Discovered by a metal detectorist in 2002 near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, the sword pommel and hilt fittings are an outstanding find of very high quality workmanship and are the first sword fittings of this type from Anglo-Saxon England. Leading Lincolnshire archaeologist Kevin Leahy recently identified five separate, beautifully decorated pieces of gold as fittings from a single Anglo-Saxon sword handle of the 7th century. There was a pommel cap, two plates from the pommel and the crosspiece respectively, and two ferrules from the hilt itself. Each bore decoration in gold filigree, the applied wire fused with the metal beneath to form an invisible bond. Garnets had been inset in ‘cabochon’ style – which means they had not been cut, but were left as pebbles and polished. The bottoms of the cells in which the garnets had been placed were formed from corrugated gold foil, which reflected the light, making them glitter.
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