. As a result, we have some fantastic museum and arachnological finds that provide a rich impression of the Viking jewellery these people would have worn.
The most popular metals used by the Viking people and therefore worn as jewellery, were bronze or silver, whereas gold was rarely seen. Viking jewellery was used as a symbol of a person’s worth and status in much the same way it is today. This would have given the rich Viking an advantage over his fellow Viking, when it came to trading, as jewellery was also used to trade services and goods.
Some Norse, or Viking jewellery was known as ‘hack jewellery’. This was because Viking men and women would ‘hack’, or remove, certain features from one piece of jewellery to trade with others.
When it comes to producing Viking jewellery, HJR work hard to make sure that the jewellery items they produce are historically accurate. For this reason, they have been commissioned to produce film jewellery that is set in a certain era. Should any museum exhibitions, film production companies or re-enactment companies or groups require Viking jewellery that is accurate and depicts a correct view of the people and culture, then Historic jewellery Reproduction (HJR) have a skill set like no other.
There are many items of Viking jewellery in the online shop, available for purchase. There are Viking pendants with Viking disc’s, brooches and even a Viking drinking horn in the form of a dragon. As the Viking culture travelled near and far from their original dwellings, you will see aspects of other cultures intertwined in the jewellery designs of the selection of Viking jewellery. For example, some Celtic styles knots can be seen, and one piece of jewellery is an Anglo-Viking ring that features two animals clutching at a human head at it’s centre. This design is typical of ancient Germanic art.
For more information on Viking jewellery reproduction, Contact HJR.