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Metal detectorist finds 3,000-year-old gold bracelet 'worth up to £20k'

Rowenna Hoskin,BBC Walesand
Gwydion Edwards,Cymru Fyw
News imageBBC A close-up photograph shows a gold-coloured open-ended bracelet resting across the palm of a hand. The bracelet has a smooth, rounded band with slightly flared terminals at each end and a matte metallic finish. Fine skin lines and creases in the hand provide scale, highlighting the bracelet's thickness and craftsmanship, while the blurred background keeps the focus on the circular object.BBC
The bracelet was found in a field in Llanuwchllyn and is believed to be about 3,000-years-old

Having only ever found a silver coin while metal detecting, Idris Thomas was shocked to strike gold - a late Bronze Age gold bracelet which has been declared treasure.

Believed to be about 3,000 years old, the bracelet was found to be 92.8% gold by experts from Museum Wales. Brett Hammond, CEO of Timeline Auctions, estimated its value at between £15,000 and £20,000. An official value has not yet been given.

Thomas was scanning on farmland belonging to Geraint Edwards, in Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd, for about 20 minutes when his detector alerted him.

"I thought it was another bit of tin foil to begin with, and I just saw a flash of gold and dug a little bit around it," he said.

News imageTwo people stand in a gravel farmyard holding a gold-coloured circular bracelet between them. Geraint Edwards wears a grey padded gilet over a green-and-brown checked shirt and has short grey hair with a neatly trimmed grey beard and moustache. Idris Thomas wears a green waterproof jacket over a blue hooded top and has short reddish hair with a ginger beard and moustache. Behind them are metal farm gates, tractors and agricultural equipment, with trees and rolling countryside visible in the background.
Geraint Edwards and Idris Thomas are very excited to find out more about the find

At a hearing in Caernarfon to establish whether it was treasure, north west Wales deputy coroner Sarah Riley described the finding as "absolutely stunning".

Experts said at the hearing the bracelet would have once belonged to a man or woman of high status within their farming community.

Edwards previously said he always believed his land had a "quite unique feeling to it".

"There's no stamp or anything on it, but I suppose they hadn't started stamping gold at that time."

He said he was interested to find out where the gold originated from. The bracelet was being sent away to be analysed and recorded.

"Some people never have the chance to find such a thing on their own land," he said, saying it was "a great feeling" and that he had become "quite attached" to the bracelet.

News imageA man wearing a green jacket and khaki trousers and walking boots stands in the middle of a sweeping green hillside holding a metal detector in one hand and a spade in the other. He has ginger hair and a beard and a blue hoodie is visible beneath his jacket. He is surrounded by open pasture dotted with dark patches of livestock droppings. Rolling fields, grazing sheep, mature trees and distant hills stretch across the background beneath a sky of bright sunshine and dramatic grey clouds.
Idris Thomas said he was inspired by TV to start metal detecting two years ago

Thomas described it as a "once in a lifetime" find.

"I'm absolutely shocked, over the moon and it's hard to describe the feeling," he added.

Thomas had been scanning with a metal detector for two years, having seen people doing in on television.

"I'm sure some people have been at it for 10 years and haven't found anything like this," he said.

British Museum and Museum Wales have been contacted for comment.

Storiel Museum and Art Gallery have expressed an interest in acquiring the treasure find, following its independent valuation by the Treasure Valuation Committee.

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