Bronze Age jewellery to go on display for first time in more than 4,000 years

Aug 28, 2024

Jewellery from the Bronze Age has been restored and is going on display for the first time in more than 4,000 years.

Pieces of the necklace and bracelet were discovered in 1870 at a burial site within the former Balgay Estate near Dundee – but they have never been available for the public to view.

Conservators at National Museums Scotland (NMS) have now used in-depth analysis to restring the original beads and jet plates with recreations to restore the matching set to its original state.

The jewellery – believed to have been worn by a woman of status – has been loaned to The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum and will go on show in September, to coincide with Scottish Archaeology Month.

Dr Matthew Knight, senior curator of prehistory at NMS, said “the painstaking work” by researchers “allows us to travel back in time and experience these important Bronze Age objects as they would have been seen thousands of years ago”.

At the time the 42 jet beads and nine jet plates were discovered, Balgay Estate extended as far as the shoreline of the River Tay.

Experts initially believed the loose beads came from a single piece of jewellery.

However, recent research by Dr Alison Sheridan concluded they belonged to a matching necklace and bracelet set.

The plates, which separate the barrel-shaped beads into multiple strands, are decorated with intricate bored dot designs.

NMS said the craftsmanship indicates they were valuable pieces, with the jet itself an “exotic raw material, imported from Yorkshire”.

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It added that the gentle wear on the larger plates shows the jewellery was frequently worn and treasured.

The jewellery loan is being supported by the People’s Postcode Lottery.

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