For the Iron Age Celts, the gold torc seems to have been a key object, identifying the wearer as a person of high rank, and many of the finest works of ancient Celtic art are, in fact, torcs.

This torc, a neckpiece made of gold alloy and weighing exactly 1lb (454 gm), was made for a Celtic chieftain, to be worn as a symbol of wealth, status and political power two thousand years ago.