Probably from near Sittingbourne, a "figure of eight" jewel; as the back is plain it is evident that it was not a brooch, but the garnet and sapphire stones set in a frame of gold cell work produce a very attractive personal ornament. (1) A fine jewel of cell work, of fiddle-back form, the base and partitions being of gold. The settings remaining are garnets and sapphire (centre), but several have been lost, and probably were of blue glass, imitating lapis-luzuli. It is not in the true Kentish style, and is certainly earlier than the majority of jewels found in the county; possibly it was made across the Channel and the nearest parallel is a buckler plate found near Houdan, Seine-et-Oise. The jewel is now in the British Museum. (2) "... Mr Shilling obtained ... a cheste and rare ornament, an Anglo- Saxon object found at Milton, of which a reproduction is here given. The crossbars and framework are of gold, the central square is set with a blue crystal the squares on either side have a blue stone in the centre, the eight small outer circles having lost their settings, while all the other divisions are filled in with red glass. This beautiful jewel appears to belong to a type of which Mr Roach Smith figured an example (a) in bronze gilt, found in a Frankish cemetery at Butte des Gargans in France, by M. Auguste Moutie, who calls it a baldric fastening." (3) "The illustration shows a common Frankish type, well presented at Faversham, that has been dated after 600 ... the "violing" type of buckle ... the gold jewel from Kent, probably in the neighbourhood of Sittingbourn. Most of the cells are still filled with garnets, the central stone is of greenish colour, and flanking it are two cabochan sapphires or imitations in glass. As the back is quite plain, the jewel has never been worn as a brooch." (4) Illustration of baldric fastening from the Butte des Gargans. No information about Kent find. (5) An Anglo-Saxon gold jewel, from Milton-next-Sittingbourne, with deep straight-sided cells and an inlay of thick garnets. (See IllustrationCard for photo.) (6)

<1> Arch of Kent 1930 236 The Anglo Saxon Period illust (R F Jessup) (OS Card Reference). SKE36899.

<2> VCH Kent 1 1908 374 illust (R A Smith) (OS Card Reference). SKE50856.

<3> Coll Ant 4 188 pl XLV (OS Card Reference). SKE39104.

<4> Coll Cant 1893 120-121 (G Payne) (OS Card Reference). SKE39129.

<5> BM Guide to Anglo Saxon Antiqs 1923 41-42 (Plate III No 3) Anon (OS Card Reference). SKE38194.

<6> Coll Ant 4 1857 188 plate XLV fig 3 (M Auguste Moutie) (OS Card Reference). SKE39101.

<7> Anglo Saxon Art 1938 68 Plate XXXIV (T D Kendrick) (OS Card Reference). SKE33077.