Handsome meets Lovely in this Scottish sardonyx and sterling silver brooch from the island of Iona. A bold striped cabochon-cut stone is set within a sliver Celtic scrolling botanical mounting. It was sent to Edinburgh in 1962 for hallmarking.
The holy island of Iona has sustained a mystical prominence for centuries. Irish saint, Columba (521-597 AD), built a monastery on this windswept island in 563 AD. Today, Iona is one of the oldest continuously-operating religious locales in Western Europe and many Christians make pilgrimages to its Abbey each year. The island's calm, natural beauty, handcraft and religious history makes it a compelling place for Christian retreat and communal living. It was here that Celtic Christianity was established. The iconic carved stone Celtic "tall cross" (free-standing, with a halo encircling the intersection) seems to have been first crafted here. And the famous Book of Kells illuminated manuscript, now displayed in Dublin, was probably started in Iona.
Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome piece.
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