The most important pendant is the ‘shield shaped’ piece. Its shape, the way it was made and the valuable materials it was made from all tell us something about the person it belonged to. The pendant is made from gold and is inlaid with 57 red garnets, each with a thin sheet of gold leaf beneath. Its scallop shape links with early Christianity and is associated with love, fertility and birth. This unique piece is an unparalleled find and would have been made by one of the best craftsmen in the Anglo-Saxon world. This information, along with the way the person was buried, led archaeologists to conclude the grave must have been for a princess.
Image courtesy of Redcar and Cleveland Council Cultural Service